Say hello to our class pet hamster Lola!
The Arts Academy is having a field day!!! Field day will be held on Thursday, October 20th. Permission slips went home this past week. Please make sure you fill the permission slip out and return it ASAP so that your child can attend. We will be participating in different games and activities outside, so please make sure to dress your child in comfortable clothing. Also, please send your child to school that day with a bagged lunch (no glass bottles!!).
For the next eight weeks, we will be participating in the HEART Program. Ms. Karena is our instructor from HEART. Through interactive stories, role-plays and other activities, the children will identify and examine feelings and learn strategies for taking care of themselves and others. Below, is a brief explanation of the weekly curriculum.
WEEK 1: The Circle of Compassion
During this session, young children learn about the “circle of compassion,” a main tenet of humane education. Session activities explore personal self-worth and value.
WEEK 2: Companion Animals or Wild Animals?
Children learn about the needs, likes and behaviors of various animals in order to discover which ones make excellent companion animals and which ones do not.
WEEK 3: Becoming Companion Animal Advocates
This lesson examines some of the dos and don’ts of pet care. The children will also discuss ideas for becoming companion animal advocates.
WEEK 4: Feeling, Feelings and More Feelings
The children witness a puppet scenario in which two puppet characters have a disagreement which leads to a demonstration of strong emotions and hurtful behavior. When they help the puppets, the children learn how feelings affect human actions, too.
WEEK 5: Conflict--Not!
By helping two characters solve a conflict, the children examine some important tenets of effective communication and problem-solving.
WEEK 6: Revisiting Human Rights and Animal Welfare through Story Children listen to a story and problem-solve endings based upon what they have learned about taking care of animals and each other.
In reading this week, we learned about making connections.
Children make personal connections with the text by using their schema (background knowledge). There are three main types of connections we make while reading text.
- Text-to-Self refers to connections made between the text and the reader's personal experience.
- Text-to-Text refers to connections made between a text being read to a text that was previously read.
- Text-to-World refers to connections made between a text being read and something that occurs in the world.
It is important to activate children's schema (background knowledge) before, during, and after reading.
This week we read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Julius The Baby of The World by Kevin Henkes. These books were great in teaching the students connections. Have your child tell you about the books and then the connections they made with those books. What did the books remind them of in their life? How were the books alike?
10 ways to be a better reader......read REad rEAD REaD reAD read read rEad ReAd READ!!!!
It doesn't matter the amount of books your child reads, it's the amount of quality time spent reading books on their independent reading level that's important. We measure the amount of time spent reading in steps. Every 15 minutes your child reads independently, they achieve 1 step. Some children may read 1 or 2 books during the 15 minutes, and others may read more. However, it doesn't matter how many books they read, as long as they are reading during that time.
Our reading goal is for the students to read for 30 minutes in school and 30 minutes at home. For a total of 4 steps per day.
Once they read for the 30 minutes, they choose 2 of their favorite books they read during that time and write the title, date, pages read and reading level down on their log sheet. Then, in the area marked "coaches signature", a parent, guardian or teacher signs their name, verifying that the child did in fact earn their reading steps.
Every night your child will take home his/her blue 100 Book Challenge reading book bag. Inside, your child will have 5 books to read as well as a reading folder which contains their reading log.
Every 20 steps, your child receives a special reading prize to reward them for reaching their independent reading goals.
Thank you for helping your child achieve great independent reading behaviors that will help him/her reach their reading goals!
Below is the enrichment schedule for class 2M9 and 3M7. Please make sure your children wear sneakers on gym days.
Class 2M9:
Monday: Dance and Technology
Tuesday: Art and Science
Wednesday: Gym
Thursday: Art
Friday: Enrichment and Technology
Class 3M7:
Monday: Library
Tuesday: Enrichment and Science
Wednesday: Technology
Thursday: Art and Science
Friday: Technology
Breakfast: served every morning at 8:00am in the classroom
Lunch: is at 12:10
Dismissal: 2:50 every day
Technology serves a major function in this classroom to collaborate and connect with students across the globe. Safety and proper usage of the chosen technology is therefore vital for this classroom to be successful in its implementation. This explanation is intended to inform and expand on the most common types of technology that will be integrated throughout the year.
Flip Video Cameras: Students use video cameras throughout the year to capture their learning and for presentations. We also use the cameras to capture specific student work to be published on our classroom website.
Digital Cameras: Students and teachers take pictures of our projects and classroom activities. These images are often displayed on our classroom bulletin board, used for publication on our website, and once in a while are included in presentations we conduct to teach other educators.
Skype: Skype is used to connect with others on a global scale. We use this video phone call service to speak to other classrooms from around the world.
KidBlog: This student blogging website is an integrated part of our learning. The blog’s main function will be to promote a continual writing process, featuring book reviews, poetry, journal reflections as well as a chance for students to develop critical thinking skills as they comment and guide each other. KidBlog provides us with an incredible chance to develop our writing in multiple formats.
EduGlogster: This online poster creation site allows students to create unique posters with video, sound, pictures, and clip art. We use this for presentations and to showcase learning throughout the year.
These tools are the ones most frequently used in our classroom. Others may be introduced throughout the year with proper guidance.
Any student and/or their school work will be identified by first name only. No last names will be mentioned.
In an effort to respect parent and guardian wishes regarding the use of your child’s image or work, we ask that you read the consent form that was sent home, indicate your preference, and sign and return.
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