April 11-15
The Buzz in Room 615!
Last Week
Field Trip: Monday, we took our field trip to the Kannapolis Performing Arts Center to see a show by Doug Birky. Using masks and costumes he created himself, he retold a few of Aesop's Fables. He did it with a touch of humor that the kids really enjoyed.
Writing: Our nonficiton books are FINALLY coming together. Nearly everyone was finished by Friday and they are amazing. I am going to keep them until the end of the year, but please be sure to ask your child what they wrote about! We made it a point to celebrate our hard work and accomplishments.
Reading: We made some new friends in reading this week: Lips the Fish, Stretchy Snake, Chunky Monkey, Eagle Eye, Tryin' Lion, and Flippy Dolphin. Each of these animals help us remember to use a different reading strategy. For example, Lips the Fish reminds us to get our lips ready to say the beginning sound in a word. Flippy Dolphin tells us to flip the vowel sound in a word (long to short) to see which one makes sense in the word. Using these strategies, we can become better readers!
Math: Math was all about teen numbers and an introduction to place value. We practiced doing one more/one less, ten more/ten less, and recognizing what the digits in each number represent. We did this through a variety of activities, from using "clues" to figure out which number we're thinking of, matching tens frames to numbers, and putting together puzzles of 0-99 charts and teen number representations.
Science/Social Studies: This week was all about rain and wind. Monday, we did an experiment to make rain in our classroom using a jar, warm water, a plate, and ice. It wasn't incredibly effective, but it worked well enough and we were all excited to see a drop or two of water fall into our jar! While we were waiting for it to complete its cycle, the students wrote something about rain onto a rain cloud that's now hanging on our bulletin board in the hallway. Some wrote how rain is formed, some wrote why they like rain, and others wrote why it is important. On Wednesday, we learned what causes wind, and on Thursday we got to work on making our own pinwheels! Then on Friday, once they were all assembled, we took them outside and noticed how they worked.
Ready for the Show!
Math and Reading
What do Teen Numbers Mean?
Place Value
Sight Words
Looking Forward
The Week Ahead
Reading: We'll practice more strategies, tips and tricks in order to become more fluent readers. These include sight words, adding endings to words, asking questions, and rereading.
Math: Place value will really take off this week as we begin to move past the teen numbers and focus on every number up to 100 in order to gain a true number sense.
Science/Social Studies: This week, we will be keeping track of rainfall and temperature throughout the week. We'll track our findings and record our data in our very own weather data booklets. This will allow us to take a peek into the job of a meterologist!
Reminders/Miscellaneous
I sent home personalized lists of sight words on Friday. Several students have received a list of first grade words, which is great! However, don't feel pressured to have them all memorized by the end of the year. Students who still need to master any of the original words are still expected to do so, just at their own pace. Every week I will ask students if they've practiced words and they may still test. For every 5 words correct, they will still be able to get a prize from the prize box. If you have any questions, please ask!
2. Report Cards
Report cards will be coming home Monday! That means just one more grading period left! A few things to note about the report cards:
- As usual, 2s and 3s are good! Right now we are mostly aiming for 3s, and by the end of the year we want all 3s!
- As far as the reading level goes, our window for mClass reading testing is not open until the end of the month, so most students will still have the same letter as they did on the last report card. Expect (or hope!) to see growth for the last quarter.
- I am only sending additional papers home with skills that need practiced if it is necessary at this point. The charts I sent home with the last report cards may be used as reference for any additional practice you want to do at home/over the summer.
- In the math section, where it says "uses numbers 11 to 19 as a foundation for place value," everyone will have a 2 because we just began this unit. It is expected that by the end, they'll be at a 3 or 4.
Again, please don't hesitate to contact me with questions regarding your child's report. Most major concerns have already been addressed, and I will leave specific notes for you on the reports otherwise! Please sign and return the envelopes they will be in.
3. Field Trip Forms
Field trip forms and information went home last week about our trip on April 28th. The cost of the trip is $11 and we need a permission form before students are allowed to attend. Money and forms are due by the end of next week.
Pinwheel Fun :)
WR Odell Elementary
Email: emily.herring@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Website: www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Location: 1215 Moss Farm Street Northwest, Concord, NC, United States
Phone: 704-762-0601