Well, week two is almost in the books and we are off to a great start! Thanks so much for being an active part of your child's education...together we can make a great team! Just a few general notes for the week:
Learning goals:
Reading/Language Arts: In reading we are reviewing becoming "Active Readers". Last year we worked on how to respond to text with connections, visualizing, determining the main idea and questioning. This last week we've spent reviewing those skills with our Daybook and with their independent book. In Language, we have reviewed ending punctuation and commas in a series. Social Studies: We have learned some basic map skills by coloring our world map with the continents, as well as working with latitude and longitude. Latitude lines go up and down like a ladder!! That's the easiest way to keep them straight. We began our Wisconsin History Chapter 1 by learning about the basic geography of Wisconsin, including the glaciers, the Great Lakes, and our port cities. They really seem to be enjoying learning about what our state has to offer! Well, here we go again! I'm so excited to start the new year and I hope you all are too! While our group has changed a bit from last year to this year, my mission remains the same: to ensure your child is inspired to grow academically, faithfully and socially. To make that happen we need to work together as partners, communicate frequently, and encourage them to always strive for their best! Please don't hesitate to contact me using the email listed above in the "contact" section. I can't wait to see what this school year brings! I never knew there was a word for it: pluviophile. I really do find peace and comfort in the rain. Maybe not as much when I have indoor recess duty, but certainly most other times... Just a few reminders today: color day on Friday; we are team blue! Field trip slip went home today. I need 2 chaperones that are willing to drive. Thanks in advance. Please remember to bring a bag lucjh with a drink. We still have a few students who have not turned in their book projects that were due Monday. That is the largest grade for the quarter, so please remind your student to get those in so they can share their historical knowledge with us!
Reading: Just a reminder, the book project is still due Monday, May 7. If your child needs extra time, please let me know. We are finishing up Bud, not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham. This week we have focused on pulling out vocabulary words that were new to the students, as well as learning about two types of conflict: internal and external. Ask your child if they can tell you what those are! Math: Even though the school year is winding down, new concepts are being introduced every day. This week with the 5/4 group, we learned double digit multiplication(54 x 35). With the 5/6 group, we learned dividing fractions, and converting improper fractions into mixed numbers. If you get a few extra minutes at night, throw a couple of problems at your lovelies for extra practice! Spring has finally arrived! It has been so nice to have the windows open just a smidge in the classroom...it has certainly brought a new energy to the kids! Speaking of energy, they are certainly fired up about a new rewards program: "BuchholzBucks". There are plenty of opportunities every day to earn some extra cash. Assignment notebook signed? There's a buck. Homework done? There's a buck. Helped someone pick up a mess? There's a buck. So what do we do with all that money? They can cash it in for new gel pens, sitting on the yoga ball, first class dining, gum, or maybe moving their desk for a day. There are lots of options! Math: Assessment this Friday for my students Reading: Keep reading those historical fiction books. Project is still due May 7. We also learned this week a little more about the Great Depression, and watched a short clip about "Hoovervilles". Ask your child what they can tell you about what "Hoovervilles" are. Extra points if they can tell you who they were named after! Ugh! The snow! I keep telling the kids to save this mental image in their heads because they will never experience this again in their lifetime(at least I hope so!)! Just another reminder that tomorrow is the last day of MAPS testing. I have been really proud of how focused the students have been during the testing sessions. I'm hoping they can finish strong. Reading: We are continuing to read our group books this week and really getting into how and why our characters change throughout the novel. Your child should be reading at home every night, either their group book or their independent historical fiction book. Page assignments are in their planner every night. I may be helpful, if Speaking of that, see below for our April book project. Math: My students had an assessment today. Grades should be in Option C by tomorrow. Here are the details of our April book project: History in a Box! Please start looking for a box at home, and also disregard the due date. I had the form saved in a document I cannot edit, so the new due date is Monday May 7. Students received a copy of this today. If you have any questions, please email me! ' Just like the flowers that are bursting through the snow, I feel like your children are bursting with a new energy and a new excitement. Spring in a classroom feels like a new awakening: refreshed after spring break and ready to show a new version of themselves that seems to be a bit older and a bit wiser! As a reminder, MAP testing is this Thursday(4/12), next Tuesday (4/17) and next Thursday(4/19). I was very proud of the kids yesterday, as they all tried their hardest and focused well. Math: Continue using khanacademy/mappers at home to review skills. It's a great tool for the students to stay fresh on math skills that we are not currently working on at school. Reading: We are beginning our study of historical fiction. Each student chose an independent historical fiction book that they should be reading at home or during free time at school. They are also reading a leveled book, chosen by me. Both stories take place in Flint, Michigan and center around African American families during the depression(Bud, not Buddy) or the civil rights movement(The Watson's Go to Birmingham). These are both award winning books that look deeper into what is was like to be a child in those time periods. I encourage you to read the pages assigned nightly with your child(see assignment notebook), or discuss what they read about during the day. It can be a great way to connect with them about some important topics. Bud, Not Buddy is the story of a ten-year-old African American boy named Bud Caldwell and his quest to find his father during the Great Depression. The novel begins in Flint, Michigan, at “the Home,” where Bud and other orphaned children wait to be placed into foster care. This will be Bud’s third foster family. His mother has died, and he believes that a flier she kept for a jazz band featuring a bass player named Herman E. Calloway is a clue to finding the father he never knew. Enter the hilarious world of ten-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron, who's thirteen and an "official juvenile delinquent." When Byron gets to be too much trouble, they head South to Birmingham to visit Grandma, the one person who can shape him up. And they happen to be in Birmingham when Grandma's church is blown up. Well, we made the long chilly trek over to Marcus Cinema and I think we all enjoyed the movie very much. Special thanks to three moms who waked over and helped handle the crosswalks, the crowds, and the concession stand ordering! I hope you all have a restful and relaxing break, and safe travels if you are going on an adventure! Reading: This week we continued traditional literature with tall tales and myths. Since we still have a few more types to cover, I'll be moving the assessment back to Holy Thursday. Students should be occasionally looking at their notes in the blue binder to review the parts of each type of traditional literature. Math We've had 2 students become members of the 100 club, which means they have gotten all 100 facts in 5 minutes in different 3 tests. Everyone is improving their multiplication fact knowledge tremendously...well done! Assessment and "100 club" test again this Friday. Is it spring? Is it winter?? While I love the change of seasons in WI, I'm more than ready to be done with the snow and see the daffodils and the tulips pop through! At the very least, I'm hoping for no snow when we walk to the movie theater next week. Look for the permission slip to come home this Friday. The kids are all so excited! Reading: We are still learning different types of traditional literature. This week we started learning about fables, and how they are different from fairy tales. Their job today was to read through some of Aesop's fables online. I told them I would post the link to the website, so here it is: read.gov/aesop/001.html Their assignment for tomorrow was to read a few of his fables, pick one and make an illustration, as well as writing the title and the moral. Tomorrow they will present a summary of the fable and their picture. Math: No assessment coming soon. One thing we did this week was practice our math skills using Khan academy. This site has a nice feature when you can create assignments based on individual MAP testing scores. Each student has a unique log in, and then specific assignments were created that matches their needs. If you would like to use this at home, here is the site: www.khanacademy.org/mappers They should know their user name, and the password for all students is: saintjoseph If your lovely does not have me for math, just let me know if you would like an account set up for them and I can make that happen! |