Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Classroom News!
Math
This week we delved into some early algebraic concepts as students observed and built growing patterns using tiles and cubes on their iPads. These growing patterns are new to many students; students were asked to build steps 3, 4 and 5 of a growing pattern and make conjectures about the 10th arrangement or 20th arrangement without actually building that arrangement. We created a "T" chart to look at the relationship between the arrangement number and its number of tiles or cubes. Figuring out a mathematical rule for how the patterns were growing was a challenge to many students, but we will revisit it several times in both similar and different ways this year. Students also explored Work Places, a set of math stations where they get more independent practice and skill building through problem-solving, fluency-building games, and more.
This week we delved into some early algebraic concepts as students observed and built growing patterns using tiles and cubes on their iPads. These growing patterns are new to many students; students were asked to build steps 3, 4 and 5 of a growing pattern and make conjectures about the 10th arrangement or 20th arrangement without actually building that arrangement. We created a "T" chart to look at the relationship between the arrangement number and its number of tiles or cubes. Figuring out a mathematical rule for how the patterns were growing was a challenge to many students, but we will revisit it several times in both similar and different ways this year. Students also explored Work Places, a set of math stations where they get more independent practice and skill building through problem-solving, fluency-building games, and more.
Reading
We are about midway
through The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. We are practicing
making predictions and connections about and with the text, and learning to
back up those predictions/connections with evidence. We practice this
together as a class with our read-aloud, and then students practice again while
independently reading. We continue our conversations about finding a “just
right” book during independent reading that will help them grow as a reader.
Writing
This
week, we continued drafting – and for some, started revising and editing - our
personal narratives and imaginative stories. This week’s mini-lessons
were about editing. Students are learning how to use an editing
checklist to make corrections to their piece.
We
also did some:
• observational writing – writing
descriptions and observations about the “mysterious artifacts”
• letter-writing
- as students replied to Mrs. Parks, the archaeologist who sent us the
artifacts.
• reflective
writing -- about what is
developing in our current read-aloud, and our own silent reading books
• nature
journaling – writing about what we saw and heard at Wapato Park on our hike
today
Social Studies
As I'm sure you've heard
- our class received an important letter and package this week from a local
archaeologist. Our bright young group of students has been selected to help
analyze a collection of artifacts found in the Columbia Basin. This week, we examined
the artifacts, and students used their inferential and observational skills to
figure out what materials they were made from, what they might have been used
for, and who might have used them. The class reached consensus that these must
have been owned by Native Americans. Students wrote letters stating their
findings back to the local archaeologist. We’re eager to hear her
response!
Nature Studies
Though quite wet
and chilly, we had a great first nature adventure hiking the loop at Wapato Park
today. We did a little scavenger
hunt, learned about a few native plants, and practiced our outdoor observational skills and ethics. (Yes, for safety reasons, we opted for
the Wapato loop - last week I
encountered a herd of cows roaming freely on the Oak Island trail!)
Questions to ask your Third Grader:
• What did you
find most challenging about working on the Growing Patterns with tiles and
cubes? What is a T-chart, and how can it help you “crack the code”
of a pattern?
• How is Edward Tulane
changing as a character? How do you know this?
• What are you
working on as a writer? What is
your strategy for checking to see if you forgot to capitalize or include
punctuation?
• Tell me about the
trunk your class received from Mrs.Virginia Parks. What was your
mission this week? What artifact did you study? What was it made
from, or used for? Who do you think owned it, and why?
• What plants did you
learn about on your hike at Wapato?
Can you tell me about how Native Americans used them? What else did you see or hear on your
adventure?
Reminder:
• Morning
field study at Wapato Park this Thursday, Oct. 3 – please check that your child is dressed for the weather – (we
had several kids today who did not have warm layers or waterproof coats/jackets
– I keep some extra on hand but it’s always better to come prepared)
That's the news for now! Have a great weekend - stay warm and dry!
Warm regards,
Asa
Monday, September 23, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Classroom News!
In our third week of school, the third graders now have a
pretty good grasp of the daily routines and procedures, and are taking
ownership and responsibility for their learning environment.
In Mathematics, we’ve been learning about how to display and communicate data using a variety of methods – including Venn Diagrams, bar graphs, pictographs, and dot plots. We’ve been surveying each other about favorite ice cream flavors, book genres, people living in your house, pets, and more – graphing it all and having great discussions. We’ve also been working on beginning-of-year baseline assessments.
In writing this week, we explored two strategies to generate personal narratives: thinking of a person or a place important to you, and then writing about clear, small moments you have had with that person or special place. Students brainstormed where and how writers get their ideas, and many of them began drafting personal stories. I emphasized, and will continue to teach - that good writers put on “binoculars” to “zoom in” on particular moments. We should consider our readers - will they be captivated by a laundry-list dawn-to-dusk summary of your trip to the beach? Or will they be more intrigued by a juicy, detailed description of the small, wondrous universe you discovered in the 10 minutes you spent gazing into a tidepool?
If there's one thing about writing I can't emphasize enough with you and your child it is this: writing happens everywhere!! It is not something to be practiced solely within the walls of a room or chained to a desk. Now that our classroom routines are established, I hope to get them outside more often with a pencil and writer's notebook in hand, especially on nicer days. Here they are better able to observe and record life with their words and sketches. People, animals, daydreams and places they see can all become characters or settings in their writing. Of course they will continue to work on spelling and word skills this year. They will learn revising and editing skills, and they will write informational articles. In the process, I also want them to continue to love to write, to see themselves as writers and encourage them to observe life through their authors lens.
The first weeks of Reading Workshop are spent listening to reading, setting up our classroom library, getting to know our books, learning about the various genres we have in our classroom library, and assessment. Some mini-lessons this week included getting in the practice of honest self-monitoring (“is this a just-right book for me?”), recording in-the-moment thinking using sticky notes while reading, and discussing when it is or is not appropriate to just abandon a book. We also talked about how good readers make predictions, find connections, and ask questions while they are reading.
I am in the process of meeting with each student in order to get to know them better as readers. These crucial first meetings will help me set initial goals with them and help get the right books into their hands. You can support this process by giving them a time and place to settle into a book, to read alone, read aloud to you, read to a sibling, neighbor, pet or friend. In addition, a routine of sitting together with an adult or as a family to listen to a great book can be a wonderful way to bond together as well as strengthen those fluency skills and their love of reading. Your local librarian is a great resource for finding fantastic read-alouds you can share together – or feel free to ask me for a recommendation!
Finally, we began our first chapter book read-aloud, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, and practiced the homework journal format we will use in 3rd grade. We may do a few more days of guided practice with the latter next week before the kids fly solo with it - I really want them to enjoy and succeed with it!
Some questions to ask your third grader:
• Which do you think is a better way to display data: a bar graph, a dot plot, a pictograph, or just numbers in a data table? Why?
• What are some reasons readers abandon books? When is a good idea to abandon a book? On the other hand, why might it be a problem to constantly abandon books one after another?
• Tell me about what is happening right now in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Why did Pellegrina tell Edward the story of the princess? What do you think kept Edward going when he was buried under all that garbage at the dump? How would you feel?
• How has your class been using iPads during read-aloud? During Math?
• What does it mean to "put on your binoculars" as a writer? How are you doing that with the writing you are working on?
That’s the third grade news for now… next week, we’re off on our first field study hiking the Oak Island Loop!
Have a great weekend!
~ Asa
In Mathematics, we’ve been learning about how to display and communicate data using a variety of methods – including Venn Diagrams, bar graphs, pictographs, and dot plots. We’ve been surveying each other about favorite ice cream flavors, book genres, people living in your house, pets, and more – graphing it all and having great discussions. We’ve also been working on beginning-of-year baseline assessments.
In writing this week, we explored two strategies to generate personal narratives: thinking of a person or a place important to you, and then writing about clear, small moments you have had with that person or special place. Students brainstormed where and how writers get their ideas, and many of them began drafting personal stories. I emphasized, and will continue to teach - that good writers put on “binoculars” to “zoom in” on particular moments. We should consider our readers - will they be captivated by a laundry-list dawn-to-dusk summary of your trip to the beach? Or will they be more intrigued by a juicy, detailed description of the small, wondrous universe you discovered in the 10 minutes you spent gazing into a tidepool?
If there's one thing about writing I can't emphasize enough with you and your child it is this: writing happens everywhere!! It is not something to be practiced solely within the walls of a room or chained to a desk. Now that our classroom routines are established, I hope to get them outside more often with a pencil and writer's notebook in hand, especially on nicer days. Here they are better able to observe and record life with their words and sketches. People, animals, daydreams and places they see can all become characters or settings in their writing. Of course they will continue to work on spelling and word skills this year. They will learn revising and editing skills, and they will write informational articles. In the process, I also want them to continue to love to write, to see themselves as writers and encourage them to observe life through their authors lens.
The first weeks of Reading Workshop are spent listening to reading, setting up our classroom library, getting to know our books, learning about the various genres we have in our classroom library, and assessment. Some mini-lessons this week included getting in the practice of honest self-monitoring (“is this a just-right book for me?”), recording in-the-moment thinking using sticky notes while reading, and discussing when it is or is not appropriate to just abandon a book. We also talked about how good readers make predictions, find connections, and ask questions while they are reading.
I am in the process of meeting with each student in order to get to know them better as readers. These crucial first meetings will help me set initial goals with them and help get the right books into their hands. You can support this process by giving them a time and place to settle into a book, to read alone, read aloud to you, read to a sibling, neighbor, pet or friend. In addition, a routine of sitting together with an adult or as a family to listen to a great book can be a wonderful way to bond together as well as strengthen those fluency skills and their love of reading. Your local librarian is a great resource for finding fantastic read-alouds you can share together – or feel free to ask me for a recommendation!
Finally, we began our first chapter book read-aloud, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, and practiced the homework journal format we will use in 3rd grade. We may do a few more days of guided practice with the latter next week before the kids fly solo with it - I really want them to enjoy and succeed with it!
Some questions to ask your third grader:
• Which do you think is a better way to display data: a bar graph, a dot plot, a pictograph, or just numbers in a data table? Why?
• What are some reasons readers abandon books? When is a good idea to abandon a book? On the other hand, why might it be a problem to constantly abandon books one after another?
• Tell me about what is happening right now in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Why did Pellegrina tell Edward the story of the princess? What do you think kept Edward going when he was buried under all that garbage at the dump? How would you feel?
• How has your class been using iPads during read-aloud? During Math?
• What does it mean to "put on your binoculars" as a writer? How are you doing that with the writing you are working on?
That’s the third grade news for now… next week, we’re off on our first field study hiking the Oak Island Loop!
Have a great weekend!
~ Asa
Monday, September 16, 2013
Great Upcoming Event for Parents in Scappoose
Tuesday October 15th
6:30-8:00 p.m. at Grant Watts Elementary’s multi-purpose room
You are invited to a special evening presentation with children’s advocate and bestselling author Trudy Ludwig:
Understanding Our Kids’ Online & Offline Social World: Friendships, Cliques & Power Plays
Intentional exclusion, gossip, the silent treatment, teasing, and the spreading of rumors are often dismissed as normal rites of passage, but research shows these behaviors are a form of emotional bullying and they are as harmful as physical bullying—with long-term negative effects. Learn more about relational aggression (the use of relationships to manipulate and hurt others) including the latest research findings, the nature of boys’ and girls’ friendships, cyberbullying, as well as tips, tools, and resources to help you empower your children in their social world.
Trudy Ludwig’s work and presentations have received high praise from leading U.S. experts, educators, and organizations. Her nationally acclaimed books, My Secret Bully, Just Kidding, Sorry, Trouble Talk®, Too Perfect, Confessions of a Former Bully, Better Than You, and The Invisible Boy, focus on helping children thrive in their social world. An award-winning writer and an engaging speaker, Trudy has been featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” PBS’s “Keeping Kids Healthy,” the National Crime Prevention Council’s Circle of Respect Program, and served as an expert panel member on Sesame Street Workshop’s video series addressing bullying. This presentation is for adults only.
For more information, visit Trudy’s website, www.trudyludwig.com, or contact OPE’s school counselor, Ms. Jessy by phone, 503.543.7111 or email, jgretzinger@scappoose.k12.or.us.
6:30-8:00 p.m. at Grant Watts Elementary’s multi-purpose room
You are invited to a special evening presentation with children’s advocate and bestselling author Trudy Ludwig:
Understanding Our Kids’ Online & Offline Social World: Friendships, Cliques & Power Plays
Intentional exclusion, gossip, the silent treatment, teasing, and the spreading of rumors are often dismissed as normal rites of passage, but research shows these behaviors are a form of emotional bullying and they are as harmful as physical bullying—with long-term negative effects. Learn more about relational aggression (the use of relationships to manipulate and hurt others) including the latest research findings, the nature of boys’ and girls’ friendships, cyberbullying, as well as tips, tools, and resources to help you empower your children in their social world.
Trudy Ludwig’s work and presentations have received high praise from leading U.S. experts, educators, and organizations. Her nationally acclaimed books, My Secret Bully, Just Kidding, Sorry, Trouble Talk®, Too Perfect, Confessions of a Former Bully, Better Than You, and The Invisible Boy, focus on helping children thrive in their social world. An award-winning writer and an engaging speaker, Trudy has been featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” PBS’s “Keeping Kids Healthy,” the National Crime Prevention Council’s Circle of Respect Program, and served as an expert panel member on Sesame Street Workshop’s video series addressing bullying. This presentation is for adults only.
For more information, visit Trudy’s website, www.trudyludwig.com, or contact OPE’s school counselor, Ms. Jessy by phone, 503.543.7111 or email, jgretzinger@scappoose.k12.or.us.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Classroom News!
It has been a fantastic first week of school! I am having so much fun getting to know your amazing, unique kids. This is what we have been up to this first week:
• Playing whole-group games and community building activities to kickstart friendships, cooperation, and sense of togetherness as a class.
• Graphing our preferences as mathematical learners – for example: who likes to convey their math thinking in pictures, and who prefers to use numbers, or words? Who likes to work in a group, and who prefers a partnership, or working alone? We created glyphs that represented our attributes as math learners, and then tried graphing them with bar graphs and Venn diagrams.
• Read-aloud – we launched the first day with a reading of Dr. Seuss’ Oh The Places You’ll Go! and several books by author Patricia Polacco. I am impressed with some of the high-level analysis I am hearing from kids already in our whole-group discussions about the underlying, implicit messages in these texts! Next week we will dive in to our first chapter-book read-aloud!
• Launching the Reader’s Workshop – this week, we’ve been practicing the routine of finding books that are “just right” from the classroom library, and maintaining an atmosphere of quiet where everyone can do their best reading. I am sensing we will need a lot of modeling and practice with these two core foundations - we will continue to work on these into next week as I begin individual reading assessments.
• Introducing the Writer’s Notebook – we had discussions about why writers write, and brainstormed lists of potential topics for writing.
• Brainstorming ideas for a Classroom Agreement. Next week we will hash out and finalize our class-collaborative agreement – students will have ownership of the rules they author and agree on based what they now know works and doesn’t work in our classroom.
This Week's Homework: "Summer Souvenirs" and "What's in a Name?" assignments. These were simple, fun, get-to-know-you assignments (pdf download here if you and your child need another copy).
Questions to ask your child about the week:
• How do you choose a "just-right" book? How do you know if a book is too hard? What is the "five-finger-rule"?
• What is a glyph?
• When you are showing data, how might you know if a bar graph or a Venn Diagram is a better choice?
• What are some reasons people write? What did you choose to write about?
• What ideas do you have for Classroom Rules?
I’ve had a few folks inquire about parent volunteer opportunites; we will discuss these at our Curriculum Night this Tuesday September 10th (6:00-6:40 and 6:50-7:30 pm). In the meantime, I can tell you that we will need 5 or 6 parent drivers / chaperones on the first Thursday of every month for our Field Studies at Wapato Park. Do get in touch if this sounds like something you’d be interested in!
Warm regards,
Asa
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Meet Jamie, our Educational Assistant!
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I am very excited to begin my first year assisting in a
third grade class! I graduated
from Western Oregon University in December of this year. During my studies,
I student taught in both kindergarten and fourth grade classes in Salem and
Silverton. After graduating, I spent the rest of the school year assisting in a
kindergarten class and substituting in kindergarten through 5th grade classes.
I grew up in the Scappoose area and currently live in St.
Helens with my husband David and my dog Penny. In my free time I like to read, hike,
kayak, geocache, and take photographs. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all throughout
this school year!
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