Dear Families,
Whew, last week flew! Students are getting to know each through lots of team building activities and classroom assignments. We have been practicing daily routines, signals, and classroom protocol. Agreements regarding behavior have been made and are being discussed daily. I'm happy to say all is going well.
Base-line assessments in math, spelling, and writing have been completed. I will have a good idea of how to group students based on skill level next week. During small group work, I will have an opportunity to work even closer with students in order to support them in a variety of ways. My goal is to find just the right balance between challenge and too easy. In other words, I don't want your children to be frustrated while learning, but continue to master academic and social skills.
So far, students have met a character named Rikki Tikki Tavi from an in class read aloud. I think they enjoyed this story and were adept at identifying Rikki Tikki Tavi's character traits. They were even able to support their answers with evidence from the book. They have also picked D.E.A.R. books from our in class library for silent reading thoughout the day. Ask your child about the difference between a "Must Do" and a "May Do"! I have asked each student to bring a book from home, for our "All About Me Project". This book will be used to write a book report, but I would like it to be one that students are excited about reading or one that they have read before and are willing to read again. Some students have remembered to bring a book and others still have not. We will be starting the reading on these books next Monday, so please remember to send a book with them to school. My main objective is for them to understand the elements of plot, a fourth grade standard, and thought it would be more enjoyable if they had a choice on their book. We also learn more about our likes and dislikes when we see each others' book choices.
Students are working hard in writing. They are describing themselves in writing from a picture or drawing of themselves engaged in an activity. They are answering detail questions to extend their writing, as well as including sensory details. Most students have completed rough drafts and are ready to begin revisions. They have also done what I call a "Power Write". Students are given a writing prompt and are asked to write as much as possible within three minutes. The idea is that over time they will build their writing fluency or their ability to write more. We will do power writes at least twice a week. As students build their writing skills, this activity will be easier. They have also just completed an "I Am" poem, another part of the "All About Me Project". Stop by the classroom to read these wonderful poems.
In math we have been checking multiplication knowledge and learning about graphing. Students learned about gathering data and actually created a triple-bar graph today after polling
each classroom at IA about hair color. They will be creating graphs in the "All About Me" project that will touch on differences and likenesses within our classroom as well as future career aspirations for each individual.
We have also been learning about earthquakes. Students had the opportunity to work in small groups and create posters to demonstrate what they had learned as well as practice their presentation skills. My main objective in studying earthquakes was not only knowledge, but also to help students to learn how to effectively take part in a small group and begin the process of becoming comfortable presenting in front of a group. So far, so good!!
I think that's it for now. Don't miss our IA game night, next Tuesday, the 22nd of September.
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kim
P.S. I already have some great pictures of our class. I'll post them on my next BLOG as I am waiting for my computer to be repaired!
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