March of the Penguin Experts

I know it's been awhile since my last post and boy do I have some updating! The students in room 107 have been working so hard! I was so incredibly impressed by the students' penguin projects. The amount of interest and work they did in the classroom was amazing. The 3 dimensional penguins were so creative. Thank you, parents, for all of your help in extending their learning experiences. I know it takes a lot of time and patience but they were so excited to present them. One of the ELA standards is that they are able to stand in front of others and present something...even the shyest student met that standard with flying colors :)
Please check out the pictures below of the great projects...and their silly owners...

Stay Tuned for our chick presentation by the amazing Ms. Pavlicek...

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble...

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and is enjoying the few days off!
As you know, last Wednesday was the turkey trot and even though it was drizzly and very wet, we participated and encouraged the fourth graders to run their best. I was extremely surprised at the enthusiasm the first graders had! Many of them ran close to a mile (around the field 4x)! It was certainly a lot of fun.

On Monday we will be sending home a project in place of homework. We are learning about Native American homes and why homes are different in different locations (i.e. weather, climate..) and how homes are built now (purchasing materials at a store). The students will need to build their own home--can be a drawing or 3 dimensional--and complete a writing about their home. These will be due on Tuesday 12/8. Can't wait to see the finished products! If you have any questions, be sure to email or call me.

Stay tuned...

It's Pumpkin Time!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!
On Thursday, I opened Grigway's Shop (name courtesy of a few students) for the children to purchase their pumpkin decorating supplies. Unfortunately, I didn't get much of the amazing lesson on tape but here's what I did get:



Please forgive the the editing skills...I am new to this and hoping to get better :)
The math & social studies skills the children got out of this activity were amazing! By the end of the shopping experience, most students seemed to understand the value of and difference between a penny and nickel and learned about making choices about goods and services people have to buy. Most children took their time and spent their money wisely. We will do a similar activity again in December when they decorate gingerbread houses :)
Here are the finished products:

...And of course, I can't leave out the Halloween party--where the learning did not stop! They learned about spiders and created spider brownies, decorated pumpkin cupcakes, and had fun with animal nose cups.

Stay tuned to continue on our learning voyage...

Connors Farm

Well, everyone had a blast at Connors Farm on Friday! The students led us through a tricky corn maze, went on a hayride, and picked a pumpkin. Though it was quite a chilly, fall day, we enjoyed a picnic lunch.
On Friday, we will be ending the week with a small Halloween party. However, we will not be wearing costumes. Due to our tight schedule, we will just be enjoying some snacks, spooky music, and decorating the pumpkins we picked.
We have been learning about exchanging pennies for nickels. So, in order for the students to decorate their pumpkins, there will be a classroom store set up and they will be given 25 cents or so in pennies and nickels and will have to purchase the materials they want to use for decorating.
I'm sure it will be an exciting week!
Stay tuned...

Digital Wish

Hi everyone!
I just created a wish list at www.digitalwish.com for a flip camera for the classroom. The reason for my wish is to create videos of our classroom learning experiences to share with you--our classroom friends and families!
Right now they are offering them buy 1 get 1 free :)
If you know anyone--people or companies--who would like to make a donation to enrich our classroom experiences, please pass the information along.
Digital Wish is not for profit organization that helps modernize classrooms by providing the technology students need to learn and grow.

Ready to Rock & Roll

Well the students are really starting to learn their responsibilities :)
They have been working at the centers independently and continue to learn how to help each other and work together. Tuesday we will begin guided reading groups and more individualized instruction to students who need more challenges or extra help.
At the computer center this week, I will introduce the students to a great website they can also use at home. The website is Spelling City. On it are our weekly trick/sight word lists for the students to practice. The website creates many different games using these lists to provide more practice opportunities. The students can also give themselves a test! Each week I will make the new list available. If your child is doing well with the current words, you can create a list for him/her or the site will create a list for them. It's one of my favorite websites!
To find my lists:
1. go to spellingcity.com
2. click on the find a list tab at the top
3. click on my name
4. The lists will show and you can click on the list to be practiced
Have fun with it!
Throughout the year, I will be providing you with many websites that promote important skills. Be sure to check our class website for some of those links.

PS I apologize for forgetting to send home the I Can Read Binders this weekend. No excuses...I just forgot to tell them to pack them up.

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend and be sure to ask your child what they know about Christopher Columbus...and if he could have been listening to an iPod on the Santa Maria.

Stay tuned...

Mammals

The students have been working hard learning about mammals and their characteristics. Though we are moving on to a new topic, I will be informally checking in to be sure they do not forget the important features of a mammal:
1. They have hair (or fur)
2. They use lungs to breathe oxygen
3. They have live babies
4. Mothers feed milk to their babies
5. They are warm-blooded
6. They have a backbone
Be sure to check in with your child to find out what the only mammal is that lays eggs!

We have begun discussing the life cycle of plants beginning with apples ('tis the season, after all)--today we had a great discussion about the importance of bees and pollination! I love those teachable moments :)

Be sure to send back the permission slip for Connors Farm! If you need another, you can print one from our website under News and Documents.

Stay tuned...