A Snow Day Update and Valentine Box Inspiration

Snowed in and so much to do!

 
In addition to printing out our Texan pen pal letters, and prepping Valentine goodies, I want to take a few minutes to update you on the fabulous learning going on in Room 16.

We recently launched our exploration of cursive with a weekly Cursive Cadet to help us sky write, trace, and practice our newest letter of the week. Kudos to those cadets!

We're diving into fractions- equal parts of a whole or a set. We also explored a few strategies for finding the fractional part of a set using division.

Last week we used a number line to record mixed numbers.




After making Groundhog Day predictions, we studied facts about Punxsutawney Phil, his burrow called Gobbler's Knob, and the famous legend behind this famous friend. We were even fortunate enough to watch the early morning footage of Phil's prediction we'll have an early spring.

A few more expository pieces have been published and are now on display outside our classroom. I have since learned a great deal about the numerous types of dinosaurs, how bears hibernate, the role of football coaches, and the necessary items dog owners should have. 

Last week used Tagxedo in the computer lab to create Valentine-inspired word clouds. Check out this free website for endless fun.

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we are taking part in a cross-country Valentine exchange. We have decorated and customized nearly two dozen valentines to send to classrooms as far away as Alaska, California, and Arizona. Our valentines were decorated to represent our town and state. Bulldogs represented our schools' mascot while Boston-themed stickers highlighted a few of our capital city's famous landmarks such as Fenway Park and Breed's Hill. The tabby cat was included to show our state cat, while marine animals represented our renowned New England Aquarium. 

 The first Valentine to arrive to Memorial Park came from Wallington, NJ-- a town in the shape of a heart measuring only one square mile!

Snowed in and looking for a fun activity? Grab an empty cereal box or tissue box and decorate it to become your valentine box. Here are a few links to offer you some inspiration as you decorate. 

Visit Crafty Morning for some colorful and creative ideas.

 Ucreate also has some unique valentine mailboxes here.

Happy shoveling and happy crafting!

Gobbling Up Word Problems, the Wampanoag Gazette, A Winter Break Reading Challenge, Clementine, Partial Sums, and Dedicated Digital Natives

Happy New Year!

2015 closed out with festive problem solving, social studies newspaper writing, and reading for information.

Thanksgiving brought an opportunity to use keywords, number sense, and understanding of operations as they composed festive-themed math problems. 

               

            

              

Multiplication Gingerbread Bump offered us practice building our math fact fluency. We roll two die, multiply to find the product, and cover that number on the board. If you calculate the same product again, you can "lock in" that product by placing a second tile on it. The first player to use all 10 tiles wins!

When playing Santa's List, mathematicians had to check that problem cards displayed the correct answer. If it did, the card would be placed on Santa's "Nice List." In the event that the problem had been solved incorrectly, the card would then be placed on Santa's "Naughty List."

Historians worked together to highlight key details about the life of the Wamponoags using our Social Studies text, Massachusetts: Our Home. Next, writers organized their information into top down webs before bringing it all together in the form of news articles for the Wampanoag Gazette.

 

Their articles were then recorded on AudioBoo! Click here to listen to Marissa and Nathan W.'s article about hunting in the forest. Chris and Joao read aloud their article about building wetus here. Shakwan and Bella inform readers about the spring chores that kept the Wampanoags busy. 

Air Holiday took off and travelers ventured to six different countries to learn about the unique holiday traditions. Stops included France, Germany, Israel, Australia, and Sweden. 

Just before vacation, students were introduced to one of my favorite storybook characters--Clementine. Be sure to ask your child what landed her in the principal's office in Chapter 1. 

Congratulations to our December PRIDE award winners. They are true role models!

2016 has been off to a strong start!

Many readers accepted the Winter Break Reading Challenge and read for 150 minutes in creative ways. Some readers read on New Year's Day while others read in pajamas, with grandparents or in the car. This Wednesday, those readers will enjoy a hot chocolate party after school as their reward!

In writing, students have been drafting and publishing their expository pieces. Topics range from bears, wolves, video games, basketball, hockey, tae-kwon-do and football. Writers are in the process of typing their pieces using their Google Docs account. From keyboarding to customizing text, inserting images and tables, these digital natives are taking advantage of this fabulous program.

  

 

Published and in the Author's Chair!

 
 

 In math, we launched with strategies for adding three-digit numbers. We learned how to add using an expanded algorithm to calculate partial sums as well as add on an open number line.

 

Come back soon to read about our S(pecific)M(easurable)ART New Year's resolutions.. 

Blizzard Blogging about Biomes, "Blowing" Through Multiplication, Braille, Text Structures, Expository Experts, and Halfway Day

It's hard to believe we've already been in school 3 weeks in 2015! We sure have been busy!

Several students who had eagerly participated in my Winter Break Reading Challenge enjoyed an after school hot cocoa party. Reading really is delicious!

Our current science unit focuses on the various biomes found around the world. Fittingly, we started with the tundra and learned about the climate, numerous animals who call the tundra home, and the low-lying cushion plants that can be found there. Next, we read about the rainforest, its four layers, and why it has been coined "Earth's largest pharmacy."

We would be remiss if we let January come and go without a study of a very influential man in America's history. Biographies, passages, paired texts, and timelines confirmed existing knowledge about Martin Luther King and the legacy of this famous civil rights leader. Students were captivated as they watched King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

We have been fortunate enough to bring to life multiplication flip books perfectly aligned with common core standards. These templates were created by a talented teacher and blogger Blair Turner. 

Topic 6 has concluded with problem solving using multiplication, arrays, skip counting, and even algebra. We used organized lists to solve for all possible combinations in real life situations.

We've been blowing through our multiplication timed quizzes. We earn bubble gum to enjoy during math for every timed quiz that earns a score of 90 or above. 

Topic 6 concluded with practice multiplying 3 factors, using multiplication to solve for combinations, and Our long term math project has been assigned and an informational letter with a rubric has been sent home. Students will demonstrate their understanding of fact families by representing a colorful and creative array using stickers, illustration, print-outs, shapes, or designs. A multiplication and division fact family should accompany the array. The second part of the project requires students to create a mathematical table representing the amount of food needed to serve breakfast to their families. Individual serving sizes are included on the project letter. Projects are due March 11.

In honor of January being National Braille Month, two new word work activities debuted this week-- Braille and American Sign Language. Students have been eager to practice spelling their words using these two alternate means of communication.

As we delve deeper into informational texts, we have studied the text structure of books and articles to help us better understand the author's purpose for writing. Often writers will present facts in one of these formats--descriptive compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, or sequential.

QR Critters offer students reader response questions to use during Reader's Workshop along with their independent reading book--fiction or informational. Students scan the QR codes to read the question. Students answer questions pertaining to characters, setting, plot, resolution, author's purpose, genre, predictions, and factual information--just to name a few.

In Writer's Workshop, students have begun brainstorming, drafting, and researching topics and main ideas for their first expository piece. Topics range from presidents to sharks, basketball to soccer, and France to fish. Writers will incorporate text features in to their published pieces.

Writers have also enjoyed writing narratives inspired by photographs found in calendars like the one seen below.

We have extended our study of nouns to include abstract nouns such as freedom, patience, and knowledge and concrete nouns such as flag, basket, and book.

On Halfway Day students brainstormed and composed half of a story-- setting the scene and introducing the character and story problem. A writing partner had to complete the story resolving the story's problem.

The 100th Day is gradually approaching...