Thursday, March 15, 2012
Groundhog Day: March 2, 2012
We saw our shadow - just like Punxsutawney Phil. Shadow means 6 more weeks of winter!?
The Smith Spokesman March 12-16
Mom, Dad - I'm Bored! Try: http://guest.portaportal.com/elin
MATH: Unit 4
“Multiplication, Division, & Fractions”
Unit review will be Monday with post-test (‘final’) probably Tuesday. Instructional focus this week has been fractions with egg cartons. It’s a very hands-on approach with an egg carton perfect for dividing into 12ths, 6ths, 4ths, and 3rds. We are also wrapping up multiplication facts through 12’s!
12x12 = ? 12x6 = ? 7x8 = ? 7x9 = ? 4x4 = ?
To practice multiplication, try: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/popup/popup_multiplication.htm
SCIENCE: Planets
This unit was out of this world! And, is coming to a close. We computed miles into inches to show the distance each planet is from the sun. We assigned each 10,000 million miles to 1/8th of an inch, placing each planet cut-out in order onto our galaxy representation hung in the classroom. Students will give an informal presentation to the class next week.
ART: Postcards from the Edge
Students wrote postcards FROM their planet telling us why we should visit that planet. The 5 senses were used.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Explorers
And you thought Magellan was just a GPS!
WRITING: Idioms, Metaphors & Similes This was fun! I can most relate to the idiom/metaphor: “She wears her heart on her sleeve.” Ask your students why this is. We completed this assignment with drawings of the literal meaning.
LITERACY: Unit 5 Week 3
Story of the Week: Talk with an Astronaut
Upcoming events/dates:
Mar 17 St. Patrick’s Day
Mar 19-23 Spirit Week next week!
Mar 20 Read- Aloud-Athon, 9 am
Mar 21 2-Hour Late Opening
Mar 26-30 SPRING BREAK!
Apr 02 Chez Jose Dine for Schools Fundraiser
Apr 13 Teacher Planning Day – NO SCHOOL
Saturday, January 28, 2012
MATH: Volume 2, Unit 3
“Geometry & Measurement” In this unit students will investigate, describe, compare, and contrast both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. As you probably saw at Family Math & Science night, your students have learned how to find the area of paralellograms AND triangles! It’s tricky and ‘fancy’ – just ask them.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Native Americans
Native Americans of the Northwest continue.Which tribe is your student researching? Our poster portion of the unit should be finished next week.
Coming up in SCIENCE:
Sun, Moon and Stars, starting with the phases of the moon.
WRITING: Imaginative Narratives
This weeks lessons included exaggerated stories! It started with my burnt bagel, and then…. LITERACY: Unit 4 Inventors & Artists Week 1: Westfalia
“What do people gain from the work of inventors and artists?”
Genre: Fiction Skill: Draw conclusions Strategy: Answer questions
ART: Happy Chinese New Year!
And…..
CONTINUING: Multiplication fact tests 0-12Help your students study up to their twelve’s.
NEXT WEEK: No school on Friday. Teacher planning day/end of quarter = report cards
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Smith Spokesman
Volume 2 Number 10 November 9th & 18th, 2011 Always Free!
2 more Wednesday’s!
READING: Just finished Bridge to Terabithia
WRITING: Finished Personal Narratives, begun Imaginative Narratives.
MATH: Volume 1, Unit 2 “Connecting Mathematical Topics” Divisor, Dividend, Quotient
LITERACY: Unit 2 “Doing the Right Thing” What makes people want to do the right thing?
SCIENCE: Planes & STARBASE
SOCIAL STUDIES: USA
ART: Characters for Personal Narratives
Homework Club on Thursday’s
2:15-3:30
Coming Up:
· Next week: NO SCHOOL
- Next week: CONFERENCES
Monday, November 7, 2011
Smith Spokesman 11.4.11
As promised, our Halloween Parade was held rain or shine – and at the last minute was moved inside the school gym. A classroom party followed with treats provided by Lauren Kapanouski’s mom – THANK YOU!“Connecting Mathematical Topics”
Well – did you show your student how YOU do multi-digit multiplication? Next week, ask your student how THEY do it!
WRITING: Personal Narratives
Several mini-lessons have trickled through the week as students have their writing conference with me, followed by writing their final copy of their personal narrative on either a special spot, a sweet learning, or a scar. On Halloween we had time for a quick free write about a scary story – boy were those good!
LITERACY: Unit 2 “Doing the Right Thing”
What makes people want to do the right thing?
Week 3: “The Ch’i-lin Purse”
With the week being chopped up by Halloween, STARBASE, and a substitute – we continued our discussions and connections to “The Ch’i-lin Purse.”
SOCIAL STUDIES: Geography of the U.S. Continues.
STARBASE: Wednesday’s until Winter Break
Homework Club cancelled
this week and next.
Coming Up:
· Clocks – Fall Behind 1 hour this weekend.
· Wednesday, November 9th – STARBASE
· Thursday, November 10th – Teacher In-service Day: NO SCHOOL
· Friday, November 11th – Veteran’s Day: NO SCHOOL
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Smith Spokesman 10.28.11
Halloween Parade: Monday, October 31st
This will be the day when children can bring costumes to school to wear in an afternoon parade. Students will put on costumes at 12:45 and begin the parade at 1:00 on the playground (in the gym if the weather is poor). Classroom party to follow. Come join the fun- IF YOU DARE!
MATH: Volume 1, Unit 2
“Connecting Mathematical Topics”
Prior to our pre-test for this unit, we built “The Great Wall of Base Ten.” This helps us to envision multiplying by 10 and multiples of 10. We also read the book Millions to Measure, and students considered some advantages of the metric system. You can expect to see ‘array’ multiplication next week.
WRITING: Personal Narratives
Students elaborated from their list of writing ideas. These included special spots, sweet learning, and scars. Next week on Personal Narratives, students will choose one to take to the finish line.
LITERACY: Unit 2 “Doing the Right Thing”
What makes people want to do the right thing?
Week 3: “The Ch’i-lin Purse” 
Hsiang-ling was a spoiled young girl, but on her wedding day, she gave a purse full of riches from her mother to a less fortunate bride getting married on the same day. Later, Hsiang-ling was separated from her husband and son after a horrible storm. She found work taking care of a spoiled young boy in a wealthy home. The boy’s mother turned out to be the poor bride Hsiang-ling had helped so long ago. The mother was so greatful that she split her family’s fortune with Hsiang-ling and helped her find her husband and son.
Genre: Folk tales. These are stories or legends that are told over and over from one generation to the next. They usually started as stories that were memorized and told out loud.
Skill: compare & contrast
Strategy: sequence
SOCIAL STUDIES: Geography of the U.S.
We are working up to the big 5-O. The 50 states that is. For a fun way to learn the states, try the Portaportal site online. Go to Portaportal.com and enter “elin” in the Guest Access section. In the Social Studies section you will find a link to State Games.
SCIENCE: Variables Unit
Investigation 2: Life Boats! This week we compared, graphed, discussed and reflected on our data. Next: Airplanes
Homework/Classwork:Cancelled next 2 weeks due to Thursday’s substitute and following Thursday NO SCHOOL!
Coming Up:
| November 2nd STARBASE Vision Statement: |
| To raise the interest and improve the knowledge and skills of at-risk youth in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which will provide for a highly educated and skilled American workforce that can meet the advanced technological requirements of the Department of Defense. Here is their website: http://www.starbasedod.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=324:starbase-portland&catid=153:oregon&Itemid=68 |
Both Wednesday and Thursday, November 2-3 our class will have a substitute as I will be in an off- site two-day literacy training.
Smith Spokesman 10.21.11
MATH: Volume 1, Unit 2
“Connecting Mathematical Topics”
In this unit “Seeing & Understanding Multi-Digit Multiplication & Division,” the goal is to be successful in multiplying and dividing multi-digit numbers. We begin this process by SEEING and BUILDING multiplication and its’ inverse – division.
WRITING: Personal Narratives
Students started a list of writing ideas, followed by an idea list of ‘special spots.’ We then narrowed down our list and drawing a map of our special spot, followed by free-writing about it. Once we had something to work with, we reviewed and ‘embellished’ our piece by adding vivid verbs. Our next idea list was about ‘sweet learning’ – a time when a loved one taught us something new. Now we are free-writing about it. Again, in this unit on Personal Narratives, students will start a variety of narrative pieces but take only one to the finish line.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Geography of the U.S.
We reviewed the big ideas covered in this first unit of social studies. Next week we’ll finish up our review and complete a unit test. In the mean time we continue to learn the states of different regions in the United States. Our ultimate goal is to know the locations of all 50 United States!
For a fun way to learn the states, try the Portaportal site online. Go to Portaportal.com and enter elin in the Guest Access section. In the Social Studies section you will find a link to State Games.
SCIENCE: Variables Unit
Investigation 2: Life Boats! We built the boat, checked its’ capacity, and then tested it for number of passengers it could support before sinking. Some of us got wetter than others J.
LITERACY: Unit 2 “Doing the Right Thing”
What makes people want to do the right thing?
Week 2: “Passage to Freedom”
A Japanese diplomat risks his life and the lives of his wife and children to write visas for 10,000 Jewish men, women, and children who are fleeing persecution and possible death in Lithuania in 1940. Key issues include heroism, conflicts between following rules and doing the right thing, and the importance of hope in dark times.
Genre: Biography is the true story of a person's life, written by someone else. The sequence of events, which shows how the person changes, is important for this Snapshot.
Skill: author’s purpose
Strategy: monitor and fix-up
WANTED: Egg Cartons
Coming Up Tonight… CARNIVAL!!!!
Hope you can join us for some fun and games under the “big top” of the Maplewood gymnasium. This is always a great event…I look forward to seeing you there!
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