Reindeer

Yesterday and today we learned how to describe characters in Olive, the Other Reindeer and how to describe the setting in The Wild Christmas Reindeer. We used the story about Olive to describe our own pet reindeer and we created one for our writing. We practiced estimating, tallying and graphing red and green candy during Math and we learned about volunteering and goods and services in Social Studies.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete the math home link. Don't forget your gift exchange present!

Dear Santa

Today we learned more about the parts of a letter and persuasive writing. We read the book, Dear Santa- The Letters from James B. Dobbins. In the book, James is trying to explain to Santa that all of the things that he has done wrong were just accidents. He is trying to persuade Santa into getting him the gifts he would like for Christmas. We wrote our own persuasive letters to Santa. We told him all of the good things we have done this year. We also did math explorations today. We practiced measuring, using Base-10 blocks and finding paths.

Homework- Read the poem, 'Homemade Gingerbread' and have your lucky listener sign the sheet.
Don't forget to bring in your exchange gift by Wednesday.

Compare and Contrast

Today we finished our Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We worked on writing words with -nk. In math, we learned more about the patterns on the number grid as we filled in our own number grid. We discovered different strategies to do that. Then we completed parts of the number grid that were missing numbers. Finally, in Social Studies we learned about the laws and leaders of a community.

Homework- Read your just right book and practice reading and writing your sight words.

Addition Top-it

Today we learned how to use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast two things. We discovered that this will help us to remember, connect and comprehend what we are reading. We learned how to make number sentences true in math and we reviewed greater than and less than models. We learned how to play Addition Top-it as well.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete the home link.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Today we practiced retelling How the Grinch Stole Christmas by following the yellow brick road. We worked in groups to tell the parts of a retelling (characters, setting, etc.) and then laid our road out and practiced retelling the story. We learned all about our new glued sound using the letters -nk and we wrote animal riddles using inside and outside character traits.

Homework- Read your decodable reader and add it to your book box. Study your new spelling words.

The Grinch

Today we started a book study with, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. We used clues from the book to make a character sketch. We discussed The Grinch's traits and we talked about why an author would want us to know so much about a character. We also discussed the four main directions and made a map of Whoville to practice using the directions: north, south, east and west. Finally, in math we used a real world example with Base-10 blocks... pennies and dimes. The dimes represent the longs and the pennies represent the cubes. We practiced making exchanges with our pennies and dimes. No one wants to have 100 pennies in their pocket! :))

Homework- Read your just right book and complete the home link.

Lessons

Today we learned that author's sneak lessons into their books when we aren't expecting them :). They try to teach us how to be kind, follow rules, be a good friend and so much more. Some stories, like fables, tell us the moral. Some authors don't tell us, we have to use clues to figure out the lesson. We practiced finding the lessons of several stories today. We did a free write while some students finished their movie writing and we learned about the value of a digit in math. The digit's value is determined by the place it is in. We were very busy!

Homework- Read your just right book. Practice your sight words. Here are a few links to help you-http://www.starfall.com/n/matching/sight-words/load.htm
http://www.abcya.com/dolch_sight_word_bingo.htm

Noodles

Today we learned about character traits. Before we read our book,  I Love Christmas! with Noodles the dog, we discussed outside character traits. Those are the words that can describe a character's appearance. Then when we read the book we described the inside traits which can be determined through a character's feelings, actions or words. We found out that in our book, Noodle's inside traits actually changed. We determined that characters can change in the books we read. Then we used our writing time to retell the story. In math we learned about place value.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete the math home link.

Popcorn!!

Today we learned what makes popcorn pop. We discovered that everything on Earth is matter. We learned about solids, liquids and gases. We learned that popcorn is a solid but has a little bit of water inside. Ask your son/daughter what happens to the water and how it affects the popcorn kernel. Today we also made a mouse craft to go with our movie writing. In technology, we learned how to login to our Google account and how to open a new document. We will continue to work on this next week.

Homework- Read your decodable reader and place it in your book box. Study your spelling words.

Needs and Wants

Today we learned about needs and wants. We sorted items from our story, If You Take a Mouse to the Movies and learned that needs are things that you must have to survive. Then we worked in groups to determine what item we would buy if we could only afford one thing. We explained why we would pick that item. We talked about economic decisions. We also continued writing our movie description paper. I was so proud of the students... they did such a nice job on using a web to make a paragraph.

Homework- Read the poem of the week and have your lucky listener sign the sheet.

Setting

Today we learned that a story can have more than one setting. We also discovered that the setting really helps us to visualize the story. When we know where and when a story takes place, it makes it easier to create a mental picture. We looked at verbs that end with an -s suffix today. We analyzed the words we sorted to figure out what each word had in common and how they were different than nouns. We learned how to write a question at the beginning of our writing to help hook our readers. This question should be about the topic but make the reader want to know more. Do you like going to the movies? Come back soon to find out about our adventures in descriptive writing!

Homework- Read the decodable reader and add it to your book box. Practice your spelling words.

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

Today we practiced visualizing as we read If You Take a Mouse to the Movies. We discovered we all had different sketches and they didn't necessarily match the pictures in the book. Why? We all have different schema and different experiences. Visualizing helps us to understand and remember what we read. We also sorted plural and singular nouns and learned that the -s is a suffix. We add that to the end of some nouns to show that it is more than one thing. We created a web when we used sensory details to describe going to the movies. We also learned how to add 3 numbers today. Finally, we learned about communities and map skills.

Homework- Read your just right book. Complete the home link.

The Very Stuffed Turkey

Today we explored farm life with the story, The Very Stuffed Turkey. We sorted animals into farm and not farm categories. We wrote a note to Turkey inviting him to our house for Thanksgiving. We read the book and retold the story in groups. We also looked at maps and followed the map that Turkey used to go to his friend's houses. Finally, we did a farm animal capsule experiment. We predicted which farm animal our capsule would turn in to and then observed the 'hatching' of the capsules. We learned that only one student made the correct prediction, Landen. We had a great day!

Homework- Read the poem and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Bring your notebook back on Tuesday. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Fishing for 10

Today we practiced identifying the combinations of 10 by playing 'Fishing for 10'. We took a quick check over asking and answering questions. We wrote in our journals and we played a game to practice making real and nonsense words with our glued sounds -an, -am, and -all.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete your home link.

Kevin Henkes

Today we practiced using our text to answer questions. We finished writing our bee reports and we reviewed the combinations of 10. Finally, we read all about Kevin Henkes in our Scholastic News.

Homework- Read the decodable reader and add it to your book box. Practice your spelling words. Bring your progress report back signed.

More About Bees

Today we read more about bees, collected facts and finished our bee report. We used a graphic organizer and crayons to mark the topic sentence (the green-go sentence), the facts (the yellow-slow down sentences), and the wrap-up (the red-stop sentence). This helped us to organize our writing and prepared us to write our paragraph. We learned about our brain as a muscle. When we practice and learn, the brain gets smarter.

Homework- Read the poem, 'I Ate Too Much' and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Read your leveled reader about bees. PLEASE bring both items back on Monday. Sign the progress report and send it back on Monday.

Reading Detectives

Today we learned how to answer questions by finding and underlining the evidence from our text. We read a short story called Katie's Secret and identified the character, setting and events in the story. Before we answered the questions, we used a different colored crayon to underline where we found the answers in the text. Good readers ask and answer questions to show that they understand a story. We also learned how to add doubles in math class. This is an additional adding strategy to use to solve problems. Finally, we took a quick check over our Social Studies unit.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete your home link.

Honey Bees

Today we learned all about honey bees. We did a closed sort with bee vocabulary words, we read about bees, we brainstormed facts about bees, we wrote about bees, we created bees and we watched a video about bees. We had a bee-utiful day :)).

Homework- Read Honey Bees from your reading text. Bring the book back tomorrow. Practice your sight words.

Super Power!

Today we learned about tally charts and bar graphs. We did a survey in the class. What super hero power would you like to have? That was our question. Our choices were: to fly, to be invisible or to have super strength. After we collected the data we learned how to make a bar graph and then analyze it. Most of the students wanted to be invisible. They had all kinds of plans for that!

Homework- Read your just right book. Complete the home link.

Pete the Cat

Today we practiced answering questions about the book, Pete the Cat- I Love My White Shoes. Then we made Pete with our favorite shoe color. We sorted words based on the number of syllables it had and then we discovered that a syllable has at least one vowel in it. We wrote about something of our choice and we had math rotations today. We played number bond games on the computer. We learned about Base-10 blocks and we conducted a survey.

Homework- Read the decodable reader and add it to your book box. Read your just right book. Practice your spelling words.

Too Many Tamales

Today we had our reading celebration!! We were celebrating the end of our unit on comprehension strategies. We reviewed our reading strategies using a tree for an analogy. Alone the tree is quite boring (just reading the words) but when we add the leaves it makes the tree so much more appealing (thinking through the text).  We got to practice using our strategies with the book Too Many Tamales. Then we got to taste tamales. We had a great time! Thank you for joining us.

Homework- Read the poem, 'I Do Not Like November' and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Read your leveled reader and PLEASE bring both back on Monday. Thank you!

The Big Circle

Today we learned how to ask questions before, during and after our story, The Big Circle. Tomorrow we will find the answers to our questions. We practiced measuring objects using blocks, paper clips, and Popsicle sticks. We read about calendars and learned about their importance. We also practiced spelling our word wall words with the game: Write, Cover, Spell, Check. You can use this at home to help you practice your words.

Homework- Read The Big Circle from your reading text. Bring the book back tomorrow. Practice your new spelling words from your homework sheet: be, this, from, I, have.

Measurement

Today we learned how to measure objects by comparison. We also found out that knowing what you are measuring is very important. Are we measuring length or width? We learned that good readers ask questions before, during and after reading. This helps us to understand what we are reading.

Homework- Complete the home link and read your just right book.

Asking Questions

Today we learned about a new reading comprehension strategy: asking questions. We found out that good readers ask questions about their reading to help them understand the text. We sorted questions and sentences. We determined that questions end with a question mark and usually begin with a question word like: what, when, where, who, why or how. We took our word test, math assessment and a reading check-up. We were busy, busy, busy.

Homework- Read your decodable reader and add it to your book box.

Life in the Forest

Today we learned about another type of writing: informational. We read the text Life in the Forest, identified animals that live in the forest and then asked questions about the animals. We used an organizer to answer three questions: Where do they live? What do they eat? and What do they look like? Then we used our information to write a paragraph about the animal. We learned all about Bossy E today. We made words with the 'E' telling the A to say its name. :))

Homework- Read the poem, 'Pumpkins' and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Read your leveled reader book and bring both back on Monday. Don't forget to let me know about the Reading Celebration. Have a great weekend!

A Duck Can't Be President

Today we learned how adults go through the voting process in our Scholastic News. We also connected this magazine to the real world. We continued to write narratives and we reviewed for our math test. We practiced our -all words with a spinner game.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete the math link. Don't forget to let me know if you are coming to the Reading Celebration next Friday. Thank you!

Calculators

Today we learned how to identify -all words using picture clues. We made a web about the things in a community. We learned that schools, buildings, people, and families make-up a community. Communities are places where people live and work. We read about community workers in the text, Who Works Here? We made connections to our own neighborhood workers. We continued to write fictional narratives and I was so pleased to see so many of the students writing about different topics. We learned how to use calculators to skip count today in math.

Homework- Read Who Works Here? in your reading text and return the book tomorrow. Study your sight words.

Text-to-Text Connections

Today we made text-to-text connections when we read the book, Clifford for President. We were reminded of many things that happened in Duck for President. We continued to write fictional narratives but this time we organized our thoughts on a beginning, middle and end graphic. We are going to use this organizer to add details and make our own stories. We practiced using frames and arrows diagrams to find rules in patterns and we learned about the glued sound -all. We made -all words and found many of those words in our reading.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete the math link. If you haven't already turned your grade card envelope in, please do so as soon as possible. Also, don't forget to RSVP for our reading celebration. Thank you!!

Elections

Today we learned vocabulary words about elections. Then we read Duck for President to help us apply those words. We learned that being a farmer, Governor and President can be hard work... just ask Duck! We made connections to the story and learned about voting. We learned about fictional narratives today when we did some shared writing. We made up a story about Kylar and Corbin's Halloween adventure. We will practice writing stories this week.

Homework- Read Will We Win? and add it to your book box. Read your just right book. Study your new spelling words.

Making Connections

Today we practiced making connections in our reading. We found out it's easier to tell someone about a connection they made but it is more difficult to connect our reading to it. We practiced finding the place in the text that we made the connection. We read Playground Problems and discovered many connections to our own lives. The hard part was citing the evidence from the text that made us think of that connection. We will keep working on this. At home when your child makes a connection, have them cite the place in the text that reminded them of it. They should match. We started to explore number patterns using frames and arrows diagrams today in math. We had to identify the pattern in the numbers and then tell what numbers would come next. It was pretty fun to solve the mystery!

Homework- Read the 'The Spider' poem and have your lucky listener sign the new sheet in your notebook. Read your leveled text. Send both books back on Monday along with the report card envelope signed. Have a great weekend!

Bonus Letters

Today we learned some real and nonsense words with bonus letters. We read The Farmer in the Hat and looked for ways to make predictions using the pictures. We learned all about nouns and then sorted people, places and things. We also got to practice writing with details.

Homework- Read The Farmer in the Hat from your text. Bring it back tomorrow. Complete the home link.

Pumpkin Surprise!

Today we made predictions during a 'What is the box?' game. We started by making predictions about what was in the box and then we gradually added a clue and it changed our predictions. Once we had all three clues, we made a prediction that a pumpkin was in the box. We were right! That happens as we read too. We make predictions and then as we find clues in the story, we change our predictions. Where do we get the information to make predictions based on the clues? Our schema!! See? I told you it was important :)). Once we finished that, we then made a prediction about our Scholastic News. We predicted what you might make out of a pumpkin. Then we got these clues: This pumpkin is huge. This pumpkin can float. Let's carve this pumpkin and make it a ________. Can you make a prediction? We read about pumpkins used as boats and about a pumpkin's life cycle.

Homework- Read your just right book and the Decodable Reader Pug the Pup and add it to your book box. Practice your new spelling words.

Ira's Teddy Bear

Today we learned how to use the number line to add and subtract. This is another strategy we can add to our math tool belt. This strategy can help us solve number stories. We practiced making predictions in Ira Sleeps Over. We used another Kevin Henkes book called, Chester's Way to identify the techniques he uses in his stories to help the reader understand his lessons. Today we added: uses happy endings and uses rhyming words to our writer's craft list. Finally, we read with our 6th grade buddies.

Homework- Read the poem 'When Is It Night?' and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Read your just right book. Enjoy your day off!!

A Big Fish for Max

Today we learned that even when we use clues in a story to help us make predictions, our predictions aren't always right. We guessed the covered word by making predictions and then checked to see if we were right by revealing the first letter of the words. We then made a prediction about whether Max would catch a big fish for dinner. The majority of us thought that he would catch a fish but he didn't! Ask your child to retell what happened after they read the story tonight. We continued to write like Kevin Henkes today and we learned all about what makes something a living thing in science. We sorted living and nonliving things and learned a new song.

Homework- Read A Big Fish for Max in the reading text and bring it back tomorrow. Complete the home link.

Making Predictions

Today we learned how to use pictures to help us solve number stories. That is another strategy that can help us organize our information. We practiced making predictions in Blue's Art Day and we figured out that Blue wanted to give his leaf art to his friend the turtle. We learned more about Kevin Henkes when we watched a video clip about how he gets ideas for books. We learned the process of making books as well.  Getting inspiration from the world around us will be our focus in writing.

Homework- Read your just right book and complete your math home link.

Kevin Henkes

Today we learned how to sort ck and wh digraphs. We read our new poem, 'When Is It Night?' We took a word test to check our word wall words. We took a quick quiz for comprehension and learned about our next comprehension strategy: making predictions. We read The Doorbell Rang and made predictions about the story and then checked to see if we were right. We started our first author study today. Kevin Henkes will be our feature author. We will use his books to learn what writers do to make their books better. We read Chrysanthemum and determined some of the things that Kevin Henkes does in his books. Some of the things we noticed about his craft are that he repeats phrases often and teaches his readers a lesson. We also learned about our next habit in the Leader in Me: Begin with the End in Mind. We will be setting goals and planning ways to reach those goals.

Homework- Read Going Fishing and add it to your book box. Read your just right book and bring the bag and book back tomorrow. Study your spelling words.

Future of Firefighters

Today we learned about adding doubles, skip counting and how to order items by length in our math explorations. We learned about uniforms for firefighters in our Scholastic News. We practiced reading and writing words with the short e sound in our Making Words lesson. Finally, we read with our third grade buddies.

Homework- Read the 'October Leaves' poem and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Read your leveled reader. Return the book and poetry notebook on Monday. 

Sun Model

Today we learned how to use our part/part/total diagrams to make a number model. We practiced our digraph words and we rounded up the rhymes using a poem called, 'Carrots' by Shel Silverstein.  We used the poem to learn how to read and write words from the -ight word family. We continued to practice writing stories using our story hand. We activated our schema to read our just right books and we made a model of the sun. It was yummy!!

Homework- Read your just right book and bring the bag and book back each day. Practice your spelling words: are, on, was.

Animal Park

Today we learned all about animals. We guessed the covered word about an animal park. We then activated our schema and wrote about all the things we know about animals. We read Animal Park in our textbook. After that, we went back and used our thinking voice to ask and answer questions about the text. We learned about part/part/total diagrams in math. We use these to organize our numbers before we solve a number story. We finished our sun unit with a quick quiz today. The last thing we will do is make a sun model. We will do that tomorrow.

Homework- Read Animal Park in your textbook and bring the book back tomorrow. Read your just right book and return it. Complete Home Link 3.1.

Schema

Today we learned how to search for digraphs in a puzzle. We practiced writing our digraph words and we located the punctuation in our poem. We discovered that Dr. Xargle had no schema for babies. We had to use our thinking voice to figure out what he was talking about in our story, Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets. Schema is everything we already know. We have files in our brain that store this information and good readers get ready to read a book by activating their schema. We learned about writing narratives. We used our story hand to organize our thoughts. We know a story must have characters, a setting and events. The last part of a story is called the wrap-up. We reviewed number concepts in math by playing several games including Subtraction Bingo. Finally, we investigated how the sun affects other things on Earth. We tested water in the classroom and water in the sun to see what the temperature was and then analyzed our results. We found that the sun does affect everything it touches.

Homework-  Read your just right book. Bring the bag and book back tomorrow. 

Fire Safety

Today we learned all about fire safety. We got a tour of the fire engine and squad truck. We learned how to get out of our bedroom when there is a fire and we identified fire hazards in a house. We got a bracelet and a coloring packet. We learned a lot. Thank you to the Apple Creek Fire Department!


Homework- Read Can Do! and place it in your book box. Share your Unit 3 family letter for math and practice your new spelling words: are, on, was.

Digraphs

Today we learned how to sort th and sh digraph pictures. We continued to write our personal stories. We made a fruit 'reading' salad as we read Koala Lou. We used pineapple for our reading voice and oranges for our thinking voice. Reading is thinking!! We took a comprehension quick check and we took our Unit 2 math test. We had our first Leader in Me assembly today. We learned all about the 7 habits.

Homework- Read our 'Pumpkins' poem and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Read your just right book and bring the bag and book back on Monday. Have great weekend!

Nonsense Words

Today we learned how to make and read real and nonsense words with digraphs. We played rounding up the rhymes and we started writing our personal narrative (story). We used a graphic organizer to plan our writing and now we are taking the plans and putting them into a paragraph. We did practice problems for our math test tomorrow and we read about how the sun can be used for solar power.

Homework- Read your just right book and return the bag and book tomorrow.

Get the Egg!

Today we learned that we can make words using digraphs. Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. We unscrambled mixed up digraph words and wrote them correctly. We made a reading fruit salad using our story- Get the Egg! We added 'pineapples' when we used our reading voice and we added 'orange slices' when we used our thinking voice. We need to think when we read so we can understand what we are reading. We worked with unknown number models today. We learned that each side of our model needs to be equal. For example how would we solve 9-___=2? We need to make sure that both sides of our model equals 2. Finally, we did an experiment with the sun as our heat source when we predicted how much time it would take to melt an ice cube.

Homework- Read Get the Egg! Complete the realism and fantasy sheet to go with the story. Bring the book and worksheet back tomorrow. Students may also read their just right books. Please send the books and bag back tomorrow. Complete Home Link 2.11. Return it as well. Thank you!!

Digraph Man!

I apologize for not posting yesterday! I had such a busy night with conferences that I forgot. I am getting old :)).

Today we learned that there is a super hero in letter world. His name is Digraph Man. Ask your child what Digraph Man does. Some examples of digraphs are: sh, th, wh, ch and ck. We started to write a narrative about something we love today. We used an organizer to help us plan our writing. We will continue doing the piece tomorrow. We learned how to make number models in math and that a + sign means to add and a - sign means to subtract or take away. The equal sign means that both sides of the equation are the same. We will work with these for many days! In science we reviewed that the sun provides light and heat for Earth. We did an investigation to find out what makes our mystery beads turn colors. We found out that the light from the sun does. Tomorrow we will investigate the heat from the sun.

Homework- Read your just right book and bring the book and bag back tomorrow. Complete home link 2.10 and return it. 

Reading Rocks!!

Today we learned how to use the change to less diagrams in math. These are just like the change to more diagrams we did yesterday. We used cups to show that when we take something away, the start number gets smaller. We will continue working on these concepts next week. We also learned that everyone learns differently and at different times. We read Leo the Late Bloomer to help us understand this concept. We understand and respect other readers. Everyone is learning how to become better readers at their own pace! We took two quick assessments today. We took our Unit word test and a comprehension quick check. Finally, we had a great celebration of learning with our special guests. We made book markers, we shared our reading time and we got to read and eat snacks!! What more could you ask for on a Friday? Thank you so much for joining us. :))

Homework- Read your just right book. Read your weekly poem. Have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Bring the book bag and reading notebook on Monday.

 I sent home some important information today. The students will be bringing home a plastic bag with a book in it each night. They should read this just right book and return it the next day. Please read the sheet for more details. We will be doing Pizza Hut's Book It program. If the students read for at least 10 minutes each night, they can color their pumpkin on that particular day. At the end of the month, if they have read at least twenty days, they can earn a free personal pizza.

Complete Sentences

Today we learned how to make sure we write in complete sentences. We finished our Sentence Buddy by adding the naming and telling part arms. To check our sentences when we write we need to ask four things.  Does the sentence have a capital? Does the sentence have a naming part? Does the sentence have a telling part? Does the sentence have the correct punctuation? We made words today that belonged to the -it and -in word families. In math, we learned how to organize our information in a word problem by using a change to more diagram. We compared this to organizing our clothes. There is a place for each number. We included this in our strategies for adding. In science, we used a model to demonstrate the two jobs of the sun. A candle helped us to see that the sun provides light and heat for Earth.

Homework- Read! Complete home link 2.8 and bring it back tomorrow.

Unit Labels

Today we learned that including a unit when you solve a word problem is very important. Without labeling your answer, no one will know what you are counting, adding or subtracting. For example, if Kensey had 3 cookies and Mrs. Haley ate 1, how many cookies does Kensey have left? The answer is 2 cookies. Cookies is the unit label. We also explored another math tool: the calculator. We learned how to choose a just right book. We used the five-finger rule. Ask your child what that means. A just right book is the perfect book for you. We had a contest to rename the story we read called A Fox and a Kit. We had to make sure our new title fit the story. Was it what the story was mostly about? We had lots of great ideas! We continued to work on our Solar System paper in science.

Homework- Read The Fox and the Kit in your reading textbook. Bring the book back tomorrow.

Book Covers

Today we learned the cover of a book can tell us many things. We looked at the cover of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and labeled the parts of the cover. We determined that the cover can help us choose a good book to read. We practiced our word wall words and read 'Little Boy Blue' to find rhyming words. Then we used the rhyming words to help us read and spell words with the same patterns. We practiced the counting up strategy in math. We learned how to play a game called High Roller. We are still working on numbers that bond to make 10. We also listened to our Solar System song and then colored and labeled the planets.

Homework- Read! Complete Home Link 2.6. Return the worksheet tomorrow.

Solar System

Today we learned all about the planets that make up our solar system. We listened to a song that told about each one. We learned that the sun just stays in one place and the planets go around the sun. We played a game called Roll and Color to practice identifying CVC words. We practiced sorting words and then read Fix It! to practice reading the words. We learned that the words in a book are written by the author and the pictures are done by the illustrator. We also learned that the part of the sentence that tells who or what the sentence is about is called the naming part. Every sentence should have a capital at the beginning, punctuation at the end and a naming part. Tomorrow we will talk about the telling part of a sentence.

Homework- Read Fix It! and answer the questions. Place the book in your book box and then bring the questions back tomorrow.

Third grade buddies

Today we learned how to play Spin-a-Word. We had to spin for a consonant and then spin again for a word family ending. Once we created the word, we had to decide if it was real or nonsense. We had a tough time with 'bog'. Most students didn't know that was a real word so we got a vocabulary lesson as well. We attacked Mrs. Miglich's class with our 'Fall' poem. We explored some books and discovered that all of the books had some things in common. We found out they all had a front cover, a back cover, a title page, pictures, words, sentences, punctuation, a spine, and many more things. Ask your child what they discovered about books. In math, we practiced using strategies to find all of the number combinations that make 10. Finally, we got to read with our 3rd grade buddies.

Homework- Read our 'Fall' poem to your lucky listener. Have them sign the lucky listener sheet. Several students left their notebooks on their table. They can take them home on Monday to read the poem and have the sheet signed.

Explorations

Today we learned how to find the perfect spot for reading. We established our reading bubbles. No one should be in our reading bubble but us. This will help us to concentrate on reading. We also practiced making -ot, -op and -ock words. We did exploration stations in math. The stations allowed us to work on subtraction, number bonds and collecting data using tally marks. We talked more about the sun and collected facts from the book, Who Likes the Sun?

Homework- Read! Complete math box 2.4 and return it tomorrow. Don't forget pictures are tomorrow. Please sign up for a conference if you haven't. Let me know if those nights don't work for you and we can make something else work. Thank you!!

The Sun

Today we learned all about the sun. We found out that it is a star and is made of gases. You could take 100 Earths and place them across the sun. The sun is very hot. You should never look directly at the sun. We also reviewed the number bonds for 10. We read The Big Blue Ox and identified the characters and settings of the story. Finally we learned that if you get caught in a tornado, you can get spit back out. :))

Homework- Read The Big Blue Ox and return the book tomorrow. Share the family letter for math and the gold word work packet with your family. Don't forget to sign up for conferences. Also remember...pictures are on Friday!

Literacy Statons

Today we learned the procedure for literacy stations.  We will do 2 stations each day Tuesday through Thursday. We reviewed tapping and spelling CVC words. We learned how to turn and talk to our mini-lesson partners and compared our rug time to a water hole. We gather there to learn something and then go practice in our own spaces. We learned about number bonds. We explored combinations of two numbers that equal 10. We brainstormed things that we might find in the sky and then learned that our next unit in science is all about the sun.

Homework- Read! Complete home link 2.2 and return it tomorrow. Don't forget to sign up for conferences!

7 Habits of a Great Leader

Today we learned a lot!! When I asked the students what they learned today, the hands were going wild. :)) We learned about being proactive with our 7 Habits of Great Leaders introduction. Being proactive means being in charge of yourself. We learned about Internet safety and Kelso's choices from Mrs. Amstutz. She also taught us some sign language. We also had computer time today and learned how to navigate our Southeast website and also how to find our learning games. We got to play a few of the games as well.

Homework- Read the decodable reader Hit It and place it in your book box. Practice the new words we previewed today: is, in, his and you. If you didn't bring your progress report signed, please do so. Thank you!! Don't forget to sign up for conferences. Information was attached to the newsletter.

Adding Strategies

Today we learned about adding strategies. We learned we can use the number line, number grid and we can count up. Counting up works best when you start with the bigger number in the problem and then count on. We also learned about the turn-around rule. 2+3 and 3+2 will have the same sum. Oh, we learned that a sum is an answer to an addition problem. We made words with the short i family. We took a comprehension quick check over our Pig in a Wig story and we got to meet our 6th grade buddies.

Homework- Read the poem 'Apple Tree' and have your lucky listener sign the sheet. Bring your progress report back signed and have a nice weekend!!

Game Day

Today we learned how to use rhyming words to help us read and write other words. We read What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig. We located rhyming words and then used those words to read and write other words with those same spelling patterns. We learned about being respectful readers during independent reading time. We reviewed the letters x and y. We brainstormed a list of topics to write about during writing time. We played math games during math workshop. These games helped us to practice using the number line, number grid and comparing numbers.

Homework- Read! Practice your letters and sounds. 

Mini Explosions

Today we learned that we need more time in our day!! :)) Once again, we ran out of time at the end of the day because we were investigating vinegar and baking soda. We did mini-explosions! We reviewed the scientific method and then put our knowledge to the test. We got to use goggles and droppers. We used the tricky word strategy of  'Lips the Fish' during our reading lesson. The students guessed the covered word by looking at the pictures and then getting their lips ready to say the first sound in the word. We took our first word test and we also took our first math test. I can't wait to see what we have learned.

Homework- Read Pig in a Wig from the reading textbook. Tell your family if the story is realism or fantasy. How did you know? What evidence did you find? Bring the textbook back tomorrow. Share home link 1.12 with your family. This is a preview of Unit 2.

Mentos and more

Today we learned how to create words using the -ack family. If you know how to spell rack, you can spell racket. If you know how to spell jack, you can spell jacket. We highlighted the -ack words in our story, The Pack. Rhyming words help us to read and write. We reviewed the letters v and w. We practiced writing our spelling words using blue for consonants and red for vowels. We also looked closely at our words: yes, there is a vowel in every word. We had our Reading Celebration to help us to remember to read every day!! We also reviewed what a scientist does and then went over the scientific method using a Mentos experiment. We tested two different beverages to observe what would happen when Mentos were added to them. The beverages were water and Diet Coke. Ask your child what they observed.

Homework -Read The Pack and add it to your book box. Study your words for your first Word Test. Use the math website to review for the Unit One math test. Also think of the review that we did today with counting, tally marks, number lines, and word problems. 

Number Grid

Today we learned how to use the number grid. We used the grid to count up and back. We related this to subtraction (counting back) and addition (counting up).  We learned that there are 3 ways to read a book. You can look at the pictures and make up a story. You can read the story. You can also retell a story that you already know. We practiced doing this during our independent reading time. Finally we learned how to read with our 3rd grade buddies. We met them today and practiced partner reading.

Homework: Read your Color Poem and have your lucky listener sign the sheet in your reading notebook. Complete home link 1.11. Return it on Tuesday. Enjoy the fair!!

Gobstopper Watcher

Today we learned that good readers read lots of different things. They can read comic books, newspapers, magazines, articles, poems, and books to name a few. We learned how to make -at family words and -ack family words. We practiced solving word problems using addition and subtraction. Subtraction means something is less and addition means it is more. We also did an investigation with Gobstoppers in water. We observed the changes that they went through and then recorded our observations.

Homework Read!! Complete Home link 1.10 and return it tomorrow.

Explorations

Another late football night at the Haley house... I apologize for the late post. 

Today we learned how to explore math materials. We looked at Base-10 blocks, pattern blocks and geoboards. We also learned that counting backwards was like taking away a number. We found out Who Stole The Cookies... it was Peter Pizza, Suzy Swing and Troy Trash. We were rewarded for our great detective work- we got to eat the stolen cookies! We practiced using our Eagle Eye strategy with our story, Sam, Come Back! We also learned a new strategy for figuring out an unknown word- Lips the Fish. Lips can be used to get our lips ready to read a word. Finally, we reviewed the letter sounds and letter formation for j and p. The students also learned about our math site login and we explored what they can find on the site. Hopefully you saw the information come home in their folder.

Homework Read Sam, Come Back! Bring the textbook back tomorrow. Complete the review tally sheet and return it tomorrow. This will used in part of our lesson. Thank you!!

Who Stole the Cookies?

Today we learned  how to use our hand lens to look at fingerprints to identify the suspect in our cookie mystery. We found out that no two fingerprints are alike. We got our class picture taken with the Sheriff and we practiced bus safety. Our new reading strategy is using our Eagle Eye when we read. This helps us to figure out unknown words and helps us to learn more about a story. We just use our Eagle Eyes to look closely at the pictures for clues. We practiced using tally marks to count and represent objects. We used our tally chart to answer questions about the data.

Homework- Read Tap! Tap! Tap! and Mack and Tack. Add the books to your book box. Complete Home Link 1.8 and return it tomorrow.

Charts

Today we learned that charts help us to see and remember the data that we collect. Charts can be used in science and math. In math we collected data in a tally chart. Each tally represents what we are counting. For example, we counted fish, t-shirts, train cars and cars. Each time we have five tally marks we can count by 5s. We learned where to go during a fire drill. We also learned to be good... we lost all of our letters today. :(

Our goal for next week: We won't lose any letters on Tuesday.

Homework: Read your poem of the week, 'School is Waiting'. Have your listener sign the lucky listener sheet. Bring your reading notebook back on Tuesday. Have a great weekend!!

Observations

Today we learned that scientists use tools to make observations. Making an observation means that you are looking closely at something. We learned how to use a hand lens to make observations of objects in our classroom. One student discovered that when you look at something with a hand lens far away, the object is upside down. When you look at the same object close up, it isn't. What a great observation! In math we reviewed how to compare numbers and how to order numbers. We learned that we can use the number line as a tool to help us with both concepts.

Homework  Read!! Use your hand lens to observe some items in your home. Observe some items that are outside. What did you notice?

Sorry!!

I am so sorry this is so late... I just got done with dinner and homework with my own kids. My son had a football game tonight and we had a 30 minute storm delay. Needless to say, it's a late night for me. Please forgive me! :))

Today we learned how to make predictions in science. Scientists ask questions and then predict what they think will happen when they experiment. We practiced doing this with our 'Walking Water' experiment. Tomorrow we will find out if our predictions were correct. We learned that it is okay if they aren't right. After we see the results, we will share our findings with others. That's what scientists do! Today we made our Rainbow Hair books. We practiced reading them fluently while using a reading tool. We used pointers to help us keep our place and point to each word. Also in our book we found many compound words and discovered that they are just two words put together that make a new word.

Homework- Read Rainbow Hair to a family member or friend. Tell them what a compound word is and then show them the ones you highlighted in your book. Place Rainbow Hair in your book box when you are finished. Share the home link 1.4 with your family.

Fluency and Favorite Places to Read

Today we learned more about punctuation and fluency. We learned about commas. They tell us to take a breath when we read. We also learned that good readers have favorite places to read. We shared and then drew our favorite place to read. We also learned more counting strategies like counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Some other strategies we discussed were using tally marks and grouping objects to make them easier to count.

Homework- Read!! Find a place for your library box. We will be adding our first book tomorrow.

We need more time! :)

We ran out of time today so this post will be from me instead of the students. Today we learned that good readers have special reading memories. We learned how to use consonants and vowels to make words. We practiced making CVC words today and noticed that all the words had vowels. We continued to write our stories today and learned that we can add details to our writing to make it better. Finally, we decorated our shoe boxes. We made these boxes to keep our special books in this year. Each week the students will bring several books home to put in their 'library' box.

Homework- Read!! Don't forget your forms and fees. Have a nice evening!

Goals for next week!

Our goals for next week include:
Staying in our seat during instruction.
Raising our hand before we speak and waiting to be called on.
Listening when others are talking.

I know we can do it!! Keep working hard. 

Favorite books

Today we learned that good readers have favorite books. We also learned how to read with a partner and share our favorite books. We learned that scientists do experiments to help them learn things. We got to investigate Magic Playdoh and found out that we are going to have a great year!

Homework- Read!! Read the poem of the week and have your lucky listener sign your book. Bring your notebook back on Monday. Don't forget your shoe box. Have a great weekend!!

Today we learned what scientists do. They ask questions, use tools, do experiments, read to find information and they think! Tomorrow we will do our first experiment. We learned how to compare numbers using a number line. We practiced this by playing Monster Squeeze. We also learned that writing is just telling on paper and we practiced writing our own stories. Shhh! Don't tell anyone but my story said 'I love my class!' We will continue writing tomorrow. Finally, we learned that good readers read every day... and that's what we will do!!

Homework- Read!! You can read the library books you brought home. Share the math letter (Home Link 1.2) with your family. If you didn't bring your favorite book today, bring it tomorrow. Don't forget to bring a shoe box by Monday.

Today we learned about punctuation when we did our poem of the week. Punctuation helps us to read fluently. We know to stop at a period and to get excited when we see an exclamation point. In math, we learned about counting a collection of objects and we also learned about estimating. Estimating is taking a good guess about how many things are in a collection. In science we learned that we are all scientists and that scientists work hard all the time. They also do experiments and investigations to learn about things. Finally in gym we learned it is a good idea to exercise to keep our bodies healthy. Whew! First grade is a lot of work!

Tonight's homework- Bring your favorite book. If you don't have one at home, don't worry. I will help you find one at school. Show your parents the Home Link 1.1 parent letter. READ!!! (for at least 10 minutes)

The First Day of School!

Today we had a great first day... we were very busy. I enjoyed getting to know the students and can't wait to learn more about them as we go. Each day we will post what we learn. This list will be generated by the students to keep you informed and it allows them to reflect on their learning each day. I will also post the homework. So...

Today we learned how to read fluently. We want to read like we are talking: not like a robot and not too fast. We will practice this with our poem of the week. We learned how to sit quietly at the carpet and get ready to learn. We read books. We made a graph about Jitter Juice in math.

Tonight's homework: Think about a promise that you can make to our class. What promises will you make to your teachers? What can we do to have a successful first grade year? Finally, take the time to read for at least 10 minutes.

See you tomorrow!