Field Day FUN!!!

Troy Historic Village Field Trip

Students learned about life in a log cabin. 

Jung Min is ready to collect water!

We made butter!  I was not brave enough to try it, however, I heard it was "delicious"!

Julian and Charlee dressed up in typical pioneer fashion

Usayd helped with the demonstration of the hurricane lamp.

We took a class picture in front of the general store.

Students enjoyed lunch with friends!  We were so lucky the rain held off!

"Permission to speak, Miss Post."

Students worked hard on "arithmetic."

"May" and "Clara" read a story about bees in the McGuffy Reader.

Room 8 Update

Reader's & Writer's Workshop

We continued our study of nonfiction texts.  We read articles from National Geographic magazines and practiced finding the main idea and details of various articles.  Students also learned the difference between fact and opinion.  We also discussed how to infer the meaning of unknown words.  Students learned they can use the glossary or context clues when they come across a tricky word while reading nonfiction.  We are almost finished publishing our "All About" animal books.  Students have worked really hard on their book and are excited to share them with you on Friday at 2:30!

Math Workshop

We continued working through Unit 11 this week.  Lessons this week focused on multiplication and division number stories, two-digit subtraction with regrouping, and addition and subtraction money problems.  During game rotations this week, students reviewed multiplication arrays, measuring to the nearest 1/2 inch, telling time, and word clues in addition/subtraction/multiplication/division number stories.

Ethan locates various clocks around the room while playing "I Spy Time."

Chelsea carefully fills every square of her paper as she plays "Multiplication Tetris."

Katie measures the lengths of different "Wonka" candy bars to the nearest half inch.

Science & Social Studies

This week we continued our motion investigations.  Rather than focusing on spinning, however, we focused on rolling.  Students worked with partners to create wheel systems and rolling cup systems.  They learned how to create a system which tuns and rolls straight.  They also learned by adding weight to a wheel system, you can speed up or slow down the system.  

During social studies this week, students have learned a lot about Troy's History.  We have read about some of the early pioneers, homes from long ago, and school life.

Stephen demonstrates how he created a wheel system which turns.

Atom demonstrates how he created a wheel system that rolls straight.

Kate and Usayd attempt to solve the "park the car" problem.

Luke celebrates as he succeeds with the "fall on your face" problem.

Looking Ahead

Next week is going to be super busy in Room 8!  Wednesday is our field trip to the Troy Museum and Historic Village, Thursday is Field Day, and Friday afternoon is our Nonfiction Author's Celebration!

Zoomers

Students had fun trying out zoomers.  It took some perseverance to get the zoomer going, but students were super excited once they got it to work!  It was a little tricky to capture students on video, but I got a couple very short clips below.

Room 8 Update

Future Plans
I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but I wanted to share with you that I will not be returning to Wass next school year.  My return to work this school year has been overwhelming.  I am struggling to find a good balance in life between home and school.  I don't feel like I can be a good wife, mother, and teacher, and I am not one to slack off in any of those areas!  Although working full time has been difficult, I hated to give up teaching all together because I love it!  Next school year I will share a third grade classroom at Hill Elementary with a good friend of mine, Beth Newingham.  She has three boys close in age to my three girls.  I think we will make a great team!  As I told Mr. Jansen, I had no intention of having a third child and leaving Wass after only being hired just two short years ago!  However, life happens and plans change.  Alaina has completed our family; she is such a blessing!  I hope to keep in touch with the Wass community.  I have truly enjoyed my time here!

Reader's & Writer's Workshop
The past two weeks we have focused on nonfiction text features and how they help us read nonfiction texts.  Today we wrapped up learning about these features.  Turn and talk partners completed a "text feature scavenger hunt."  Students worked together to locate various text features in nonfiction books in the classroom.  Your child is going home with his/her Nonfiction Text Features packet and scavenger hunt sheet today.  Take a look at all of the features they've learned about!

Math Workshop
We have worked through Unit 10 the past two weeks and finished the unit yesterday.  The unit focused on place value and money.  Students learned to write money amounts using dollar and cent notation.  They also learned how to make change.  This is a tricky concept for many students.  We learned to make change by counting up.  Please continue to practice this concept at home.  The unit had also focused on 4 and 5 digit numbers.  We discussed the "place" of each digit and its "value".  For example, the digit 8 in the number 2,489 is in the tens place and its value is 80.  I have uploaded the Unit 11 Family Letter under the math tab.  Take a look to read more about what your child will learn in this unit.

Science & Social Studies
We have completed three motion investigations.  Students have created tops, zoomers, and twirlers and learned that each of these rotate or spin.  We have also learned both tops and zoomers need a force to start and twirlers move when air pushes against the wings.
Last week we finished up Chapter 8 and this week we completed Chapter 9 in social studies.  Students took a quiz on Chapter 8, which covered needs and wants and what it means to be a good shopper.  Each student used Infuse Learning (a virtual response system) on the iPads to complete his/her quiz.  Chapter 9 focused on how and why communities change.  At the end of the week, students worked in teams of five to create a plan for eight buildings in a community.  They needed to decide whether they were tearing the buildings down or fixing them up.  Check out the pictures below!

Supplies & Volunteers Needed
Planing ahead to our Nonfiction Celebration (Friday, May 31 at 2:30 p.m.), I will need some supplies donated.  If you are able to send in any of the items below, I would greatly appreciate it!  I also need a few volunteers.  Please check the list below and either post a comment to this blog entry or send me an email letting me know how you are willing to help out.  As I hear from people, I will remove items from the list below.  Thank you in advance for your support!!!  Please send the supplies in by Thursday, May 30. 

• one volunteer to attach students' cover page to their books
• three volunteers at 12:45 p.m. on Friday, May 31 to work with groups of students
• gluesticks (We desperately need more!)
• large box of Rice Krispies
• 2 bags of mini marshmallows
• 25 chocolate pudding cups 
• 3 packages of Oreo cookies
• 48 gummy worms
• 2 tubes of Pilsbury pizza crust
• 2 packages of pepperoni
• 2 bags of mozzarella cheese
• vegetable tray and dip (sent in on Friday, May 31)

Room 8 Update

Reader's & Writer's Workshop
Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us for our Poetry Cafe this week! I thought the students did an excellent job reciting their poems aloud!  I hope you enjoyed reading through your child's poetry anthology.
We started our nonfiction unit of study this week.  We have explored the differences between fiction and nonfiction texts.  Students learned they could make a prediction about a nonfiction text just as they can with a fiction text.

Math Workshop
This week we started Unit 10.  Please read the Unit 10 Family Letter by clicking on the Math tab at the top of the page.  We have focused on writing money amounts using dollar and cents notation.  We have also practiced solving money word problems.  Students learned how to play a new math game called Pick a Coin.

Science & Social Studies
We have worked through Chapter 8 in social studies this week.  Students have discussed the difference between needs and wants.  They have also learned how to be a wise shopper.  Next week your child will bring home his/her social studies text book to reread Chapter 8 with you to prepare for his/her social studies test on Thursday.

Students have continued to investigate balance.  This week students tried the "pencil trick."  Using wire and clothespins as counterweights, they discovered how to balance a pencil on its tip!  They also created a mobile using straws, paperclips, rubber bands, and index cards as counterweights.

Animal Research Information

Ava, Justin, and Alex work together to record facts about the King penguin.

The past few days we have been learning more about penguins.  Small groups have worked together to research information about a specific penguin.  We have used books and iPads to read and record facts about penguins. 
Your child came home with a book or two from the library, a research packet, sticky notes, and a bright pink letter titled "Animal Report Information."  Below are some tips on helping your child complete his/her research at home.  If you have any questions, please let me know!  I will check my email throughout the weekend.  Thank you!

• Use the nonfiction text features (table of contents, headings, captions, etc) in the book to help you.
• Your child's packet will seem "blank" when finished.  He/she only needs to record notes on sticky notes and stick the notes to the appropriate pages in the packet.
• Your child should not write words or draw pictures on the white pages of the packet.
• Record 3-4 facts for each topic of the packet.
• Your child could read his/her animal book for Bookworm Homework.

We will do all of the paragraph writing in class.  Please just help your child record facts on sticky notes.  We use sticky notes for a couple of reasons: 1. to keep the fact simple (try not to record long, complete sentences) and 2. we can move the sticky notes around when we are working on writing paragraphs.

If you need or want more information, click on the link below:
http://tsd-lfk.weebly.com/k-5-research.html
There are many great websites found on this page, but I recommend using World Book and Kids InfoBits.

To use World Book, click on the words "World Book" at the top of the page.  You can click on "World Book Kids" or "World Book Student."  To access the World Book Web from home, you will need to enter the username (TSDwb) and the password (Troy).

To use Kids InfoBits, click on:

 

Good luck!  Happy researching!

Mrs. Wood