News From Room 15!
Monday, January 6, 2013
Happy New Year!
Welcome Back! I am hoping that everyone got some rest over the break and was able to spend some quality family time together. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing many, many rounds of "Choo! Choo!," nature walks, and plates of imaginary eggs and pancakes. It has been great to relax and to soak up some family time, and it is great to come back to school with that "fresh start" feeling that only a New Year can bring.
Boomerang Asset for January
Please click here if you would like to access a Boomerang Nomination Form, or e-mail me if you would like me to nominate a student in this room or elsewhere in Gayman!
Upcoming Events
- Friday, January 3-Classroom Spelling Bee (possible snow date: Monday, January 6).
- Nova CyberBullying Lesson--Tuesday, January 7--This is a GREAT lesson that helps students think about appropriate interactions online. We will prepare for the lesson on Tuesday bywatching and discussing a couple quick videos on cyberbullying and internet safety.
- Friday, January 10--Board Game Day at 2 pm. Bring your favorite board game to share with classmates!
Math Quiz Thursday!
Students will have a Math Quiz on Thurday. They will need to know how to:
- create equivalent fractions
- convert mixed numbers into improper fractions
- convert improper fractions into mixed numbers
- find a fraction of a set (1/4 of 20)
- compare fractions
- order fractions on a number line
- convert "easy" fractions into decimals (halves, fourths, fifths, and tenths)
Reading Notes
We will be wrapping up our inquiry projects on Tuesday. The students have been working hard on their presentations and I am so proud of what they have accomplished. We have good information being shared through PowerPoint presentations, puppet shows, game shows, plane rides, plays, and interviews. I love seeing students own the information they are researching and giving it a creative twist.
Following their presenttions, students will be creating a shared informative piece that summarizes their work (each student is responsible for the portion they researched) and we will resume our regular reading routine.
I can't wait to see the presenattions tomorrow!
Social Skills
Our January social skills lessons will focus on labels. The labels we choose for ourselves, the labels others give us--the labels we'd rather not have. The inspiration for our discussion will come from "Seeing the Person," from Letters to Sam: A Grandfather's Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life by Daniel Gottlieb. In this letter, Daniel Gottlieb, a psychologist who is also a quadriplegic, writes to his grandson, Sam--who has autism--about labels and his hope that those his grandson interacts with will see beyond the label of autism and recognize the beautiful person that Sam is.
We will be using Dr. Gottlieb's thoughts to springboard into a discussion about how the world sees us and the person we would like the world to see. We'll be sharing both desire and undesired labels, and how to combat the undesired labels and to foster the desired labels. As we progress through our discussions, students will be creating "tracks" of their thinking that we will hang around the room to help students focus both on being "the best me I can be" as well as recognizing their classmates as the people they'd like to be.
Supply Reminder!
Please check in with your student to make sure they have the pencils and whiteboard markers they need to start the new year well in the classroom!
Mrs. Thomas
Email: hthomas@cbsd.org
Website: http://www.cbsd.org/Page/2298
Location: Gayman Elementary School
Phone: 267-893-4382