Good Morning,
Today the students finished up Wednesday's science experiments. They will take the unit test on Tuesday. This will require the kids to create their own question about a magnet and then investigate it. The students also wrote in their weekly news journals. Please look over them during the weekend and send them back on Monday. We finished the morning by reading a book called Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills. It was a great story and talked about a puppy's struggle to write his own story and follows the process of how the puppy found a way to be inspired to write.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tom
November 30, 2012
November 28, 2012
November 28, 2012
Good Afternoon,
Today the students continued with their narrative assessment writes. This requires each student to write a story that has the typical elements of a narrative. The results will be used in guiding next steps for each student's needs and instruction.
This afternoon, the students conducted a series of magnet inquiries. We will finish this up on Friday and take the unit assessment next Tuesday. Our next unit of study will be sound.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
Today the students continued with their narrative assessment writes. This requires each student to write a story that has the typical elements of a narrative. The results will be used in guiding next steps for each student's needs and instruction.
This afternoon, the students conducted a series of magnet inquiries. We will finish this up on Friday and take the unit assessment next Tuesday. Our next unit of study will be sound.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
November 25, 2012
November 26, 2012
Good Morning,
I hope everyone had a nice break and for those who celebrate a wonderful Thanksgiving. I felt like the break came at just the right time and hopefully it allowed for many of the illnesses to pass. This week the students will be assessed on their ability to write a narrative. They will each be asked to create their own story that includes a beginning, middle, and end, as well as a problem and solution.
Notes For the Week:
*Book Orders were due today (Monday). If you need an extra day, please send them in by Tuesday.
*I will be out of school for most or all of the day on Tuesday. I am continuing to have to go through some medical tests and will be at Fletcher Allen. I apologize in advance for having to be out again. I look forward to moving on from this.
*YOUR CHILD"S HOMEWORK BAG, will have reading in it for tonight and Tuesday night. This way the substitute (on Tuesday) will not have to deal with it. If your child has a chapter book, I will write the assignments for both days on the cover.
*There will be new math homework for first graders this week. The game survey will be due a week from Thursday. Please make sure to fill these out. I will post a reminder again next week.
Have a great week,
Peace,
Tom
I hope everyone had a nice break and for those who celebrate a wonderful Thanksgiving. I felt like the break came at just the right time and hopefully it allowed for many of the illnesses to pass. This week the students will be assessed on their ability to write a narrative. They will each be asked to create their own story that includes a beginning, middle, and end, as well as a problem and solution.
Notes For the Week:
*Book Orders were due today (Monday). If you need an extra day, please send them in by Tuesday.
*I will be out of school for most or all of the day on Tuesday. I am continuing to have to go through some medical tests and will be at Fletcher Allen. I apologize in advance for having to be out again. I look forward to moving on from this.
*YOUR CHILD"S HOMEWORK BAG, will have reading in it for tonight and Tuesday night. This way the substitute (on Tuesday) will not have to deal with it. If your child has a chapter book, I will write the assignments for both days on the cover.
*There will be new math homework for first graders this week. The game survey will be due a week from Thursday. Please make sure to fill these out. I will post a reminder again next week.
Have a great week,
Peace,
Tom
November 14, 2012
GoodAfternoon,
Today, Mrs. Hosford cam in to read a third children's book that her daughter has written. The title of this was called Infinity. The children seemed to really enjoyed the book and enjoyed trying to grasp the concept of infinity.
Tomorrow, I will be sending home book order forms along with a coupon. If you order $10 worth of books, you receive a free book (up to $5 value). This will be the last book order I send before the holidays. The orders will be due November 26th.
On Friday, we will be leaving walking to the Valley Player's building to watch the 5th/6th grade play (a portion of it). We will leaving around 1:00.
I need conferences scheduled for Azailea and Bella. Please do so today, so I can wrap up the schedule.
Peace,
Tom
Today, Mrs. Hosford cam in to read a third children's book that her daughter has written. The title of this was called Infinity. The children seemed to really enjoyed the book and enjoyed trying to grasp the concept of infinity.
Tomorrow, I will be sending home book order forms along with a coupon. If you order $10 worth of books, you receive a free book (up to $5 value). This will be the last book order I send before the holidays. The orders will be due November 26th.
On Friday, we will be leaving walking to the Valley Player's building to watch the 5th/6th grade play (a portion of it). We will leaving around 1:00.
I need conferences scheduled for Azailea and Bella. Please do so today, so I can wrap up the schedule.
Peace,
Tom
November 11, 2012
November 12, 2012
Good Morning,
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. It seemed weird to have the windows open for part of the day on Sunday. It is hard to believe that we have 7 days of school before the Thanksgiving Break. Today, we welcome back Jude to the classroom. He stopped by for a quick lunch visit on Friday and will rejoin the class today.
Teaching is a wonderful job that allows and requires constant reflection. As I wrapped up the first trimester, I took some time to look at what was working in the classroom and what could be changed for maximum efficiency and productivity. When students arrive at school now, they take care of their homework, look at the Morning Message, and then read by themselves or with a partner. I am changing the last part of this routine. When students arrive, they will still do the first two things, and then be asked to work on their sight words. We are currently doing this during our spelling time, but I want to add more to our spelling block. What does this mean for your child? They need to be in school by 7:40, or they will not have the same opportunity as those kids who are on time. They will work on this until 7:55, and then we will start morning meeting. Although this is an academic activity, it is a great one to start the day with because students get to choose how they want to practice their words. It allows them to start the day with a self directed activity. I am excited about this change and truly feel the benefit will be substantial.
NOTES:
*1st Grade Math Homework: In the midst of preparing for my substitute last week, I forgot to send home new math homework. So, I will send a new game home today. I will then send the surveys home next Monday (11/20/12). I am sorry for not having something this past week.
*Parent Conferences: Please make sure to sign up for a conference time. If you are going to be away, please let me know. We can make arrangements for something the week after Thanksgiving. Report Cards will be sent home this Friday.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. It seemed weird to have the windows open for part of the day on Sunday. It is hard to believe that we have 7 days of school before the Thanksgiving Break. Today, we welcome back Jude to the classroom. He stopped by for a quick lunch visit on Friday and will rejoin the class today.
Teaching is a wonderful job that allows and requires constant reflection. As I wrapped up the first trimester, I took some time to look at what was working in the classroom and what could be changed for maximum efficiency and productivity. When students arrive at school now, they take care of their homework, look at the Morning Message, and then read by themselves or with a partner. I am changing the last part of this routine. When students arrive, they will still do the first two things, and then be asked to work on their sight words. We are currently doing this during our spelling time, but I want to add more to our spelling block. What does this mean for your child? They need to be in school by 7:40, or they will not have the same opportunity as those kids who are on time. They will work on this until 7:55, and then we will start morning meeting. Although this is an academic activity, it is a great one to start the day with because students get to choose how they want to practice their words. It allows them to start the day with a self directed activity. I am excited about this change and truly feel the benefit will be substantial.
NOTES:
*1st Grade Math Homework: In the midst of preparing for my substitute last week, I forgot to send home new math homework. So, I will send a new game home today. I will then send the surveys home next Monday (11/20/12). I am sorry for not having something this past week.
*Parent Conferences: Please make sure to sign up for a conference time. If you are going to be away, please let me know. We can make arrangements for something the week after Thanksgiving. Report Cards will be sent home this Friday.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace,
Tom
November 9, 2012
November 9, 2012
Good Afternoon!
We had a fantastic day and the kids demonstrated a tremendous amount of focus as we dealt with the energy and business of ski and skate sale preparations. This morning, I read the kids a book called Balloons Over Broadway. This book was about the person responsible for developing the Macy's
Day Parade, and the use of the character balloons we see today. It was a wonderful book that also focused on the tradition and history of the parade. The students were then asked to create their own balloon for the parade and through a variety of means, created an image of the being the puppeteer of their balloon. This proved to be a very exciting and imaginative project, and the kids worked for over 90 minutes strictly focused on this. It was very excited to see their creations. We will finish these next Friday and also work on a writing piece for the artwork.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tom
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We had a fantastic day and the kids demonstrated a tremendous amount of focus as we dealt with the energy and business of ski and skate sale preparations. This morning, I read the kids a book called Balloons Over Broadway. This book was about the person responsible for developing the Macy's
Day Parade, and the use of the character balloons we see today. It was a wonderful book that also focused on the tradition and history of the parade. The students were then asked to create their own balloon for the parade and through a variety of means, created an image of the being the puppeteer of their balloon. This proved to be a very exciting and imaginative project, and the kids worked for over 90 minutes strictly focused on this. It was very excited to see their creations. We will finish these next Friday and also work on a writing piece for the artwork.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tom
November 7, 2012
November 7, 2012
Good Morning,
I hope the last two days went as smoothly as they could. I had the privilege of attending the Literacy For All Conference in Providence, RI. It was a fabulous conference and I walked away with a variety of feelings/thoughts. One, it was nice to see how many of the best practices I was already implementing in the classroom. I also learned a lot of new techniques that could enhance what I am already doing. One such concept is called the Daily Five. I am going to research more about this and look at implementing it as start to develop next year's classroom. I also met a Technology Integration Specialist from Wisconsin. She was absolutely amazing and shared a plethora of information and ideas for the classroom. Dan and I also left with an idea of doing a shared research project with our two classes. We are going to start this in December. It focuses on the idea of Students asking "I Wonder" questions and then reading non-fiction material to answer their inquiry. It also involves using Web 2.0 tools to find answers. We are both very excited about this project.
I hope you have a great week. Don't forget to sign up for the Ski and Skate Sale.
Peace,
Tom
I hope the last two days went as smoothly as they could. I had the privilege of attending the Literacy For All Conference in Providence, RI. It was a fabulous conference and I walked away with a variety of feelings/thoughts. One, it was nice to see how many of the best practices I was already implementing in the classroom. I also learned a lot of new techniques that could enhance what I am already doing. One such concept is called the Daily Five. I am going to research more about this and look at implementing it as start to develop next year's classroom. I also met a Technology Integration Specialist from Wisconsin. She was absolutely amazing and shared a plethora of information and ideas for the classroom. Dan and I also left with an idea of doing a shared research project with our two classes. We are going to start this in December. It focuses on the idea of Students asking "I Wonder" questions and then reading non-fiction material to answer their inquiry. It also involves using Web 2.0 tools to find answers. We are both very excited about this project.
I hope you have a great week. Don't forget to sign up for the Ski and Skate Sale.
Peace,
Tom
November 2, 2012
November 2, 2012
Good Afternoon. We have had a great week and the class, as a whole, handled Halloween week with relative ease. Today we finished the class book that we had started last week. The kids typed their rough drafts and assembled their book pages.
I will be headed to Rhode Island on Sunday morning. Dan Greenleaf and I will be attending a Literacy Conference in Providence. It starts on Sunday afternoon and finishes up on Tuesday evening. I will be back in school on Wednesday. We are pretty fortunate to get into this conference and look forward to diving deeper into some of the reading and writing approaches that we currently use in our classes.
I hope you have a great weekend. I will post again on Wednesday.
Peace,
Tom
I will be headed to Rhode Island on Sunday morning. Dan Greenleaf and I will be attending a Literacy Conference in Providence. It starts on Sunday afternoon and finishes up on Tuesday evening. I will be back in school on Wednesday. We are pretty fortunate to get into this conference and look forward to diving deeper into some of the reading and writing approaches that we currently use in our classes.
I hope you have a great weekend. I will post again on Wednesday.
Peace,
Tom
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