Orders are due tomorrow to ensure that the books will be delivered by Valentine's day. If you didn't get a form then you can order online using the class code LNWXP. Remember, Lara Francisco sent out a list of recommended books for our class library as well as wish lists. The points earned from your orders
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This will be a short week but I plan to squeeze as much in as possible in order to stay on track with my curriculum map. We have a bunch of new units beginning and a short time frame to complete!
Don't forget: Yoga: Tuesday mornings with Ms. Skoog in the gym from 9:05-9:25. Parents are invited to join. Homework club: Still taking place Mon, Tues., Thrus. and Fri. until 4:30 in and a 3rd, 4th or 5th grade classroom in the treehouse (upstairs). Check out the photo gallery: I try to update every other week. Homework: I have asked students to take something apart (not expensive, already broken, outdated, etc.) and figure out how it works. This must be a smaller project that can be done this week. Please help your student slowly take it apart and think with purpose while going through the process. They do not need to put it back together, unless you want to require that! I will be sending some reflection questions and a rubric home tomorrow. Word work: Students are beginning some serious grammar and mechanics of writing work. This week we are looking at the difference between there, their and they're. In addition, they're also deciphering the use of its and it's. We also started a new vocabulary program (lesson, workbook style) connected to our Greek and Latin roots study. Reader's workshop: Students will begin to dive into nonfiction reading with a focus on comprehension, organizing information and summarizing. Students will also be selecting books that are connected to genius hour study. Look for prompt questions that you can use with your student during their independent reading. Remember, we are focusing on diving deep into our books and holding discussions that are meaningful (connections to history, and social or political issues). Please help your student chose a book that matters! Writer's workshop: Students will begin a short fiction unit (any style). The focus will be to create a very short story with key story elements. Students have been super excited for this moment while I am always hesitant because I struggle to keep up with their imaginations! Food Chemistry: Students will continue testing foods (for protein and fats) and looking at it from through a scientific lense. They are making connections to their own eating habits through discussions, activities, watching videos, and reading articles. Math: This week students are beginning a fraction unit with a focus on comparing fractions. Initially students will look at simple "rules" to deciphering which is greater or less than. Eventually, they will dive into more difficult fractions that require more thinking to determine the value. Social and Emotional Learning: The festival of performances was a hit! During our reflection students were very proud of themselves and shared some special moments. We counted the money that was raised, which was quite a thrilling moment! In total they raised three times more than what they needed (based on research and plans). Thank you for your support! Today we made a list of possibilities for how the extra funds could be spent (save for future vet visit, save for future food, spend on a loft for gecko, etc.). We are hoping to have our gecko by next week! PBL: The planning for the World Peace Game is much more intense that I initially figured because I am working off another teacher's experience, which is missing many aspects. The game is extremely complicated with many unknown factors. However, I am still looking forward to it! I ail send a list of needs soon (thanks in advance)! Genius Hour: This idea was termed at Google. Google's work strategy allows employees to spend 20% of their time on projects of exploration. Google employees have created very successful projects, like gmail, with this time. The freedom has been successful in business and now it is making it's way into the classroom. I have decided to try it out because I know that this class will jump on board and create incredible projects. I am introducing it Wed. and we students will begin planning. There are a couple key elements that will be required. The exploration begins with passion and a driving question. Then, planning and taking action on a project that will be presented in the end. In a way, it's like a mini PBL project! I plan to give students Wed. afternoons to make progress. Instrumental music takes place at this time so some students will unfortunately have less time to work on it. Students will be able to work on the project at home once the first steps are approved. Check out the link for more info on genius hour. Last week there were some sleepy, spacey moments as we returned from break and got use to the schedule again. This week it feels like we are back in action and running full speed. Check out what's happening this week...
Don't forget: Yoga: Tuesday mornings with Ms. Skoog in the gym from 9:05-9:25. Parents are invited to join. Homework club: Still taking place Mon, Tues., Thrus. and Fri. until 4:30 in and a 3rd, 4th or 5th grade classroom in the treehouse (upstairs). Homework: Last week students were given a math enrichment focused on long division (any strategy). Many students worked on it over the weekend. Today those students shared and reflected on their work. The results were incredible and I was extremely impressed. On the other hand, some students are still making progress. For those that did not finish, they were given one more night to complete before sharing on Tuesday. For those that did finish on time get a night off! For homework this week I would like students to read for 30 minutes a night (at least) and refresh multiplication and division work. I will be passing out reading logs and math worksheets on Tuesday. At this point, students need to continue to practice so the processes become engrained. Word work: Students are beginning some serious grammar and mechanics of writing work. Last week we clarified the use of quotation marks and dialogue. This week the focus is apostrophes and contractions. Reader's workshop: Literature circles wrapped up today. Students are already asking about the next books, which tells me it was a success! Students will begin to dive into nonfiction reading with a focus on comprehension, organizing information and summarizing. Soon I will be sending home sample prompt questions that you can use with your students during independent reading. Remember, we are focusing on diving deep into our books and holding discussions that are meaningful (connections to history, and social or political issues). Please help your student chose a book that matters! Writer's workshop: Thank you to those parents and family who attended the Writer's celebration. It was a hit and today students were feeling good about it! If you missed out, students are currently posting their realistic fiction on websites. Students will begin a short fiction unit (any genre). The focus will be to create a very short story with key story elements. Students have been super excited for this moment while I am always hesitant because I struggle to keep up with their imaginations! Food Chemistry: Students will continue testing foods (for protein and fats) and looking at it from through a scientific lense. They are making connections to their own eating habits through discussions, watching videos, and reading articles. Social and Emotional Learning: Our class meetings have subsided again and have been replaced by a student driven cooperation activity. Students discovered that the donation box was not good enough to raise enough funds for the leopard gecko. Based on their stats, we still need about $45. The class decided to plan another way to raise money. Instead of just asking, they decided to hold a festival where donations will be accepted. The festival will include performances (live music, dancing, singing, whistling, sports, a play, face painting and possibly dog tricks) by students. They are very excited about the event and have taken on some serious planning. We would like to get the leopard gecko sooner than later so we think we can pull this off by Friday after school until 4:15 ish. If you have a conflict please let me know and we can find a way to work around your schedule or accomodate accordingly. Genius Hour: This idea was termed at Google. Google's work strategy allows employees to spend 20% of their time on projects of exploration. Google employees have created very successful projects, like gmail. The freedom has been successful in business and now it is making it's way into the classroom. I have decided to try it out because I know that this class will jump on board and create incredible projects. I am introducing it Wed. and we students will begin planning. There are a couple key elements that will be required. The exploration begins with passion and a driving question. Then, planning and taking action on a project that will be presented in the end. I plan to give students Wed. afternoons to make progress. Instrumental music takes place at this time so some students will unfortunately have less time to work on it. Students will be able to work on the project at home once the first steps are approved. Check out the link for more info on genius hour. I want to pass along my gratitude for the beautiful cards written by students and parents before break. When I read them I felt much joy! The gift basket full of goodies was perfect as well. Thank you for the thoughtful and generous gift! Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope the Winter break was enjoyable and relaxing for everyone. I found myself quite busy with social events, family obligations, a kitchen remodel and a some lesson planning. It was fabulous! We will take this week to adjust to our routines and get back on the learning track. We have several projects, units and activities to wrap up as well. Here is our week at a glance: Homework: Starting Tuesday this week students will be working on their enrichment projects for math. Most students have started the project before Winter break and they will just be continuing the work. There are several different projects (see below under the math section) and a rubric stating expectations. Please check in with your student by asking questions connected to how they can push their thinking and improve their project to meet the expectations. Reader's workshop: Literature circles will still be taking place. Most groups are close to completing the book and assignments. They will have a short character trait project to complete by the end of the week. Soon I will be sending home sample prompt questions that you can use with your students during independent reading. Remember, we are focusing on diving deep into our books and holding discussions that are meaningful (connections to history, and social or political issues). Writer's workshop: Students have completed publishing their realistic fiction writing. We did not get a chance to celebrate before Winter break due to a late arrival. We will hold a writer's celebration this Friday (1/10) at 10:30. If you would like to join please let me know! Food Chemistry: Students will continue testing foods (for protein and fats) and looking at it from through a scientific lense. They are making connections to their own eating habits through discussions, watching videos, and reading articles. Math: Students will partake in a review session early in the week. Then, they will jump right into continuing our division unit with a focus on the enrichment projects. There are several strategies that students have learned to understand the concept of multi-digit division. Remember, its not just about memorizing algorithms, it's about thinking deeper with a greater understanding of the concept. Ask your student to teach you "Multiplying Up", "Partial Quotients", or "Traditional Algorithm." Social and Emotional Learning: We will refocus on class meetings this week with some some review on options for solving problems. Of course we will start each meeting with a round of compliments as well! The class will also finish their class pet planning. See below for the research questions they developed and took action on. Each group created posters with the information and presented to the class. This week we will review the ideas and modify if needed. Our goal was to get a class pet in the first few weeks after Winter break! Other:
Yoga: Tuesday mornings with Ms. Skoog in the gym from 9:05-9:25 Homework club: Still taking place Mon, Tues., Thrus. and Fri. until 4:30 in and a 3rd, 4th or 5th grade classroom in the treehouse (upstairs) |
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