Good Morning,
I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Yesterday we talked about the concept of inertia and started an exploration where we tried to move balls (a variety of sizes) with straws. The students started to record their observations and were also asked to explain why the ball slowed down and eventually stopped. I used this video to start the lesson. We watched the first 3 1/2 minutes. We will finish the exploration on Monday.
We also completed our video project that was inspired from the book The North Star. This is one of the titles from our Global Read A Loud. We also shared this video with our friends in Iowa. Take a look to find out who inspires your child (http://voice.adobe.com/v/G3_wY8v2MR6).
Here is this weeks video:
Notes:
*Wednesday is an Early Release Day. The students are dismissed just before noon.
*Your child has their Weekly News and Weekend Reading in their backpack. Please make sure that it comes back on Monday.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
October 31, 2014
October 27, 2014
October 27, 2014
Good Morning,
We dove right into science this morning. We had been discussing the idea of force and working with the terms push and pull. Today the student's started a lesson where they were asked to use some of the equipment on the playground and then identify which force was needed to crete motion. We will finish the discussion part of the lesson tomorrow.
This week's Global Read A Loud book is Sky Color. We will read the book tomorrow and then work on a book related project on Thursday. We are also going to video chat with our friends in Iowa on Thursday. They are going to share about their airplane project from the book I'm Here and we are going to share our paintings from the book Ish.
Notes:
*There is an assembly tomorrow. The High 5s Foundation will be here to talk about winter/mountain safety. The assemble starts at 7:50.
That is all for now.. Have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
We dove right into science this morning. We had been discussing the idea of force and working with the terms push and pull. Today the student's started a lesson where they were asked to use some of the equipment on the playground and then identify which force was needed to crete motion. We will finish the discussion part of the lesson tomorrow.
This week's Global Read A Loud book is Sky Color. We will read the book tomorrow and then work on a book related project on Thursday. We are also going to video chat with our friends in Iowa on Thursday. They are going to share about their airplane project from the book I'm Here and we are going to share our paintings from the book Ish.
Notes:
*There is an assembly tomorrow. The High 5s Foundation will be here to talk about winter/mountain safety. The assemble starts at 7:50.
That is all for now.. Have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
October 24, 2014
October 24, 2014
Good Morning,
We have had a great week! It was nice to once again have a full unit erupted week of learning. We have started our Force and Motion Unit. The first day the students explored a variety of supplies and tried to make objects move along, tracks, tubes, and ramps. Yesterday, the students did an observation walk and looked for the forces of pushing and pulling being used.
In math, the 1st and 2nd graders have both started geometry units. The first graders have been learning shape vocabulary and characteristics of rectangles, circles, triangles, hexagons, and rhombi. They had also been using pattern blocks to compose and decompose shapes. The second graders have been focusing on rectangles as well.
This week's book for the Global Read A Loud was Ish. Ish is a story about a boy who looses his belief in his artistic abilities. He was an avid painter and felt he should stop because he didn't feel his work was good enough. His younger sister challenges him on this belief and the child eventually starts painting all kinds of Ish-paintings. The students all created their own Ish-Painting. You can find them in the hallway by our classroom door.
Here is this week's movie:
Notes:
*Your child has their Weekly News in their backpack. Please take a look and respond.
*If you look at our classroom schedule, you will see that we don't have Daily 5 (reading groups) on this day. I use Thursday afternoons to work on a variety of literature projects. Since we don't meet, the kids reading homework will always be book of choices on that night. This means they won't have new books or assignments from their reading group book(s).
We do have reading on Friday's. I will start sending the homework bags home on the weekends. This way your child will have books they can read over the weekend. PLEASE, make sure all of the books and the bag come back on Monday. I truly appreciate your help in keeping your children organized with this.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
We have had a great week! It was nice to once again have a full unit erupted week of learning. We have started our Force and Motion Unit. The first day the students explored a variety of supplies and tried to make objects move along, tracks, tubes, and ramps. Yesterday, the students did an observation walk and looked for the forces of pushing and pulling being used.
In math, the 1st and 2nd graders have both started geometry units. The first graders have been learning shape vocabulary and characteristics of rectangles, circles, triangles, hexagons, and rhombi. They had also been using pattern blocks to compose and decompose shapes. The second graders have been focusing on rectangles as well.
This week's book for the Global Read A Loud was Ish. Ish is a story about a boy who looses his belief in his artistic abilities. He was an avid painter and felt he should stop because he didn't feel his work was good enough. His younger sister challenges him on this belief and the child eventually starts painting all kinds of Ish-paintings. The students all created their own Ish-Painting. You can find them in the hallway by our classroom door.
Here is this week's movie:
Notes:
*Your child has their Weekly News in their backpack. Please take a look and respond.
*If you look at our classroom schedule, you will see that we don't have Daily 5 (reading groups) on this day. I use Thursday afternoons to work on a variety of literature projects. Since we don't meet, the kids reading homework will always be book of choices on that night. This means they won't have new books or assignments from their reading group book(s).
We do have reading on Friday's. I will start sending the homework bags home on the weekends. This way your child will have books they can read over the weekend. PLEASE, make sure all of the books and the bag come back on Monday. I truly appreciate your help in keeping your children organized with this.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
October 19, 2014
October 20, 2014
Good Morning,
I hope you all had a great weekend. Although it was soggy, my family and I still found ways to entertain ourselves and enjoy the outdoors and the "waning days of Fall." This week we will start our Forces and Motion Unit. Today, your children will start with an exploration of some of the materials that we will be suing throughout the unit and start to develop ideas and concepts that we will focus on throughout our study.
The students will also finish up their rewrites, of the story Uptown by Brian Collier. Our book is called "In Town." Each child has chosen a location/business from our town and is writing about what can happen at that location.
Spelling and reading groups will be in full swing this week. There are 4 different spelling groups that go on during spelling time. Each of these groups are not by grade level but rather by spelling needs (gained through assessment). There will not be weekly lists to remember. Instead the students will spend the week emerged in spelling activities and practice that reinforces a specific concept. The students also spend 50 minutes a week working on spelling sight words. These two approaches create a well rounded spelling approach that will meet the needs of each of your children.
I am sorry there hasn't been a new weekly video during the past two weeks. Between being out on the last two Fridays and the short week last week, I didn't have a chance to make one. I will create a new video this week.
I hope you all have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
I hope you all had a great weekend. Although it was soggy, my family and I still found ways to entertain ourselves and enjoy the outdoors and the "waning days of Fall." This week we will start our Forces and Motion Unit. Today, your children will start with an exploration of some of the materials that we will be suing throughout the unit and start to develop ideas and concepts that we will focus on throughout our study.
The students will also finish up their rewrites, of the story Uptown by Brian Collier. Our book is called "In Town." Each child has chosen a location/business from our town and is writing about what can happen at that location.
Spelling and reading groups will be in full swing this week. There are 4 different spelling groups that go on during spelling time. Each of these groups are not by grade level but rather by spelling needs (gained through assessment). There will not be weekly lists to remember. Instead the students will spend the week emerged in spelling activities and practice that reinforces a specific concept. The students also spend 50 minutes a week working on spelling sight words. These two approaches create a well rounded spelling approach that will meet the needs of each of your children.
I am sorry there hasn't been a new weekly video during the past two weeks. Between being out on the last two Fridays and the short week last week, I didn't have a chance to make one. I will create a new video this week.
I hope you all have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
October 17, 2014
October 17, 2014
Good Morning,
Yesterday we spoke with our friends in Nevada, Iowa. We shared with each other the activities that we had done with the story, The North Star. My class had identified someone that inspires them and then wrote about it. The focus has been on writing solid paragraphs with a focus sentence, supporting details, and a closing comment. We also read the 2nd book in our Global Rad A Loud called I'm Here.
Your child has their Weekly News in their bags. Please make sure to read it and respond to your child. We will read them on Monday.
I am out at a meeting all day. This is the District Math meeting that was cancelled a few weeks back. I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Mr. Young
Yesterday we spoke with our friends in Nevada, Iowa. We shared with each other the activities that we had done with the story, The North Star. My class had identified someone that inspires them and then wrote about it. The focus has been on writing solid paragraphs with a focus sentence, supporting details, and a closing comment. We also read the 2nd book in our Global Rad A Loud called I'm Here.
Your child has their Weekly News in their bags. Please make sure to read it and respond to your child. We will read them on Monday.
I am out at a meeting all day. This is the District Math meeting that was cancelled a few weeks back. I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Mr. Young
October 7, 2014
October 7, 2014
Good Morning,
I hope everyone had a great weekend. Since I was not in school yesterday, I thought I would post today. This week will mark the start of reading groups and spelling groups. As we start reading groups, your child may be bringing home two books. For 1st graders, one will be a book that I want them to read and the other will be a choice book. I tend to leave the books, from their groups, in their bag for the week. Please help your child keep track of these and return them each day. Second graders may have two books as well.
NOTES:
*We no longer need any more paper towel rolls sent in. I appreciate everyone's response and effort in sending them in.
*Please, send your child's reading bag, with the books in them, back each day.
*I am out for a meeting on Friday. I will be in DC for the weekend. The focus is on science and developing lessons that push toward the NGSS.
Have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
I hope everyone had a great weekend. Since I was not in school yesterday, I thought I would post today. This week will mark the start of reading groups and spelling groups. As we start reading groups, your child may be bringing home two books. For 1st graders, one will be a book that I want them to read and the other will be a choice book. I tend to leave the books, from their groups, in their bag for the week. Please help your child keep track of these and return them each day. Second graders may have two books as well.
NOTES:
*We no longer need any more paper towel rolls sent in. I appreciate everyone's response and effort in sending them in.
*Please, send your child's reading bag, with the books in them, back each day.
*I am out for a meeting on Friday. I will be in DC for the weekend. The focus is on science and developing lessons that push toward the NGSS.
Have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
October 3, 2014
October 3, 2014
Good Afternoon,
This week, we continued to work on using our science notebooks. We will start our Force and Motion unit next week. During writer's workshop, we looked at repetitive line books and read a few, including one of my favorite books Grandpa Never Lies.
Next week will mark the start of Reading groups, spelling groups, and all 5 of the Daily 5 routines will be in place.
Here is this week's video:
Notes:
*A reminder that I am out Monday and Friday next week.
*PLEASE make sure to send back your child's homework bag each day.
*Each student has their Weekly News Journal in their backpack. Please read the entry, respond, and send it back Monday.
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
This week, we continued to work on using our science notebooks. We will start our Force and Motion unit next week. During writer's workshop, we looked at repetitive line books and read a few, including one of my favorite books Grandpa Never Lies.
Next week will mark the start of Reading groups, spelling groups, and all 5 of the Daily 5 routines will be in place.
Here is this week's video:
Notes:
*A reminder that I am out Monday and Friday next week.
*PLEASE make sure to send back your child's homework bag each day.
*Each student has their Weekly News Journal in their backpack. Please read the entry, respond, and send it back Monday.
Have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
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