1/28 to 2/1

Hello,

What a crazy weather week! I hope everyone had a nice snow day yesterday and did not have to drive too much.

Upcoming Events/Reminders:
January 29: Field Trip to PAC
February 4: Field Trip Form Due for Badger Sports Park
February 11: Field Trip
February 11: 100th Day of School
February 14: Valentines Party
February 21 and 22: No School

Here are a few photos from Celebrate NDLC week:

1/22 to 1/25

Hello,

No family night tonight! Drive safe everyone!

Let's celebrate our wonderful school! Here are the dress up days
Jan. 22: Twin Day
Jan. 23: PJ Day
Jan 24: Active Wear
Jan 25: Dress like your future Job

Upcoming Events/Reminders:
January 21: No school for students
January 22-25: Celebrate NDLC Week (watch for dress up days)
January 22: Family Night
January 24: Family Night
January 25: Intent to Return Sheet due
January 25: Last Day to turn in book orders or order online!
January 29: Field Trip to PAC

We tried something new this week! Let me know what you think!

Also this video is not public, you cannot find it on Youtube. Only if you are given the link you can view it. But let me know if you are not comfortable with that and I can make sure that your child is not in videos if we try this again. Thanks!

https://youtu.be/2iHA7SzGiHw

1/14 to 1/18

Hello,

This week marks the end of the second quarter.  It is crazy to think that the year is half way already.  We are finishing up mid year assessments and there are many celebrations to be had.

Next week we will be celebrating NDLC week!  There are many fun activities planned.  Be on the lookout for more information this week.  Here are the dress up days planned:
Jan. 22: Twin Day
Jan. 23: PJ Day
Jan 24: Active Wear
Jan 25: Dress like your future Job

Upcoming Events/Reminders:
January 18: ½ day for students
January 18: Field Trip form for PAC due
January 21: No school for students
January 22-25: Celebrate NDLC Week (watch for dress up days)
January 22: Family Night
January 24: Family Night
January 25: Intent to Return Sheet due (those are coming home today)
January 29: Field Trip to PAC

Reading: In reading this week we will be learning more strategies to decode tough words. We will think about how words can fit and sound right and how to break apart large words. Another strategy we will learn is using words we know to solve words we don’t know. Lastly we will talk about vowel teams, and how they can make many different sounds.

Writing: In writing this week we will be continuing to judge our collection and start writing reviews! The collections will be coming home sometime this week. We will learn a new strategy to quote an expert to convince our reader. Then we'll talk about how it is someone's job to try new things and then write reviews about them! Students will make a list of places they’ve been that they can write reviews about! Then we will also inquire and read reviews to see what those authors did to convince their readers.

Math: This week in math we will practice counting on from two digit numbers.  We will learn new games to help us with adding tens and ones.  At the end of the week we will review and have our unit test. 

Science: This week we will discuss one of the properties of how light interacts with materials:  some materials allow light to pass through them (“transparent,” or see-through), others do not (“opaque”), while others are only “kind of” see-through (translucent). We will talk about how glass is an especially important material which enables us to have windows in our homes, windshields on our cars, eyeglasses, and more.

One thing you can do to further encourage your child’s curiosity about this topic is to look together to find examples of translucent and transparent materials in your home. In addition to any objects made of glass, one example that might be unfamiliar and interesting to your child is any kind of *film*, if you happen to have photographs and video from before there were digital cameras (for example, the print negatives of film photographs, photographic slides, or the film from an old 8mm home movie).

Questions to ask this week:
-What awards did you give your collection?
-What are you going to start reviewing?
-How do you solve 2-digit equations? Example: 56+7
-How are you a boss of your reading?
-What experiments have you done in science this week?
-What are some expert words that you have learned in science?

1/7 to 1/11

For the month of January we are going to have special shares for our morning meeting. Students signed up for a day where they can share a story, share a picture, or share about something they brought to school. It can be a show and tell if they would like to bring something in and it can also be their collection that they are bringing in for writing. Let me know if you have any questions!

I also just noticed that January 24th was cut out of the picture. Owen S, and Reagan had signed up for that last day. Thanks!

Hello!  It sure is a dreary Monday but we are finally here for a full week!

Upcoming Events:

January 7: Bring in collections

January 18: ½ day for students

January 21: No school for students

January 22-25: Celebrate NDLC Week (watch for dress up days)

January 25: Book Orders Due

January 22: Family Night

January 24: Family Night

Reading: In our reading unit we are focusing on taking charge of our own reading.  
We will teach that readers make plans to be the best that they can be by asking,
“What do I do a lot? What can I do even more? We will teach students that they can
ask their partners for help when the work gets tough.  We will also work on thinking about
what is happening in the story to help solve difficult words.

Writing: We are beginning our new unit of Opinion writing.  Thank you for sending in collections
and if you haven’t please do by tomorrow.  We will be judging our collections and writing
in convincing ways to show our opinions about which is best and why.

Math: In math this week we will be comparing two digit numbers.  We will distinguish between
adding ones and adding tens to other numbers and practice adding to ones and tens to
decade numbers. We will also continue to work on the counting on strategy and the make
a ten strategy. Math homework will come home on Wednesday.

Science: This week we begin our unit about the properties of light and sound.
Your child will learn that not only are the characters in an animated movie created
by artists, but so are all the sounds!  There’s such a thing as “sound effect artists.”
These artists make use of many different objects in order to make sounds such as
rain, wind, thunder, robot voices, and more. Often they do this by creating vibrations,
a back-and-forth movement. (There’s a scientific idea we’re laying the groundwork
for:  that vibrations and sounds are fundamentally connected.)

You can continue to foster your child’s curiosity by sitting down together and watching
this short video about some of the famous sound effects artists:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSf8Er2gV_Q

Pictures

12/12 to 12/21

Hello,

Thank you to all the families that made it to family night! Students LOVED reading their compliments!

Last week before winter break! It is a very exciting and busy time of the year. This week we will have

a few fun celebrations. Stay tuned for videos and pictures throughout the week.

Secret Santa! Throughout the week students will be making handmade presents for their
secret santa. They can make some at home if they would like but please do not purchase
anything for it! Handmade cards, bookmarks, origami pieces, etc. And they will have time
to make some at school too so it is not something they need to do!

Gingerbread men: Sometimes this week students can bring their disguised gingerbread man to share at morning meeting. It is cool to see their creative designs!

Here is a snippet of what the end of the week will look like!

Thursday: We will watch a movie on Thursday, I am going to rent Small Foot which is rated PG. Please let me know if you are not comfortable with your child watching a PG movie I can have another activity ready for them. 

Friday: We will have time with our 3rd grade buddies and decorate cookies! We will also have a winter scoot where the students will rotate around rooms for various activities. 

If you would like to bring a treat or snack in for Thursday or Friday please email and I can let you

know what we need. But of course you do not need to.

Lastly, I have some exciting news to share. This last weekend I was proposed to and said yes! It was fun to share the news with the class this morning and I told them they can help me start planning! 

Here is a photo:

Upcoming Events:

12/21: Pajama Day or Red/Green

12/24 to 1/1: Winter Break

1/18: Early Release for Students

Reading: This week we will be surprising our secret santa with bookmarks and books throughout the

week. We will be learning about how it is important to get to know our reading partner to have great

conversations with them. At the end of the week we will be ending our nonfiction unit and will

celebrate by teaching the other first grade class about a topic we learned all about from our reading.

Writing: We are finishing up our all about books this week.  We are adding in introductions and

conclusions. We will have our on demand on Wednesday.

Math: We are working with tens and ones this week.  We will work on reading and writing numerals

and number words.  

Science: This week in science we will be recording videos to teach all we know about the sun,

planets, stars, and moon. If all goes well I will try to post those videos next week!

Questions to ask:

• What video are you recording for science?
• What did you make your secret santa?
• What poster are you going to make in reading?
• What is your topic for your writing On Demand going to be?
• What is a two digit number?
• Are you going to help Miss Wittmann plan her wedding?!

12/3 to 12/7

Hello,

I will be out of the classroom tomorrow and Wednesday because I will be attending the SLATE conference in Wisconsin Dells with a few other teachers from our school.  We will be learning new ways to integrate technology.  I’m excited for this learning opportunity.  I will be checking my email but if you have any urgent news please call Mrs. Mitchell in the office.


Book Order:  Book orders are due today! Please email if you would like to set up a time for me to get the books to you as a secret. You can order online as well at https://clubs.scholastic.com/ Our class code is QJMYM.

Upcoming Events:
12/3: Book Orders Due
12/6: Family Night sheets due
12/11: No School for Students
12/13: Pajama Day and Pizza and Publishing Family Night
12/21: Pajama Day or Red/Green
12/24 to 1/1: Winter Break

Reading:  In reading this week we are learning ways to solve unknown words in nonfiction books. We will add a few new strategies to solve our words. We will goal set and talk about strategies we use all the time and a few strategies we would like to work on.

Writing: In writing we are continuing our work with our All About books. We will be learning how to make our books into chapter books. We will learn how to create a table on contents, chapter titles, and other ways to organize our books.

Math: This week we will be starting a new math unit. This unit is all about place value. We will be learning about making groups of 10’s and 1’s. We will be creating 2 digit numbers and taking them apart. The math homework will be sent home on Thursday this week.

Science: This week we will be continuing our centers.  We will also receive a moon journal to use at home. This is an optional activity to do at home as a family.