Showing posts with label absent. Show all posts
Today was fun! I finally made it back to school, though little Vivienne is still home with a cold. It was a fun day for us, though we are missing you.
Here is a brief summary of our day:
SOCIAL STUDIES: This morning, we listened to a few Timucua slides and Vokis, including yours. You blew everyone away! How amazing!!!!
MATH: We transferred the data from our "Sunrise - Sunset" chart on page 27 to a line graph that is on page 125 of your math journal. I can help you with this, but I'm sure Mom or Dad could help you, too. We also took a timed multiplication test. Yay!
READING: I assigned more reading today in your Blume book. Please read chapters 7 and 8. Your job was connector. You need only to make two connections, though the form I'm sending home has room for more.
SCIENCE: We had lots of fun this afternoon with minerals. I gave partners a mystery mineral to identify. They recorded the mineral's color, streak color, transparency, luster, and results of the scratch test. Afterward, they used mineral cards to try to find the mineral that matched the results of their tests. It was really fun! Though pyrite was pretty easy to identify just by looks.
We also have gone to the computer lab today. I need to find out from Mrs. Driscoll what you've been up to in there!
We can't wait for you to return. It's just not the same without you!
We're sorry you missed today! It was a lot of fun. We were able to meet up with our buddies for cookies and juice...and we celebrated with the other divisions at the All School Convo. A few other things we did today:
We reviewed pronouns with a worksheet. (You will get this when you return.) In the meantime, you can play this game.
WRITING-Today, I read a snippet from a book called The Twits by Roald Dahl. In the chapter I read (called "Dirty Beards"), Dahl carefully describes how disgusting Mr. Twit's beard is. He described how food gets stuck in the hairs on Mr. Twit's face while he eats, often staying there for weeks and weeks. Bits of sardines...bits of moldy cheese...and what's worse is that Mr. Twit often uses his tongue to "explore the hairy jungle" around his mouth for these old bits of food to munch on when he's hungry. It really was a gross description.
The point was:
An author doesn't have to say the word 'disgusting' if he or she can describe it clearly with creative and thoughtful words to paint a picture in your mind.
Afterward, we each selected our own simple phrase (found at the bottom of this page) to enhance (a word in which this case means improve).
Katie chose, "The girl was pretty."
Daniel chose, "The boy was mean."
I chose, "The room was messy."
Which one could you describe better?
MATH: We took a test on multiplication today. The open response question was shocking! Can't wait for you to try it.
The afternoon was spent cleaning the room, visiting with our buddies, attending the convo, and visiting Mrs. Hillmer for Art.
Hope you have a restful weekend!
Love,
We're missing you today! Read on for more information about our day...
MORNING WORK- Turkey Riddles!
WORDLY WISE- Introduce yourself to Lesson 6.
MATH- We practiced using a map scale today. One inch can represent 300 miles, or 1,000 depending on the map. You can look at the animation below (click first) to see how that one square can represent the smallest part of an atom...or our entire universe!
We talked about how a number line can be divided into different portions. Number lines can count by ones, fives, tens, or even thousands. Click the picture below to try placing a number directly on the spot on the provided number line. It's not so easy!
We also discussed how maps have map scales. On this Florida map, one inch is about 100 miles. On this Rhode Island map, one inch is about 15 miles. On this Alaska map, one inch is equal to 500 miles!
We practiced measuring distances on maps, based on a map scale. You can see a little of what we did below. The phrase "as the crow flies" was also discussed. We measured distances between cities as if we could fly in a straight line from one location to another. In reality, roads cause us to go in many different directions...and often have us drive longer distances.
We also completed page 96 in our math journals.
SOCIAL STUDIES- Your teams completed taking notes on their Timucua chapter and some started writing their script for their Vokis. We'll work on this when you return.
During seatwork, the class created a Voki (no voice yet) to look like a Timucua:
And we also continued to add to our mural on the wall.
At the end of the day, we created a Holiday ornament for the future tree which will be placed in the Activity Center soon. We're so sorry you missed it, because I know I hardly ever give you crafts to make! :)
SCIENCE: Watch the power point below to get an idea of what we learned about Plankton. Click the links inside the power point to watch a couple of videos.
And this is the art project we completed as well (be sure to choose whether you want to create a plant plankton - phytoplankton or an animal plankton- zooplankton):
One of the games we played was about food chains. You can try it here:
During rotation, we completed the plankton artwork, finished our Manatee Blues glog/comic planning sheet, and revised our diaries. I also read a plankton article with each small group. Your copy will come home with your brother. :)
MATH: We practiced perimeter today. The children created rectangles using a geoboard (you can use a virtual geoboard below).
You'll receive a chart today where it will tell you to create a rectangle with a specific perimeter. Once you've created it on the geoboard, you'll record on the paper the length of each side. For instance, if you were asked to create a rectangle with a perimeter of 12, how long was each side?
Looking at the sample, the top and bottom measured 4 units and the sides were 2 units long. Is there another rectangle you could create with a perimeter of 12 units?
If there is time this afternoon, we will go over what the meaning of area is:
Then the children will look at shapes online (click below) and attempt to calculate the number of square centimeters the shape covers.
We also completed the math boxes on page 66 of the math journal, worked on one Caught Ya entry, and wrote our spelling words in ABC order. All of this will come to you, but please take your time.
We miss you and hope you feel better soon!
:)Mrs. Neal
So, we've been very busy this morning- but we are having fun! :)
This morning, we answered questions in our math journal (page 65) and added these words to our spelling dictionaries:
people
pretty
question
thought
until
One of them was already in the dictionary- so you can just highlight it.
I also introduced the children to a website called StoryBird. When you finish with your final draft of the sea creature diary, you will be allowed to play around with the site. Click below and sign in with your Reading Counts username and password.
Once logged in, click "create" and you will be taken to a small menu of art choices you can view. If you don't like what you see, click "see more art".
From there, you can start dragging artwork onto the book and type a creative story!
MATH: This morning, we discussed probability.
If you were given two dice to roll, and added up the two numbers, what sum would be most likely to occur? Well, we tossed those two dice, added up the two numbers, and used the chart below to record our results. Each time the sum "7" came up, we colored in a square on the row of 7s. Each time the sum "10" came up, we colored in a square in the row of 10s. We kept doing this until one row was completely filled up. Which number do you think is likely to appear most often?
We also talked about line plots . Look at the information below:
We used line plots to find the minimum, maximum, range,and mode of the data set. You will have this for homework. You can try a line plot activity by clicking the picture below and scrolling down on the page to find it.
ROTATION: We will be working on our sea creature diaries in small groups. Seatwork will be to go to the Science Power link and answer questions about Plants. (I'll send these home.)
READING: I introduced a project to the students for Manatee Blues. We won't start working on it until Wednesday, but we did complete a planning sheet (which will come home for you). View the power point below for an idea of what's coming up.
We will end the day at the library with Mrs. Edwards, where we will be working on our Buc Book project.
We have missed you and hope you are feeling lots better already!
Love,
We hope you're feeling better! We've been hard at work today, and I wanted to give you a brief overview of what we've been doing. Please read on for more...
LANGUAGE: We reviewed the Wordly Wise Words for this week. (Homework is parts A/B)
SPELLING WORDS: Add these to your dictionary:
always
especially
laughed
myself
whole
FALL FUN: We finished the fall leaves we painted and completed a book recommendation form to attach to it. I'll save this for you when you come back. They'll be hanging in the window. :)
MATH: We practiced measuring to the inch, half-inch, and quarter-inch. The worksheet will be sent home. We completed the worksheet instead of the pages in the workbook. Same work- different layout. We also practiced our timed subtraction for the first time. Phew! It was much harder than addition.
READING: I demonstrated how to complete the job of Character Captain. You can see the power point below. You will need to read chapters 9 and 10 and select two characters from the section to discuss.
YOu'll choose two characters to talk about. For each one, you should select two descriptive words to describe how that person thinks, acts, or speaks during the two chapters. For instance:
Brenna- Angry Brenna was angry when she noticed the racing speedboat because it could potentially hurt a manatee.
Brenna- Angry Brenna was angry when she noticed the racing speedboat because it could potentially hurt a manatee.
HANDWRITING: We completed the two pages on the letter "h".
We do hope you are feeling better and that you'll be in school tomorrow. It's not the same without you!
Mondays always seem so busy and filled with lots of work. :) Please read on for info...
MORNING WORK- This morning, we completed the Caught Ya, added five new words to our spelling dictionaries (friend, really, school, when, who), and introduced the new Wordly Wise words. Remember, you can see them by checking out Brainflips:
We also reviewed the Buccaneer Book requirements. Start reading your Buc Book soon- and be sure to complete the work included in the folder Mrs. Edwards gave you.
Afterward, we completed page 34 in the math journal. Students were also able to play Name That Number with a partner.
SCIENCE- We learned about how to change our notes on our chosen sea creatures into sentences. I posted the power point on Friday for you, so check out the previous post. Then, during seatwork students were able to work on adding pictures, graphics, and paragraphs to their glogs. We will continue working on them tomorrow. Be sure to ask for a copy of the checklist and rubric.
READING- I explained to the students that part of what we'll do in reading is read silently, then get together with a small group to discuss the chapters we read. At times, I'll ask students to look for words they don't know- a job called Word Wizard. Today, we read a non-fiction article about bioluminescence. Together, we highlighted any words that were new to us, then I shared with them how these words would be recorded to share with a small group. We will do this again tomorrow, so don't worry.
Click the link at the top of the screen to check out tonight's homework. We'll catch you back up on everything when you get back. We've missed you!
Today will be a great day in our class! We'll be meeting our buddies for the first time. I'll be sure to put your buddy with a friendly third grader since you'll be out of town.
This morning, after we take the Wordly Wise and Spelling tests, we'll head to Mrs. Driscoll for keyboarding practice.
MATH: Please complete the math boxes on page 33 of your journal.
ROTATION: We will hold rotation early today (so we have time for our buddies this afternoon). While working with me, students continued to read in the chapter book Manatee Blues. We read pages 4-15 .
During seatwork, students worked on their sea creature glog. See the power point below for an idea of how students have been ecouraged to take their notes about the sea creature and turn them into sentences:
(Be sure to check the last slide, which tells you how you'll be graded.)
After PE and Lunch, we will have our final rotation before packing up to meet our buddies. I'm so sorry you'll miss it, but I know you'll have a good time with your family. Check out the blog later for information about what you'll miss Monday. For now, you can start learning the new Wordly Wise words by checking out the following:
Today was a lot of fun! We reviewed the Wordly Wise words together, but homework should be done independently tonight (parts A & B). You can always check the definitions at BrainFlip.
We also took time to share some of our silly sentence plays called, "The Case of The Missing Keys." Super funny! Be sure to complete the next page in your handwriting booklet - which included how to connect the letter c to the letter a.
During math, we practiced how to calculate elapsed time. I taught the class how to use a number line to calculate elapsed time, but some preferred their own strategy. We determined how much daylight we have at this time of year by calculating the number of hours and minutes in between sunrise and sunset. We completed page 26 in the math journal...many of us needed to help each other.
During rotation today, we finished taking notes in our Sea Monsters booklet. You should have chosen to read and take notes on:
The Anglerfish OR the Vampire Squid
Plus one other creature from this list: Dragonfish, Oarfish, Cookie-Cutter Shark, Pink Goblin Shark, or Tube Worms.
Pictures are required in the flipbook, as well as labels identifying interesting skills or body parts.
Seatwork included:
*Finish Critter Cam questions
*Finish uploading artwork to LIttle Bird Tales (I cna do this for you.)
*Complete coloring the submarine viewer (art paper with different sea creatures on it- color code included)
SCIENCE: I took the class to the online portion of World Book, where we read the material about the ocean floor. We tried taking the quiz together and wouldn't you know, I made an error!!! The children caught me, though. The Continental Shelf is covered in sediment...not coral! Boy, they're smart third graders! I'll have to show you how the site works. You can log in from school easily. From home...that's much different and we're still working out the kinks.
We ended the day at the library where Mrs. Edwards talked more about how to become the expert on your Buccaneer Book. I would be more than happy to let you meet with her when you get back for the details. Just remind me to send you. :)
This morning, we completed math boxes on page 25, took a spelling test, and practiced our keyboarding skills with Mrs. Driscoll.
After snack, we played "Name that Number" in partners. It's a game where you put five number cards face-up in a row on your desk and an additional card face-up at the top (this is your target number). You try to add, subtract, mulitiply, or divide 1,2,3,4, or 5 of the number cards to make the target number. Soooo, if your target number is 3 and the five cards in front of you are 8, 3, 10, 7, and 0, you could do this:
10-7+0= 3
But that only uses three cards. You could use four this way:
3x0=0, 0+10=10 and 10-7=3
There is a game kind of like it found below. The target number in this game is always 24, though and the number of cards you use varies.
10-7+0= 3
But that only uses three cards. You could use four this way:
3x0=0, 0+10=10 and 10-7=3
There is a game kind of like it found below. The target number in this game is always 24, though and the number of cards you use varies.
After we played a few rounds, I introduced the three ocean zones. You can skim through the power point below for information:
For seatwork, we colored sea creatures that live in each of the three zones, using a color coding document. I'll send those home with your sister today. You only need to color the creatures and the water they live in (light blue for the Sunlight Zone, dark blue for the Twilight Zone, and black for the midnight zone). We will assemble the final product next week.
READING: During rotation, we continued to read in the Sea Monsters book. You should choose to read, take notes, and illustrate either the Vampire Squid or the Anglerfish in your note-taking flipbook, which can be located in and around pages 65-69.
We have sure missed you! Hope the weekend is relaxing and that you can return on Monday. :)
We have sure missed you! Hope the weekend is relaxing and that you can return on Monday. :)
MORNING WORK: This morning, we completed the Caught Ya as well as some money math problems on page 21 of your math journal. If you have a handful of coins, you can complete page 21 at home. You can skip the Caught Ya, though.
WRITING: Today, we talked more about how authors "show" instead of just telling by painting pictures with words. Everyone tried to do that by first choosing one of the sentences below:
My sister was throwing a fit.
The dog was naughty.
The iguana got loose in the lunchroom.
Then, we wrote for 10 minutes, trying to describe what we would see and hear during this situation. We shared a couple of short stories and will share more tomorrow.
MATH: Today was fun! We played a game called The Number Grid Difference Game- students vs. teacher. I was winning! But after a bit, I let the children play in pairs. We might get to play again on Friday.
We also practiced completing number patterns like the ones below:
We also practiced completing number patterns like the ones below:
After we got the hang of it, we completed more patterns on pages 23 & 24 of our journals.
ROTATION: During rotation, we read some more. We didn't get as far as I'd hoped. We read and took notes on pages 62-64. We also drew a picture of either a gulper eel or a viperfish. Make sure to add a label to teach us a fact about which creature you select.
Seatwork included:
*Finish your Critter Cam questions from yesterday
*Upload your pictures to Little Bird Tales (I've done this for you.)
*Add cover art to your Little Bird Tale
We spent the end of the day at Drama with Mrs. Hershman. We've missed you and hope you are feeling better!
We've been hard at work today! Please read on to find out what you've missed.
LANGUAGE: We talked about different kind of sentences this morning- statements, commands, questions, and exclamations. Teachers tend to talk in commands, don't they? "Open your book. Turn to this page. Complete the questions." I promise, we're not bossy. The word is helpful. :) Check out this power point for further help:
Afterward, we worked in pairs to develop a play called "The Case of the Missing Keys." It was hilarious! I'll send home a copy for you.
I asked questions like:
*Pretend you have $2. Is that enough to buy a notebook and a box of pencils? (No Tax)
*You have $5. Do you have enough to buy a bottle of correction fluid and a box of pens?
*How many dollar bills would you give a clerk to buy 2 bottles of correction fluid?
*You buy a box of pencils and give the clerk $2. How much change should you get?
We also discussed the difference between ESTIMATING and needing an EXACT calculation. Which one of the questions above needed an EXACT calculation?
If you said the task written in red above...you're right!
We completed page 20 in our math journals, using this ad for help. You can make your mom play the cashier as you buy school supplies. I can send home fake coins, too.
ROTATION: We finished reading about the octopus and took notes. We also started to read about the characteristics of the deep, deep ocean. (pages 59-61)
SEATWORK: Seatwork included viewing the website "Critter Cam". Students answered questions about animals discovered on the virtual tour of the deep. Click below to take a peek:
The worksheet will come home for you to complete.
COMPUTERS: This afternoon we will visit with Mrs. Driscoll where she will introduce us to the ins and outs of Little Bird Tales, the website we will use when recording our poems. I'll let you know how it goes.
So sorry you're not here with us at school today! I hope you are feeling better. Please check out this post to get an idea of what we're doing today.
LANGUAGE: We solved the "Caught Ya" this morning and most were able to solve all six mistakes without my help. Try it yourself:
By now the students were all whispering to each other trying to figure out who the woman was puzzled mrs. neal looked up to find out what the ruckus was all about.
I introduced Lesson 2 in Wordly Wise as well. You can check out the words using BrainFlip.
SPELLING: We added the five new words to our spelling dictionaries: want, was, write, with, and your. One of these was already in the dictionary, so we highlighted it. Can you find it?
CURSIVE: Complete page 9, carefully writing the cursive letter c as demonstrated in the book.
MATH: Today, we used calculators to demonstrate how they can help us skip count. For instance, enter 45 + 3 and press the equal sign over and over again. It should keep skip counting for you. (48, 51, 54, etc.) We completed workbook page 15...some children tried to solve many of the problems mentally, though a calculator was allowed.
The children tried timing themselves on 45 addition problems, too. The ultimate goal is to get them 100% correct in less than 3 minutes. However, the goal for this week is to try to beat your time by one or two seconds every day we try it. I can show you how to record your time on a line graph when you return. In the meantime, try some online practice. :)
READING: We will read more from our Sea Monsters book, taking notes on the squid and octopus. Read pages 34-38 if you are studying squids and pages 42-47 if you are studying octopuses. (This is how far I plan for us to go...but we might not read and take notes on all of that. We'll see!)
I will also show the kids the rubric for note taking, which you can see here:
I will also show the kids the rubric for note taking, which you can see here:
Seatwork included finishing all Poetry Art work for Little Bird Tales. If you are already done, students will be allowed to visit the National Geographic site located here. You can explore OCEAN animals by clicking that option on the left. Look through what ocean creatures they've highlighted. You will get to become an expert on one of them soon.
LIBRARY: Mrs. Edwards explained how we will become "experts" on our Buccaneer Books, using a picture book as a sample. She has the format designed. We'll catch you up when you come back.
We miss you and hope to see you tomorrow!
We miss you and hope to see you tomorrow!
Today has gone by so quickly! We've accomplished a lot, so read on to hear about our day.
SPELLING: We took our first spelling test! Students carefully wrote down five dictation sentences this morning using our five spelling words.
MATH: In pairs we created tally charts and bar graphs on pages 6 and 7 of our math journals using data from our class. To begin with, students totaled up the number of letters in their first and last names. Then we tabulated how many students have 3 letters in their first name, 4 letters in their first name, etc. With that data, we could create a bar graph as well as questions at the bottom of journal page 6. When you return, we'll show you how we completed the pages.
READING: We read chapter two of Sea Monsters together in small groups. We learned about explorers like Dr. William Beebe and Jacques Cousteau.
We also talked about the genre Non-Fiction, including informational books (like Sea Monsters), biographys and autobiographies. Students discovered that sometimes a book's artwork can help us decide what genre the book is.
We also talked about the genre Non-Fiction, including informational books (like Sea Monsters), biographys and autobiographies. Students discovered that sometimes a book's artwork can help us decide what genre the book is.
POETRY: To prepare for our poetry project, students broke their selected poems into two or three parts and then sketched a picture for each section. Students were allowed to choose how they would complete their artwork. Students can use KidPix, draw by hand, or try a program like:
If you would like try try Kerpoof, you can log-in using your Reading Counts username and password and this class code: L356.
HANDWRITING: We started a little practice with cursive today. We completed the first two rows on page 7.
The students had PE, Spanish, and Music today, as well. Don't forget to read, read, read over the long weekend because Reading Counts starts on Tuesday. :)
