Good Morning,
Today we finished up a science lesson from last week. The students had to discuss why a magnet was attracted to some metal objects but not others. This was the second lesson in our 10 lesson unit on magnets. Our next unit will be light and sound.
We also continued our study of narrative writing. The students are working in teams to write the words for a picture book that they chose. Their writing must include all of the elements to a narrative. Once they are finished, we will read their writings and determine of all of the elements war ended included.
Notes For the Week:
*There is a whole school music concert on Thursday from 6:00-7:00 p.m. We will have two rehearsals this week. One rehearsal will be on Tuesday, from 8:15-8:45 and the other will be on Thursday from 9:00-10:00. On Thursday, the students will all meet in the gym and not go to their classrooms. Since we will be sitting on the mats, I am asking that students where their boots to the concert and then change into a pair of shoes. This way we are not sitting in puddles. If it is easier, you can leave your child's boots in the hallway outside their classroom. This way you won't have to search for them after.
*We have a Winter Sports program day on Wednesday.
Have a great week.
Peace,
Tommy
January 26, 2015
January 23, 2015
January 23, 2015
Good Morning,
Yesterday we were treated to a performance by an group from the VSO. The singing was engaging and the students enjoyed the many interactive parts of the program. Below is a video that captures the past few weeks.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
Yesterday we were treated to a performance by an group from the VSO. The singing was engaging and the students enjoyed the many interactive parts of the program. Below is a video that captures the past few weeks.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
January 16, 2015
January 16, 2015
Good Morning,
I hope you have all had a great week. The first winter sports day went off with great success. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the kids all spoke of great fun on the mountain. I appreciate all that you did to have your child prepared for the afternoon on the mountain.
This week we continued our focus on narrative writing and looked at the elements of setting, characters, problem, solution, events, and wrap up. The students were asked to identify these parts in the story Good Dog Carl. We will continue our narrative focus on Tuesday.
The first graders have spent the week collecting and analyzing data in math. They also created their own surveys and collected results. Today they took the end of unit test and all did all with it. What was impressive is I condensed 12 lessons into 4 lessons and the students walked away with the knowledge they needed. It was a great job on their part. The second graders worked on graphing information, interpreting graphs, and subtraction.
Notes:
*No School on Monday
*Winter Sports Program on Wednesday
*The VSO will be visiting on Thursday at 1:00. Ah! Cappella (vocal quartet)
I hope you have all had a great week. The first winter sports day went off with great success. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the kids all spoke of great fun on the mountain. I appreciate all that you did to have your child prepared for the afternoon on the mountain.
This week we continued our focus on narrative writing and looked at the elements of setting, characters, problem, solution, events, and wrap up. The students were asked to identify these parts in the story Good Dog Carl. We will continue our narrative focus on Tuesday.
The first graders have spent the week collecting and analyzing data in math. They also created their own surveys and collected results. Today they took the end of unit test and all did all with it. What was impressive is I condensed 12 lessons into 4 lessons and the students walked away with the knowledge they needed. It was a great job on their part. The second graders worked on graphing information, interpreting graphs, and subtraction.
Notes:
*No School on Monday
*Winter Sports Program on Wednesday
*The VSO will be visiting on Thursday at 1:00. Ah! Cappella (vocal quartet)
Using nothing but the instruments they were born with, the four singers in “Ah! Cappella” have wowed schoolchildren across the state with a varied and amusing program since their debut in 1999. All four are teachers as well as musicians, and expert at presenting a program that delights as it instructs. They perform a wide selection of music, from an early madrigal and part of a mass to an African-American spiritual.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Peace,
Tommy
January 12, 2015
January 12, 2014
Good Afternoon,
I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Today, we had our second lesson on magnets. The students tested a variety of objects, for attraction, and looked for similarities amongst the items. The students have now started self grading (along with a teacher grade) their science notebook entries. The idea is that they look at their work, reflect on it, and score it based on a set of criteria. I will share these during our next parent conference.
I have a HUGE favor to ask. It seems as though Monday may have snuck up on the majority of the class today. There were many kids with out shoes and/or there homework bags. As a whole, it was probably one of the hardest focus days that the group has had. I had a few adults in and out of the room today and they were all noticing a huge difference in the class' performance and focus. If you could help your child both be prepared and rested for Mondays, I would greatly appreciate it.
Notes:
*We will have an assembly on Thursday, January 22nd at 1:00-1:45. The Vermont symphony orchestra will be visiting.
*We will have a fire drill on Friday that will happen during recess time. This will be a change for the kids.
*Please make sure your child has appropriate outdoor apparel for recess.
*We will shave the Winter Program on Wednesday. Please see last mOnday's post to review procedures and expectations.
Peace,
Tommy
I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Today, we had our second lesson on magnets. The students tested a variety of objects, for attraction, and looked for similarities amongst the items. The students have now started self grading (along with a teacher grade) their science notebook entries. The idea is that they look at their work, reflect on it, and score it based on a set of criteria. I will share these during our next parent conference.
I have a HUGE favor to ask. It seems as though Monday may have snuck up on the majority of the class today. There were many kids with out shoes and/or there homework bags. As a whole, it was probably one of the hardest focus days that the group has had. I had a few adults in and out of the room today and they were all noticing a huge difference in the class' performance and focus. If you could help your child both be prepared and rested for Mondays, I would greatly appreciate it.
Notes:
*We will have an assembly on Thursday, January 22nd at 1:00-1:45. The Vermont symphony orchestra will be visiting.
*We will have a fire drill on Friday that will happen during recess time. This will be a change for the kids.
*Please make sure your child has appropriate outdoor apparel for recess.
*We will shave the Winter Program on Wednesday. Please see last mOnday's post to review procedures and expectations.
Peace,
Tommy
January 9, 2015
January 9, 2015
Good Morning,
We have had a great 1st week back. We have briefly reviewed and talked about classroom and school expectations. I am focusing on leadership and students being leaders through good choices. As we enter the 2nd half of the school year, I am going to challenge the kids to think about their choices and how to set good examples. This week, I have filmed the kids during various points of the day. I usually film them for about 30 seconds and then we watch (i.e. cleaning the tables int he cafeteria). The kids then comment about themselves and the choices they made. This is a great way to self reflect.
In writing, we have started our focus on narratives. We read the books Swimmy and Hiccups for Elephant. Using these books, we talked about the parts of a narrative (beginning, middle, and end) and how there is a problem and solution. We also looked at the descriptive words that the author used to allow the reader to paint pictures in their mind (as they read).
In math, the 1st graders have been working with the concepts of surveys and attributes/rules. they have been doing quick surveys and learning how to record data and interpret it. They have also been sorting collections by a rule and then having the partner try to figure out the attribute/rule that applies to the sort. The second graders have also been working with attributes. They have been using pattern blocks and sorting the shapes by given rules. The students have been making attribute trains to practice this concept.
Yesterday, we started our social studies unit on monuments. I have been working with Mr. Mongeon on developing a unit that incorporated the teaching of monuments with a variety of technology concepts and software. Yesterday, we used Google Earth to explore the 8 monuments that we will be learning about.
In science, we have started our magnet unit. The students had a chance to explore magnetic slime and a paperclip that appeared to be suspended in air. Through the exploration, they started to learn and think about the concepts that we will go in more detail about throughout the unit.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
*Students have reading homework and their Weekly News in their backpacks.
Peace,
Tommy
We have had a great 1st week back. We have briefly reviewed and talked about classroom and school expectations. I am focusing on leadership and students being leaders through good choices. As we enter the 2nd half of the school year, I am going to challenge the kids to think about their choices and how to set good examples. This week, I have filmed the kids during various points of the day. I usually film them for about 30 seconds and then we watch (i.e. cleaning the tables int he cafeteria). The kids then comment about themselves and the choices they made. This is a great way to self reflect.
In writing, we have started our focus on narratives. We read the books Swimmy and Hiccups for Elephant. Using these books, we talked about the parts of a narrative (beginning, middle, and end) and how there is a problem and solution. We also looked at the descriptive words that the author used to allow the reader to paint pictures in their mind (as they read).
In math, the 1st graders have been working with the concepts of surveys and attributes/rules. they have been doing quick surveys and learning how to record data and interpret it. They have also been sorting collections by a rule and then having the partner try to figure out the attribute/rule that applies to the sort. The second graders have also been working with attributes. They have been using pattern blocks and sorting the shapes by given rules. The students have been making attribute trains to practice this concept.
Yesterday, we started our social studies unit on monuments. I have been working with Mr. Mongeon on developing a unit that incorporated the teaching of monuments with a variety of technology concepts and software. Yesterday, we used Google Earth to explore the 8 monuments that we will be learning about.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
*Students have reading homework and their Weekly News in their backpacks.
Peace,
Tommy
January 5, 2015
January 5, 2015
Good Morning,
I hope you all had a wonderful break and enjoyed the time with loved ones. I always appreciate the opportunity to sound time with my wife and kids. It is amazing who fast the time goes and find that each break proves to be more and more special.
This week marks the start of our Winter Sports Program. Our schedule will change on the days that we participate int eh program. The students will eat lunch from 11:10-11:35. They will then come back to the room and get ready for the mountain. We will not have reading groups on these days. Your child will have books to read (of their choosing or books that they have already read for fluency purposes). However, if your child is exhausted from the day, please feel free to take the night off.
In order to help your child be organized and to prevent them from loosing items, I ask that you label each piece of clothing/equipment. It works best if your child has a separate bag for all of their clothing and equipment. When students arrive at school, on Wednesday, they should leave their winter gear bag in the hallway and bring their backpacks into the classroom. I will help them with this on Wednesday.
I hope you all have a wonderful 2015 and a fabulous week.
Peace,
Tommy
I hope you all had a wonderful break and enjoyed the time with loved ones. I always appreciate the opportunity to sound time with my wife and kids. It is amazing who fast the time goes and find that each break proves to be more and more special.
This week marks the start of our Winter Sports Program. Our schedule will change on the days that we participate int eh program. The students will eat lunch from 11:10-11:35. They will then come back to the room and get ready for the mountain. We will not have reading groups on these days. Your child will have books to read (of their choosing or books that they have already read for fluency purposes). However, if your child is exhausted from the day, please feel free to take the night off.
In order to help your child be organized and to prevent them from loosing items, I ask that you label each piece of clothing/equipment. It works best if your child has a separate bag for all of their clothing and equipment. When students arrive at school, on Wednesday, they should leave their winter gear bag in the hallway and bring their backpacks into the classroom. I will help them with this on Wednesday.
I hope you all have a wonderful 2015 and a fabulous week.
Peace,
Tommy
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