SQUIRT & Work

December Greetings!

I know this is a busy time of year! We are busy with many projects at school as well.

This week I had two days of important district level meetings, so the kids had a sub for both of those days.  She knows them well, is a former HW parent and tried to make things run as smoothly as possible.  Due to my absence on Friday, I will send home the RED folder on Monday and ask for it to be returned Tuesday.

This week in the RED folder, you will notice a new yellow sheet entitled "SQUIRT & Work Plan Sheet".  "SQUIRT & Work" (Super Quiet Un Interrupted Reading Time) will now be a part of our daily class work.  It is an independent work and reading time during Reading instruction.  During this time, students will be able to work on their reading assignments, as well as independent skill building in math, science, social studies and writing. This will also allow for kids to work towards Book Bingo in class as well as home.

Speaking of Book Bingo - please encourage children to fill out the Book Bingo Form sheets as soon as they are done with the book.  This will help them to be more successful.  They can work on these forms at home or at school, but all are due Jan. 29.

We have begun the work on our Picture Book Project.  This is an integrated project that brings together Art, Writing, Technology and other creative platforms.  We are using an App on the iPad called "Book Creator".  Ms. Mac & Mr. Burleson have helped to launch this exciting project.  We look forward to sharing our finished products with you soon.

In Math we have continued with the unit called Division Stories and Multiple Towers. It uses the strategy of open arrays to help kids learn the reciprocity connection of division and multiplication to solve problems.  Using realistic situations to guide the practice has been very helpful in structuring their problem solving skills.  Also using a strategy of the "open array" to see how larger arrays can be divided.  Long division will not actually be taught until next year, but we are helping to lay the ground work for the deeper understanding.

Another exciting math program was introduced this week.  Perhaps you have heard about the district's initiative to pilot the program called. ST Math.  It is a thoughtfully developed computerized math program.  This week the kids were set up with their password.  We will be using time in class, as well as through the district website at home to work on it.  I encourage you to check it out with your child.  Go to the district webpage and click on "Hubbard Woods School", then hover over "Students" and choose ST Math from the drop down menu.

We have finished up our study of the North East Region.  We learned about the history of factories, the high population and need for sky scrapers, as well as the history of some of the most important National Monuments in the region.  Beginning next week we will "travel" into the South East Region to continue our study.

Enjoy the photos of some fun activities including our Thanksgiving Assembly and Art Smart.  Have a lovely weekend.  Hope you all take advantage of this incredible weather!

Best,
Joanna Amaral

Math game - "Small Array/Big Array"

Art Smart - Andy Warhol

Thanksgiving Assembly

Working at the "Hershey Factory"

 ST Math

November Nuggets

November has been a busy month and full of golden moments - here are some of the "November Nuggets".

In math, we have moved our focus from the US Traditional Algorithms (for addition and subtraction) to Multiplication and Division through the investigation of problem solving and story problems.   We have been working with "Exemplar" models complemented by a math philosophy entitled "Context for Learning."  The kids have been working in pairs to investigate and communicate mathematical thinking for the problem at hand. Building a visual/physical model and using step-by-step explanations while articulating and listening to each other's thinking,  helps learners to refine their own understanding of the problem and the strategies they are learning to apply.

One quote from a student this week was, "I like this work, I really feel like I know what I am doing and I feel responsible for the problem." YES!!!

We will continue to slip in practicing the addition and subtraction algorithms as we continue and build upon this exciting work.

In Reading, our focus has shifted from Characters to Genres.  I hope you all have all had a chance to read about BOOK BINGO! In class, we will continue to learn about the different elements of these genres, while the kids are exploring and pushing themselves to try out different styles.  Please be sure to read the directions through with your child.  (I will also send a digital copy of it for your reference.)  Please remind and encourage your child to check the books in with me for approval prior to reading.

We have also begun a new project in writing - the Picture Book Project.  Students are currently finishing a narrative to turn into a picture story book.  We will be integrating the different ARTs into this project, as we will be using an App called "Book Creator" in the Idea Lab, working with Ms. Mac on choosing a medium for our illustrations, and working with Mr. Wendt on a recording that will accompany our narration.  This is our 2nd year with this project.  We are very excited to do it again with this year's classes to make this fun and creative digital storybook.

As you have seen, the clay earths have come home.  We have shifted our focus from earth's make-up and different landforms into learning about different kinds of mapping.   We have learned about the cardinal directions, latitude & longitude, scale and specific types of maps (physical, political, rainfall, elevation, etc.) This has been very useful in our examination of the US Regions.

Currently, we are exploring the NorthEastern Region of the US and learning about the dense population, Historical America and the explosion of factories and the Industrial Revolution. This is an important foundation as we will recall and relate these learnings to our Immigration unit later in the spring.

Also, we will also build in more connections to the earth and mapping through our Rocks & Minerals unit in the next few weeks.

As the weather has taken a change - please be sure to help your child be prepared for healthy outdoor time.  Fresh air and physical movement time is very necessary for these kids to be able to focus at the right times.  If the temperature is below 50, a coat is required.  If it is between 50 - 60, it's the "long sleeves" rule.  Above 60 - child's choice.  Below 10 we are indoors.

I'm especially proud of this class this week - they really worked hard.  We worked through a great deal of material and they all really put forth terrific effort.

We ended the week with a fun Thanksgiving activity with our Buddies!  It was a well deserved break!

I will not be posting again until after Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a wonderful break during this glorious holiday.  May your hearts be full of the joy that your children bring me on a daily basis.

All my best,

Joanna Amaral

(Enjoy the pictures below)

CHARACTER BAGS

"FOX" Character Study

Indoor Recess Fun

EXEMPLAR partner work

Book Bingo Readers

Fun with BUDDIES