Friday, September 7, 2018

Happy Friday! It's been a fast, short week, but I feel like we have all known each other forever!  We have spent a lot of time this week doing many of the same sorts of things we did last week -- getting to know our classroom routines and expectations, getting to know each other, and building our team. The class seems to be coming together nicely and they are getting better at listening and following directions. They seem eager and enthusiastic each day, and that is wonderfully satisfying to see!

This week, I also started some basic assessments so I can get to know the students as learners. I will continue doing assessments next week. These will help me form spelling/vocabulary groups as well as match books to readers.  By the end of the week, we should be all set to start our Literacy curriculum.

We will also start our first social studies unit next week. Our first unit is all about understanding maps, map symbols, map scale, and then finally (and most importantly) Vermont's geography. The students will learn about the mountain ranges, rivers, valleys and various landforms we have in our beautiful state, and they will also learn what counties are and what states/countries border us.  We will do many hands-on activities to make this unit fun!

We did a little bit of math work this week, and I was glad to see what curious math thinkers I have in this class! We will begin our first math unit on Monday. This unit is one that will be largely a review for most of the class, but an area that needs to be solid before we move on. The unit is called "Arrays, Factors and Mulitplicative Comparisons" and will cover multiplication and how we can use models to help us understand it. I will send home a family letter with Monday's homework. The letter gives lots of suggestions for how you can support your child at home with this work, but that is optional, of course!

We had a lot of fun spending time outdoors today, and the students were super excited about creating little spaces in the woods. We allowed them to use clippers and rakes and hoes, and they went to town clearing little areas and claiming them for their "clans."  Mr. Brezic and I will spend some time next week discussing what to do next with our outdoor classroom, and we may be calling on parents to help. Stay tuned!

Thank you to all of you who sent back permission slips/money so quickly!  Fall is a busy time with field trips. We are hoping to have another on 10/16 to GMP's Williston Solar Farm and the Essex Hydro Dam to support our energy unit. Keep your eyes out for that permission slip/info slip which I will send home as soon as I have secured the bus.

Here are 2 important notes for next week:
1. We will be making our collages on MONDAY so please be sure your child brings in photos for that. I have a lot of magazines here that can also be used. I am also happy to print photos here if that is easier.
2. Next week's sharing theme is "Something Shiny." This does not mean the students have to share something shiny, but I find it helps reluctant sharers to have an idea.

That's all for this week. Enjoy the photos below, and enjoy the cooler weather this weekend!











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