Week 37 May 30

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Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on May 31, 2016

numberthree

Just 3 weeks to go! Some end-of-year notes:

  1. There are 2 more weeks of reading, math, and spelling homework, ending on June 10th.
  2. The last math facts quiz will be the following week, June 17.
  3. Our end of year class celebration is on Wed., 6/15, 9:30, in the cafe. Students will be reading their original writing pieces and singing songs from our learning. All are welcome.
  4. Reading tests (DRAs) begin this week. The tests are passed on to next year’s teacher, but your child’s independent reading level will be noted on the final report card (independent level 28 is on-grade level).

olympicringsThis Friday marks the Opening Ceremonies of our Floral St. Olympics! The event includes a parade of nations, with each class representing one country; presentations by student gymnasts and musicians; a passing of the Olympic torch by students and lighting of the cauldron; and a recitation of the Olympic oath by student representatives. Awesome! Our class will be learning more about Greece old and new, and about the history and symbols of the Olympics themselves. Enchanted Learning has some good, kid-friendly information and activities: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/olympics/. In addition, considering visiting the Team USA Olympics Website now and over the summer, where you and your child can learn more about our country’s contributions and read bios of athletes (Massachusetts will have more than a few!), updated frequently in the next 10 weeks: http://www.teamusa.org/

hFloral Goes Green was a big success!  Students learned about how local communities are working in sync with the environment, from farms to conservation organizations. They learned about the precious natural resources in our own backyard. And of course, they learned about citizen contributions, biodiversity, and issues requiring action from the 750 citizen scientists in our school through interactive displays showcased all around the building. Wow!

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Week 36 May 23

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Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on May 23, 2016

Reminders:

Please send in a 1-liter clear plastic bottle, cleaned, with label removed for a planting station during FGG. Extras are appreciated!

Please send in a plain, white t-shirt for your child if you haven’t.

Our class end-of-year celebration is on Wed., June 15, 9:30 in the cafeteria.

Thanks for sending in photos of your child near Shrewsbury’s water tanks! The kids consider themselves experts at local water now–love it!

 

h

Floral Goes Green is almost here! This Friday students will engage with the theme, “I am a citizen scientist,” through presentations, posters, and interactive displays in the gym and throughout the hallways. Our class display will aim to teach the school how precious a resource water is; where our water comes from; potential hazards to our water supply; and ways we can all do more with less. The students have created models, graphs, photos, illustrations, and informative writing pieces based on research. They’ve done an awesome job!

writing

Students have been taking their biggest leap yet with opinion writing, analyzing text and citing evidence to support their ideas! Here are 3 on the topic of book recommendations from 1) Alexandra, on High Tide in Hawaii (Osborne) 2) Mariyah, on Josefina Saves the Day (Tripp), and 3) Saanvi, on The Stranger (Van Allsburg): 1) One reason I (recommend it) is, there is an imaginative setting. For example, they went to Hawaii in a TREEHOUSE! 2) Finally, it has a magical plot. Beautiful and magical things happen while Josefina is in New Mexico visiting her grandparents. 3) My third reason is it has a suspenseful plot. The Stranger lost his memory. It is mysterious because…will he ever get his memory back?  Terrific!

Next, our opinion writing wraps up in a big way! Students are asked to take a stand and propose an argument on a topic they feel strongly about, for example: Should animals be kept in zoos? Do we do enough to stop bullying at school? What are the most important character traits a teacher/coach/parent should have? Kids will organize their argument; state reasons for their opinion; and craft an introduction and conclusion to their pieces. Smart!

MIF workbook

Our next two math chapters for study involve geometry. This week, students will learn that figures are made up of lines and curves. They will identify the same, and create figures of their own. In addition, they will learn about surfaces of solid objects and identify them as curved or flat. Finally, they will learn properties of solid objects, in particular which objects can stack, slide, and roll. All of this is a precursor to the geometry of plane shapes and solids which we will take on in the 2 weeks following. If you’re accessing the student e-book at home, this is Book B, chapter 18. It’s a great resource, especially if your child has questions on homework!

mif ch 18If looking for websites/apps/games to play, the internet abounds with  a geometry/shapes theme, from basic to advanced. Here’s a challenging one that develops rotational understanding while requiring students to use knowledge of basic shapes and figures:

mif ch 18 game

 

Week 35 May 16

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Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on May 16, 2016

olympicringsThanks to so many of you who offered to volunteer on Field Day! Our classroom is well-represented! There’s still room for a few more if interested: http://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=s.signupform

And thanks to Marlena’s and Nishta’s mom who offered to come paint t shirts. We’re all set!

hPlease send in a clear, plastic 1 liter (-ish) with label removed anytime in the next week and a half. Floral Goes Green is on its way! One of the many activities scheduled for Friday the 27th is a planting station in the gym. Students will learn the importance of ‘going greener’ and are invited to make a planter in a bottle. Extra bottles for students who are without are always appreciated!

Our class has learned about where our water comes from; the precious resource that it is, and threats to it, including point and nonpoint source pollution. This week lessons will hit close to home as students look for ways that water can be wasted in our houses and apartments as well as ways we can all take steps, large and small, to conserve water. They will be analyzing texts, creating and analyzing bar graphs with the data they collected on water sources at home and in school, researching topics of interest, and playing games designed to heighten awareness. Here’s a great site with kid-appropriate info and a smart Pac-Man-like game to test their knowledge! I’m a little rusty at the controls as the kids will tell you, but I bet you can do better at home:

water conservation1

The next step in our learning is to create a product that showcases what we know and think now about the water supply. Students will choose to create a board game, informative writing piece, or water-sense coloring book for display. They will be involved with the design process, including purpose, audience, steps, division of tasks, and product presentation. Cool!

MIF workbookThis week we wrap up our learning on data and graphing by examining line plots and bar graphs. What’s important for kids to know at the end is that information can be shown visually in a variety of ways; that a “key” holds important information for interpreting graphs; and that there is a difference between reading a graph (just saying what you literally see) and interpreting them (telling what the tallies, bars, numbers, and words mean);  and that graphs can be used to solve real world problems. This page from the student book illustrates these points well:

math graphing

fact and opinionOur final challenge with opinion writing is to support our arguments using evidence from a text. Students have analyzed a poem of their choice and commented on why they believe it conveys thoughts & feelings well via its use of tone, speaker, metaphor, etc. Here are some from 1) Saanvi, on Queen Nefertiti (Anonymous); 2) Sanjay on Umbrellas (Kumin); and 3) Alex, on Wolf (Esbensen): 1. One reason I think so it the tone. For example, when she wrote ‘crumble your bones’ it was very creepy. 2. Finally, the poet uses imagery. For example, the umbrellas look like they are dragging and tangling. 3. I think repetition is important in this poem because it repeats ‘wolf’ 3 times in a dark and growl of a voice, so it also tells you the speaker. Super!

 

 

Week 34 May 9

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Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on May 9, 2016

mother's day  I hope all our moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day filled with all good things you deserve!

Reminders: May 20th is the last day to send in a plain white t-shirt and photos of Shrewsbury water tanks; one or 2 volunteers needed to paint shirts on the 31st; and Field Day volunteers needed for the morning of June 9–sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e44a5af2ca75-olympic. See last week’s blog for details!cafeboardOur reading focus over the next few weeks is on identifying Theme and Author’s Message in fiction. theme in literature is a big idea that is familiar, such as Greed, whereas a Message is a lesson learned by the main character, usually evident in the changes that come about as a result of the plot. Therefore, in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, for example, the theme is Greed and the message might be, “Greed will lead you to unhappiness.” An excellent fit for this work is Aesop’s Fables, where the point of each story is to deliver a moral. Here’s a great site where you can read fables with your kids: try covering up the moral at the end of each and asking your child to read with the idea of theme and message in mind, drawing conclusions at the end based on evidence in the text! http://www.aesopfables.com

spring-10-640x400Our poetry work has led to great things, as you may have seen on your Mother’s Day card. Here are some excerpts of in-class poetry from 1) Carley, on Winter; 2) Hassan, on Rocks; 3) Karina, on Fall; and 4) Rishit, on Skiing. Notice their use of careful word choice, metaphor, tone, and imagery: 1) The snow like white shiny diamonds falling to the painted ground. Kids ice skating on the gray swan lake, the ice getting thicker and thicker almost like a snow-shoed hare.  2) They tumble, they fall, asteroids charging to the ground. They break apart to the smallest of themselves.  3) No one but me watched the wooden tree. Just then, a scratchy noise, like a cat being pulled from a child.  4) The stars gazed at me, saying “Good Luck” while I smiled with the screaming wind. Awesome!

An important component of poetry is how it sounds when read aloud. Integrating technology standards, ELA skills of analysis, and informative writing, students will choose a poem to recite this week. They will learn to digitally record themselves via computer; find and upload their their audio file to their blogs; and  post an analysis of the poem following conventions of informative writing we have learned this year. Wow!

MIF workbookOur next area of study in math is graphing. As outlined in the Common Core, students should understand how to collect and organize data. They should be able to  analyze, interpret, and create a variety of graphs including picture graphs, line plots, and bar graphs. As usual, MIF challenges students to go beyond the literal. New for kids is the concept of “key” in graphing. Take a look at this picture from the student book.

graphing1

Notice how the key provides necessary understanding to interpret the graph correctly. Please check your child’s homework to be sure they are reading the key when answering questions. You can find lots of great information with very helpful picture support at the Think Central site! (Link to it via the Parent Resources section of this blog.) This unit is Chapter 17, found in eBook B of the student book.

water walk1As part of our study on water conservation, students went on a hunt throughout Floral looking for the ways in which water is used in our building every day. Custodian Mr. Poe led us on a guided tour of the hallways, kitchen, and basement, where both kids and teachers were surprised by the amount of potable water needed to keep just one building in operation every day. The intent is to make kids aware of the precious and limited resource that water is in our community and our world. This week, students will learn about sources of pollution, including erosion, point, and nonpoint sources; the cost involved, both economically and environmentally; and possible solutions. Here’s a great clip from Bill Nye on how erosion occurs:

And here are some pics of Mrs. Minton teaching us the ins-and-outs of commenting when blogging, along with more from our ‘water walk’ in school:

water walk2 blogging1     blogging2 blogging3 blogging4 blogging5 blogging6 blogging7 blogging8

Week 33 May 2

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Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on May 2, 2016

Update: A larger map of Shrewsbury water tanks is available in .png format via a link under the Parent Resources section on the sidebar.

Correction: the date of our End of Year celebration is Wednesday, June 15, now corrected below.

bangOur year wraps up with a bang! Or a series of them–read on:

olympicringsThe Olympics are coming! To honor the spirit of the games, Floral St.’s annual Field Days will take on an Olympic theme, including Opening Ceremonies on June 3 and second-grade games and sports on the morning of June 9 (rain date June 16). Volunteers are desperately needed for the 9th! It requires a time commitment of only 1 morning, 9:00-11:30. You’ll be assigned a game, often with help from other volunteers, that you will help set up and keep track of student scores (e.g. # of footballs thrown into rings), then clean up at the end–that’s it! Your help makes a big impact: students talk and write about their Field Day memories for years! To sign up, please go to: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e44a5af2ca75-olympic

On Field Day, students in the same classroom wear similar t-shirts to identify them for purposes of safety and keeping track of scores. I will be customizing our class shirts by painting Olympic rings, and I need your help: please send in a plain, white t-shirt for your child to school by Friday, May 20. I will paint them on Tuesday, May 31 after school and I’d love help from a couple of people! If you can come in for an hour starting at 3:30, please call or email me!

Our class has the honor of representing Greece in the Opening Ceremonies! This month, students will learn about aspects of the country (geography; history; culture; economy) as well as learn the history and symbols behind the Olympics, plus research local heroes from Massachusetts and the US who will represent us in Brazil. What a great way to bring Social Studies to life. Go, World! The Olympic torch has been lit in Greece, and is making it’s way around the world. You can track its progress and follow much more news at the Olympic home site: http://www.olympic.org/

spring concertYou’re invited! Our class End-of-Year Celebration will be held Wednesday, June 15, 9:30-10:15 in the Cafeteria. Your children will be performing on the stage, singing songs and reading pieces of original writing they have done this year! Please come and extend invitations to family and friends as you like. We will remain after for photo opportunities and congratulations.

hFloral Goes Green will soon be here! This renowned annual event focuses student work on the environment, locally and globally, culminating in a day of exposition on Friday, May 27. Our class will be learning all about water, from resources to pollution to conservation. This week, students will learn how precious a commodity it is on earth (just 1% of ALL water on earth is potable). They will also learn how it used inside and outside our school and begin to understand its importance in our daily lives. In addition, we will learn how Shrewsbury gets its water, from aquifers to wells to tanks. Check out the map below (click on it for larger image). It reveals the location of 6 water tanks throughout town. Think of it as a treasure map, and drive/hike to find them all with your child! Take pictures of your child standing in front of each one, print them out, and send them in to school by Friday, May 20, and I will display them! Note: a few tanks are on hills; simply take the photo at the bottom of the hill where the fences are.

shrewsbury tanks

Math homework on Tuesday asks students to make at tally of all the places water is used in your home. Please help your child to find places they may not think of, especially if you live in an apartment or condominium community. Our other math this week involves calculating elapsed time; reviewing basic skills and applying them through problem-solving; and taking the chapter test. Here’s a great video from one of my favorite companies, Readeez, that we’ve been using in class:

Source: Readeez via Youtube.com

In science last week students set out answer the question, “Does a liquid spread out to fill any container it is in?” They invented and debated procedures, learned about control and variables, collected and analyzed data based on observations, and drew conclusions. Real research in action! They did an awesome job! Here are some pictures, along with some of students applying lessons in safe web-browsing and online learning in advance of our blogging endeavors coming up this week:

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