I'm hoping to be better again about posting on this website, but I'm pretty sure we've lost all our readers by now. :( I'm going to try to highlight some of the things we are learning throughout our school day for the next few posts.
In Science, we have been learning about agriculture and farming. Before we went on our Fall Break, the students were able to take a field trip to Parkland. They got to see soybeans and corn and they got to learn firsthand from farmers around the area. This quarter, we have been talking specifically about how we get the food that we eat. We started by looking at pizza and hopefully by the end of the unit, the students will know exactly how pizza gets onto our plate. We have looked at soybeans and will start looking at corn. After looking at crops, we will take a closer look at the life of a farmer. Finally, the students will learn about livestock that can be found on a farm. Trying to connect to technology and E-Toys, the students have started to work on a maze game where they will have to bring a seed all the way to the "shelf". On the project, they will also be describing how a seed gets from the farm all the way to the grocery store. We are doing some really neat things with technology in the classroom so
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I realize I have been HORRIBLE in updating our website. My goal this quarter is to update 2-3 times a week. If there is some sort of information you want up here (i.e. specifics about what we are learning in science, what we did on a field trip, etc.) PLEASE let me know. If I know specific information is needed, I'm hoping it will help me to actually update. I also realize I've forgotten to put up the spelling words each week, so I will begin to do that as well. Thanks for all your understanding on this website!!
On Thursday, August 22, from 6-7pm, we will be having Open House at Kenwood. We will all start in the gym and then go to different classrooms to visit. Please make sure to come out to see what we've been doing so far in the classroom!
Our classroom will also be sponsoring a fundraiser for Moore, Oklahoma. We will be offering rootbeer and orange floats with a donation to try to raise more money for a 3rd grade classroom in Moore, OK. We have already raised $500 and are on our way to a goal of $1000! Please let me know if you would like to donate any items or volunteer at the stand. We will be setting up in the kitchen in the gym. Don't you want your child to look better than in this photo?! ;)
Don't forget, picture day is this THURSDAY, AUGUST 15. No uniforms are needed for this day. This week, I introduced the students to a new computer program that teaches computer programming to students called E-Toys. I went to a week-long conference during the summer in learning the program and working with other teachers about how to integrate it into the curriculum. Some students have gotten the chance to play with it both in our classroom and also in the Library. Hopefully by next week, all of the students will be able to play around with the program and it will become an activity where students can make projects independently. Next week, I hope to bring the students to the computer lab and we will work on our first project for the prairie and camouflage animals.
If you would like to download the computer onto your home computer, the program is free online. Please go to this link: http://etoysillinois.org/download On that website, there are also sample programs and instructions about how to make different projects. Please let me know if you have any questions! This past Friday, we went on a Writing Marathon together. We have been talking a lot about gaining inspiration from the places and thing around us and we have been recording a lot of these things in our Writers Notebook. This past Friday, we went on a "marathon" to try to gain different inspirations from the places around us. We started in the Library where many of the students wrote about reading and the different posters around them. From there, we went to a school courtyard. Many of the students were very intrigued by the nature around them. We saw lots of different insects and the purple cornflower (which we had just learned about during Science). After the courtyard, we had the chance to go to the playground. Instead of running around and playing on the equipment, the students sat down and wrote. It was a very neat experience for us to go through together and we can't wait to find more things to write about in the world around us! We have been very busy this week getting back into the routine of school! The students have been working very hard to learn the different routines of the classroom and they have been doing a wonderful job!
We are still learning the new reading curriculum together. Next week, we will once again have 15 spelling words to try it out for one more week. I will look at their spelling tests this weekend and see hwo they do before I decide whether we should lessen the amount of words or move to a different spelling program all together. From what I've heard thus far, it seems as if the students are doing well with the words and have been up to the challenge. Please let me know if you have any concerns or whether you feel the words are appropriate. The students have also been doing really well with our reading block. We are up to 20 minutes of reading!! I think that is amazing for the first full week of school! I am definitely seeing a shift where they are loving to read "real" books. :) It's been a wonderful transition to be a part of! Hope We're back for a new school year!!
Please continue to check back onto our website for updates and news! We have had a super busy week this week! On Wednesday, we celebrated Wacky Wednesday during our early dismissal day. Thursday morning, we went on our field trip to U of I! We were rained on most of the time, but the kids still had a great time on our bus tour! In the afternoon, we had to say goodbye to our student teacher, Ms. Feng. The kids have really gotten used to her being around and did not want her to leave! All day Friday, they kept on asking for her!! And, we could not forget about our lovely moms! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! :D
Reading: The students have gotten very good at questioning as they are reading. It has helped to engage many of them in thinking as they are reading and will only continue to help their comprehension in the future. This upcoming week, we will be taking our assessment. Math: This past week, we started to practice both multiplication and division number stories. The students are slowly starting to realize the difference between adding and multiplication. We have been drawing pictures to help us understand and answer these number stories. We also started learning some simple multiplication facts (x0, x1, x2, x5) Science: We started looking more at fossils this past week and discussed how fossils form. They are a piece of history and we got to see 4 different kinds of fossils in the classroom. The students especially enjoyed the dinosaur poop fossil!! Writing: We have finished off our poetry unit and will begin talking a bit about persuasive writing in the coming weeks. Superstar of the Week: We have learned about all our classmates, so we will not be having a Superstar of the Week for the rest of the year! Important Upcoming Dates: - May 14: Texas Roadhouse Night (6-8pm) **Note: pre-order was necessary to attend - May 21: PTA Meeting (6pm) - May 23: Early Dismissal (11:05am) - May 27: NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day) - May 31: Kenwood Carnival (during the day) - June 3: Early Dismissal (1:35pm) - June 4: LAST DAY - Early Dismissal (1:35pm) Reading: The students have still been working on questioning as a reading skill. We have been reading different books and coming up with questions and answers as we read. Questioning helps students stay engaged in the book they are reading and helps them with critical thinking skills.
. Math: We have started a new unit in math. This week, we really worked on our two and three digit addition and subtraction. The students seemed to have really gotten the hang of these skills. Some students are still confused in subtraction because borrowing/trading seems to be a hard concept to understand. We used base 10 blocks to help the students better understand why we needed to trade and also why we added a 1 on top of the tens side. Science: The students are greatly enjoying our rock unit! This past week, we took a deeper look at soil. The students were able to make their own soil with ingredients we provided. After putting our soil together, the students had the chance to sift out the soil back into the original ingredients. Ask your child what humus is! Writing: We are still working on our poems with this upcoming week as our last week. The students have worked hard on their poems, but it definitely has not been enjoyable for a lot of them. :) (I don't enjoy writing poems either, so I understand!) Superstar of the Week: We have learned about all our classmates, so we will not be having a Superstar of the Week for the rest of the year! Upcoming Important Dates:
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Ms. MaaThis section will be updated with weekly information and special announcements. Please check in every week! Archives
December 2015
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