Monday, March 19, 2012

Math Homework HELP!

I went searching for the parent letter to help my daughter with her fourth grade homework.
I couldn't find it at home, so I looked online.
Check out THIS website.
It has ALL the parent letters at just one (or two) clicks...for EVERY grade level.
Bookmark this one?

Children's Film Festival

Portland Children's Film Festival...coming soon!

"The first  Portland Children’s Film Festival will take place in Portland from March 29 – April 1. The festival will show independent and international films, as well as help local students  develop their film-making skills and meet artists in the industry.
Film screenings will be in 5 different venues: St. Lawrence Theater, the Nickelodeon, Zero Station, the Portland Museum of Art, and East End Community School.
Several workshops will be held on March 31 at the East End Community School."

Posted by Jeff Mateja on iloveportlandmaine.com on March 9, 2012
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Monday, February 27, 2012

Maine Outdoor Weekend!

Did you know this even existed?
Thought I'd share it!

http://greatmaineoutdoorweekend.org/


Saturday, February 11, 2012

Spirit Week

1.  Monday is Mismatch Day!  (socks, shoes, patterns, earrings, etc)
     Tuesday is Red and White Day
     Wednesday is Crazy Hair or Hat Day
     Thursday is Favorite Idol Day (book character, athlete, celebrity--no masks please)
     Friday - Beach Day
     ***the class with the greatest percentage of participation will celebrate with a pizza party.***

2.  I haven't forgotten to send home the reading home log.  I just haven't done it, mostly because I was only getting a handful back.  I will just assume you are reading at least 15-30 minutes per night.  If you feel like having the form helps with the structure and accountability of reading, I would be happy to reinstate this practice or even send it home with just a few.  Send me an email or weigh in under comments...  Thanks.

3.  We have started our own box of non-fiction books in our classroom library.  WE are the authors!  

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

February? Already?

Greetings everyone,
February is here and here's what we're up to...

1.  Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Obery, local area teeth specialists, came to visit our first grade! 
     We talked about healthy foods and healthy hygiene habits.

2.  Quick response--Paper Towel Tube Request has been filled.

3.  Red Claws Game--March 11--Get your tickets ASAP

4.  Learning to read NON-FICTION. 
     -  Get ready to read NF, just like getting ready to read Fiction (title, blurb, picture walk)
     -  Warming up our brains before reading NF. 
                        Ask--What do I already know? (Keep it in mind...)
                        Then Ask--What more do I know now?  

5.  Learning to write ALL ABOUT Books
     -  Choose a topic that 1) you know a lot about   2) you have experience with
     -  Think about your audience and why you are writing
     -  Organize their topics into sections/categories/chapters (Table of Contents)
     -  Develop your facts in each section 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

In Need...

Hello All,

1.  We are in need of paper towel tubes.  So, please check your recycling and send them in.  We'll use them to house our math scrolls.

2.  We are going to keep our collection for the animal shelter going.  We thought it might be nice to extend the donation invitation to other classrooms throughout the school.  We're working on a way to let them all know... (and, yes, I accidentally put the wrong date on the list of items...oops.)  We'll keep going, until further notice (mid February?).

That's all for now.
Thanks.

Monday, January 9, 2012

A New Month

Here's what we've been up to...

READING---our new unit is, what I'm calling, "Reading on Stage." 
(Getting to know the characters in your books, like an actor would know his character.)
We've talked about--and practiced--
--reading our books like they are lines in a play.  (read & reread using our storytelling voices).
--readers change their voices when they are characters and narrators.
--readers think about what's happening to the character and how they feel and match their voices to the story.
--readers zoom-in on tag words like yelled, shouted, said, whispered.

WRITING---our new unit is writing persuasive letters, so watch out!
(Warning:  Letters could be coming your way.  I heard lots of complaints about beds this morning  :))
We've talked about--and are beginning to practice--
--collecting IDEAS for letters we want to write. 
   Things in our world (big and small) that we want to change or make better.
--WHO our audience is...who would else would care, who could help?
--REHEARSE the letter before we write...think how to word it.

That's the quick version.
This next week/or two I will be completing universal screening.  That means administering the DRA and DIBELS, and looking at your child's progress.