Week of Dec. 11th-14th

It sure has been busy at school the past week.  Students have worked hard and are definitely getting ready for Christmas break.  Their excitement and level is high and I'm sure next week will be magnified even more. We only have four more days to push through and then two weeks off!

In writing we have been working on an opinion/persuasive piece.  Students have had to write and prove what the best gift would be with reasons to back their claims up.  It has been fun and we hope to wrap them up on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

We finally finished our book "Wonder" it has been such a joy reading this with the kids and hearing their insightful comments.  It has brought up many different topics which kids are dealing with also.  Auggie is now embedded in all our hearts. We worked on the strategy of compare and contrasting different characters in the book.  It helped us to see a few characters in a new light.  Next week we will be doing a few different activities around "Wonder" and having our vocabulary test on the words from "Wonder".  Kids can practice at home and access them by going to quizlet.com, searching for my name (nichyde) or use this link you can copy and paste into your browser:  https://quizlet.com/236458891/wonder-book-vocab-words-flash-cards/
The test will be on Thursday!

• We will be going to see the movie "Wonder" as a class in the afternoon on Wednesday, January 10th.  We will be walking to the Fallon Theater on Main Street.  The cost is $5.00 which includes entrance into the movie, a small drink and popcorn.  You can send your money in next week or on Monday Jan. 8th.  We will be going with the 5th and 6th grade classes.  Last year they went to a movie together and want to keep the tradition going.  We are excited!  

In projects we are working on learning the states and capitals of the United States.  Students have been working on acrostic poems of the 50 states and learning a few things.  We will be starting the colonization of the United States soon after the Christmas break.


NEXT WEEK- IMPORTANT:

• Our holiday celebration will be on Thursday afternoon.  Please have food/snacks here by 1:30.  We will do our "Secret Friend" exchange of gifts, have a little craft and then students voted they would like to watch a movie.  Monday they will vote for which one.  It will be a Christmas themes one that is G or PG.  I'll send out an email so you are aware which one it will be.  
• If for any reason you cannot send in a gift for the "Secret Friend" exchange, please let me know ASAP. I do not want to have anyone left out of the exchange and am more than happy to get something, I just need some time. 
• Please send in gifts anytime next week.  Only put who the gift is for, not who it is from. 
• Thank you so much to Shauna and her parents for bringing in a small tree for us to use.  
• Lots of sicknesses are rapidly being shared by all, so PLEASE rest up this weekend, wash your hands often and if your  child is sick, keep him home so we don't spread it more than is needed! 
• Call the office 423-5437 by 9am if your child is sick.  It really helps our wonderful office ladies! 

December 4th-7th

We had another busy week last week.  With parent conferences, as well as everything else, I put the blog on the back burner and am just not getting to it.  Please forgive me. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with almost all of you for parent-conferences.  Thank you for taking the time to come in!

Last week in writing, we started persuasive writing and students have been working hard on an opinion writing piece giving reasons and evidence for the perfect gift.

In Reading, we have continued to work on the book "Wonder" and are almost at the end.  I have enjoyed hearing good feedback from almost all of my students about the book.  Last week the strategy we focused on was recognizing literary elements in our reading.  Students were able to notice some foreshadowing, figurative language and pick out a few different themes that are in "Wonder".  We will finish the book next week and do a few activities before we go see the movie.  The tentative date is for Wednesday January 10th after we get back from the break.

In projects, students made the lyrics up to a song based on one of the science concepts that we have worked on.  They all did an AMAZING job! They performed for 3rd grade on Wednesday for extra practice, then on Thursday they performed for the 6th and 8th graders.  I was so proud of all of them!  It takes a lot of courage to get up and sing.

Holiday Plans: Students drew names for "Secret Gifts" last week.  Please don't spend more than $5-$10 on the gift.  Have students bring them to school anytime next week, by Wednesday at the latest so I can get a gift if someone forgot or wasn't able to.  If you are unable to, please let me know as soon as possible.  We will be doing the gift exchange Thursday as well as doing a little craft and watching a movie.  If you would like to bring some snacks in for the kids for Thursday, please let me know soon.  I have a couple of parents who are bringing something, but need a few more items.  I appreciate all your support!  Have a wonderful week.

November 27 week

Our week back after Thanksgiving break was busy and full of fun activities!
Writing: We watched some videos and did a few activities on prepositions, figurative language, homophones, homographs and parts of speech.  We started Mentor sentences this week, and will continue next week.

Reading:  We are getting closer to the end of "Wonder."  We have had some lively discussions and great conversations about our strategy we worked on, determining and analyzing the author's opinion.

Projects:  The kids have been having fun coming up with songs about ecosystems. They will finish up this week and perform for a few different classes.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• Parent Teacher Conference is this Friday, December 8th.  If you have not signed up with Sign-Up Genius or contacted me for another time, please do so and I will do my best to accommodate your schedules. 
• I have been working hard with Fallon Theaters for the movie, "Wonder" but, unfortunately, they cannot get it until January.  So, we will go on a walking field trip to Fallon Theaters when we get back from Christmas break. There will be a $5 fee which includes entry into the movie as well as a small popcorn and drink. Students will then compare the book and the movie. More information to come. 
• 5th graders have expressed their desire to have a "Secret Santa" gift exchange with classmates.  They will draw names this week and purchase a gift for the other student ($5-$8 range) and bring it wrapped to the class party on December 21st.  Please only have them put who it is "TO" - they will reveal who it is from after it is opened.  If your child is unable to participate, please let me know so we can assure that every students has a gift. 

Week of Nov. 6th

The past week has been another week of learning and fun!  Students have completed multiple assessments in reading, writing and language.  This will assist us in getting report cards ready, as well as planning ahead to see what concepts need to be revisited and focused on.  Next week we have a few more assessments before we are finished.  I know they will be excited! :)

4th grade Writing: Students have worked hard on a few assessments to assist with report cards and planning for which concepts need more work.  Prepositions were introduced this week!  Students were given a bag of prepositions and a bag of nouns and had to pick one of each and make sentences.  Students were very creative with their sentences.  We will review some more and have an assessment next week.

In 5th Writing, students should be finishing their myths on Monday and illustrating Tuesday and Wednesday.  What fun it will be to share their myths to the first graders on Thursday.

Our Reading strategy for this week has been cause and effect, as well as continued working on summarizing.  "Wonder" has been a great novel to practice these strategies, as well as enjoy lively discussions around themes and events that are happening. * We want to take the students to go see "Wonder" at the theater as soon as we finish reading the book.  This is a great opportunity for students to be able to compare the book with the movie.  Please, if possible, don't have your students go watch it before.  More information to come as soon as we get a date.

In Projects, students were placed in groups of 3 and given a biome, each having a specific job to research as a zoologist, botanist or geographers.  Their assignment is to create a travel brochure about their biome, encouraging visitors to travel to the area and experience all that it has to offer.  Our goal is to have them completed by the end of next week.

Important Info:

• Please continue to assist your child with turning in their Monday folder with reading log and Family Journals on Monday mornings. 
• Math homework should be completed each night (Monday-Thursday).  Students miss out on other experiences in class when they have to leave. 
• Parent-Teacher conferences will be held Dec. 8th so watch for an email with Genius Sign-Up to sign up after we get back from Thanksgiving break. 

Oct. 30th Week

This Week:

• Halloween fun was had by all on Tuesday.  Students were decked out in their costumes and enjoyed celebrating with the parade and a fantastic party!  Thank you so much to Sunshine Pell, Aubrey Giovanetti, and Trillis Bake for the delicious food, craft and games.  Thank you also to those of you who sent in delicious goodies and drinks. 
• In Writing, students were able to share out a Halloween prompt writing and have also been busy writing myth stories as a follow up to our narrative unit. In the next couple of weeks they will be writing and illustrating their myths. 
• We are continuing reading "Wonder," working on our Habits of Discussion as we discuss the many aspects of the book. 
• Students were able to experience another Google Expedition this week on biomes.  They worked in teams to learn about the Carbon Cycle and create posters to explain the process.  Students will be broken into teams of 3 and given a specific biome to research, culminating in a Travel Brochure about what their biome offers. 

October 23 Week

Here's a look at what we've been doing at school:

Writing:  We started our Myth writing unit this week.  Students began by performing various Native American Reader's Theater. We talked about characteristics of a myth and then students read a myth and began to brainstorm ideas they would like to focus their myths on.  Completed myths will become picture books for younger students.

Reading: Students are developing vocabulary skills through Quizlet Live using their vocabulary words from Wonder, as well as responding to journal and reading prompts. Students are working on Daily 3 on Tuesday and Thursday, reading their own books, working on writing and word work, using either IXL or vocabulary word wall.  I meet with small groups regularly to work on specific skills during the rotations.

Science: We started our new unit and students have been involved in a variety of activities.  They "planted" seeds in a glass jar without dirt, experimenting with hydroponics, next they presented a Reader's Theater about plants to the 2nd graders.  Finally, they created documents to store all the new vocabulary words that are related to ecosystems and biomes.

Students were able to cash in their Class Dojo points on Thursday and will be able to enjoy them throughout the month.

Book Fair is this week! Our class will go on Monday afternoon to check out what they have.  Students will be able to go before school, at lunch and after school.  Family night is Thursday Nov. 2nd so plan to come and bring the family.

Oct. 16th week

What an exciting week we had!  It was so good to see most of you able to come and see your child's presenting skills on Wednesday.  Students were able to present and show their artifacts and information they learned from their research of their tribes, along with using their voice to try and be heard. :) Thank you for coming, students look forward to seeing their parents.

We will be wrapping up our narratives on Monday.  The final version, along with an illustration will be posted in the hall later this week.  Stop by and take a look! 

In reading, students are working on different strategies through group work as well as word work and journal writing.  We are all enjoying our class book, "Wonder" that we read and Mondays and Wednesdays. Students are learning how to predict, infer and respond with evidence from the text.  They are also building their empathy skills and vocabulary. 

Another highlight of the week was going to see Mr. Kelly and experience a virtual experience with "Google Expeditions."  Students loved being able to feel like you are right there in the middle of an international Pow-Wow.  Although they had to take breaks, they all seemed to really enjoy the experience. Students did a deep clean of the room to pick up all the beads, feathers and leaves left behind from artifact building and enjoyed a Halloween sugar cookie to end our week. 

Reminders: 

• A big thank you to all of you for coming on Wednesday!  Thank you also to the Gusewelle and Carroll families for providing jars for the class for our upcoming project. 
• Halloween is coming up and students are able to wear costumes on the 31st.  There will be a school wide parade so students can check out everyone's costumes and we will be having a Halloween party that afternoon.  Thank you to those who volunteered to help! 
• Please call the office by 9:00 if your child is going to be absent.