FICTION FRIDAY

Mark it on the Calendar!

Monday & Tuesday, September 9th & 10th:  4th Grade Camp Goodfellow

Tuesday, September 10th:  PTO Meeting 6-7pm

Sunday, September 15th:  Five Guys Fundraiser 11am - 9pm

Wednesday, September 18th:  Grandparents Day

K-1 from 8:30-9:45am

2-4 from 9:45-11am

Thursday, September 19th: PICTURE DAY

Thursday, September 19th:  PTO Craft Night 5:30-6:30pm

District News:

Homecoming Block Party 2019

The Duneland School community is invited to participate in the fifth annual Homecoming Block Party sponsored by the Chesterton High School Student Government on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the CHS Music/Soccer Parking Lot. Visitors should enter the CHS Parking Lot entrance on 11th Street, as the CR 1050 Entrance will be closed to traffic.  

Admission is $1 per person and all admissions earn one ticket.  Additional tickets may be purchased for events. (Events range from $1-$5.)

Events include a silent auction, raffles for items, a bounce house, face painting, a teacher dunk tank, kids’ games and more. 


Food will be available from Desserts by Juliette as well as hot dogs, pizza, and other concessions provided by the CHS Student Government.

DEF 3rd Annual 5K Homecoming Hustle 2019

The Duneland Education Foundation will host the 3rd Annual DEF Fun Run/Walk 5K Homecoming Hustle on homecoming weekend, Sunday, September 15, 2019. The Kid’s Hustle will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the 5K beginning at 9:00a.m. at Chesterton High School (CHS), 2125 S. 11th Street in Chesterton.

The registration cost of $20 includes the race and a t-shirt. The pre-registration deadline is Sunday, August 25, 2019 to guarantee a shirt. After August 25, registration remains at $20 with no guarantee of a t-shirt. Registration on race day will be held from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at CHS.

The DEF 5K Homecoming Hustle will be a flat, fast course through Chesterton starting and ending on the Chesterton High School football field. There will be prizes for top three (3) age group winners.


Professional race timing will be provided by T&H Timing. Number and T-shirt pick up will be on Saturday, September 14, 2019 from 8:00-10:00 a.m.at the Boys and Girls Club in Chesterton, 521 W. 1100 N. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Duneland Education Foundation (DEF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides financial resources to enhance opportunities for educational experiences for all K-12 students of  Duneland.

 CLICK HERE to register online.  Please email Colleen Grimes at director@dunelandeducation.org for more information.

I love our Language Arts Units because each unit studies a different theme throughout the year.  This week we took the time in each group to look at and define the BIG CONCEPT to each unit.

1st Grade:  CONNECTIONS OF THE HEART: 

To learn about their theme, they began exploring The Graphic Alphabet by David Pelletier.  The students looked at the illustrations on different pages to guess the letter and make connections to the image.  This helped them guess what each illustration represented.  

We wrapped up this week by playing a matching game - pairing words with the strongest connection.

Next week, we will continue the introduction to connections.  

Sharing their favorite letter from The Graphic Alphabet.

2nd Grade:  STRUCTURE:

  The second grade unit starts out very interesting - they were given no specific directions except a list of same materials for each student and 30 minutes to build any structure they can in that amount of time.  Each student received modeling clay, masking tape, toothpicks, 2 straws, 1 pipe cleaner and 3 popsicle sticks.  Let the creativity begin!  

Next week, we will continue to work together to define our unit on structure.

3rd Grade:  INTERACTIONS:

  

To introduce the idea of interactions, they  acted out a few different skits together.  Then, we looked at the different skits and made a list of things we saw in common.  This discussion was very important because it allowed them to slowly define the definition of an interaction.

Our generalizations to an Interaction:

Interactions can be accidental or purposeful.

Interactions can be positive or negative.

Interactions can have a fleeting influence or leave a long-lasting impression.

Other important requirements we concluded - it must be between two or more people or animals.  Plus, the most important (and trickiest part) there must be an EXCHANGE.

We will continue to work with the definition of interactions next week.

4th Grade:  CHANGE:

  The students came in and brainstormed a list of things that change.  Then, they looked at their list and looked for categories they could group it into.  Introducing the idea of categories allowed their list of change to grow.  In our discussion, it led us to start a list of items that don't change - eye color and history.  We looked at our lists and developed some generalizations for the idea of change.

Our Generalizations to Change:

Change is everywhere.

Change occurs at different rates of time.

Change can be viewed as positive or negative.

Change can be caused naturally or by humans.

Change can be systematic or random.

As we study the unit of change, we will have a continuing list of the change occurring all around us from each lesson.    

All Grades:

 This week all of my math friends completed the same activity.  In the beginning of the year, we have each student take a pre-assessment of what they know about the big concept they will study all year.  Similar to my language arts friends, my math students explore a BIG CONCEPT throughout the school year.  The assessment they took today will be the same assessment they take again at the end of the year.  My returning friends are familiar with this as our first activity.  However, sometimes there is a struggle with not knowing the answers on a test.  All of my classes took a moment to review the power of YET...

On the pre-assessment, it is perfectly acceptable for the students to answer a question with a question mark.  However, at the end of the year when they see the assessment again - I am confident that the students will be filling the lines with all of the information they gained this year.  Next week, I will share with them how they did on the pre-assessment, but I will hold onto these and return them at the end of the year with the final assessment to show all of their growth.

1st Grade:

These guys were rock-stars this week and completed their pre-test on Wednesday.  This allowed us to begin their introductory unit.  They received a package from Imi and Zani who will be friends they will be corresponding with throughout the year.  They were teaching us some general guidelines to be mathematicians in the classroom.
Next week, we will continue with our introductory unit.

Have a Great Weekend,

Ms. Losinski

High Ability 2019 - 2020

Welcome Back To Our High Ability Blog!

Hello!  I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are now ready to start fresh.  It's going to be another great school year!  Many families are returning, so you're familiar with how we do things in High Ability.  I'm excited to welcome our new families to our program and to fill you in on how everything works.  The first blog is always lengthy because there's so much to share.  Most will stay the same, but there are a few subtle changes.  Read for yourself!

A Little About High Ability:

Welcome to our weekly blog!  This is an area where I post a weekly update to allow you to take a peek inside our classroom.  I try to post lots of pictures, so you can see what they are working on each week.  This is also a great location to monitor any assignments they may have to complete.  You will also find a calendar highlighting some important dates coming up around the school.  My goal is to have the blog posted on Friday.  I will send a weekly email when the blog is posted.  You can access the blog at the bottom of my email or through Yost's homepage under classrooms.

Language Arts and Math groups will meet twice a week for 30-minute sessions during flex time. Flex time is a time set aside at Yost per grade level for students to receive specialized instruction. My Language Arts students meet on Monday and Tuesday. My Math students meet on Wednesday and Thursday. Our start date this year is August 28th. For this week, I will see my Language Arts students on Wednesday and my Math students on Thursday for an introduction day.

INTRODUCTION WEEK:

Wednesday, August 28th: 1st Day of Language Arts

Thursday, August 29th:  1st Day of Math

BACK TO NORMAL NEXT WEEK:

Monday, September 2nd:  No School

Tuesday, September 3rd:  Language Arts

Wednesday, September 4th:  Math

Thursday, September 5th:  Math

LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM:

We are using the High Ability Language Arts Curriculum Project which was developed by the Indiana Department of Education. Each grade centers around an umbrella concept that fits every lesson.  They are filled with many fantastic lessons that build upon each other as the year goes.  Teaching under the umbrella allows students to make connections which calls on higher order thinking.  We will use several of the trade and picture books suggested by the state as part of our curriculum.  The gifted lessons use the same models from year to year like Paul's Reasoning Model and the Hamburger Model for persuasive writing.  The added bonus is that students who continue through the grades in High Ability, will become quite efficient and familiar with the similar high ability structures while analyzing literature.

MATH CURRICULUM:

We are using the same math series called Mentoring Young Mathematicians (M2) for 2nd grade.  The upper grades will use Mentoring Mathematical Minds (M3). I just love teaching math this way!  It's not math in isolation; it's real life applicable situations. The students are asked to problem solve problems using math as a means to get there.   It was a bit of a change for the students last year, in that they were required to write and explain their thoughts, ideas, and decisions about math. By the end of the year they had grown tremendously! I was proud of them. Being gifted in math is so much more than just being good with numbers! When writing and explaining their answers, it will further cement their understanding of the concept.  I will support their writing efforts while in class, but writing and explaining their mathematical answers are something to work on with your child at home.

HOMEWORK:

Occasionally there will be homework assigned.  It honestly tends to be more with the language arts/reading groups than with the math groups.  Second, third and fourth grade will complete book studies in their curriculum and can expect weekly reading assignments. It is critical to their success in the classroom to stay current on the reading assignments.

Mark it on the Calendar!

Monday, September 2nd:  No School - Labor Day

Wednesday, September 4th:  Kindergarten Tech Night 6-7pm

Monday & Tuesday, September 9th & 10th:  4th Grade Camp Goodfellow

Tuesday, September 10th:  PTO Meeting 6-7pm

Sunday, September 15th:  Five Guys Fundraiser 11am - 9pm

Wednesday, September 18th:  Grandparents Day

K-1 from 8:30-9:45am

2-4 from 9:45-11am

Thursday, September 19th: PICTURE DAY

Thursday, September 19th:  PTO Craft Night 5:30-6:30pm

INTRODUCTION WEEK:

This week all my classes participated in an introduction week.  We reviewed classroom procedures and expectations for the room.  We also took a tour around our classroom learning about all of the materials and resources around the room.  Getting all of the must-dos out of the way this week  allows us to dive right into our curriculum next week. 

It was great to see my old friends and meet lots of new friends.  I am excited to be starting my 4th year as the High Ability Instructor at Yost.  It is going to be a GREAT school year.

Ms. Losinski

~ HEY, HEY IT'S FRIDAY ~

Around the School

February 15th - ELearning Day
Make-up day from 1-31 
 It is available online now.
February 18th - Mid-Winter Break
Presidents' Day - No School
March 7th - Kindergarten Round-up
March 15th - End of 3rd Grading Period
March 22nd - Report Cards Posted

NO HOMEWORK for all of my language arts students.  Please enjoy the 4-day weekend!
2nd Grade:  The Tale of Despereaux:
  This week we came in and started with a class discussion on The Tale of Despereaux.  This led us into a discussion on what it means to conform, as Despereaux is struggling to conform to being a mouse.  He won't scurry and won't nibble the pages of books.  In fact, he was able to make words and read the pages verse just see scribbles.  We discussed why we have rules and related it to school.  This led us into a text-to-world connection.   The students were able to understand that sometimes we have rules in place to keep us safe.  The students also shared two different text-to-text connections with Despereaux.  We compared the description of Despereaux and his big ears to the story of Dumbo.  They also remembered the story of Weslandia and stated that Wesley and Despereaux are similar because they are both different.
We will continue on our journey with Despereaux next week.


3rd Grade:  BLACK BEAUTY:
  This week our class discussion was led by modeling how to complete the in-class worksheets.  Throughout the novel the students will look at how past interactions have affected the different horses behavior.  We will track this throughout the story by looking at the different owners of Black Beauty and track interactions they had with him.  We will also look at other horses and pay attention to their temperament - we may not know their owners, but they share some stories with us on how they were treated.  This will allow us to see how our interactions and up-bringing help to define our character, which will be a focus throughout the novel.

4th Grade:  WESTING GAMES:
  This week our class discussion was led by modeling how to take the chapter notes.  We filled out the notes for chapters 1& 2 together to give them an idea on how to complete this section independently.  The students were given their folders.  There are 3 different areas to complete to help them solve the case.  Each week they should fill out their own chapter notes with their assigned reading.  This should be completed as homework.  In class, they will have a set of worksheets to complete that have different activities from solving the jobs of the characters, deciding who lives where and tracking all of the suspects.  They will also have a set of questions for each chapter.  These activities will help walk them through solving the mystery.  They will be given class time for those two areas, but must use their time wisely to complete it.  I will meet with each student weekly and make sure they are on track and help with any questions they have during their independent study.  Each student is their own detective and will follow their clues and case study to try and solve our mystery.  When they have their guess (but not too early, as the focus is on following the clues of the author) they will be allowed to submit it.  We will wait to look at them until the end of the story, but want to give them an opportunity to solve it - with a prize on the line for correct guesses!

2nd Grade:  AREA: 
 This week we took some extra time out of our lesson to review how to add fractions.  We took on this challenge of adding fractions with the same denominators.  Our answer gave us an improper fraction so we used our denominator to pull out whole squares.  This was to help us figure out the area between two shapes that were VERY close together - both falling between 17 and 18 square feet.  We had just enough time to start the next worksheet - How Big.  This had them first work with square inches to predict, find the actual area and mark their difference between the two with four different shapes.  After completing the chart, they were to place the shapes in order from the smallest to largest area.  
We will continue working with area next week.


3rd Grade:  BREAK IT UP:
   We have continued working with the distributive property of multiplication.  This time we looked back at the dimensions from the Yeti's pen.  All of these had the same perimeter of 56 ft.  Now we got to use our new strategy to look for the different areas of the pens.  They took turns choosing a pen and breaking it apart for another student to solve it.  Our big focus, while mastering this skill, is to break it apart to simplify the math.  We did see some problems that allowed the students to practice the regular formula for area - multiply the length and width.  This was a faster strategy with dimensions like 1x27 and 2x26.  We ultimately are working towards applying this strategy to simplify working with larger facts.  The students saw the more they applied the steps to a problem the more their confidence grew with this property.
We will continue working with the distributive property next week.



4th Grade:  INTRODUCTION:

  This week we took a moment to review their chapter check-ups.  We only had a few areas to talk about - with one problem as the main focus of our review.  It was a perfect topic because it led into our next lesson.  It was reviewing how to find the missing part to a whole fraction when adding a set of fractions with different denominators. 

 We had mixed answers with this question - some have mastered it, some solved it visually using the newspaper to find the answer and a few needed to review the steps again.  I also wanted to make sure my visual friends had an understanding for the mathematical steps to solve it because they may not always have a picture when solving this type of problem.  Next, we moved onto the game thumbs up.  This game makes them mentally add up fractions with different denominators to either being less than, equal to or greater than 1 yard. 

This theory is a way for them to judge their answers when working out a multi-step problem. When they can quickly identify where the answer falls in relationship to 1 whole, it lets the students know if their answer is on the right path.  However if the answer is not where they predicted it should fall, they would know to try again.  It is a great tool to use for checking their work.
We will add on another strategy next week. 

Enjoy the Weekend,

Ms.Losinski

...AND WE'RE BACK

After some crazy weeks, we were finally back to our regular schedule for High Ability.

Around the School

February 14th -  Zumba Parties 
Valentine's Day
February 15th - ELearning Day
Make-up day from 1-31 
 It is available online now.
February 18th - Mid-Winter Break
Presidents' Day - No School
March 7th - Kindergarten Round-up

It has been a crazy, busy week in language arts!  All 3 of my classes are starting novel studies at the same time for the second semester.  Please be on the lookout for your student bringing home a book on Tuesdays (4th graders will have a folder too) for required reading.  The only exception will be the week prior to spring break. 

2nd Grade: The Tale of Despereaux:

  We are off and running with the new novel study!  This week we finished brainstorming a definition of a hero.  After students shared their ideas, I saw the definition of a hero change and grow into some wonderful ideas.  At first, we had some ideas that went along with your typical superhero - a hero must save someone or have superpowers.  However, now they said that a hero must be good and kind.  Some students still believed that a hero must save someone, so we will save that idea to discuss when we finish the book.

Next, the students listened to the story Weslandia by Paul Fleischman.  This story was used to model the three connections a good reader makes:  text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world.  The book is broken into 4 parts and for the first two sections we are going to focus on making connections while we read.

To end the week, I shared with the students their new novel - The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.  They quickly discovered that it was the same author from our previous novel.  They made a prediction that our story will have adventure from looking at the cover.  They also made a connection with the author from our last story and think that adventure is a theme she might continue to use in her stories.  We shared a read aloud on Tuesday to begin our new adventure with The Tale of Despereaux.

Please read chapters 2-4.

3rd Grade:  BLACK BEAUTY:
  This group began their novel study this week.  We first listened to a short clip that previews the novel for the students.  Then, we looked over the student packet.  Throughout the novel, the students will track the owners and their interactions they share with their horses - we will track how this affects the horses' temperament throughout the story.  We also have the story divided into 4 sections - with each section the students will answer a set of short response questions.  This week we listened to chapter 1.  After hearing the story, the students completed a question that focused on the piece of advice Beauty was given by his mother as a colt.  We will focus on this advice throughout the story, so it is important the students pause and reflect on the idea of good advice.  We had time left this week to continue the read aloud by hearing two more chapters.  We will continue with our novel study next week.

Please read chapters 4-6.

4th Grade:  THE WESTING GAMES:

  We have solved our short mystery - the nephew did it!  Some students were excited because they predicted him from the start.  This led us into the introduction to our novel study.  The students were introduced to their novel The Westing Games by Ellen Raskin.  We went over a Detective Packet the students will be responsible for while solving the case.  The packet is divided into activities to complete and help track notes as they work towards solving the mystery.  The students will each have a folder that will go home on Tuesdays with their book and these materials should be returned with them for class on Monday.  We ended the week with just enough time to read chapter 1 together.

Please read chapters 2 & 3.  They do not have their folders for this week because we ran out of time to demonstrate how to complete them with chapter 1.  We will complete these together for chapters 1-3 on Monday.

2nd Grade:  AREA:
  We are now exploring area with square inches.  The students completed the activity Putting Things in Order.  This activity asked them to first predict the area of 3 shapes from smallest to largest.  Next, they were allowed to cut the shapes out and manipulate them how they wished to help determine  the correct order of the shapes.  To check their answer, they were asked to measure the shapes with square inch tiles.
  They discovered the tiles were not a perfect fit for one of the shapes.  Our last step was to use a square inch grid to measure the three shapes.  They were surprised to see that it was actually 2 of our shapes that the tiles did not fit into properly.  



This led us back into a discussion on adding up partial squares or fractions.  We will take a few minutes next week to begin class with a mini-lesson on adding the partial squares (fractions) before continuing on with the lesson. 

3rd Grade:  BREAK ME APART: 
 These guys jumped right back into their lesson.  We quickly reviewed with the small arrays from 2 weeks ago the formula for the distributive property.  Next, we switched it up and started to work the property with larger arrays.  This definitely gave them more of a challenge.  We decided to take some extra time working with the larger arrays and continued to practice applying the distributive property while looking for the area.  It is important that they master this step before moving onto their independent practice with this lesson because it is our big concept we will build on throughout the chapter. 

Next week we will continue with the lesson.



4th Grade:  CHAPTER CHECK-UP:
  These guys are troopers!  When we met two weeks ago we started their chapter check-up.  After a long delay, I asked them to try and finish it giving it their best effort.  I am really proud of this group cause after grading them I was able to see they are getting it and the delay didn't affect the scores.
  For those that finished early, they had the opportunity to complete a logic puzzle.  These were requested by a student this week and are similar to the ones they completed last year.  Last year they were a struggle for them, so I was happily surprised to see them excited to solve these independently this year!  They were excited to work through the puzzle and I am seeing them do much better with them than last year - what a difference a year makes!

Have a Great Weekend,

Ms. Losinski