Hi,
We took the STAAR Ready Reading test on Tuesday and will use this information to help us plan instruction and small groups. Overall, the children did very well. Continue to encourage your child to read more than the required 20 minutes a day. Talk to your child about the books that he/she is reading and tell them about your reading. Read together. I am so impressed with their excitement and joy when it is time to read!
Service Club on Monday-We will be glazing bowls for the Empty Bowl Project. Your child is invited to come, even if they didn't make a bowl. There will be extras to glaze. 2:45-3:45 in Ms. Arnold's Art Room.
Tuesday, March 1-Six Flags Reading Logs are due and we will have our Monthly Challenge Lunch.
Wednesday, March 2-Texas Independence Day, Sam Houston's Birthday, Dr. Seuss's Birthday-Early Release Day
This week in reading-We will read about Japanese Internment Camps during World War II using a book called Baseball Saved Us and discuss character changes. We will read nonfiction articles on Navajo Code Talkers and Japanese Internment and work on summarizing by chunking the main idea of each section. We will also use the context of the sentence, paragraph, or passage to determine the meaning in tricky words and multiple meaning words. We will continue with Number the Stars and discuss foreshadowing, predictions, inferences, context clues, and character traits as we read. Keep reading everyday at home.
In writing- Using the quote,Friendship is a sheltering tree, we brainstormed and free wrote about our friends and friends in movies, books, and TV shows. We will organize our examples and determine a central idea. We will draft, conference, revise, edit, and write a final copy for this piece as an expository writing. We will also continue to have some time to free write everyday.
In spelling-We will work on adverbs ending in ly for spelling this week. Last week, we focused on learning about complete sentences and identifying the subject and predicate. This week, we will work with commas after beginning phrases and clauses. (After the play, we went home.) We will continue to work on grammar, combining sentences, capitalization, and punctuation using mentor sentences and passages to correct.
Vocabulary- We will math words this week. Practice vocabulary words using quizlet.com.
In social studies-We will celebrate Texas Independence Day and learn more about the Texas Revolution. The anniversary of Battle of the Alamo is on March 6, so we will discuss that as well.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 29-Wear FCE shirts, Service Club 2;45-3:45 (glazing our clay bowls for Empty Bowl Project) Monthly Challenge papers are due
Tuesday, March 1-Six Flags Reading forms due, Monthly Challenge lunch
Wednesday, March 2-Early Release 12:45, Texas Independence Day, Dr. Seuss's and Sam Houston's Birthdays
Friday, March 4-Hoedown for K-2, homework packet due, spelling test, vocabulary test, Reading Response Letters due
Monday, March 7-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts,
Tuesday, March 8-PTA General Meeting 11 am
Friday, March 11-homework packet due, spelling test, vocabulary test, Reading Response Letters due, wear college shirts
Saturday, March 12-Volunteer at Round Rock Serving Center 9-10:30
Monday, March14-March 18-Spring Break
Monday, March 21-Writing Club 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts.
Monday, March 21-March 24-Writing Camp!!!!!! More info. to come.
Friday, March 25-No school-Spring Holiday
Monday, March 28-Wear FCE shirts, Service Club 2:45-3:45
Tuesday, March 29-STAAR Writing test for 4th grade, STAAR Math test for 5th grade
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy time with your family! Thank you for sharing your child with me.
Sincerely,
Pam
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Newsletter
Hi,
We had a short, but great week. We had a successful book fair and worked hard in class. Reading Number the Stars aloud is one of the best parts of our day. This historical fiction book is exciting and teaches us about the situation in Denmark during World War II. We will continue to read books and articles about World War II and will learn more about tolerance as we learn some history.
This week in reading-We will continue with Number the Stars and discuss foreshadowing, predictions, inferences, context clues, and character traits as we read. We will read non-fiction articles and practice identifying and understanding explicit and implicit headings and purposes as well as work on chunking information to summarize and comprehend effectively. We will also take the STAAR Ready Reading test on Tuesday, which will give us information about our areas of strength and areas for continued work.
In writing-we are finishing up the writing of our original fractured fairy tales and are continuing to free write everyday. We will also write our opinions and reasons to explain our thinking in reaction to a quote. Using quotes that discuss friendship, favorite things, challenges, etc..discussing them and writing to explain our thinking will help us write organized and thoughtful expository essays. We will chose an expository entry from our writer's notebook to take through the writing process this week. We will conference, revise, edit, and write a final draft.
In spelling-we worked on multi-syllable words and breaking the words into smaller chunks to spell them accurately. This week we will practice words that follow the rule-i before e except after c. We will also work on grammar, combining sentences, capitalization, and punctuation using mentor sentences and passages to correct.
Vocabulary- We will continue to work on words from academic reading. This will include words like textual evidence, implicit purpose, stated purpose, explicit, implicit, and theme. Practice vocabulary words using quizlet.com.
In social studies-The students planned their own settlements and created posters to encourage settlers to come to their colonies. The children decided where in Texas they would build their town, what natural resources were available, and what services their town would offer. The posters had catchy phrases to persuade and reasons why their town is a great place to live. We will start learning about the Texas Revolution this week.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 22-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts, PTA Family Fun Night at Hat Creek Burgers
Tuesday, February 23-STAAR Ready Reading Test
Thursday, February 25-Art Show from 2:45-7:00
Friday, February 26-homework packet due, spelling test,vocabulary test, Reading response letters due, wear college shirts
Monday, February 29-Wear FCE shirts, Service Club 2;45-3:45 (glazing our clay bowls for Empty Bowl Project)
Wednesday, March 2-Early Release 12:45
Friday, March 4-Hoedown for K-2, homework packet due, spelling test, vocabulary test, Reading Response Letters due
Monday, March 7-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts,
Tuesday, March 8-PTA General Meeting 11 am
Friday, March 11-homework packet due, spelling test, vocabulary test, Reading Response Letters due
Saturday, March 12-Volunteer at Round Rock Serving Center 9-10:30
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy time with your family! Thank you for sharing your child with me.
We had a short, but great week. We had a successful book fair and worked hard in class. Reading Number the Stars aloud is one of the best parts of our day. This historical fiction book is exciting and teaches us about the situation in Denmark during World War II. We will continue to read books and articles about World War II and will learn more about tolerance as we learn some history.
This week in reading-We will continue with Number the Stars and discuss foreshadowing, predictions, inferences, context clues, and character traits as we read. We will read non-fiction articles and practice identifying and understanding explicit and implicit headings and purposes as well as work on chunking information to summarize and comprehend effectively. We will also take the STAAR Ready Reading test on Tuesday, which will give us information about our areas of strength and areas for continued work.
In writing-we are finishing up the writing of our original fractured fairy tales and are continuing to free write everyday. We will also write our opinions and reasons to explain our thinking in reaction to a quote. Using quotes that discuss friendship, favorite things, challenges, etc..discussing them and writing to explain our thinking will help us write organized and thoughtful expository essays. We will chose an expository entry from our writer's notebook to take through the writing process this week. We will conference, revise, edit, and write a final draft.
In spelling-we worked on multi-syllable words and breaking the words into smaller chunks to spell them accurately. This week we will practice words that follow the rule-i before e except after c. We will also work on grammar, combining sentences, capitalization, and punctuation using mentor sentences and passages to correct.
Vocabulary- We will continue to work on words from academic reading. This will include words like textual evidence, implicit purpose, stated purpose, explicit, implicit, and theme. Practice vocabulary words using quizlet.com.
In social studies-The students planned their own settlements and created posters to encourage settlers to come to their colonies. The children decided where in Texas they would build their town, what natural resources were available, and what services their town would offer. The posters had catchy phrases to persuade and reasons why their town is a great place to live. We will start learning about the Texas Revolution this week.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 22-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts, PTA Family Fun Night at Hat Creek Burgers
Tuesday, February 23-STAAR Ready Reading Test
Thursday, February 25-Art Show from 2:45-7:00
Friday, February 26-homework packet due, spelling test,vocabulary test, Reading response letters due, wear college shirts
Monday, February 29-Wear FCE shirts, Service Club 2;45-3:45 (glazing our clay bowls for Empty Bowl Project)
Wednesday, March 2-Early Release 12:45
Friday, March 4-Hoedown for K-2, homework packet due, spelling test, vocabulary test, Reading Response Letters due
Monday, March 7-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts,
Tuesday, March 8-PTA General Meeting 11 am
Friday, March 11-homework packet due, spelling test, vocabulary test, Reading Response Letters due
Saturday, March 12-Volunteer at Round Rock Serving Center 9-10:30
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy time with your family! Thank you for sharing your child with me.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Happy Valentine's Day
Hi,
Happy Valentine's Day! We had a wonderful party today! Thanks so much to Janet Bannister and all parents who donated items or helped at the party. All the kids had lots to eat and lots of fun with balloons and cake balls! Thank you also for all the sweet treats!
Progress Reports came home on Thursday. Look for them in your child's Thursday folder.
Book fair is going on this week! Thank you in advance for supporting reading and our school.
No school on Monday for students. Homework packets will come home on Tuesday. The next vocabulary test will be on Friday, Feb. 26. The words are on quizlet, if you want to practice this weekend.
Be sure to read this weekend and record times on the reading logs. Record finished books on the forms for the 20 Book Challenge.
This week in reading-We began talking about World War II and reading books historical fiction books that deal with that time period. We are using this topic to also discuss tolerance and respecting differences in others. We began reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry aloud and we will discuss each chapter. Next week, we will begin some new book clubs that also deal with this time period.
In writing-we are writing everyday and then stopping to think deeper about our writing. We use sentence stems like-This makes me realize that...., I used to think ....., but now I think....., and I learned that..... By pushing our thinking and challenging us to come up with big ideas and themes, our writing will become deeper and more focused. We also continue to work on capitalization, punctuation, combining sentences, and quotations using mentor sentences.
In spelling-we worked on words with suffixes ment, ful, and less. Next week, we will work on multi-syllable words and breaking the words into smaller chunks to spell them accurately.
In vocabulary-we will work on academic vocabulary for reading. this will include words like textual evidence, implicit purpose, stated purpose, explicit, implicit, and theme. Practice vocabulary words using quizlet.com.
In social studies-we are creating our own settlements. The children are deciding where in Texas they would build their town, what natural resources are available, and what services will their town offer. They read letters from potential colonists and decided whether to accept or deny them and gave reasons for their decisions. Next week, they will create an advertisement to encourage people to come live in their settlement and will draw a plan for their colony. We will soon start talking about the Texas Revolution.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 15-No school for students
Tuesday, February 16-book fair, PTA General Meeting 11:00 am
Wednesday, February 17-book fair
Thursday, February 18-book fair
Friday, February 19-homework packet due, spelling test, Reading response letters due, wear college shirts, book fair
Monday, February 22-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts, PTA Family Fun Night at Hat Creek Burgers
Thursday, February 25-Art Show from 2:45-7:00
Friday, February 26-homework packet due, spelling test,vocabulary test, Reading response letters due, wear college shirts
Monday, February 29-Wear FCE shirts, Service Club 2;45-3:45
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy time with your family and the beautiful weather!
Sincerely,
Pam
Happy Valentine's Day! We had a wonderful party today! Thanks so much to Janet Bannister and all parents who donated items or helped at the party. All the kids had lots to eat and lots of fun with balloons and cake balls! Thank you also for all the sweet treats!
Progress Reports came home on Thursday. Look for them in your child's Thursday folder.
Book fair is going on this week! Thank you in advance for supporting reading and our school.
No school on Monday for students. Homework packets will come home on Tuesday. The next vocabulary test will be on Friday, Feb. 26. The words are on quizlet, if you want to practice this weekend.
Be sure to read this weekend and record times on the reading logs. Record finished books on the forms for the 20 Book Challenge.
This week in reading-We began talking about World War II and reading books historical fiction books that deal with that time period. We are using this topic to also discuss tolerance and respecting differences in others. We began reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry aloud and we will discuss each chapter. Next week, we will begin some new book clubs that also deal with this time period.
In writing-we are writing everyday and then stopping to think deeper about our writing. We use sentence stems like-This makes me realize that...., I used to think ....., but now I think....., and I learned that..... By pushing our thinking and challenging us to come up with big ideas and themes, our writing will become deeper and more focused. We also continue to work on capitalization, punctuation, combining sentences, and quotations using mentor sentences.
In spelling-we worked on words with suffixes ment, ful, and less. Next week, we will work on multi-syllable words and breaking the words into smaller chunks to spell them accurately.
In vocabulary-we will work on academic vocabulary for reading. this will include words like textual evidence, implicit purpose, stated purpose, explicit, implicit, and theme. Practice vocabulary words using quizlet.com.
In social studies-we are creating our own settlements. The children are deciding where in Texas they would build their town, what natural resources are available, and what services will their town offer. They read letters from potential colonists and decided whether to accept or deny them and gave reasons for their decisions. Next week, they will create an advertisement to encourage people to come live in their settlement and will draw a plan for their colony. We will soon start talking about the Texas Revolution.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 15-No school for students
Tuesday, February 16-book fair, PTA General Meeting 11:00 am
Wednesday, February 17-book fair
Thursday, February 18-book fair
Friday, February 19-homework packet due, spelling test, Reading response letters due, wear college shirts, book fair
Monday, February 22-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45, Wear FCE shirts, PTA Family Fun Night at Hat Creek Burgers
Thursday, February 25-Art Show from 2:45-7:00
Friday, February 26-homework packet due, spelling test,vocabulary test, Reading response letters due, wear college shirts
Monday, February 29-Wear FCE shirts, Service Club 2;45-3:45
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy time with your family and the beautiful weather!
Sincerely,
Pam
Friday, February 5, 2016
Newsletter
Hi,
We had a very busy week with two assemblies, a pen pal visit, and an early release day. The Mad Science Assembly is always lots of fun and we had a "hair raising" time. (especially Mia and Samantha who got to put their hands on the Van de Graaff generator!) We also enjoyed some awesome jump rope stars from Murchison Elementary. It was fun and helped to kick off our Jump Rope for Heart program.
Our pen pals are amazing and we enjoyed spending time with them on Tuesday. We talked to them about favorite people, places,and things and reasons that make these things special. We also made some Valentine crafts together and played games. It was great and we will see them again in April.
Don't forget that picture day is on Tuesday. This is our group photo and individual spring photos. Forms came home in Thursday folders. If you need another form, let me know and your child will bring one home on Monday.
Information for Six Flags Read to Succeed will come home on Monday. Remember, for class, your child is expected to read 20 minutes per night. Any time beyond that is considered recreational reading and can be counted for the Six Flags Program. Your child has until Tuesday, March 1 to read 6 hours recreationally. If your child reads this weekend toward their Six Flags reading, record it on their regular reading log and then write it on the blue form that will come home on Monday. Be sure to record on your class reading log also. Happy Reading and have fun at Six Flags!!!!!!
Welcome, Kaleigh! We are planning on having a new student on Monday. We are excited to meet Kaleigh and welcome her into our bat cave.
Our Valentine's Day Party will be on Friday, February 12 from 1:30-2:30. Your child is invited to pass out Valentines to friends. Remember, if you give valentines, be sure to give to everyone in class. Here is a list of our 21 students. Handmade valentines are great! More information about the party and a sign up genius will be emailed to you soon.
Ethan Samantha Ava Elise Riley Justin Aiden
Kendall Kaleigh Martin Shelby Brighton Shae Mia
Juliana Sofia Lorelai Ryne Hagan Joseph Cameron
Read about our week:
Reading-We finished up talking about traditional tales and will begin working with more non-fiction this coming week. We will also establish reading partners and will begin some book groups. We will learn about World War II through historical fiction and informational text. We will also look at text features and text structures to help with comprehension. Be sure to record reading on reading logs and turn them in with Reading Response Letters every Friday. Happy Reading!
Writing-We are writing fractured fairy tales and will finish those up this week. We will collect entries in our notebooks of things that are around us that we notice and what big idea it makes us realize or discover. We will push our thinking and draw conclusions as we write expository essays. We will also write in response to quotes that cause us to think deeply about life in general. This week we wrote about things we noticed and one person wrote about how much he hates his glasses. Even though he realizes that they help him, he still hates them. Those are some deep thoughts for a nine year old. We will continue to work on conventions like spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as we work on our craft of writing with specific details, similes, metaphors, and lots of reflective thinking.
Grammar/Word Study-We will continue to work on combining sentences and will use transition words and quotation marks appropriately in our writing.
Spelling-This week we will spell words with the suffixes ment, less, ful. (agreement, hopeful, priceless) Everyone will have some individual words as well. We will also practice words from prior spelling and patterns in our dictation sentences.
Vocabulary-Words with therm- and aud- are our focus this week . Thermal, thermometer, hypothermia, audio, auditory, and audience are some of our words this week. Go to quizlet.com to practice and use the word list with definitions from the homework packet.
Social Studies-We will be empresarios in Texas and will plan our settlement. We will think about our location and what resources we will need, and what skills we want our settlers to have. We have a lot of fun while we try to survive in old time Texas!
My family and I went to see the production of "Into the Woods" at Ridgeview Middle School tonight and it was amazing! They did a wonderful job on the sets and costumes. The acting and singing was incredible. Check it out on Sat. Feb. 6 and next week Feb. 11, 13, 14 at 6:30 in the RMS Cafe. $7.00 tickets.
Inline
Dates to Remember:
Saturday, Feb. 6-Painting for Paws Art Show and Meet Dogs-10:30-1:00
Monday, Feb. 8-Wear FCE shirts-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, Feb. 9-Library check out. Spring Pictures
Friday, Feb. 12-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts-Valentine's Day Party at 1:00
Monday, Feb. 15-No school for students
Have a great weekend! Thank you for sharing your child with me. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam
We had a very busy week with two assemblies, a pen pal visit, and an early release day. The Mad Science Assembly is always lots of fun and we had a "hair raising" time. (especially Mia and Samantha who got to put their hands on the Van de Graaff generator!) We also enjoyed some awesome jump rope stars from Murchison Elementary. It was fun and helped to kick off our Jump Rope for Heart program.
Our pen pals are amazing and we enjoyed spending time with them on Tuesday. We talked to them about favorite people, places,and things and reasons that make these things special. We also made some Valentine crafts together and played games. It was great and we will see them again in April.
Don't forget that picture day is on Tuesday. This is our group photo and individual spring photos. Forms came home in Thursday folders. If you need another form, let me know and your child will bring one home on Monday.
Information for Six Flags Read to Succeed will come home on Monday. Remember, for class, your child is expected to read 20 minutes per night. Any time beyond that is considered recreational reading and can be counted for the Six Flags Program. Your child has until Tuesday, March 1 to read 6 hours recreationally. If your child reads this weekend toward their Six Flags reading, record it on their regular reading log and then write it on the blue form that will come home on Monday. Be sure to record on your class reading log also. Happy Reading and have fun at Six Flags!!!!!!
Welcome, Kaleigh! We are planning on having a new student on Monday. We are excited to meet Kaleigh and welcome her into our bat cave.
Our Valentine's Day Party will be on Friday, February 12 from 1:30-2:30. Your child is invited to pass out Valentines to friends. Remember, if you give valentines, be sure to give to everyone in class. Here is a list of our 21 students. Handmade valentines are great! More information about the party and a sign up genius will be emailed to you soon.
Ethan Samantha Ava Elise Riley Justin Aiden
Kendall Kaleigh Martin Shelby Brighton Shae Mia
Juliana Sofia Lorelai Ryne Hagan Joseph Cameron
Read about our week:
Reading-We finished up talking about traditional tales and will begin working with more non-fiction this coming week. We will also establish reading partners and will begin some book groups. We will learn about World War II through historical fiction and informational text. We will also look at text features and text structures to help with comprehension. Be sure to record reading on reading logs and turn them in with Reading Response Letters every Friday. Happy Reading!
Writing-We are writing fractured fairy tales and will finish those up this week. We will collect entries in our notebooks of things that are around us that we notice and what big idea it makes us realize or discover. We will push our thinking and draw conclusions as we write expository essays. We will also write in response to quotes that cause us to think deeply about life in general. This week we wrote about things we noticed and one person wrote about how much he hates his glasses. Even though he realizes that they help him, he still hates them. Those are some deep thoughts for a nine year old. We will continue to work on conventions like spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as we work on our craft of writing with specific details, similes, metaphors, and lots of reflective thinking.
Grammar/Word Study-We will continue to work on combining sentences and will use transition words and quotation marks appropriately in our writing.
Spelling-This week we will spell words with the suffixes ment, less, ful. (agreement, hopeful, priceless) Everyone will have some individual words as well. We will also practice words from prior spelling and patterns in our dictation sentences.
Vocabulary-Words with therm- and aud- are our focus this week . Thermal, thermometer, hypothermia, audio, auditory, and audience are some of our words this week. Go to quizlet.com to practice and use the word list with definitions from the homework packet.
Social Studies-We will be empresarios in Texas and will plan our settlement. We will think about our location and what resources we will need, and what skills we want our settlers to have. We have a lot of fun while we try to survive in old time Texas!
My family and I went to see the production of "Into the Woods" at Ridgeview Middle School tonight and it was amazing! They did a wonderful job on the sets and costumes. The acting and singing was incredible. Check it out on Sat. Feb. 6 and next week Feb. 11, 13, 14 at 6:30 in the RMS Cafe. $7.00 tickets.
Inline
Dates to Remember:
Saturday, Feb. 6-Painting for Paws Art Show and Meet Dogs-10:30-1:00
Monday, Feb. 8-Wear FCE shirts-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45.
Tuesday, Feb. 9-Library check out. Spring Pictures
Friday, Feb. 12-Spelling test, Vocabulary test, Reading Response letters due, Reading Logs due, Wear college shirts-Valentine's Day Party at 1:00
Monday, Feb. 15-No school for students
Have a great weekend! Thank you for sharing your child with me. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)