Wonderful December

What a wonderful December!  We were sooo busy and I'm so very excited to share the growth these students have made and what we've been up to in order for them to make the growth they've made.

Exciting news...We will have a new student, Leo, join us on the first day back from break!  He comes from Pennsylvania.  The boys are super excited because he loves soccer, baseball, and basketball.  :)  Welcome, Leo and family!

Students earned GAME DAY!  We played board games, dice games, and Pictionary ALL day!  We all had a blast.  I promised I would let you know the names of the games we played so you would have ideas for gifts.  HA!  We played Tenzi, Catan Jr., Googly Eyes, Yahtzee, Cube Sudoku, and Pictionary.

     
  

Our Snowflake Party was a success...even though we had to shorten the time by half because of our delayed start to the school day.  Thank you to all parents for everything you did to help!

  
  
 
  

SeeSaw:
As my email indicated, students started documenting their learning on Wednesday via the SeeSaw app.  Their first activity was to indicate their reading goal(s) and explain why it is important to them.  The second activity was to identify 3D objects around the classroom.  The final activity this week was to show you a game we play in math called Close to 20 where students receive 5 cards and they have to determine which 3 cards have a sum closest to 20.  If they get exactly 20, they score 0 points.  As they get farther away from 20, they accumulate the number away in points.  The goal is to have the fewest number of points after 5 rounds.  The SeeSaw activity shows their thinking.

Many of you are now able to view your child's activities and even make comments on them.  If you have not yet accessed it, please do so.  They are all very excited to show you what they've done!  :)  Simply click on this link (https://app.seesaw.me/s/949-738-163) https://app.seesaw.me/s/949-738-163https://app.seesaw.meOO/s/949-738-163)and find your child.  Once I approve your request, you will see your child's activity responses.

     

Writing:
Students have been working very hard on adding details to stories.  I shared with students a very vivid favorite winter memory I had as a child.  I grew up on a farm in Wyoming and like any child, I had chores.  One chore was to feed and water the horses in the brisk early morning.  Winter mornings were different because I had to break the ice from the water tank and feed the horses more oats and hay than normal.  I remember walking out to feed the horses.  It was so cold that my moon boots (am I dating myself here? - do any of you know what moon boots are?) crunched on the frozen, snowless ground.  I walked up to my favorite horse, Cocoa, to pet him.  Although he had a thick fur coat, he looked cold because his face had ice crystals on it.  He nuzzled up against me as I brushed the crystals from his face.

After I shared this story, I asked students to share a favorite winter memory of their own.  I asked students to add details to this memory so their reader could visualize it.  Once they had this written, students created a fictional story that included a portion of their memory.  They have been fun to read as students write them.  Some are finished writing, but others are still working on it...hopefully they will still have their excitement when we return from winter break.

Ways to help at home:
Give your child a simple picture and ask them to describe it using lots of details.  They could share it verbally or in writing.


Word Study:
We just finished with our final word study sort on Friday.  Students have been focused and love our activity time each day.  They always sort the words once, then do an activity.  They love their Spelling City time where they play spelling games on the computer.  We will pick up word study the second week back from winter break.


Reading:
Students have been reading book club books at their level.  To reflect on what they read, students have been providing details about the character and setting, which they are able to add more and more as they get to know the character throughout the book and the setting changes.  We have also worked on the large problem and solution of the book, as well as small problem and solutions in each chapter or few chapters.  We discussed that sometimes there isn't a solution when we stop reading, but eventually there will be.

For read aloud, we read The Odyssey.  It is an adaptation from Homer's version, which is written my Mary Pope Osborne, author of The Magic Treehouse series.  It took us quite awhile, but we were able to finish it just before break.  We used this book to talk about the knowledge we added about Odysseus as we continued to read about his adventures.  We described the settings in detail and discussed the multitude of problems and solutions he faced.

Ways to help at home:
- Practice makes perfect!  The more reading your child does, the better they will get!  Research shows between 20-30 minutes per day helps growing readers improve more rapidly. 
- I want students to LOVE to read, just as I do!  To get them to love it, they must love the story.  Let your child choose what to read.  If they are excited and engaged in the story, they will want to read more and more.
- Give them their own comfy space and let them just read!  :)

Math:
We finished our fractions unit and have begun our story problem/addition/subtraction unit.  Students are learning MANY strategies to solve these problems, but we are N-O-T focusing on the algorithm.  I beg you not to show your child (or allow older siblings to show them).  They only get more and more confused when they are in class and want to use that strategy and don't know how to use it properly (or understand the reason they do what they do) and we don't focus on it.  The strategies we are learning in class lead to a more clear idea of number sense and what's happening in computation.  We use pictures and numbers to solve math problems.  For instance, students solved this problem...  46 + ___ = 60

A few used this strategy:
46 + 4 = 50
50 + 10 = 60
so, 4 + 10 = 14

OR

46 + 10 = 56
56 + 4 = 60
so, 10 + 4 = 14

OR

counting on strategy:
46 in my head 47, 48, 49, 50, 60, so 4 + 10 = 14

OR

tens and ones in pictures:

 

     
  

Students also learned how to show a number in ALL the ways.  We talked about being methodical and organized...they listened!  :) 

    
     
Ways to help at home:
- Ask your child to show you how to solve a problem a few different ways!
- Allow your child some time on Reflex Math.  This will increase their math fact fluency.

Social Studies:
Students have been learning all about the United States of America.  Through POGIL exercises, students have learned about rivers, lakes, mountain ranges, and a few states.  What is POGIL you ask?  It stands for Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning.  This means that information is provided to students and as a small group, they work together to come to conclusions.  They enjoyed working together throughout this unit.  Students learned about the James River (located in Virginia), the Rio Grande (runs from Colorado south and follows the border of Texas and Mexico), and the Mississippi River (flows from the Great Lakes south to the Gulf of Mexico).  Students also learned about the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains.

 
     
Ways to help at home:
-Ask your child where the rivers and mountain ranges are located.  Ask them how they remember where the Mississippi River is located.  If they don't remember, mention Mr. MIMAL.  :)

It's already November!

Where has the time gone?  I simply cannot believe November is here (tomorrow). 

I am positive our Spooky Matter experiments are a success as I type this sitting in an airport.  As many of you know, my mom isn't doing well.  When I was with her all summer, she had a nasty cough and was treated for pneumonia.  In late August, although she had a mammogram in December, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that has moved into her lymph nodes and lungs. She has gone through radiation and began a hormone therapy drug along with completing her first round of a low dose chemo pill.  Today, she begin a stronger dose chemo pill, which is the reason for my visit to see her today and not be with your children as they experience matter in a fun and spooky way.  Your children are in good hands with Mrs. Parkins and all the super amazing parent volunteers!  I can't wait to hear how it goes!

On with the classroom related info...

Henley Helpers are amazing!

    

I had to switch around the morning Language Arts block in order to accommodate all students.  Each child has a different schedule, but so far it is working well!  Each rotation is about 25 minutes long.  All students have two reading blocks - one independent and one with a teacher.  I am able to meet with word study groups 3 times per week (for the other two days, students are on Spelling City working through their word study games).  I meet with reading book clubs 3 times per week and meet with each child individually at least one time per week to discuss strengths and set goals.  Students have a rotation of writing in which I provide verbal feedback to each child as they finish their drafts of their story.  Please let me know if you have questions about this!

Here's the general schedule for the day:
8-8:25- Morning Meeting
8:25--10:15 - Language Arts Rotations
10:15-11:15 Specials
11:15- 12:28 - Read Aloud and Math
12:28 - 12:53 - Lunch
1:00-1:25 - Recess
1:25-2:15 - Science or Social Studies
2:15 - Pack up, Roses, and Dismissal

 
 


Reading:
We completed our decoding strategies.  Students have been using Stretchy the Snake, Eagle Eye, Chunky Monkey, Flippy Dolphin, Tryin Lion, Skippy Frog, and Lips the Fish.  Students continue to write new vocabulary words to their sticky notes!

We have recently begun adding comprehension strategies to our Reading Toolbox!  Students are now familiar with the word "schema."  Schema is all the information in our brain that we know about a topic.  For instance, if you are reading a book about planes (ha ha!), you might know they have wings, an engine, a cockpit, a passenger area, and the baggage goes into the belly of the plane.  After reading a book, you might add to your schema that flights are delayed (yes, mine is...ugh!), people wait in the airport and some even sleep in airports, there is a first class cabin on some flights, and there is something called turbulence which creates a bumpy flight.  The more you read or even experience about planes, your schema grows and you know more and more about that one topic.

Students are also realizing they need to create clear pictures (or even a movie) in their heads when they read - VISUALIZATION!  If those pictures are not clear, students understand that they should reread what they have read in order to understand it more clearly.

Lastly, students are getting more and more into their books by starting to ask questions like:
- I wonder why...
- I wonder what...
- How did...
- I wonder when...
- Who...

    

Ways to help at home:
- Practice makes perfect!  The more reading your child does, the better they will get!  Research shows between 20-30 minutes per day helps growing readers improve more rapidly. 
- Rereading can help in many ways.  Students gain confidence, become more fluent, and comprehend what is read!  This can be done in different ways.  If it is a book that is a good fit book, students can reread on their own.  If it is "too big," you can read it once (while pointing to each word) and your child can reread it back to you.  If they are too big for the book and it is easy for them, they can read it once and have a younger sibling read it back to them
- I want students to LOVE to read, just as I do!  To get them to love it, they must love the story.  Let your child choose what to read.  If they are excited and engaged in the story, they will want to read more and more.

Word Study:
I work with each group for about 20-25 minutes three days a week so they know the reason behind their sort.  With most sorts, we spend 2 weeks on each sort so they have a solid foundation.  Students sort their words as a group, then write their words one time then do some type of activity with their words.  They might use Wikki Sticks (bendable wax sticks), magnetic letters, stamps, or pens to create their words.  They also have access to Spelling City in iPads two days per week to complete 10 (or more) assignments during the two week period.  They LOVE Spelling City!



Ways to help at home:
Have fun with your child writing together.  You could create a story together!

Writing:
Throughout the quarter, students have learned the proper flow of a story (introduce a character, then setting, next comes a problem and the solution to that problem).  I have structured their writing during the first quarter, but have recently released control!  I drew a haunted house and we brainstormed what they would see, hear, feel (touch and emotion), smell and taste.  Students took those ideas and are in the midst of creating spooky stories and writing their final copy on fun, bat or ghost scary paper!


Math:
We have transitioned into Geometry.  Students are able to identify 2D and 3D shapes.  Here's a chart to describe the different vocabulary terms for each.  Ask your child to explain them!

2D                                                              3D
sides                                                           edges
corners                                                       vertex (vertices)
                                                                   faces

 

 
Students are also able to distinguish between the three different types of angles and sort shapes based on their angles.

      
 

Students can describe rectangles using many of our vocabulary words.  For instance, the rectangular donut array below can be described this way (don't mind the division information...just look at the yummy donuts, but don't drool too much!):

- squares are rectangles
- rectangles have 4 right angles
- rectangles have 4 corners
- rectangles have 4 sides
- this rectangle has 4 columns with 4 donuts in each column (columns go up and down like the columns that hold up a roof)
- this rectangle has 4 rows with 4 donuts in each row (rows go across the page like when you row across a lake)
- this rectangle has 16 total donuts

                              

   


Ways to help at home:
- Continue to create word problems and have them use their own strategy to solve them.
- Ask your child to point out different 3D vocabulary terms on items around your house.
- Show your child an array and ask them to describe it as much as possible.

Science:
We have just transitioned into Science with our first unit...magnets!  Students are exploring the types of material that have a magnetic field that attract magnets and which materials repel magnets.  Student have been testing the magnetic force of the poles and which poles attract and which repel.  All of these fancy words are vocabulary words your child should know, so don't be afraid to use them at home!
 
  

Ways to help at home:
- Pull out some magnets and let them go to town!  They can wander around the house trying to figure out what attracts magnets.  Remind them to stay away from your phone or computer!  ;-)


Social Studies:
Students have watched videos, read stories, and hear a few read alouds on two famous Americans (George Washington Carver and Helen Keller).  Students were able to list 3 facts that they know about each one on an informal assessment.
 
Ways to help at home:
- There are so many resources available on these two famous Americans.  Let students check out a book from the library or research online.  Let their desire to add to their schema drive their research!  They can use the Pebble Go website for more information.  (George Washington Carver and Helen Keller)