Happy Monday! Our first pictures were taken from the generous gift drive Shorecrest participated in. The amount of gifts donated far exceeded all expectations. Thank-you parents!
A reminder, even though the weather is cooling off, please do not forget sunscreen. Your child is outside daily and the sun rays do not take time off in Florida.
We will not be having our traditional spelling test this week. I sent the words home today. This week is a visual memory skill. The "er", "ir", and "ur" all make the same sound. We will study and try to remember which words are spelled with which two letters. Please do not feel you have to work on these at home. We will be working on them daily in class. If you are interested in purchasing any Marianne Burke stories, please fill out the order form mailed home. The visiting author will be here in January to talk with the students.
The students will be bringing a hard copy once a week of their morning 4 box warm up work. We do this every morning on their white boards. I think you should review the skills each week. The students are being more diligent in completing their work knowing it is going home.
I encourage you to have the students read and write over break. They should have lots of new story ideas. I will send home a blank 3 page story paper for them to use. The story must have happened to them or a family member. I am also sending home the Unit 5 Family Letter. Please review unit four and utilize the do anytime activities for unit 5. The other pictures show the students engaged in Math activities. Ask them how they get three numbers from a domino. The students are working on knowing math facts as quickly as they know their word cards. Right now we are working on +0 and +1 with any 3 digit number. I will let you know when I introduce another strategy.
Robust vocabulary: cozily, interrupted, triumphantly, admire, accomplishment, ambition
this weeks: compatible, amiable, relax, captured, mercy, struggling
Our winter Pajama party is Friday at 8:15 a.m. for breakfast and there is a noon dismissal as well.
I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! See you January 3rd 2012.

Happy Monday! We are busy working on our new Math scrolls. This is an activity that the students will only work on in class until the end of the school year. They will be given their scroll to continue adding onto as they wish. This practice of reading, and writing two and three digit numbers is very important to their place value understanding. I will also continue to correct reversals and the written order of digits. Example 16, 61 or 161, 116
In Reading Workshop, we have continued flagging important pages, in our stories, with post it notes. This strategy helps us to focus in on important parts of the story so we can share and remember what we read.
Robust Vocabulary: energetic, pace, approached, blunder, reassure, excel
In Writing Workshop, we are continuing working on writing for our readers. Please do not let your child stick uppercase letters in the middle of words or write words in all uppercase letters. This will be corrected on their spelling test.
We will be studying the moon this week. Ask your child about what they have learned each day.
Have a great week! We will.

Well clearly, I am getting back into our routine of blogging. I thought about missing our blog at 3:30am. I do not know what will happen in 2012. Maybe you will receive a new blog by March#@$^@^$!@^!
The students were wonderful at town meeting on Monday. They spoke clearly, and loudly.
We are now back in full swing with our academics. In Reader's Workshop, we are thinking about what we read. please keep reviewing parts of the stories your child is reading. They are so focused on reading the words in print that they are missing the meaning of what the author is trying to teach them. We began a new author study. We are looking at, reading and studying Tomie dePaola's style and stories. Strega Nona is a great role model and lots of fun to read adventures about. In Writer's Workshop, we begun our unit Writing for Readers. We have been discussing the word "yearning" to read a book or story. Share with your child something that you yearn to read or do.
The Solar System is our science study for 2nd trimester. I introduced the students to the word vast. We will be studying a vast area.
Please look for the email that gives you the information to preview your child's progress report. Coach Cameron is your child's P.E. coach for the trimester. Please check out his blog as well. I will link it to mine.
In Math, we have compared rulers to yardsticks, and inches to feet. Ask your child to measure things at home and which tool would be appropriate to do so.
Please continue to bring in items for our gift drive and thank-you to the families that already have.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful vacation.....see you next week.

We are celebrating with our Cornucopia snack at 1:45 on Friday, please join us if you would like.

We are leading Town Meeting on November 28th at 8:10a.m. Please have your child practice their speaking part over the vacation, if they can. I am sending them home today. Join us if you would like.

Human Body Voice Thread & Other Stuff

Now, I can blog, we finished! Happy Tuesday....Please watch and listen to our Human Body Voice Thread project.



We are beginning unit 4 in Reader's Workshop, and are focusing in on comprehension, from now until winter break. This week the students are using the strategy to stop and think about the story they are reading, while they are reading it. In Writer's Workshop we will be taking home our small moment pieces. Please read the attached letter, and enjoy our writing.
Robust Vocabulary: reward, cruel, greedy, consequences, handsomely, regret
In Math we are studying non standard units of measure. We learned that the pilgrims, and early settlers, along with Native Americans did not always have measuring tools to use, and had to measure using their body parts.

Happy Monday!
Here we are at SPCA! We had a blast feeding, and seeing all of the animals. They were overwhelmed by the generosity of our students. I am finished with my travels for a while. Football has ended at Birmingham Southern with a 7-2 record. All was great this weekend, and I am glad to be home. I am going to blog either Tues. or Wed. due to needing to record three more students for our voice thread. I will try to get that finished tomorrow. Thanks for understanding, it will be worth the wait.

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a wonderful night trick or treating. They looked so great on Friday. A great big thank-you to all who helped make our Fall festival terrific.
In reading we are finishing up, looking for patterns, in the text. We will begin our Author Studies next week. I am testing the students on their reading fluency this week. I am determing by their fluency, whether they are reading above, below or on grade level. I am comparing this information, from where they were, at the beginning of the year. This information will be reflected on their report cards, at the end of this month.

Robust Vocabulary: soared, mused, ashamed, awkward, superb, athletic
In Writing, we are finishing up small moments, and identifying internal and external parts of the story. We have also practiced writing strong endings, and captivating beginnings.
In Math we are concluding unit 3 this week. Please look for the unit 3 checking progress, and the Unit 4 Family Letter.
I am also finishing up the human body unit. Please look for that material to be coming home as well.
Book fair is the week of November 8th. The Announcement is being sent home today.