Today we practiced a memory trick that saved my elementary-school-bacon more than once.  I learned my
multiplication tables to tunes of common songs like Old MacDonald and Yankee Doodle.  We heard from  each table as they sang their 4's to a tune they selected.  Kids practiced basic computation and solving word problems involving 4 as a factor.

Students who finished their plays began to illustrate their opening scene.  One of the focuses of the week is fluency and we're working our way through everyone in the class as they deliver a brief speech from this week's story.

Homework for tonight is to study for the spelling test, complete both sides of a math worksheet, read for 20 min and log.

Tomorrow brings the weekly ELA testing in spelling, vocabulary and comprehension.  It's also the last day of the marking period.

Timed tests in multiplication begin next week for factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10.



 

Marching through the Times Tables

Today we practiced problem solving and computation with the 3 times table.  Tonight's homework is a little more practice with that.  Tomorrow we move on to the 4's!

Tonight's homework is to do a page of the spelling packet, reread the group book to someone, and complete the practice side of the math worksheet.

Tomorrow I hope everyone will be able to complete their play.  I will make enough copies for each student to perform their play with classmates.  It will take quite awhile to find the time for all those performances, but I'm hopeful that the kids will enjoy hearing their words performed.  You never know... this could be the start of something big!

Playwrights

The kids started planning their plays today and they seemed pretty excited.  Here's the assignment: write a very short play that re-explains why something in nature occurs. In preparation we watched a video called Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears.  (It turns out mosquitoes want to know if everyone is still angry about some bad behavior in the past.) The examples we played around with were reasons why trees change color in the fall.  (jealous of the flowers, don't want their leaves eaten, etc)

Tonight's homework is to do a page in their spelling packet, read their group book, and answer the questions at the back of the book.  They DO NOT need to read another book to log.  I hope their reading will help them imagine and plan their play.

 

Short day

The weather made for a short day!  I hope everyone was safe and dry.  I barely made it into my driveway because it's a hill.
Today the kids took a spelling pretest. Anyone who got all the words correct only has to do the vocabulary/sentence page of the spelling packet for the week.  Business as usual for everyone who needs any practice.

No math homework tonight.

Our story for the week is actually a play of an ancient Native American fable explaining why the sky is so high.  We'll be practicing identifying helping and main verbs, using inference to aid comprehension, writing  a mini-play about something occurring in nature.

The math test from last week will go home just as soon as I can get everyone to take it!
 The next topic will extend understanding of multiplication.  Beginning with the Distributive Property (8 x 4 = 8 x 2 + 8 x 2), then multiplying by 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, multiplying 3 factors, multiplying to find possible combinations, and 2 step problem solving.  This is a very tall order and it means lots of practice with times tables to remember all those facts.  I'll send home lots of drills for each fact but you can help by using some of the great online resources.  The easiest to use is aaamath.com but there are dozens of them out there.

Science Fair Tonight

Students participating in the Science Fair tonight don't have to do their 20 minutes of reading and can do the math review others received for homework, when they come in in the morning.  We'll have another review before the math test.

It seems there's another "bug" going around our class. I've reminded and reminded the kids to cover coughs and sneezes, wash their hands and use the antibacterial lotion whenever they've been in the restrooms.  PLEASE keep your child at home if they're not feeling well.

Next Friday marks the end of the 2nd marking period.  Report cards are right around the corner.  

Today we began research on monuments in Washington, DC.  Mrs Vanderkruik and I will be collaborating to use classroom, library, and computer lab time to develop a guided research project.  With this project complete, we'll be planning a more independent effort for the spring.

The kids brought home the usernames and passwords for Brainpop, Jr and Pebblego.com.  Feel free to use them on your home computer!

Tonight's homework is to make corrections to the Prudy's Problem reading test and complete a math review packet.

Great Assembly, Thanks to PTA

We enjoyed a very cool assembly today! A dance troupe entertained everyone with a performance of traditional Chinese dance.  They taught us a little Chinese and invited volunteers to the stage to participate in a ribbon dance.  Thank you PTA!

This week will be a little different from our usual classwork and homework schedule.  Due to the need to schedule in winter universal screenings, lockdown practice, discussions and drill, a short week, and a variety of other small "musts do's", we'll be finishing up lots of loose ends before moving on to our next story and skills in ELA.
Basically, NO SPELLING HOMEWORK THIS WEEK.

There will be a Math test on Friday this week.   It will cover Topic 5, using patterns in multiplication.  We'll review tomorrow and Thursday.

A Warwick police officer stopped in at recess to say hi to everyone today.  An officer walks through the building every day now and I thought it would make the kids more comfortable if they had a friendly, casual contact in the classroom.

Today we began planning a story about what it would be like to be a raisin farmer (of all things!) The idea is that all fiction has certain key features: character, setting, and imagined events that build to a climax.

Our regular Friday Spelling test will be given tomorrow and most of the class will enjoy extra recess they earned for good behavior.  School store will be available after lunch.

Tonight's homework is to study the spelling list and complete the multiples of 10 worksheet.

There is no school on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr Day.  I hope everyone will enjoy the long weekend!

2 hour delay changes everything!

Today's plans took a backseat to the weather. Tomorrow and Friday I will try to catch up with the writing and math we would have done today.
I did a short lesson on using 10 as a factor and everyone did some fact practice.
Tomorrow we 'll finish up with the midyear universal screenings, plan a story, and work on publishing the how to essays the kids wrote last week, work on action and linking verbs, and introduce multiplying with multiples of 10. If time allows I'd like to have a classroom discussion of some MLK related topics the kids wrote about on Monday.  
 We had our practice for the practice lockdown drill today and the kids had lots of questions. We will try it again tomorrow so everyone feels secure about what to do when the actual school wide drill is called.

Tonight's homework is to practice the 9 times table, read and log, do a page in the spelling packet.

January 15

Today we  practiced using patterns to find or determine multiples of 2, 5, and 9.  The trick with checking large numbers to determine if its a multiple of 9 is to get the sum of the digits.  If the sum is 9, 18, 27, etc its a multiple of 9.  

The story this week is How Do You Raise a Raisin?, a fun look at how raisins are produced. (No kidding, it really is pretty cute!)  The grammar skill for the week is identifying action and linking verbs. I learned them as verbs of being, but they are also called linking verbs because they link the subject to the predicate.  

Tonight's homework is: reread the group book and answer questions 1 and 3 at the back of the book
                                    complete another page in the Spelling Packet

I hear there's some bad weather heading our way so we'll see what the morning brings!  A little extra pajama time?

I hope everyone enjoyed crazy hat day and movie afternoon.  The class voted for Despicable Me and it was pretty funny! Nice message, too.

Sorry to be posting so late but I was at the School Board meeting tonight.  No new information was presented but the January 28th meeting will present the options the board will consider to close the budget gap for this year.  Dr. Bryant said the board wouldn't consider any option that increased class size and that sounds like good news.

Tonight's homework is to read the group book, answer question #4, and do a page in the spelling packet. Please be sure to return the group book and baggie.

So many 100's on this week's spelling test! It's a new class record!

    On another happy note, our class has achieved the second level on the WISE behavior chart so we get to have a party!  On Monday the kids can wear a crazy hat (or any hat) all day if they wish and we'll enjoy a movie in the afternoon.  Please send an extra snack for the movie.  If you have any classroom-appropriate dvd's you can share for the occasion, it would be great if you would send one in for the kids to choose from.

Most of the children are getting 100's on their addition/subtraction facts times tests. I'm going to send home practice packets for anyone who still needs to work on fluency.      

This week we learned a bit about Dr. Martin Luther King and discussed the civil rights movement, practiced multiplying by 0, 1, 2,5 , 9, and 10, reviewed and practiced reading strategies, and held our spelling bee. We began the unit test for the 2nd ELA  unit of the year, and conducted the winter "universal screening"tests in ELA and Math. Busy week!

I hope everyone has been working on the spelling review list this week. I hope to have time for a mini-spelling bee tomorrow.  Today we discussed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and the kids had some very insightful questions about that time in our history.  I asked everyone to think about their own inner gifts and how those gifts might contribute to the world or just to their own life.  I haven't read any of them and some students brought home their writing.  I hope everyone was able to reflect a little on what is wonderful about themselves.

There are 2 ELA worksheets (reading comprehension, vocabulary)for homework and one math sheet (9 as a factor).

This week we're reviewing for a "benchmark" test on topics 1 - 4 in math.  In ELA the unit review spelling list went home yesterday.  There is no assigned homework but students should practice spelling the words on the list every night.  There WILL be a spelling test on Friday.

The class is finishing their first essay,today and tomorrow. It is our first multi-paragraph structured writing for the year.  Everyone chose something they know how to do and has written directions to complete their chosen project.

There will be some lockdown " practice for the practice" this week so the kids don't feel frightened or alarmed when we do the actual lockdown drill.  I'm not sure exactly what the initial practice will look like but it has been announced for this week.

We are now in full multiplication mode!  Starting with 0, 1, 2, 5, and  10 the kids will have multiplication practice everyday.  Any additional time they do at night will really help.