We had a great time on our field trip to the planetarium. The kids first got to learn about states of matter with a scientist and interactive demonstrations. We then went to the planetarium and learn about our night sky in North Carolina, as well as debunking myths about the solar system.
Classroom news:
- Some of us are having a bit of a problem organizing and prioritizing. I have instituted mandatory "To Do" lists on all desks at all times. When the students get an assignment they will write it on their list. They may cross it off only after it is turned in. The sticky notes stay on their desks all week. We started this late this week and already it seems to be helping the kids- and we all love crossing off "to do" lists.
- Also, we began Classroom Dojo this week. Look for a letter in Monday folder explaining the system. I am giving it a trial run for 3 weeks. Then I will ask the kids and parents for feedback and evaluate if we want to continue this system. It will allow your child to see positive feedback by points for their monsters. When the students are not on task they loose points. You can use this as a good conversation tool for school-home connections. I don't want the kids to get stressed out about it, but rather enjoy the fun of seeing their points accumulate. We will think of some rewards to help as well. It is a little challenging for me to record positive praise (about 4 clicks)... so we will see how well I can keep it up. Expect up to 4 or so points a day.
- In math we are starting multiplication and division. The first part of this unit focuses on understanding the concepts and deriving strategies to multiply and divide. I usually do not start fact memorization and timed tests until closer to mid year. I will follow up with more information on that later. Look for the parent letter and vocabulary list in Monday Folder.
Book Orders: Our first book order is due Tuesday, September 27th. You can click on the Scholastic Book order tab on this website to order, or just send in a check and the paper order form found on the back of the flyer. I realized that I did not send the introductory letter home giving this information. Look for it in Monday folder.
Fun Run: Fun run was a great success. The kids were so motivated to run all of the laps. Thank you for your support with this fundraiser.
Important Dates 9/30 - Early Release 9/30 Quarter 1 Report Cards 10/20 Parent Education Night 5:30 - 7:00 10/21 Track out Day!!! | What are we learning? Math: Multiplication and Division- understanding and creating strategies Language Arts: Reading Literature: character traits and main idea Writing: Writing opinion and persuasive text Social Studies: finish government, start economics Science: Earth, Moon, and Sky |