~MARVELOUS MONDAY~

Mark it on the Calendar!

Friday, March 13th:  End of 3rd Quarter
Friday, March 20th:  Spring Picture Day
March 23rd - March 27th:  Spring Break

1st Grade:  HIEROGLYPHICS:

This week we took some time to discuss how to organize our research project on Hieroglyphics.  We created three lists.  Our first list was on the information we know (or think we know) about the topic already.  This list was referred to as our background knowledge about the topic.  Then, we created a list of questions we would like to research on our topic.  Our final list will be completed after the project and it will be what we learned.  This is our new learning and we hope to fill the page with all the new things we learn about Hieroglyphics.
Next week we will begin our research project on Hieroglyphics.

2nd Grade:  CONNECTIONS:

This week we began some prep work for our book study.  We had to take some time to define a connection.  The students came up with several references to help us refer to this term.  Several students referred to it as being similar to the pull of a magnet.  Then, they completed a project of grouping items already connected into larger categories that all have connections.

Next week the groups will share their projects.

3rd Grade:  BLACK BEAUTY:
This week we discussed their reading assignment from the week.  We really took time to discuss the importance of the chapter The Fire.  The lesson they were taught is staying calm in an emergency verse panicking.  We took this lesson and discussed the importance of why we practice drills around a school.  During the time, the city was running the siren test and we were able to discuss it further on how this helps us with staying prepared at home.  In the last chapter the students read last week, we saw Beauty become ill due to someone not having the proper knowledge to care for him.  This led us into a great conversation of this person was not a bad owner or meant to hurt Beauty, but was a young, new employee still being trained.  In an emergency situation, he thought he did everything proper, but instead caused a lot of harm to Beauty.  Their weekly reading will answer several questions to the cliff-hanger they were left with from last week.
HOMEWORK:  Please read chapters 19 - 23.

4th Grade:  THE WESTING GAME:
We held a great discussion on their assigned reading.  The students are discovering very important pieces to the puzzle and are on a good track.  They continued to bring up some good points that have them so close to solving the whole mystery at this point, but then talk themselves out of some of their ideas.  At this point, I am still only guiding their thoughts and clarifying any parts they find confusing as to not give them the solution.  When we finish the book we will revisit some of the ideas they were making and then I will share with them the missing pieces they had at that time.
We will continue with our book study next week.

1st Grade:  MEASUREMENT:

This week the students were introduced to a measurement activity to explore feet further.  They were asked to find the measurement of the classroom using their feet first.  Then, the students had to identify the length and width of their foot in inches.

  This let us discover that no one was measuring with an actual foot.  Next, they were asked to find the length of the room using feet as the actual measurement.  This led us to a discussion of the larger the measurement the smaller their answer will be when measuring.  We decided to take this assignment one step further.  I had the students look at their data and predict how many yards the classroom would measure.  Then, we took a yardstick to find the length of the room. 
 Half-way across the room the students were allowed to adjust their predictions.  After the students measured the length of the room with 3 different measurements, they were starting to understand the larger the measurement the smaller the answer.

We wrapped up this lesson by finding items around the room that were about 1 foot and 1 yard.  To end the discussion, we talked about which ones would make a good benchmark for us to remember when measuring with feet and yards.

We will begin a new activity next week.


2nd Grade:  THINK DEEPLY:

This week it was time for the students to complete their Think Deeply.  We had to identify to Dru and Teller the names of the foam blocks that included a square for a face.  The students identified that four of the shapes had this attribute.  Then they were asked to select one of those shapes and describe all of the math attributes with that shape.  They did a great job with this Think Deeply!
Next week we will complete our chapter check-up.

3rd GRADE:  PEMDAS:
This week the students enjoyed a day of KAHOOT to celebrate completing their Algebra Unit.  

Then, we switched gears to our new topic - order of operations.  This let the students learn the acronym PEMDAS, better known as Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.  

The students were off to a great start.  We started with only multiplication, addition and subtraction and will work up to solving some with exponents.
We will continue to explore PEMDAS next week.


4th Grade:  UNIT TEST:
This week the students completed their Post Unit Test.  They did an AMAZING job on this and showed huge growth from the beginning of the year.  To celebrate completing the unit test the students were allowed to revisit their favorite past game from the year.  They chose SET.  They enjoyed a day of challenging set games and were able to solve 4 of the 5 rounds of set!

Next week we will move onto a new activity.

Have a Great Week!  

Ms. Losinski

~ CHILLY FRIDAY ~



Mark it on the Calendar!

Thursday, March 5th:  K Round-Up 3-8PM
Sunday, March 8th:  Daylight Savings 
Spring Forward
Tuesday, March 10th:  Spring Picture Day
Friday, March 13th:  End of 3rd Quarter
March 23rd - March 27th:  Spring Break

1st Grade:  REBUS PUZZLES:
The week the students read to me The Fantastic 5 & 10 Cent Store:  A Rebus Adventure by J. Patrick Lewis & Valorie Fisher.  This book is full of rebus puzzles for the students to solve while reading the story.  They did a great job! 
 Next, it was onto creating their own rebus puzzles.  We looked at a list of words from a grocery store and the students took turns coming to the board drawing a rebus puzzle for us to guess.  To end the week, we played a few rounds of guess my rebus puzzle - where the students took turns coming to the board and drawing different puzzles for us to guess.
We will move onto a new lesson next week.


2nd Grade:  MY FATHER'S DRAGON:
We have wrapped up our book study with My Father's Dragon.  Before reading the last chapter, the students shared several predictions on how the story might end.  Then, we listened to the last chapter.  To conclude our study with the book, we looked at the structure of a chapter book.  We reviewed the parts of Freytag's Pyramid.
  We took some time to discuss the whole story with the pyramid and agreed that the climax, falling action and denouement all took place in chapter 10.  We discussed how these must take place at the end of a chapter book to keep the reader hooked on reading the book.  
We switched gears to look at an individual chapter and how it followed Freytag's Pyramid.  I told the students that one part would be missing from the structure.  We plotted a summary of chapter one together on the pyramid. 

 As we were finishing it up, I heard several students mention that there is no denouement.  Instead, we get left with the reader wondering a question - making them want to turn the page and read chapter two in search of the answer.  This led us to discuss if each chapter ended like this and they agreed until we reached chapter 10 - which resolved the whole story.  We took some time to discuss why it is important for an author to compose a chapter book in this way.  

Next week we will move onto a new lesson.


3rd Grade:  BLACK BEAUTY:
This week was all about discussing what the students have read.  We had to back track to chapter 9 to get us started, but we were able to walk through each chapter.  We were able to look at the actual events of what took place in each chapter.  Then, we look at those events further and look at the lesson being taught to the reader.  This book is full of lessons, as each chapter focuses on teaching us something about how we treat people/animals and how it defines our character.  It can become overwhelming with 40 chapters and 40 lessons - but they are doing a great job at sharing their thoughts and ideas. 
We will continue our novel study next week. 
HOMEWORK:  Please read Chapters 16-18.

4th Grade:  THE WESTING GAME:
This week the students began to analyze our characters.  We created character cards, which have them matched with their paired heir.  We also color-coded the families to help us track their relationships within the story.  On each card, the students will be able to take notes, track any changes in the character, track physical characteristics, character traits, and their connection to Sam Westing - this already led one student to discover another character with a possible motive.  These will be important for the students to continue to complete as they work through the clues of the mystery.  To end the week, the students were given class time to work on their assigned materials.
There is no assigned reading this week - as we are still discussing and tracking notes from the previous chapters.  I don't want them to get to far ahead without understanding the information they have been given already.  They are making great connections and I want them to continue analyzing the chapters.


1st Grade:  UNIT TEST:
This week the students took their Post Unit Test.  This is the same test we took in the beginning of the year prior to learning all of the material on the test.  I was very pleased with their post results - these kids ROCKED it out!

  To celebrate completing this unit, we had a Kahoot day of fun on Thursday.

We will move onto a new lesson next week.


2nd Grade:  FLOOR DESIGN:
This week the students created a floor design to their playground models.  Their was a list of requirements that the students had to follow and then they had to pass an inspection on the requirements.  
The big requirement was they had to leave 30 square inches of space for children to be able to runaround on their playground designs.  This was the big one that made students have to manipulate and think about the size of the playground equipment they were choosing.  By the end of the lesson, all the students were able to create a design and pass inspection!

We will continue with our lesson next week.  


3rd Grade:  UNIT TEST:
This week the students continued to complete their Unit Test in the room. 

Next week we will move onto a new activity.


4th Grade:  REVIEW WEEK:

We have wrapped up our Geometry Unit.  This week we took the time to review the topics we covered throughout the year.  This was in preparation for the post-test the students will complete next week.  The post-test is the exact unit test they saw at the beginning of the year.  This time they have been taught all of the information and have all the tools needed to succeed on the test.
We will complete the post test next week.

Have A Great Weekend,

Ms. Losinski