Reading: Our POETRY study is in full swing now! Hopefully you have been hearing about our exciting analysis of poetry using the Four Finger Pre-Reading Strategy where we read the title and the author, look at the first and last lines of the poem, look for rhyme and repetition. This four step process has helped us find the author's meaning and increase our understanding of the poems. The children are also exploring words that create a mood or imagery in the poem. We found that phrases like "low stone wall" and "curled up cat by the old barn" make us feel peaceful and relaxed! The children will be given new poetry books to analyze next week with their partners as their exploration of this wonderful genre continues... Writing: Our unit on PERSONAL ESSAY writing has concluded. They children did a wonderful job supporting their opinion on such topics as taking time to grow up, reaching out to others, respecting nature, and reaching to do the impossible. As the children used small moment stories to illustrate and support their point, these short essays were inspiring to all and demonstrated their growth as writer's and reflective thinkers. They also wrote out their essays learning how to write paragraphs by indenting every time they switched to a new idea. This was a new concept for most children. The finished essays were also put into a presentation using Keynote on the Ipad. They end product is a very creative reflection of their opinion statement! Science: We are finishing our WATER unit. This week the children participated in experiments and explorations about evaporation and the effect temperature has on the process as well as condensation. As a class, we discussed the BIG IDEAS of the unit. Wow! The children really learned so much about the WATER CYCLE by reflecting on their learning, the connections they made to the real world and making their thinking visible through examples, gestures, and connections to the thinking of others! The test is this coming week. A study guide is going home on Tuesday. Math: We have learned how to solve more complex time story problems in which multi-step solutions were needed. We have begun looking at pictographs and line plots as we study data and how it can be represented on a graph. The children are seeing the value of a visual image and have enjoyed generating their own questions that can be solved using a graph. Our unit test is approaching and a study guide has come home for review and practice at home. Word Study: Our study of consonant patterns expands by exploring triple consonant blends. The children have been very proud of their efforts with their Tic-Tac-Toe exercises as one method of preparing for the weekly assessment. Keep up the great work! It has been a pleasure getting to know this amazing group of children! january jump start!Reading: Our mystery book clubs have finished reading their books and packets have been completed. The students have learned how to work together in a small group and have meaningful discussions about their reading and observations of the mystery genre. As a result of this unit, they have set goals for reading and group work such as citing evidence from the text more often and responding more actively to the questions and thinking of others. Way to go! We have started our unit on POETRY for the month of January and a new Book-It project has gone home. The Book-It presentations for December were very creative and thoughtfully done. We were able to listen to so many impressive presentations about lineage and family heritage and relationships! Writing: The children worked on their third and fourth essay paragraphs this week. They are working on concluding their essays and publishing them on Keynote on their Ipads. It's been a great week of conferring and sharing their terrific writing. Next week, the children will be finishing up their essay writing, continue the revision process, and publish their work. It's an incredible accomplishment as they write about a big idea and make connections to their own lives that support their big idea. Science: We studied the concept of evaporation this week through a series of experiments looking at how temperature and light affect the evaporation of water. We have learned new vocabulary words such as water vapor, barrier, and condensation. We continue to use the scientific process as we learn to make a hypothesis, follow a procedure, accumulate data, and write about our findings. Math: We have learned about elapsed time and solving word problems using a clock or number line. These concepts are quite challenging for the children so we have had multiple reviews each day to help solidify concepts about time when looking for elapsed time, length of time, beginning and ending times in word problems. Word Study: We have spent the week studying consonant patterns within and at the end of words. We will continue this exploration next week. We have been very busy learners in room 12! It's great to see everyone back and refreshed from the break. Happy 2015! december coming to a close...It is hard to believe that the month of December is coming to a close. We have been so busy wrapping up our units of study in preparation for holiday break. We have had so much fun making gifts for our families and we have enjoyed celebrations such as our holiday party and school wide sing along,
It is hard for me to believe that this will be my last post to you about the learning that is taking place in our classroom! I have really enjoyed being your child's teacher this year and have been so impressed by the growth I have seen in each and every child in room 12. I have been very touched by the nice e-mails, notes, and phone calls I have received about my upcoming maternity leave. I appreciate your support very much and feel very thankful to know that the students will be left in Ms. Adams very capable hands. I hope that your family enjoys a wonderful winter vacation together and I wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Take a peek below to find out what has been happening in room 12 this past week... Reading: Our mystery book clubs have finished reading their second mystery chapter book. They have discussed the elements of the story such as setting, main characters and their roles in the mystery, and have uncovered clues to solve their mysteries. The students have learned how to work together in a small group and have meaningful discussions about their reading. Writing: We are about half way finished with our personal essays. We have selected a BIG idea (a lesson) that we hope to teach our reader. We have written introduction paragraphs and paragraphs with evidence from our own lives of when we learned this lesson. When we return we will be wrapping up our essay writing and will begin our revision process. Science: We continue to learn about our important natural resource, water. We have learned new vocabulary words such as density and states of matter. We continue to use the scientific process as we learn to make a hypothesis, follow a procedure, accumulate data, and write about our findings. Math: We have learned how to apply our understanding of measurement to real life problems as we solve word problems involving units of measurement. We also have spent time revisiting telling time to the nearest minute. We have learned how to express time in different ways such as minutes before and after the hour. Word Study: We have spent a few weeks now developing our understanding of double consonant blends and how two letters can join together to make a new sound. WHEW! That about wraps it up, as you can see we have been very busy learners in room 12! Once again, enjoy your vacations and happy 2015! |
AuthorMs. Adams Archives
May 2015
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