Hi,
We will be taking our first STAAR tests of the year on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, we will be revising and editing passages using a multiple choice format and will be planning, drafting, revising, editing, and writing the final copy of a one page composition (either a personal narrative or an essay). On Wednesday, we will revise and edit some more passages using a multiple choice format and will be planning, drafting, revising, editing, and writing the final copy of another one page composition (either a personal narrative or an essay). The children have been working hard and are ready to show off their awesome writing talents! I am excited for them.
Some things to remember:
No cell phones are allowed in the classroom. If your child has a cell phone in his/her backpack, then they will need to turn it into me and I will turn it into the office. All phones will be returned at the end of the day. The teachers will also be turning in their cell phones. Be sure that NO cell phones are left in back packs.
No visitors are allowed past the office tomorrow to be sure that our testing areas are secure. Please don't plan to come and eat lunch with your child.
Our school will be offering free breakfast in our cafeteria all this week from 7:15-7:45am. Be sure that your child has a healthy breakfast.
We will be testing for three hours then stopping for lunch (about 30 minutes earlier than our normal lunch time)and then we will test for one hour more for a total of four hours.
Your child may bring in a healthy, clean snack and a water bottle. (Nothing that will leave fingerprints on the test) If he/she needs a snack, he/she will need to stop testing, give me his/her test and answer dccument, and eat neatly and quickly at his/her desk. The time will not be stopped for snack breaks or bathroom breaks, it will only stop for lunch.
I have encouraged the children to take mental breaks as needed. They can put their head down for a few minutes, go take a drink from the water fountain, or go to the bathroom, then come back to their desk to get back to work.
The directions for the composition will come first on the test and then the passages to revise and edit. I will be reading all of the directions and then they are on their own to manage their time and get it all done in four hours. We have talked about reading the directions for the prompts very carefully so they know whether they are writing a personal narrative or an essay. Personal narratives will have the words "write about a time...." and the words "write about a personal experience" in the directions. Essays will have the words "explain" and the words "include a central idea". I am suggesting that they use their time in the following way. They will have to plan their composition by creating a graphic organizer, they will draft their composition, they will revise their composition (add details, show, not tell,include a strong conclusion, etc...) and they will edit their composition (check for correct sentence structure, paragraphs, spelling, capitals, punctuation, etc...)Then they will work on their multiple choice sections carefully. Finally, they will reread their rough draft and make any necessary changes and improvements. Lastly, they will write their final copy in their neatest handwriting with good spacing and they need to be sure to reread their final copy. They need to check that they didn't skip words or write words twice, and that it is the way that they want it.
Thank you so much for encouraging them this year in their writing. I am very proud of their progress and know that they are going to shine!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Monday, March 26, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Writing Camp-Huge Success!!!!!
Hi,
Your children worked so hard this week and actually produced 3 complete compositions! They wrote an essay completely independently on Monday during our practice test day. (tell about a special person and explain why that person is special) On Tuesday they planned, drafted, and revised a personal narrative. (write about a time that something unexpected or unplanned happened to you) On Wednesday, they revised, conferenced with me, revised some more,edited, and wrote their final copy of their personal narrative. On Thursday they planned, drafted, and began to revise an essay or expository piece of writing. (tell about a way that you can make your community a better place and give reasons or examples of what you can do). This was a little tricky for some of us so on Friday we planned an essay for another prompt (tell about a special place and give reasons why that place is special for you). Then we examined both of our essay plans and decided which one to draft, revise, conference about, revise more, edit, and publish.
I was very impressed with the way the children are revising independently. They are talking about ways they can improve their drafts and then doing it! It gave me goosebumps.
I was also amazed at the descriptions they are using. They are thinking about imagery (sensory words-describing using senses), exploding the moment (slowing down and telling an important part in great detail), and show, not tell (describe an action or emotion instead of just saying that it happened).
Your writers have grown a lot this week as writers. They worked hard and I pushed them hard to continue to focus and do their best and they did. I am very proud of them.
Keep talking about writing over spring break. Practice math facts and problem solving situations and be sure to read! Remember, 100 minutes is due on Monday, March 19 and students reading over 100 minutes will be rewarded!
Have a happy, safe, and relaxing spring break. Thank you for sharing your children with me. They did a wonderful job this week!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Your children worked so hard this week and actually produced 3 complete compositions! They wrote an essay completely independently on Monday during our practice test day. (tell about a special person and explain why that person is special) On Tuesday they planned, drafted, and revised a personal narrative. (write about a time that something unexpected or unplanned happened to you) On Wednesday, they revised, conferenced with me, revised some more,edited, and wrote their final copy of their personal narrative. On Thursday they planned, drafted, and began to revise an essay or expository piece of writing. (tell about a way that you can make your community a better place and give reasons or examples of what you can do). This was a little tricky for some of us so on Friday we planned an essay for another prompt (tell about a special place and give reasons why that place is special for you). Then we examined both of our essay plans and decided which one to draft, revise, conference about, revise more, edit, and publish.
I was very impressed with the way the children are revising independently. They are talking about ways they can improve their drafts and then doing it! It gave me goosebumps.
I was also amazed at the descriptions they are using. They are thinking about imagery (sensory words-describing using senses), exploding the moment (slowing down and telling an important part in great detail), and show, not tell (describe an action or emotion instead of just saying that it happened).
Your writers have grown a lot this week as writers. They worked hard and I pushed them hard to continue to focus and do their best and they did. I am very proud of them.
Keep talking about writing over spring break. Practice math facts and problem solving situations and be sure to read! Remember, 100 minutes is due on Monday, March 19 and students reading over 100 minutes will be rewarded!
Have a happy, safe, and relaxing spring break. Thank you for sharing your children with me. They did a wonderful job this week!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Friday, March 2, 2012
Happy Texas Independence Day! Writing Camp next week!
Hi,
Today is the day that Texas gained its independence from Spain in 1836. We celebrated by learning about Lorenzo de Zavala and Sam Houston. Later we will be comparing and contrasting these two historical figures and signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. We also went to a very fun website about Texas and played a 3D simulation of a girl or boy in 1836 who is traveling to Washington-on-the-Brazos in search of his/her father. We ran out of time to finish the game so your child may want to play at home. The site is http://www.txindependence.org/. Have fun and celebrate Texas!
Next week begins our Camp Write Along week! On Monday, we will have a practice writing test to practice completing the revising and editing multiple choice part of the test and planning, drafting, revising, editing, and writing a final copy of a composition in the four hour time frame. We will have lunch at our normal time. We will test from 8:00-10:00, take a snack/stretch/bathroom break from 10:00-10:30. Continue testing from 10:30-11:30. Break and eat lunch then continue again at the end of the day.
Writing Camp begins on Tuesday! Our room will look like a campground and your children can bring in a sleeping bag/blanket, & pillow. They can dress up in camp type clothes and/or hiking boats. We will sing camp songs with a writing twist and review skills and practice our writing. We will then use the data from the writing test to help plan our fun and educational review of strategies during writing camp. We will also play some math games, and do some social studies activities. It will be so much fun and will help us become better writers. Let me know if you have any trees or camp type decorations that we could borrow to help transform our classroom into Camp Write Along-Bartholomew's Bat Campsite! I will be decorating at about 4:15 on Monday afternoon. Thank you Mrs. Slape for donating fire wood and red lights!
Don't forget to write letters for your camper! You can email letters to me or put them in my box in the teacher work room. I will be passing out a letter each day Tuesday-Friday. Encourage family members to write letters also! The kids will love to read your writing and read about your experiences!
Reading-We read articles about King Christian X of Denmark and compared the information learned in different sources. We learned that confirming your facts is important so we need to read more than one article when we research. We also continued to work on text structures and read about famous Texans.
Writing-What wonderful personal narratives were read today! We shared many of them and heard lots of great leads, interesting small moment stories, and strong word choice. We heard some super imagery (sensory words) and thoughtful conclusions. It is very difficult to get all that onto only 26 lines of paper! Our writers are rocking!!!!!
Math-We are working on measurement which will include area and perimeter. We will be doing many hands-on activities during our writing camp week to practice measuring using different tools and units. We will continue to practice math facts and problem solving as well.
Social Studies-We will be learning more about the Republic of Texas and challenges that the new country faced which led to statehood.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, March 5-Writing Test -4 hour testing-Reading Logs due
Tuesday, March 6-Friday, March 9-Writing Camp!
Wednesday, March 7-Early Release Day 12:45
Thursday, March 8-Writing Club 2:45-4:00 in library
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for K, 1, 2
Monday, March 12-Friday, March 16-Spring Break
Monday, March 19-Back to school-Spring Break reading logs due!
Tuesday, March 20-Service Club 2:45-4:00
Thursday, March 22-Pen Pals visit for PE activities
Tuesday, March 27 & Wednesday, March 28-STAAR Writing Tests
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy Texas Independence Day Celebrations in Austin and UT Explore at the university! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Today is the day that Texas gained its independence from Spain in 1836. We celebrated by learning about Lorenzo de Zavala and Sam Houston. Later we will be comparing and contrasting these two historical figures and signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. We also went to a very fun website about Texas and played a 3D simulation of a girl or boy in 1836 who is traveling to Washington-on-the-Brazos in search of his/her father. We ran out of time to finish the game so your child may want to play at home. The site is http://www.txindependence.org/. Have fun and celebrate Texas!
Next week begins our Camp Write Along week! On Monday, we will have a practice writing test to practice completing the revising and editing multiple choice part of the test and planning, drafting, revising, editing, and writing a final copy of a composition in the four hour time frame. We will have lunch at our normal time. We will test from 8:00-10:00, take a snack/stretch/bathroom break from 10:00-10:30. Continue testing from 10:30-11:30. Break and eat lunch then continue again at the end of the day.
Writing Camp begins on Tuesday! Our room will look like a campground and your children can bring in a sleeping bag/blanket, & pillow. They can dress up in camp type clothes and/or hiking boats. We will sing camp songs with a writing twist and review skills and practice our writing. We will then use the data from the writing test to help plan our fun and educational review of strategies during writing camp. We will also play some math games, and do some social studies activities. It will be so much fun and will help us become better writers. Let me know if you have any trees or camp type decorations that we could borrow to help transform our classroom into Camp Write Along-Bartholomew's Bat Campsite! I will be decorating at about 4:15 on Monday afternoon. Thank you Mrs. Slape for donating fire wood and red lights!
Don't forget to write letters for your camper! You can email letters to me or put them in my box in the teacher work room. I will be passing out a letter each day Tuesday-Friday. Encourage family members to write letters also! The kids will love to read your writing and read about your experiences!
Reading-We read articles about King Christian X of Denmark and compared the information learned in different sources. We learned that confirming your facts is important so we need to read more than one article when we research. We also continued to work on text structures and read about famous Texans.
Writing-What wonderful personal narratives were read today! We shared many of them and heard lots of great leads, interesting small moment stories, and strong word choice. We heard some super imagery (sensory words) and thoughtful conclusions. It is very difficult to get all that onto only 26 lines of paper! Our writers are rocking!!!!!
Math-We are working on measurement which will include area and perimeter. We will be doing many hands-on activities during our writing camp week to practice measuring using different tools and units. We will continue to practice math facts and problem solving as well.
Social Studies-We will be learning more about the Republic of Texas and challenges that the new country faced which led to statehood.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, March 5-Writing Test -4 hour testing-Reading Logs due
Tuesday, March 6-Friday, March 9-Writing Camp!
Wednesday, March 7-Early Release Day 12:45
Thursday, March 8-Writing Club 2:45-4:00 in library
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for K, 1, 2
Monday, March 12-Friday, March 16-Spring Break
Monday, March 19-Back to school-Spring Break reading logs due!
Tuesday, March 20-Service Club 2:45-4:00
Thursday, March 22-Pen Pals visit for PE activities
Tuesday, March 27 & Wednesday, March 28-STAAR Writing Tests
Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy Texas Independence Day Celebrations in Austin and UT Explore at the university! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Monday, February 27, 2012
Our class is working hard!
Hi,
We have been working hard and need to continue the great work. Last week we took a reading benchmark. This week we will be taking a STAAR-ready math test. This test was created by RRISD math curriculum specialists using the samples released by TEA. It will be a more challenging test than we anticipate STAAR to be and will be using it to see what strategies the children are using to get to their answer even if the answer isn't quite correct. The children have been taught all the strategies that they need to take the test but we are assessing how well they apply the strategies in multi-step problem solving situations. I think that if our class really focuses and takes their time, they will do well. They need to read the questions and answer choices carefully and be sure that their answer choice really answers the question. The incorrect choices or distractors are going to typically be answers that are very close or that would be the correct answer if a needed step was left out. The STAAR-ready math test will not count as a grade but will be used to inform me of the strategies your child is using and which areas are strengths and need so enrichment as well as areas of weakness that could use some reteaching. Thank you for encouraging your child to do his/her best, show work, and keep trying even if it is tricky. Our lunch time will be different so that we can practice the schedule as it will be on the actual testing days. We will be eating at 10:35 and then having snack in the afternoon. The STAAR test is timed so we will be timing this test as well. They will have 4 hours to complete the test with a 30 minute break for lunch. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I will try to find answers for you if I don't know them already.
Writing Camp-Next week will be our writing camp! This is a fun week filled with lots of writing as well as a some reading, math, and science. We have writing camp as a time to review our strategies and work toward more independence in their writing. We also will be singing some writing camp songs. We will be transforming our classroom into a campground and dressing in camp clothing. The children are encouraged to bring in a sleeping bag or blanket for the week and a pillow. We will be moving the desks, putting sleeping bags on the floor, setting up a small tent and creating a pretend campfire. We are in need of the following items for our Bartholomew Bat Campground!
We Need:
about 5 or 6 small logs for firewood
red lights or something creative that could be the fire for our campground
white holiday lights to string around room
artifical trees or other decorations to make it look like we are in the woods
If you can let us use any of these items, let me know and please bring them to school on Friday. I will be decorating the classroom after tutoring at about 4:15. If anyone wants to come and help decorate, that would be great. I'd like to only have parents help, not students, so that the kids can be surprised on Monday.
Another great part about writing camp is CAMP MAIL! SHHHHH! This should be a surprise! Did you ever go to overnight camp and get mail from your parents? Even though writing camp is just during the day, I would like to encourage you to write some letters for your camper. You can email me letters and I will print them out for your child or you can put them in my box. Feel free to write about anything... but since it is writing camp, you could write one of your own personal narratives about a camping story from your life. You could write an essay about why camping is a great activity. You could write as if they are sleeping at an overnight camp and you miss them. Be creative! You can also encourage family members to write letters, stories, or essays as well. Thank you in advance and let me know if you have any questions or concerns about camp mail or writing camp in general.
Reading-We are continuing to work on reading expository text and looking at text structures. We will be using books and articles from World War II as a theme as we explore and practice reading strategies.
Writing-Most of us have two personal narratives as rough drafts. Each child is choosing one of them to continue to revise then edit, then make a final copy. We should be done with our final copies by Friday.
Math-Geometric shapes and solids has been our focus. We are begining working with measurement. We will be learning about several types and units of measurement and will be applying them to problem solving situations.
Science-We are finishing up our Weather unit. Our test will be on Wednesday, instead of Tuesday.
Social Studies-We will be going back and reviewing the Texas Revolution and begin talking about the Republic of Texas.
Health- Maturation video is on Friday. Please send in your permission slip, if you haven't already.
Dates to remember:
Tuesday, February 28-Service Club afterschool from 2:45-4:00. We will be glazing some more bowls for the Empty Bowl project.
Wednesday, February 29-STAAR-ready math test, lunch time changed
Friday, March 2-Maturation Videos during specials
Saturday, March 3-UT Explore at Univ. of Texas Campus, Service Club to RR Serving Center from 10-11am
Monday, March 5-Friday,March 9-Writing Camp!!!!!!!!!
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for K-2
Monday, March 12-Friday March 16-Spring Break
Tuesday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 28-STAAR Writing Test for 4th graders
Tuesday, April 24-STAAR Math test for 4th graders
Wednesday, April 25-STAAR Reading test for 4th graders
Have a great week! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
We have been working hard and need to continue the great work. Last week we took a reading benchmark. This week we will be taking a STAAR-ready math test. This test was created by RRISD math curriculum specialists using the samples released by TEA. It will be a more challenging test than we anticipate STAAR to be and will be using it to see what strategies the children are using to get to their answer even if the answer isn't quite correct. The children have been taught all the strategies that they need to take the test but we are assessing how well they apply the strategies in multi-step problem solving situations. I think that if our class really focuses and takes their time, they will do well. They need to read the questions and answer choices carefully and be sure that their answer choice really answers the question. The incorrect choices or distractors are going to typically be answers that are very close or that would be the correct answer if a needed step was left out. The STAAR-ready math test will not count as a grade but will be used to inform me of the strategies your child is using and which areas are strengths and need so enrichment as well as areas of weakness that could use some reteaching. Thank you for encouraging your child to do his/her best, show work, and keep trying even if it is tricky. Our lunch time will be different so that we can practice the schedule as it will be on the actual testing days. We will be eating at 10:35 and then having snack in the afternoon. The STAAR test is timed so we will be timing this test as well. They will have 4 hours to complete the test with a 30 minute break for lunch. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I will try to find answers for you if I don't know them already.
Writing Camp-Next week will be our writing camp! This is a fun week filled with lots of writing as well as a some reading, math, and science. We have writing camp as a time to review our strategies and work toward more independence in their writing. We also will be singing some writing camp songs. We will be transforming our classroom into a campground and dressing in camp clothing. The children are encouraged to bring in a sleeping bag or blanket for the week and a pillow. We will be moving the desks, putting sleeping bags on the floor, setting up a small tent and creating a pretend campfire. We are in need of the following items for our Bartholomew Bat Campground!
We Need:
about 5 or 6 small logs for firewood
red lights or something creative that could be the fire for our campground
white holiday lights to string around room
artifical trees or other decorations to make it look like we are in the woods
If you can let us use any of these items, let me know and please bring them to school on Friday. I will be decorating the classroom after tutoring at about 4:15. If anyone wants to come and help decorate, that would be great. I'd like to only have parents help, not students, so that the kids can be surprised on Monday.
Another great part about writing camp is CAMP MAIL! SHHHHH! This should be a surprise! Did you ever go to overnight camp and get mail from your parents? Even though writing camp is just during the day, I would like to encourage you to write some letters for your camper. You can email me letters and I will print them out for your child or you can put them in my box. Feel free to write about anything... but since it is writing camp, you could write one of your own personal narratives about a camping story from your life. You could write an essay about why camping is a great activity. You could write as if they are sleeping at an overnight camp and you miss them. Be creative! You can also encourage family members to write letters, stories, or essays as well. Thank you in advance and let me know if you have any questions or concerns about camp mail or writing camp in general.
Reading-We are continuing to work on reading expository text and looking at text structures. We will be using books and articles from World War II as a theme as we explore and practice reading strategies.
Writing-Most of us have two personal narratives as rough drafts. Each child is choosing one of them to continue to revise then edit, then make a final copy. We should be done with our final copies by Friday.
Math-Geometric shapes and solids has been our focus. We are begining working with measurement. We will be learning about several types and units of measurement and will be applying them to problem solving situations.
Science-We are finishing up our Weather unit. Our test will be on Wednesday, instead of Tuesday.
Social Studies-We will be going back and reviewing the Texas Revolution and begin talking about the Republic of Texas.
Health- Maturation video is on Friday. Please send in your permission slip, if you haven't already.
Dates to remember:
Tuesday, February 28-Service Club afterschool from 2:45-4:00. We will be glazing some more bowls for the Empty Bowl project.
Wednesday, February 29-STAAR-ready math test, lunch time changed
Friday, March 2-Maturation Videos during specials
Saturday, March 3-UT Explore at Univ. of Texas Campus, Service Club to RR Serving Center from 10-11am
Monday, March 5-Friday,March 9-Writing Camp!!!!!!!!!
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for K-2
Monday, March 12-Friday March 16-Spring Break
Tuesday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 28-STAAR Writing Test for 4th graders
Tuesday, April 24-STAAR Math test for 4th graders
Wednesday, April 25-STAAR Reading test for 4th graders
Have a great week! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Friday, February 17, 2012
Newsletter-No school for students on Monday!
Hi,
We had another busy week and ended it with REPTILES today! We had a very interesting assembly with lots of live critters. Ask your child about it.
Reading-Non-fiction or expository text was our focus. We looked at several non-fiction books and practiced reading for the main idea or central idea and the supporting details. We traced our hands to make a graphic organizer and wrote the supporting details on our fingers and the main idea on the palm of the hand. We also examined how the author organized the text or the text structure. Knowing how the information is organized helps us comprehend the text. Is it organized as a cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence, description, or problem/solution. We will continue next week with more expository text dealing with events from WWII.
Writing-We have been working on our personal narratives. We will continue editing and revising then will complete our final copy! We will also try to write some procedural text this week.
Math-We took some assessments in geometry today. Keep practicing the geometry vocabulary. We applied that vocabulary to models and real life situations. We will continue with geometry in problem solving and begin some measurement next week.
Science-We finished up our work with Natural Resources and will be exploring weather next week!
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 20-No School for Students
Tuesday, February 21-Math Club 2:45-4:00
Thursday, February 23-Writing Club 2:45-4:00, Math Curriculum Night-6:00 pm
Friday, February 24-Wear Forest Creek Shirt or a purple or green shirt
Monday, March 5-Friday, March 9-Writing Camp-more info to follow
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for k, 1,2
Saturday, March 10-Sunday, March 18-Spring Break
Tuesday, March 27, Wednesday, March 28-STAAR writing testing for Fourth graders
Tuesday, April 24, Wednesday, April 25-STAAR math and reading testing for Fourh graders
Have a great three day weekend! Be sure that your child reads, writes, and practices math facts!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Thank you for sharing your children with me.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
We had another busy week and ended it with REPTILES today! We had a very interesting assembly with lots of live critters. Ask your child about it.
Reading-Non-fiction or expository text was our focus. We looked at several non-fiction books and practiced reading for the main idea or central idea and the supporting details. We traced our hands to make a graphic organizer and wrote the supporting details on our fingers and the main idea on the palm of the hand. We also examined how the author organized the text or the text structure. Knowing how the information is organized helps us comprehend the text. Is it organized as a cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence, description, or problem/solution. We will continue next week with more expository text dealing with events from WWII.
Writing-We have been working on our personal narratives. We will continue editing and revising then will complete our final copy! We will also try to write some procedural text this week.
Math-We took some assessments in geometry today. Keep practicing the geometry vocabulary. We applied that vocabulary to models and real life situations. We will continue with geometry in problem solving and begin some measurement next week.
Science-We finished up our work with Natural Resources and will be exploring weather next week!
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 20-No School for Students
Tuesday, February 21-Math Club 2:45-4:00
Thursday, February 23-Writing Club 2:45-4:00, Math Curriculum Night-6:00 pm
Friday, February 24-Wear Forest Creek Shirt or a purple or green shirt
Monday, March 5-Friday, March 9-Writing Camp-more info to follow
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for k, 1,2
Saturday, March 10-Sunday, March 18-Spring Break
Tuesday, March 27, Wednesday, March 28-STAAR writing testing for Fourth graders
Tuesday, April 24, Wednesday, April 25-STAAR math and reading testing for Fourh graders
Have a great three day weekend! Be sure that your child reads, writes, and practices math facts!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Thank you for sharing your children with me.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Monday, February 13, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day!
Hi,
We are getting ready for our Valentine's Celebrations tomorrow. We will try to incorporate lots of Valentine's topics into other subject areas during the day and then have our visit with our pen pals at 12:55 to glaze our bowls for the Empty Bowl Project. Then it will be our party time! Thank you Mrs. Geyer for organizing things. We will be enjoying some ice cream and the kids will get to make their own sundaes. We will pass out our Valentines. Don't forget to bring a decorated bag or box to collect your valentines from your friends! Lastly we will create some valentines to give to children at the Texas Baptist Children's Home. It will be a great day! Thank you in advance for all your donations. The Service Club will be meeting after the party to make some more valentines for the Texas Baptist Children's Home and to plan some more service projects for our school.
A new student, James, will be officially joining our class on Thursday. We met him today and he may be at our party tomorrow. If you have an extra valentine, please ask your child to fill it out for James. I'm sure that a bunch of Valentines from us would make him feel especially welcome to Forest Creek and to our class!
We had a great week last week!
Reading-We continued reading and analyzing strategies that authors use in persuasive articles and created our own persuasive poster. We also began reading non-fiction or expository text and determining if the titles and subtitles were explicit (told you exactly what it was about) or inferential (you had to make an inference about what the section was about). There are several different text structures or ways that authors organize expository text such as description, sequential, cause/effect, problem/solution, and compare/contrast. We began looking for these structures to help us better understand the text.
Writing-We have been gathering entries for our next personal narrative piece. We finally chose a seed story, drafted some leads, and made a kernal story as an outline. We will be working on our drafts, revising, conferencing, and editing, and then finally publishing! (or making a final copy!) We also have been working on word study (short vowels, long vowels, plurals, and endings) and combinging sentences.
Math-Geometry is very fun but there is a lot of vocabulary! We are now working with 2-D and 3-D figures and all of the terms that go with them. We have been solving problems in geometry as well and tomorrow will begin making 3-D figures out of straws. Keep reviewing multiplication facts. (firstinmath.com and other math games on our class website are great for reviewing at home) Facts should start to become automatic.
Science-Natural Resources has been our focus. We sorted pictures to classify things as renewable resource, non-renewable resource, and inexhaustible resource. We will be learning about how fossil fuels are made and talking more about sustainable energy.
Social Studies-We will be learning more about the Texas Revoulution and then start looking at the history of the Republic of Texas.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, February 14-Valentine's Day Party at 1:45, Pen Pal visit in art room at 12:55, Service Club at 2:45-4:00
Friday, February 17-Wear Forest Creek Shirt or a purple or green shirt
Monday, February 20-No School for Students
Tuesday, February 21-Math Club 2:45-4:00
Thursday, February 23-Writing Club 2:45-4:00, Math Curriculum Night-6:00 pm
Friday, February 24-Wear Forest Creek Shirt or a purple or green shirt
Monday, March 5-Friday, March 9-Writing Camp-more info to follow
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for k, 1,2
Saturday, March 10-Sunday, March 18-Spring Break
Tuesday, March 27, Wednesday, March 28-STAAR writing testing for Fourth graders
Tuesday, April 24, Wednesday, April 25-STAAR math and reading testing for Fourh graders
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Thank you for sharing your children with me.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
We are getting ready for our Valentine's Celebrations tomorrow. We will try to incorporate lots of Valentine's topics into other subject areas during the day and then have our visit with our pen pals at 12:55 to glaze our bowls for the Empty Bowl Project. Then it will be our party time! Thank you Mrs. Geyer for organizing things. We will be enjoying some ice cream and the kids will get to make their own sundaes. We will pass out our Valentines. Don't forget to bring a decorated bag or box to collect your valentines from your friends! Lastly we will create some valentines to give to children at the Texas Baptist Children's Home. It will be a great day! Thank you in advance for all your donations. The Service Club will be meeting after the party to make some more valentines for the Texas Baptist Children's Home and to plan some more service projects for our school.
A new student, James, will be officially joining our class on Thursday. We met him today and he may be at our party tomorrow. If you have an extra valentine, please ask your child to fill it out for James. I'm sure that a bunch of Valentines from us would make him feel especially welcome to Forest Creek and to our class!
We had a great week last week!
Reading-We continued reading and analyzing strategies that authors use in persuasive articles and created our own persuasive poster. We also began reading non-fiction or expository text and determining if the titles and subtitles were explicit (told you exactly what it was about) or inferential (you had to make an inference about what the section was about). There are several different text structures or ways that authors organize expository text such as description, sequential, cause/effect, problem/solution, and compare/contrast. We began looking for these structures to help us better understand the text.
Writing-We have been gathering entries for our next personal narrative piece. We finally chose a seed story, drafted some leads, and made a kernal story as an outline. We will be working on our drafts, revising, conferencing, and editing, and then finally publishing! (or making a final copy!) We also have been working on word study (short vowels, long vowels, plurals, and endings) and combinging sentences.
Math-Geometry is very fun but there is a lot of vocabulary! We are now working with 2-D and 3-D figures and all of the terms that go with them. We have been solving problems in geometry as well and tomorrow will begin making 3-D figures out of straws. Keep reviewing multiplication facts. (firstinmath.com and other math games on our class website are great for reviewing at home) Facts should start to become automatic.
Science-Natural Resources has been our focus. We sorted pictures to classify things as renewable resource, non-renewable resource, and inexhaustible resource. We will be learning about how fossil fuels are made and talking more about sustainable energy.
Social Studies-We will be learning more about the Texas Revoulution and then start looking at the history of the Republic of Texas.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, February 14-Valentine's Day Party at 1:45, Pen Pal visit in art room at 12:55, Service Club at 2:45-4:00
Friday, February 17-Wear Forest Creek Shirt or a purple or green shirt
Monday, February 20-No School for Students
Tuesday, February 21-Math Club 2:45-4:00
Thursday, February 23-Writing Club 2:45-4:00, Math Curriculum Night-6:00 pm
Friday, February 24-Wear Forest Creek Shirt or a purple or green shirt
Monday, March 5-Friday, March 9-Writing Camp-more info to follow
Friday, March 9-Hoe Down for k, 1,2
Saturday, March 10-Sunday, March 18-Spring Break
Tuesday, March 27, Wednesday, March 28-STAAR writing testing for Fourth graders
Tuesday, April 24, Wednesday, April 25-STAAR math and reading testing for Fourh graders
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Thank you for sharing your children with me.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Friday, February 3, 2012
Newsletter-Awesome Science Fair Projects!
Hi,
Our class created some amazing science fair projects. Our class also did well in the FCE science fair. Robert, Sammi, Savanna, and Grace won third place ribbons, Ethan won a second place ribbon, and Morgan won a first place ribbon and will move onto the regional science fair! Congratulations to everyone who entered the fair. Be sure to enter the science fair next year in fifth grade! We began our presentations today. We learned that lemon juice helps bubbles last longer,that more lengths of wire will make the electromagnetic energy stronger, that rap music will typically increase your heart rate compared to classic music, and that light rays can bend. Did you know that baking soda and vinegar will form a gas and inflate a balloon or that cold water is better when trying to keep flowers alive? We also learned that many frogs are losing their habitats or being harmed by people and that we should try to "Save the Frogs". We saw a demonstration of how combining robotics and magnetics can help people pick up things that were dropped. Incredible projects!
We will be continuing our presentations on Monday and maybe Tuesday. If your child took home his/her project after the fair, please have them bring it back for the class presentations next week.
Book Fair is this coming week. We will be previewing on Monday and will have extended hours on Thursday from 4:30-7:30. The author, Heather Hepler, who wrote The Cupcake Queen will be here autographing her book. It is available for $7.99 in paperback. She will also be doing some readings. Our Relay for Life team (Team HOWL) will be selling cupcakes also. Come buy some books, met an author, and eat some cupcakes!
Valentine's Day Party is coming up!-Everyone needs to decorate a box or large bag (at home) for the Valentine's Day party. The kids can bring the boxes or bags to school on Tuesday, February 14 to use to collect Valentines. Giving Valentines is optional, however, if your child would like to give Valentines to the class, he/she MUST give one to every student. Please don't leave friends out. Below is a list of the first names of the students in our class. We have 22 students. Don't forget to make a Valentine for your pen pal. We will be seeing them on Valentine's Day!
Dominic, Mabree, Madi, Grace, Rylee, Robert, Tyler, Corey, Sophie, Brooks, Jeffrey, Marissa, Cayge, Sammi, Ethan, Morgan, Rachel, Savanna, Sarah, Taylor, Sebastian, Aden
Feel free to use hand-made Valentines. Be creative and enjoy! More details about the party will be coming later.
Reading: We have been reading persuasive articles and learning about strategies that authors use to try to persuade their readers. We read several articles, analyzed an article in depth, and then are creating our own persuasive posters. Next week we will be reading expository text and looking closely at text structure and how that helps our comprehension.
Writing: We have been learning about Bessie Coleman and Barbara Jordan for Social Studies and chose one of these incredible women to write an essay for the RRISD Black History Month Contest. We planned, drafted, revised, typed, edited and print out our essays. We stressed the fact that essays need to have a central idea, supporting details, and a conclusion that pulls it all together. Next week we will be writing more personal narratives.
Math-We are still reviewing and practice concepts with fractions, decimals, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction in problem solving situations and are beginning to learn more about geometry. We've learned vocabulary such as parallel, perpendicular, intersecting, right angle, obtuse angle, acute angle, polygon, quadrilateral, square, rectangle, triangle, rhombus, trapezoid, hexagon, and octagon. We will continue to practice concepts with two dimensional figures and begin learning about three dimensional figures as well as transformations (translations-slide, rotation-turn, reflection-flip which are used to determine if figures are congruent-same size, same shape) We will also be experimenting with symmetry, tangrams, geoboards, 3d figures,and pattern blocks to have more concrete practice of these concepts. Look for things around your home, stores, neighborhoods, etc... to try to find examples of all of these concepts. I am excited about this fun and interesting part of our math!
If you are able to this weekend, encourage your child to notice geometric shapes, angles, lines, etc... and take photos of them. You will be amazed when you begin observing, how many cool designs and shapes you will see in everyday things. I will give your child extra credit for any photos that are emailed to me. We will compile some of them into a slide show or photo story or something. Have fun and be creative!
Science-Resources can be classified into three categories; renewable (trees, fresh water, plants, animals,soil, etc...) nonrenewable (oil, gas, coal), and inexhaustible (air, water, sunlight, wind). We are learning about ways to protect and conserve our natural resources and use more sustainable energy. We will continue with these concepts next week and complete our Scienc Project presentations.
Dates to Remember:
Saturday, February 4, 2012-Service Club to volunteer at Round Rock Serving Center from 10 am-11 am- Are all welcome!
Monday, February 6-Friday, February 10-Book Fair in the Library
Tuesday, February 7, 2012-Math Club afterschool 2:45-3:45
Thursday, February 9, 2012-Writing Club in ART room 2:45-4:00 All are welcome!
Author Visit & Extended Hours for Book fair-4:30-7:30
Tuesday, February 14, 2012-Pen Pal Visit to Glaze bowls at 1:00 pm in art room, Valentine's Day Party at 2:00 in classroom
By the way.... I was nominated by the teachers of our school as Forest Creek's Teacher of the Year along with several other hard-working, dedicated, talented teachers from our school. The teachers all voted and I WON!!!!! Mrs. Arnold made me a beautiful crown with a glittering star on it. Ask the kids about it. Now I get to go to a dinner with Mrs. Lehnick and the other Teacher of the Years from the other RRISD schools and get presented with an award. At that dinner, they announce the elementary and secondary District Teachers of the Year. Anyway, thank you all for sharing your children with me. They make my days so enjoyable and fun and I feel like we are having a very great year!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Our class created some amazing science fair projects. Our class also did well in the FCE science fair. Robert, Sammi, Savanna, and Grace won third place ribbons, Ethan won a second place ribbon, and Morgan won a first place ribbon and will move onto the regional science fair! Congratulations to everyone who entered the fair. Be sure to enter the science fair next year in fifth grade! We began our presentations today. We learned that lemon juice helps bubbles last longer,that more lengths of wire will make the electromagnetic energy stronger, that rap music will typically increase your heart rate compared to classic music, and that light rays can bend. Did you know that baking soda and vinegar will form a gas and inflate a balloon or that cold water is better when trying to keep flowers alive? We also learned that many frogs are losing their habitats or being harmed by people and that we should try to "Save the Frogs". We saw a demonstration of how combining robotics and magnetics can help people pick up things that were dropped. Incredible projects!
We will be continuing our presentations on Monday and maybe Tuesday. If your child took home his/her project after the fair, please have them bring it back for the class presentations next week.
Book Fair is this coming week. We will be previewing on Monday and will have extended hours on Thursday from 4:30-7:30. The author, Heather Hepler, who wrote The Cupcake Queen will be here autographing her book. It is available for $7.99 in paperback. She will also be doing some readings. Our Relay for Life team (Team HOWL) will be selling cupcakes also. Come buy some books, met an author, and eat some cupcakes!
Valentine's Day Party is coming up!-Everyone needs to decorate a box or large bag (at home) for the Valentine's Day party. The kids can bring the boxes or bags to school on Tuesday, February 14 to use to collect Valentines. Giving Valentines is optional, however, if your child would like to give Valentines to the class, he/she MUST give one to every student. Please don't leave friends out. Below is a list of the first names of the students in our class. We have 22 students. Don't forget to make a Valentine for your pen pal. We will be seeing them on Valentine's Day!
Dominic, Mabree, Madi, Grace, Rylee, Robert, Tyler, Corey, Sophie, Brooks, Jeffrey, Marissa, Cayge, Sammi, Ethan, Morgan, Rachel, Savanna, Sarah, Taylor, Sebastian, Aden
Feel free to use hand-made Valentines. Be creative and enjoy! More details about the party will be coming later.
Reading: We have been reading persuasive articles and learning about strategies that authors use to try to persuade their readers. We read several articles, analyzed an article in depth, and then are creating our own persuasive posters. Next week we will be reading expository text and looking closely at text structure and how that helps our comprehension.
Writing: We have been learning about Bessie Coleman and Barbara Jordan for Social Studies and chose one of these incredible women to write an essay for the RRISD Black History Month Contest. We planned, drafted, revised, typed, edited and print out our essays. We stressed the fact that essays need to have a central idea, supporting details, and a conclusion that pulls it all together. Next week we will be writing more personal narratives.
Math-We are still reviewing and practice concepts with fractions, decimals, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction in problem solving situations and are beginning to learn more about geometry. We've learned vocabulary such as parallel, perpendicular, intersecting, right angle, obtuse angle, acute angle, polygon, quadrilateral, square, rectangle, triangle, rhombus, trapezoid, hexagon, and octagon. We will continue to practice concepts with two dimensional figures and begin learning about three dimensional figures as well as transformations (translations-slide, rotation-turn, reflection-flip which are used to determine if figures are congruent-same size, same shape) We will also be experimenting with symmetry, tangrams, geoboards, 3d figures,and pattern blocks to have more concrete practice of these concepts. Look for things around your home, stores, neighborhoods, etc... to try to find examples of all of these concepts. I am excited about this fun and interesting part of our math!
If you are able to this weekend, encourage your child to notice geometric shapes, angles, lines, etc... and take photos of them. You will be amazed when you begin observing, how many cool designs and shapes you will see in everyday things. I will give your child extra credit for any photos that are emailed to me. We will compile some of them into a slide show or photo story or something. Have fun and be creative!
Science-Resources can be classified into three categories; renewable (trees, fresh water, plants, animals,soil, etc...) nonrenewable (oil, gas, coal), and inexhaustible (air, water, sunlight, wind). We are learning about ways to protect and conserve our natural resources and use more sustainable energy. We will continue with these concepts next week and complete our Scienc Project presentations.
Dates to Remember:
Saturday, February 4, 2012-Service Club to volunteer at Round Rock Serving Center from 10 am-11 am- Are all welcome!
Monday, February 6-Friday, February 10-Book Fair in the Library
Tuesday, February 7, 2012-Math Club afterschool 2:45-3:45
Thursday, February 9, 2012-Writing Club in ART room 2:45-4:00 All are welcome!
Author Visit & Extended Hours for Book fair-4:30-7:30
Tuesday, February 14, 2012-Pen Pal Visit to Glaze bowls at 1:00 pm in art room, Valentine's Day Party at 2:00 in classroom
By the way.... I was nominated by the teachers of our school as Forest Creek's Teacher of the Year along with several other hard-working, dedicated, talented teachers from our school. The teachers all voted and I WON!!!!! Mrs. Arnold made me a beautiful crown with a glittering star on it. Ask the kids about it. Now I get to go to a dinner with Mrs. Lehnick and the other Teacher of the Years from the other RRISD schools and get presented with an award. At that dinner, they announce the elementary and secondary District Teachers of the Year. Anyway, thank you all for sharing your children with me. They make my days so enjoyable and fun and I feel like we are having a very great year!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)