Medcalf Minutes
January 18th - 22nd
Anderson Grove's Purpose and Direction
Purpose: The purpose of Anderson Grove Elementary is to prepare all students to achieve their greatest potential and to positively impact the future.
Values & Beliefs:
Family Atmosphere
Collaboration and Communication
Integrity
Continuous Improvement
3 Be’s – Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible
Be Known...
Anderson Grove is Known for Being a . . .
Collaborative
Dedicated
Positive
Community
Expectation of the Week: Arrivals
Be Respectful
Greet others appropriately
Be Responsible
Arrive on time
Go directly to walking club or classroom
Have necessary supplies
Be Safe
Walk around building and in hallways
Keep hands, feet, and objects to self
Stay on the designated walking areas
A note from Mrs. Medcalf
Homework this week will come home on Tuesday but will not be due back until Monday, January 25th. The homework is a moon observation log. Students should document the time that they observe the moon and draw a picture of the moon. We will discuss our observations in the upcoming science unit and learn more about the phases of the moon.
Last but not least...details on our 100th day celebration
Thursday, January 28th (barring any snow days!) will be the 100th day of school! Our class will celebrate in a very fun, unique way – by having a FASHION SHOW! Your child may participate by wearing something to school that has 100 of a particular object. (Examples may be 100 of your child’s favorite words written on a t-shirt, a necklace with 100 fancy beads, a hat with 100 pins, etc.)
The rules:
1. It must include 100 of an item/object/idea
2. It can’t be something that will disrupt our learning throughout the day (i.e. bells)
3. It can be removed until the time of the fashion show, if necessary. (i.e. hat or t-shirt)
All students are encouraged to participate in this fun event. It is a chance for your child to show his/her CREATIVE side! During writer’s workshop, we will write descriptive note cards about your child’s outfit/accessory to be read while he/she struts his/her stuff on the runway.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at rmedcalf@paplv.org. As always, I appreciate your support these past 100 school days, and look forward to seeing your child on the 100th day of school!
A note from Mrs. Billquist
It’s as Easy as PIE!
Authors write for a variety of reasons. When the author’s purpose is to persuade, the author is trying to get you to believe, do, or try something. Examples of this include commercials, reviews, political ads, and advertisements. If the author’s purpose is to inform, he is trying to give you information and teach you facts. Biographies, recipes, and nonfiction books are written to inform the reader. When an author is writing for the reader’s enjoyment, he is trying to entertain. Fiction books and comics are written to entertain. Look for writing around you and ask your child if the author is trying to persuade, inform, or entertain. Have your child give evidence to support his or her answer.
A note from Mrs. Wilson
Figurative Language Fun
At Anderson Grove students are exposed to a variety of figurative language terms. Figurative language, also known as, literary devices are found in daily reading as well as reading comprehension CSAs. These terms also help to make our writing more interesting!! Check to see if your child knows the difference between simile and metaphor. Just in case you need a little reminder…A simile is comparing two things using “like” or “as.” An example of a simile is “The teacher was as sweet as apple pie on the first day of school.” A metaphor is comparing two things without using “like” or “as.” An example of a metaphor is “The ocean was a raging bull during the storm.” See you if your child can come up with other similes and metaphors! J
Upcoming Events
Jan. 22- Movie Night- 6:30 to 8:30- in gym (Students will vote on movie selection at a later date)
Jan. 28- Skate Night at Skate City- 5:00-7:00
Specials
Tuesday (Day 2) - Music
Wednesday (Day 3) - Art
Thursday (Day 4) - Guidance
Friday (Day 5) - PE
A Peek at our Week - update with the current week info
Reading – Readers will focus on our weekly comprehension skill: identifying the author's purpose and character point of view. We will also look at the weekly comprehension strategy: summarizing a text. Vocabulary: lying, loyal, partners, shift, quiver, patrol, ability, snap.
At Home – Activities to Do Together: Vocabulary Ask your child to use the Target Vocabulary words to describe a time he or she played or interacted with an animal.
Be Prepared! Talk with your child about how teachers help students face challenges. Ask your child to tell about a time when a teacher helped him or her face a challenge.
A Pet Paragraph Ask your child to think about taking care of a pet. Have your child write a paragraph describing what is involved in taking care of a pet he or she has or would like to have.
Writing – Writing Focus: Informative writing— pre-write an explanatory essay. Students will brainstorm, plan, and organize ideas for an explanatory essay this week. We will continue this writing theme next week as students draft, revise, and edit a final piece.
At Home - Check out these websites for informational paragraph samples, comprehension questions, and quizzes.
http://theteacherscafe.com/category/key-ideas-details-info-online-games-int/
,1453913-,00.html.
Math – Mathematicians will delve into the use of arrays. Arrays are a way of arranging pieces in equal groups in each row and/or column to show a multiplication equation. For example:
The multiplication represented by this array is 2 x 4 = 8 (2 rows x 4 columns = 8 boxes)
We will work on arranging cubes into different arrays to represent different products. We will also recognize parts of arrays that we know the multiplication fact for automatically and add on to find the final product.
At Home – Visit these sites for practice with arrays:
http://www.snappymaths.com/multiplication/earlymult/interactive/arrays/arraysframe.htm
http://www.mathcats.com/explore/multiplicationtable.html - Scroll down to “Multiply It” or “Multiplication Rods” to review arrays.
Social Studies –Our class has voted on the name of our own mini-society, Quail Ville. We have also designed our own currency and flag. Students applied for employment to help our town run smoothly. Ask your child what their salary is! Just like the real world, they pay rent for their desk space. If they choose to deposit their paycheck into the bank, they will earn interest on their deposit.
At Home – Check out these web sites to find out more:
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/money/managing/article2.html
http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/economics/needsandwants/search/
Spelling – This week students will study r-controlled vowels words with a focus on -or (horse) and -ar (artist) spelling patterns.
At Home – It is important that students practice sorting their words at home to understand the relationships of their words. Students can practice sorting activities at home as well as play games at http://www.spellingcity.com/BeckyMedcalf/ to have more practice with their words.
Thank you Families!