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

 It’s Read Across America Week! This nationwide effort is sponsored by the National Education Association with the aim of drawing attention to the importance and joy of lifelong reading. That’s an everyday goal of our classroom! The event is always paired with books by Dr. Seuss (yet another famous author from Massachusetts), which we will share this week. On Friday we will be honored by a community member who will come in to read to us and share the importance of reading in our everyday lives. Our week will conclude with our class participating in our own Reader’s Theatre performance of The Sneetches (see video below) and a grade-wide celebration of reading at our monthly Grade 1 & 2 School Meeting. You can learn more about the day, including science and math activities that can be done at home, at http://www.nea.org/grants/886.htm.

What great writers these kids are! Using headings to organize the body of their pieces, they have learned to write explanatory sentences with details. Here are some examples from: 1) Martin on “Cats-Body Parts:” 1) Cats have sharp claws that can go in when it is running, and out when it is hunting. A cat’s tongue is actually not smooth, it is bristly. A cat’s ears and eyes are very unique. The ears are very sensitive and the eyes have lots of rods in them. 2) Aamir on “Black Jaguars-Blending into Your Background:” Black jaguars unlike other jaguars need only one thing to help it blend: shadows. Since black jaguars are already dark colored, they will be almost invisible against the darkness of shadows. 3) Alexandra on “Gymnastics-What is the Equipment?”: There are lots and lots of equipment at GLC and I’m going to point out some of the main ones. There are bars and balance beams. There are even ropes to climb on. Super!

This week’s math focuses on relating difference to subtraction, and learning mental math strategies to subtract. Since subtraction is the inverse operation of addition, we make a connection to last week’s strategies. To find the difference when only the ones place changes, we simply subtract and don’t mess with the tens and hundreds: 267 -5 is the same as 7 -5–just remember to put back the 260. To subtract in your head when only the tens place changes, just count back by tens: 267 – 50 should sound like 257, 247, 237, 227, 217. And the same applies when only the 100s place changes: 267 – 100 = 167.

To quickly subtract 7, 8, or 9 in our heads, we can subtract 10 instead and count up 3, 2, or 1. For example: 432 – 7 is the same as 432 – 10 (422) + 3 (425) since -10 +3 = 7. And 432 – 8  is the same as 432 – 10 (422) + 2 (424), and 432 – 9 is the same as 432 – 10 + 1.  These tricks can really work, and show a real fluency with numbers. It is important, therefore, that students try them out repeatedly if they are ever to own them or use them when it suits them to do so.

 In Social Studies, our study of geography continues with an examination of countries and continents. What exactly does each of these mean? How are continents and countries made? Which maps are best for learning about and locating these different places? National Geographic Online is a fantastic stop for all things geographical, including the photos for which they are famous as well as games and articles for kids: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids-world-atlas/maps.html

What an amazing job students have done in science! After collecting temperature data from the past month that is valid and reliable, they organized it in tables and created bar graphs (try it yourself with any data you like–it’s really cool! http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/). This week they will analyze the data to look for trends and anomalies; aggregate the data to answer specific questions; and draw conclusions about temperature in winter, 2016. Smart! Here are some pictures of them sharing their observations with fellow scientists and creating graphs online, along with some more great 100 Day projects:

   

I hope you all had a fun and busy vacation! I got to catch up on Netflix, friends, and work. Just one more month till Term 2 closes! Onward…

Our reading comprehension spotlight this week is Understanding Cause and Effect. This is an essential skill for students to own. It helps them analyze storylines and character choices, and so develop a deeper understanding of what is read. As an example, we are reading together Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Dahl). Mr. Wonka shut down his factory then opened it to a lucky few. What events led to his actions, and how did they affect the town in which Charlie lives? How do the choices made by Charlie and the other children affect the outcome of the narrative? For more on Cause and Effect and using it at home, check out Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/cause-and-effect

Students are being taught to create Informative Writing pieces with explanations that develop a main idea of their choosing. This week, students are continuing this work by understanding and using headings to organize their thoughts. Here are some great examples from 1) Carley, on Soccer and 2) Alex, on Weather:  1) Penalties You could get hurt if you don’t follow the rules. That’s why there are penalties in sports like soccer or football. A penalty is when you fall down and you keep kicking the ball. You could get a red card or a yellow card. 2) Weather Maps Let’s start off with this main question: What’s on a weather map? First of all there is a “L” sign and an “H” sign. The L sign stands for low pressure, and where that sign is, that place will have rain or snow. Awesome work!

Our math work this week sees a return to mental math strategies. Here are 3 addition strategies we will focus on this week:

1. Add multiples of 1s, 10s, or 100s when you can: 354 + 3= 357 (just add the ones; nothing else needs to change);   354 + 30 is just counting by 10s three times…364, 374, 384;  354 + 300 is just counting by 100s three times…454, 554, 654.

2. Add Ten, Subtract the Ones: When an addend ends in a 7, 8, or 9, you can add 10 instead because that’s easier. Then you subtract the extra ones. Think of 216 + 7  as 216 + 10 = 226. +7 is the same as +10-3. So minus 3 from 226 and you get 223 as your answer. The big idea here is that kids do this in their heads by recognizing familiar patterns (counting by 10s and counting back by 1s).

3. Add 100, Subtract the Tens: This works just like the above strategy, just with hundreds and tens. Think of 521 + 90 as 521 + 100 = 621. +90 is the same as +100-10. So minus 10 from 621 and you get 611 as your answer. In the case of this and the other mental strategies, we don’t want kids to be adding the ones first, then the tens (and carrying, etc.) if and when they’re ready for this kind of math fluency.

Remember, you can access the student ebook anytime using the Think Central link in the Parent Resources section above. It can really help to explain these new processes. The corresponding path for these strategies is: Book B—>Chapter 10—>Lesson 2—>pp. 7-14. The strategies can be used with or without number bonds.

We have become experts at observing and identifying weather, clouds, and temperature these past two months to help us answer the question, How does weather change day to day and over time? As part of data collection and analysis, students will be evaluating graphs (pie chart, bar graph, area graph) to select the best format for presenting their data collected on daily temperature. They will then enter data and create their graphs using online software at http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/. Finally, they will analyze the data using graphs to look for trends and anomalies, and to draw conclusions. Try the graphing software yourself using any data from home (homework minutes each night; minutes spent getting ready for bed; etc.). The results are really cool!

Here are some pics from Valentine’s Day and 100 Day. More to come next week–I’ve got a lot!

What a busy week ahead: 100 Day, Valentine’s Day, School Meeting, vacation looming, Chinese New Year, math test…and let’s just throw in some snow days to keep it lively! In an effort to help students keep calm and carry on, there are some changes to this week’s routine:

1. Math fact and spelling quizzes missed on Friday will be given this Friday instead. No new facts or lists need to be studied.

2. There are only 2 math homeworks assigned this week. This allows time for students to create 100 Day displays and make valentines. You can choose when to do the homeworks (any two nights or even both in one night) and I’ll correct any that are done each morning as usual.

I hope this flexibility helps keep things manageable at home.

It’s almost here! This Friday marks the 100th Day of School. Students are encouraged to make and bring in projects that show math and/or patterning involving the magic number 100. They can bring them any day and we’ll add them to our 100 Museum. Projects will be showcased and used on 100 Day as students analyze each other’s good work. For ideas: scroll down to last week’s blog post; check out Pinterest or Google; and click here for a look at last year’s kids showing their smarts!

Valentines will be exchanged on Friday. For a reminder of guidelines, please scroll down to last week’s blog post.

Thank you for keeping us well-stocked in health supplies this year! At this time, we need (lots) of band-aids. Please send in a box of plain, regular-sized bandages when you can (no antibiotics). Thanks for the help!

This Friday students across Floral will come together at All School Meeting to share and celebrate our learning. Using the book What Does it Mean to be Kind (DiOrio, 2015) as a focal point, students engaged in thinking, singing, writing, drawing, and most importantly, modeling kindness in their community. This is one of several lessons meant to help students understand and live our district’s core value of demonstrating respect by acting with “honesty, integrity, compassion, and kindness.” Check out this great video about random acts of kindness. Encourage your child to find the ways the characters “pay it forward!” (Source: A Better World via Youtube.com; Photo source: Amazon.com)

Happy Chinese New Year! We will learn a little about Chinese New Year customs long ago and today (history); our place and that of China in the world (mapping); and the ways in which people celebrate this holiday similar to those in Europe and North America (culture). My home town of Boston puts on a great display in and around Chinatown, including parades, food, and family-friendly events. Alternatively, there are lots of fun and interesting events happening all over the state for kids and families: http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/boston-event-calendar-february.html  (Photo source: Yoganonymous)

This week’s learning in brief: Kids will be re-introduced to Informative Writing as a vehicle for teaching others what is known about a topic using a main idea and supporting facts with details; In preparation for analyzing data taken from their own weather observations, students will be introduced to tables and will create them to track temperature from the past month; and our measurement work wraps up with a look at how to find the difference between 2 lengths or distances by adding, subtracting, and modeling, followed by the test on Chapter 7. Whew.

Our blog will take off next week for vacation. I hope you have a terrific week, and thank you for the many ways you show your commitment to your child’s education!

Reference: DiOrio, R. (2015). What Does it Mean to be Kind? San Francisco, CA: Little Pickle Press.

Our next Early Release Day is this Tuesday! Our Media day has been rescheduled for Wednesday of this week, so students should bring their books back then. Instead of lunch, I have a snack time planned at their regular eating time, since they’re used to eating then. However, if you’d rather they wait until getting home to have lunch, that’s fine too! On Tuesday, I will be working with grade 2 teachers across the district developing and using rubrics that deepen our understanding of student learning and achievement with math problem solving (think of those 2-step bar model problems that require depth and accuracy, for example).

Valentine’s Day is coming! We will exchange valentines in class on Friday, 2/12. If your child will be bringing valentines in for classmates, please be sure there is one for everyone. There are currently 23 students in our class; refer to our class list if your child wishes to personalize valentines with names. Of course, hand-made ones are welcome as well as store-bought! Please be sure no food (including candy) is attached per our district policy, and thanks!

Thank you to Christy Minton, Media Specialist, who taught us how to find safe and reliable information in libraries and online. Using iPads, students were guided through the Shrewsbury Public Library portal to the Encyclopedia Britannica Kids site, where they searched for information about famous Americans they chose to research. Students then explored the multimedia information given, and learned to print their findings–awesome! Using these articles and books provided, students are now applying reading comprehension strategies (Asking Questions and Reading to Find Answers; Determining Importance) to find evidence of character traits in historical figures. Karina has already discovered how Helen Keller was hardworking when she learned to speak by practicing over and over, and Martin noted Paul Revere’s determination in his attempts to communicate the movements of British troops across the state. Wow!

The kids have made great strides in their opinion writing work, showing they understand the purpose of writing an introduction, opinion, and justifying their reasons with examples. Consider the word choice and explanations in these excerpts from 1) Aamir and 2) Rose:  1) In my opinion, Eid is the best holiday. One reason is…it is exciting! Stores are bustling with people to buy food for the holiday.  2) In my opinion, cats make much better pets than dogs. For example, cats are very loving. They can say “We are family” by rubbing their head against you. Our last challenge this term will be to write opinions using evidence from text as part of the research project above!

This week’s math introduces students to a new concept in measurement: the broken ruler. Check out the example above. Here, students are being taught to develop an understanding of length that goes beyond lining up a ruler at “0” and reading the number at the end. You will see examples of it on this week’s homework. Students need to count the centimeters when measuring and comparing in order to understand what the numbers involved mean in terms of length. We will also be learning to represent lengths using bar models. For a reminder, see the bar modeling section of the homework packet from chapter 4. Note: there is no math homework assigned for Tuesday. I suggest using the time to work on math facts!

The 100th day of school is nearing!  I will set up a “100 Day Museum” to show off student projects and learning. I encourage children to create a poster/collection/display/etc. that somehow represents 100. Instead of simply collecting 100 things in a bag, I’m challenging students to think more deeply about number. They could bring/show something that displays an understanding of number, patterns, and/or the math we’ve done so far, such as: grouping objects (stickers/pennies/etc.)  on a poster that shows counting by 5s, 10s, 2s, etc., possibly  with accompanying multiplication/repeated addition/division explanations; bar models using 100; create real-world problems with 100. There is also a plethora of projects and ideas on Pinterest and across the web!

Our weather study continues with a look at what air pressure is and how we can use it to predict weather locally and nationally. I’ve been using surface maps and temperature maps daily with the kids from The Weather Channel at weather.com. To help them make meaning, we are doing investigations with pressure that teach us 1) how air can be compressed, and 2) how pressure can be used to manipulate a system–cool!