Newsletter 12/23

The last news of 2016!

We celebrated the end of our SUPER READERS unit in Reading Workshop today with our 5th Grade Buddies.  We "rehearsed" reading a book with our powers all week.  We know to give a book introduction, read the book fluently, with expression and then retell it when we're done.  It's a lofty goal, but our powers will be getting stronger all year!  We "performed" our books for our buddies on Friday.  "Book Talk Power" is very important.  Remember to, once in awhile, ask your child to introduce one of their books from their book sleeves to you before reading it, or to retell it when finished.  It should sound something like "This book is called__________ and it's all about________  and I think________".      I am so proud of your reader!

In Writing Workshop we continued to clean up our writing so readers can read it.  We learned about the magic within a pencil; it can write, but when it's flipped, it's a re-reading tool!  We wrote and re-read, wrote more and re-read, flipping our magic pencils all along.  We also experimented with different forms of punctuation to end sentences.

We continued measuring in math, finding lines all over the room and measuring them using various strategies.  We also faced the challenge of gathering data regarding our favorite winter activity.  The students brainstormed ways to collect, organize and record the data.  They decided that we could make a table, a graph or use tally marks.  After a vote, (and then a tie-breaking round of Rock, Paper, Scissors!), the tally strategy was used.  See our results below.

In Social Studies, we discussed holiday needs vs. wants.

In Science, we welcomed winter with a word web and recording what we notice at our "Observation Station".

We enjoyed the student Christmas Concert on Wednesday, listening to the school band, orchestra and chorus.  Finally we had our All School Sing-A-Long on Friday!   Happy Holidays!

News and Notes:

• Book sleeves will be sent home with books on 1/4, the first day back to school.
• Make sure to find your gift and card from your child in the plastic bag sent home yesterday!

Re-reading

Adding finger spaces

Recording the temperature at our "Observation Station"

Measuring around the room!

Our SUPER POWERS!

A Writing Workshop anchor chart

Our rockin' Ox Ridge Musicians!

Sing-A-Long fun

The Ox Ridge Holiday Concert

We decorated the front of the school with our 5th Grade Buddies!

We surprised everyone with chalk designs at dismissal!

Our Buddies listened to our super reading!

Newsletter 12/16

We are working on writing personal narratives in Writing Workshop, telling stories that only we can tell.  Everyone is planning out their stories and working on making them readable.  We're using our partners every day now, to see if they can read our work and to give us ideas on how we can add more to our stories.

We are also working with our partners in Reading Workshop.  We learned how to sit back-to-back for private reading time and then hip-to-hip for partner time.  Readers enjoy their books on their own and then make a plan for their partner time.  This week we learned how partners can echo read together.  Ask your child to tell you about it!  We also did a fun lesson on increasing our stamina while reading.  We are using reading plan mats to organize which books we will read, have been read, and need to be read again (see the photo below).  Having a reading plan helps students stay on task and read for longer periods of time.  Lastly, we all read "Jingle Bells" many times this week, and we learned that the letters i, n, and g work together to make a new sound!  We met the King of Ing (we all pretended) and highlighted all of the "ing" words in "Jingle Bells" (there's a lot!).

We continued measuring in math this week.  We enjoyed measuring our feet with connecting cubes, making sure to measure from heel to toe.  Then we measured each others' feet and put all of our feet in order from shortest to longest.  Who's got the longest feet?  Ask your child!  We also began measuring with popsicle sticks.  We measure with all kinds of non-standard units in K!

In Social Studies, we continue to learn about various December holidays and traditions.  Our Second Step lesson was about being assertive.  This was a good one!  Make sure you read the sheet sent home on Thursday, because an assertive child learns how to help him/herself and that's a wonderful ability!  

In Science, we paid close attention to the weather.  We watched our outside thermometer slowly go down, down, down this week.  It was "in the purple" (the coldest it reads)!  We talked about how the weather effects our lives and sometimes makes us change our plans.  We had to stay indoors for recess, but we had fun!

Polar Express was a great success!  We listened to the classic tale and then we made our own versions, putting the book into the correct sequence.  We got to play with the Henry Boys' awesome collection of trains!!!  We also made jingle bells and then rang them as we read our "Jingle Bell" poem one last time.  Lastly, we snuggled up for a short holiday movie and enjoyed a popcorn treat.  What a fun day.

News and Notes:

• Book sleeves due on Monday!  NO NEW BOOKS will be sent home next week because of the vacation.  If your child is looking to read, make sure to jump on to Raz-kids!
• Please make sure to let me know if your child is leaving for vacation early.
• A reminder, please try to send all dismissal notes and emails to me BEFORE THE SCHOOL DAY BEGINS (8:50 am).  If you must send one later, please CC our secretary Mary Lay, as she will change your child's plan in the office.  Thank you!
• Another PJ day next Friday- with the whole school, and then early dismissal (pick ups at 1:10 pm and buses at 1:30).

Thank you for the cinnamon play doh, Mrs. Balevich!

Measuring our feet outlines...

...and with popsicle sticks.

Our reading plan mats

A King of Ing

Jingle Bells!

Dreidel fun!

December Buddies

Our 5th Grade Buddies visited today!  We read holiday books and made peaceful placemats!  We discussed what it means to be peaceful- what it looks and sounds like.  We'll laminate these placemats and send them home to adorn your holiday table next week!  

Newsletter 12/9/15

What a busy week we had, trying to fit everything into our shortened days!  I enjoyed getting to meet with you all.

We had so much fun studying various versions of The Gingerbread Boy in Reading Workshop this week.  We read a classic version and then many others, most of them very different and silly.  We compared these versions using a venn diagram.  We also made our own gingerbread crafts.

We also did a lot of partner work in Reading Workshop this week.  Sometimes, we didn't even read with our partners, but discussed the books we had read on our own.  We learned how to give an introduction to a book, without giving away the ending ("This book is called___ and it's all about___")!  You can practice this at home, too.

We began a new unit in Writing Workshop called "Writing for Readers".  We are returning to writing narrative pieces, telling true stories from our lives.  This time, we're really going to work hard to make our writing readable for everyone!  This week, we thought about topics, planned out our story and jumped right in!  We are really trying to write with spaces between words and maybe even include some punctuation.

Our math unit on patterns came to a close this week.  We learned how each pattern is made up of repeating "units".  We had fun dividing one another's patterns into units and recording our work.  We also did another exemplar this week about bicycles.  If there are 3 bikes outside of the school and each has 2 wheels, how many wheels in all?  This was very much like our previous work with pairs of cat ears.

In Second Steps we did one of my favorite lessons- how to use self-talk to avoid distractions.  I refer to this lesson all year long.  Focus on your work.  Ignore distractions.  Repeat directions in your head.  Tell yourself what you have to do.  We're getting pretty good at it!

We have learned all of the capital letter formations and are moving on to lower case!  Ask your child about "Magic c".

News and Notes:

• Next Friday is Polar Express/Pajama Day!  Your child may wear pajamas to school and bring a cozy towel or small blanket to snuggle up while we enjoy the story and some special activities!  Please make sure the towel is labeled with your name.
• Book sleeves are due every Monday.  You may send them in the Friday before if that is easier.
• Please let me know if your child will be leaving for the holiday break early.  We want to make sure each child brings his/her treats home!

Our Exemplar this week

Making our own venn diagrams

Readers read back-to-back while reading independently.
We use POINTER POWER!

Separating patterns into units

Using toothpicks the "break" up the units

Gingerbread friends!

Newsletter 12/2/16

We got to shop for "Just Right" books in Reading Workshop this week!  You'll be hearing about Just Right books from now throughout your child's time at Ox Ridge.  A Just Right book is one that is interesting to your child, not too hard and not too easy.  Your child will be bringing home his/her book sleeve in the beginning of next week.  In it you will find 4-5 books that your child should read every night.  These books are at your child's INDEPENDENT reading level- meaning, they should be easy for your child to read.  I want your child to enjoy reading at home and to gain confidence.  Please know that at school your child will be reading books at his/her INSTRUCTIONAL level, learning new skills and challenging him/herself.  The teaching is my job and the new learning should be done at school.  Therefore, the books going home should not be a challenge.  Please let me know if your child is having difficulty with the books selected.  There will be a 2-sided golden note in the book sleeve, along with the books.  Please read both sides as they give directions and will be extremely helpful.

This week we also read Just Right books on our Chromebooks!  We learned how to use a wonderful reading tool, Raz-Kids.  Your child has his/her personalized account all set up to use!  I will be giving you more information at conferences next week.

We published our Looking Closely piece in Writing Workshop this week!  Please see the photo below to see some of the teaching points/things we learned.  Please take a look at your child's piece displayed in the hallway when you come for conferences.  I will not be sending them home as you'll each be stopping by.  Thank you!

We did an Exemplar in math this week where we learned about pairs- (i.e. "If I see six cat ears, how many cats do I see?").  Tricky stuff!  We have not mastered this, but are beginning to find the best tools to show our thinking as we solve such problems.  We also began a unit on patterns.  We love them!  We are learning how to recognize, form, label and extend patterns.  We have some patterning work in the hallway to see, too!  See the photos below.

Our science unit this week was on sinking and floating.  We conducted daily experiments where we tested our predictions.  We experimented to see if varying size, material and weight made a difference in our results.

We are beginning to discuss December family traditions in social studies.  Have you sent in your family's tradition candle?

Thank you to Mrs. Katz, Mrs. DiBenedetto, Mr. Nichols and Emma's grandmother for coming to Games this week!  We learned how to match numerals to illustrated amounts, match colors to their word labels, play Old Maid and make a boat!  Super Fun!

News and Notes:

• Half days T-F for conferences next week.  Dismissal is immediately after our lunch time, at 1:30.  There will be no recess on these days.
• Have you sent in your family's tradition candle?

"What's Hidding Under the Cups?" pattern game

"What Comes Next?" pattern snakes