Learning To Go Mr. Avery's Class on the Web 

  Supplies needed! Thanks to those of you who have sent in supplies. If you haven’t, please send in a bottle of each. We especially need hand sanitizer!

 Concert update! Due to the complexities involved with alternate food options in school, we will skip that part. On Wednesday, December 18, we’ll perform at 9:30 in the Café, and we’ll stick around for congratulations and photos. We need just a few helpers to help us reset the café for lunch. Please stay for a few minutes and lend a hand!

We will wrap up Unit 4 math with a review of strategies for learning math facts. With math facts, the goal is to memorize the number combinations. We don’t want students to be using fingers, etc. To that end, there are “tricks” that can help: recognize that +/- 0 doesn’t change a number; +/- 1 or 2  means simply counting up or down; when we know doubles, then we can quickly name ‘doubles-plus/minus-one’ (4 + 4 = 8, so 4 + 5 = 9). Students are already showing growth through practicing at home: keep up the good work! Unit 5 math will begin after vacation.

Students will be working on ‘endings’ when writing narratives this week. A good ending should leave your reader with your thoughts, feelings or memories, for example: “I can still remember how much fun we had building that first snowman of the winter. I hope next time the dog doesn’t run away with its nose!” This is preferable to “And then we went inside. And then I went to bed,” which is often how young children think to end stories, since it is how they end the day.

We will also share Raymond Briggs’ wonderful book, The Snowman. This story of a snowman who comes to life is drawn without words. Using the Narrative Writing Diamond as a scaffold, we will try writing the beginning, middle, and ending of one of the events in the story.

Our work with poetry is inspiring young authors in our classroom. Consider this poem by Emmy. What images does it create? How do the lengths of the lines affect how quickly or slowly it is read aloud? What purpose does rhyme serve in the poem?

The Wind

The wind

blows so slow.

The leaves blow

with it.

The breeze flies

like snow.

In science this week we will balance various objects to uncover truths about forces and equilibrium. Using observation and testing out hypotheses, we will see how the size of a base affects the ability of a system to remain in a stable position. For example, a playing card lying flat on the table is more likely to remain so than a card positioned on its side or placed upright on a corner. We’ll also experiment with adding counterweights to objects to increase their stability (balance out the forces on either side).

As we break near the midpoint of our journey, I’d like to thank you for your efforts this year. The children growing by leaps and bounds thanks to our work together. I wish you the happiest of holidays, and all the best in the new year!

  Supplies needed! Thanks for your donations of health supplies for our room this year. We are now low on hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes. Please send in a bottle of each, and thank you!

It’s that time again! This week we will be collecting our second round of data for our Get Fit Adventure. I understand it’s a busy time of year! Whatever you can get done, please return the pedometers and tan recording pages on Friday–we enjoyed our last prize and would love to get another one for returning things on time!

 You are invited! On Wednesday, December 18, our class will be performing a concert of winter songs for family and friends. Please bring as many guests as you like. We will perform in the café at 9:30, with “Reception for the musicians” to follow (a.k.a. our class party) until 10:15. While we are discouraged from sharing food from home, I am exploring the possibility of having the food services cater the event as a viable option. I will let you know more as soon as I know myself, including ways you can contribute.

  Our CAFE focus this week is on Asking Questions before and during reading, and then looking for answers in the text. This is a very important comprehension strategy. Students need to learn and practice thinking about text to better understand its meaning. Questioning improves their ability to think critically and reason. When questions make sense (e.g. are related to text), readers should expect the author to answer some or all of them. Questions that don’t get answered may be worthy of reading more about a topic; they may also provide a basis for thoughtful reflection after a text is read. At home, when reading a new text, pause and try prompts such as these: “What do you wonder about _____?; Why do you think _____?; What would happen if _____?”, etc., and encourage your child to stop and notice when answers to questions are found or hinted at.

  Our poetry studies have helped us learn about imagery; tone; rhythm; rhyme; stanza; metaphor (including similes); and more. Consider this poem by Dorothy Aldis. How does the author paint pictures with words? Which words tell  you how she wants you to feel when reading the poem (e.g. how the tone is created)? What metaphors are there in the poem, and why are they better than just saying “I was scared”?

When I Was Lost

Underneath my belt

My stomach was a stone.

Sinking was the way I felt.

And hollow.

And Alone.

  As part of math every day, we create and analyze data from a tally chart (based on a daily question such as, “How many teeth have you lost in first grade?”). This week we will learn to use data collected on our heights to create a bar graph. Bar graphs offer opportunities to present information visually and can be used to answer questions about data including how many, least, most, more/less than, etc. More at http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/bp-jr-topic/tally-charts-and-bar-graphs/ 

 Our Term 2 Science focus uses the topics Balance and Motion to teach kids to question, predict, and to learn about physical science concepts. Balance is a state of equilibrium with both sides exerting equal force. We begin by exploring the concept of balance using our bodies. What happens when we lean to one side, or stand on one leg? How do our bodies compensate/how do our bodies help us balance? Is this the same on a flat surface (floor) and in water (pool or hot tub)? For more, here is the website of our school’s science program: http://archive.fossweb.com/modulesK-2/BalanceandMotion/

 

Last week we learned about symbols as part of math skills. We examined common ones found on street signs and on maps, and created our own to represent places in our school. This week we will recreate our blacktop recess area in 2 dimensions using symbols that correctly show spatial orientation.

 You are invited! On Wednesday, December 18, our class will be performing a concert of winter songs for family and friends. Please bring as many guests as you like. We will perform in the café at 9:30, with “Reception for the musicians” to follow (a.k.a. our class party) until 10:15. While we are discouraged from sharing food from home, I am exploring the possibility of having the food services cater the event as a viable option. I will let you know more as soon as I know myself, including ways you can contribute.

Spelling homework continues, with new word lists this week. Our phonics focus is on initial blends cr-, cl-, fr-, and fl-, and the first 5 words will reflect this. How is homework going? As kids get used to the routine, let me know if you think your child needs a change of list from A, B, or C. The second 5 words will be Nifty Fifty and Dolch words. Children will get new sight words each week to replace any they spelled correctly on the quiz. Note: the word “a” can be pronounced “ay” or “uh” (as in “a ball; a dog; etc.”) so both ways should be practiced.

Another suggested strategy for memorization (works best for short words): on an erasable surface, write the word but omit one letter. Ask, “What’s missing?; Where does it go?”. Children then write the word, including the letter that was missing. Repeat 2 or more times with a different letter missing each time. If you don’t have an erasable surface, you can write the words in large letters, cut them out, and “spell” the word that way.

Our CAFE focus is on Fluency, and includes the strategy “Pay attention to end marks.” As students read aloud, it is important to pause at the ends of sentences and include the correct inflection (e.g. voice going up for question marks, down for periods, and with emphasis for exclamation points). This shows they understand both the nuances of language and what is being read.

 In math we are learning the concepts behind spatial measurement. We have been using body parts to measure objects and distances in the classroom to understand how people long ago used to do it. We will be introduced to the “foot long foot” (see math homework) and use it to begin to understand conventional standard measurements. See PBS Kids for measurement games and videos: http://pbskids.org/games/measurement/

  As we wrap up our science work with earth materials, we will summarize and extend our learning by using a nonfiction resource to give us information that we will use to compare and contrast sand vs. soil. Then we will learn to use the skills of inquiry to ask and answer the question, “Which earth material that we have studies will plants grow best in?” Students will be engaged in the design of an experiment to test out the question (perhaps growing plants in various materials) and will begin to make observations (with realistic drawings, labels, and a title as we have learned to do).

                        

  Next in social studies, we will further our experience with maps by learning about symbols (simple drawings, often with accompanying labels, that represent places). Our previous work was with pictures of places, such as the climbing structure and other large objects on the playground. We are now learning to represent those objects with a crude drawing. This kind of abstract thinking is important to develop, since understanding maps means interpreting the place and direction of real life things on paper. You can play along at home by creating simple drawings of objects in a room or a specific outside location (back yard; ball field; shopping mall) and arranging them in a spatially correct way.