Newsletter for February 24, 2017

Word Study

I introduced prefixes this week and we began looking at their function (changing the meaning of the root word). Most of the common prefixes change the meaning to the opposite of the root word (e.g., a-, un-, etc.). The hardest thing for most students to learn is that just because they see the spelling pattern of a prefix, it does not necessarily mean a prefix is being employed. For example, un- is a common prefix, but this pattern is not a prefix in the word under because -der is not the root word. We do not consider a spelling pattern to be a prefix unless it precedes a root word and changes its meaning.

We also looked at suffixes. Suffixes qualify verbs and adjectives, suggesting when they occurred (e.g., walked, walking, happier, happiest, etc.)

Reading Workshop

We are tackling and reviewing a lot in reading. Students are continuing to work on fundamental skills of determining a main idea, comparing & contrasting, and using context clues. We are also learning on finding evidence of point of view or perspective, sequence of events, and cause & effect. Cause and effect is much more challenging than you may assume due to the fact that an effect can become the next cause. I use tumbling dominos as an example of how a cause leads to an effect, which becomes the next cause.

Writing Workshop

We are learning to respond to multiple texts. Students should be able to create:
- A title that connects to the writing
- A clear topic sentence. Topic sentences for opinion pieces should include both choices.
- A "planning sentence" that briefly states the reasons for your opinion or the topics you will write about in an expository (informational) writing
- Supporting paragraphs that refer to the passages
- Supporting explanations that elaborate on the points from the passages
- A strong and succinct conclusion that restates the topic sentence and main points of the "planning sentence"

We are also spending a few minutes each day working on keyboarding, learning which fingers are assigned to each key.

Math Workshop

We are continuing to work on fractions:
- Shading in a fraction
- Dividing shapes into fractions with equal shares/parts
- Plotting fractions on a number line
- Using a number line to determine equivalent fractions

I am emphasizing three numerator-denominator relationships. When the numerator is zero, then the fraction is always equal to zero, regardless of the denominator. When the numerator and the denominator are the same value, the fraction is always equal to one, or the whole. When the numerator is half the value of the denominator, the fraction is always equal to one-half.

Science 

Display boards are due on Monday, February 27th. Students will share their boards (and prototypes if they have them). I will, with the help of the class, ask probing questions, suggest improvements and model presentation skills.

I have intentionally built in a little wiggle room while we practice and make improvements for students to be able to see other students' work and to catch up. I can't stress enough that the Invention Convention is all about the process, not the completion. Too, it is unlikely that many, if any, students will actually come up with an invention that does not already exist. However, as long as the students believe they are the first to come up with this solution, then it fits the criteria for the Invention Convention. I want them to become problem solvers, to be able to take constructive criticism, to develop into great public speakers, and become creative thinkers. It should be fun. If it is becoming too stressful, give them the night off and regroup later:) All packets, display boards and prototypes are due at the very latest on March 9th. Please see the previous posts for details, examples and materials.

There will be NO homework, again, next week in order to provide students with time to work on their presentation boards and final prototypes.

Important Dates & Reminders

Testing dates are in bold. I will highlight changes and new dates in red.

A Days: No specials 

B Days: Music and PE

C Days: Art

D Days: Library

E Days: Music and PE

March 1 - Early Dismissal 1pm
March 6 - Recycled percussion instruments due - Mrs. Delcamp will discuss with students. 

March 9 - 3rd Grade Musical @ 7pm
March 10 - Invention Convention 10:30-11:00 Cafeteria/Multipurpose Room. 

March 10 - Town Hall Meeting1:45 PM

March 10 - End of second Trimester

March 13 - 17 Spring Break - No School 

March 20 - No School for students - Teacher Workday 

March 28 - Progress Reports Home Today  

April 5 - 6 Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment
April 5 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon 

April 6 Spring Picture Day          

April 10 - April 28 STAR Reading and Math Assessments
April 12 - 15 Ohio Mathematics Assessment
April 14  No School for Staff & Students: Good Friday     

April 24 - 28 Scholastic Book Fair        

April 28  KID FEST 5 - 8pm

May 8 - 19 Terra Nova & Inview Gifted Screener
May 15 - 19 Diagnostic Writing Assessment
May 22 Field Day             

May 26 Town Hall Meeting 8:25am

May 26 Last Day for Students; End of third trimester     
May 26 Early Dismissal 1pm  

Newsletter for February 17, 2017

I finally succumbed to the different bugs going around and ended up with pneumonia this week. I was able to return on Friday. I put a lot of effort into my sub plans and hope that every day I am absent is still filled with learning. I appreciate the many well wishes. It was good to see the students today.

This will be a brief newsletter regarding the Invention Convention. I hope you all have a wonderful (and healthy) long weekend!

Invention Convention

Students began experimenting with materials today in the library's Creation Station. While these efforts will not serve as final prototypes, students were able to problem solve (particularly how they would attach materials and making them sturdy enough for multiple presentations and demonstrations) and learn what they will need for their final prototype.

There will be NO homework next week in order to provide students with time to work on their presentation boards and final prototypes.

Please have your student see me if they need any of the following forms: problem sheet, Invention Convention packet, research sheet, presentation board plan and prototype plan. They should be done with all of these except for the "How I improved" section of the packet as many will get suggestions when practicing their presentations.

Presentation boards are due February 27th.

Prototypes are due March 6, earlier if possible to practice presenting.

Prototypes - Due March 6 Students will build a representative (does not have to be a fully operational) prototype. If the technology already exists for part of their prototype, they can simply mock it up (e.g., a garage door opener can be replicated from cardboard). Prototypes must be no larger than a paper box (approximately 20" x 12" x 12") and may not use chord dependent electricity. They may use batteries.

Presentation Practice - February 27 and March 6 Students will practice presenting with an emphasis on presentation skills and responding to questions. I encourage you to engage your student in discussions about their problem, process and invention. Have them practice at home, especially if they are quiet or anxious. It will be loud and a bit chaotic on the morning of the Invention Convention. A little preparation will go a long way.

Invention Convention - March 10  Students will present their inventions to families in the Windermere Multi-Purpose Room/Cafeteria from 10:00 till 10:45. Families are encouraged to help us celebrate student inventions and interview students on their invention process. In the past, many families have opted to take their student (and their materials) to lunch after the presentations. This is a great way to celebrate and to make sure display boards and prototypes go home before spring break.

The most common question I receive is, "How much should parents help?" It is important to note that while we may have some inspiring outliers, these should be student directed problems and solutions. As much as we want to help them (and you can), the ideas and solutions should be theirs. You can ask questions and let them arrive at their own conclusions. The Invention Convention is all about the process, rather than the end product.

Most importantly, this project should be student led and adult supported. This is NOT parent work. You may help your student by encouraging them to think about their invention. You can even help them assemble their boards and prototypes, but students must be able to explain their work and demonstrate understanding of every step of the process. We are not looking for robots or technologically bound solutions, but simple and achievable solutions to problems that impact many people. The real benefit of this project is the student learning. We want our future leaders to see they can identify and solve others' problems.

You can probably help most by having them plan and do a little work daily so they don't have to cram the night before their materials are due.

Social Studies

I invited a speaker from Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) to visit as part of our social studies curriculum, learning how communities change over time. Our speaker, Mr. Nila Upreti, is a refugee from Bhutan. As part of the Bhutanese ethnic cleansing, many Nepalese were evicted from Bhutan beginning in the 1990s. Mr. Upreti talked about the refugee camps in Nepal and how he ended up coming to Columbus, home of the largest Nepalese community in the country. He also shared the sacrifices he and his family had to make, leaving behind a culture and community, but also the rewards of living in the US. I was very impressed with the students' questions and their thoughtful conversation with our guest.

Mr. Upreti and Mr. Tyler Reeve (CRIS) 

Important Dates & Reminders

Testing dates are in bold. I will highlight changes and new dates in red.

A Days: No specials 

B Days: Music and PE

C Days: Art

D Days: Library

E Days: Music and PE

February 20 No School for Students & Staff:  President's Day

March 1 - Early Dismissal 1pm
March 6 - Recycled percussion instruments due - Mrs. Delcamp will discuss with students. 

March 9 - 3rd Grade Musical @ 7pm
March 10 - Invention Convention 10:30-11:00 Cafeteria/Multipurpose Room. 

March 10 - Town Hall Meeting1:45 PM

March 10 - End of second Trimester

March 13 - 17 Spring Break - No School 

March 20 - No School for students - Teacher Workday 

March 28 - Progress Reports Home Today  

April 5 - 6 Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment
April 5 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon 

April 6 Spring Picture Day          

April 10 - April 28 STAR Reading and Math Assessments
April 12 - 15 Ohio Mathematics Assessment
April 14  No School for Staff & Students: Good Friday     

April 24 - 28 Scholastic Book Fair        

April 28  KID FEST 5 - 8pm

May 8 - 19 Terra Nova & Inview Gifted Screener
May 15 - 19 Diagnostic Writing Assessment
May 22 Field Day             

May 26 Town Hall Meeting 8:25am

May 26 Last Day for Students; End of third trimester     
May 26 Early Dismissal 1pm  

Newsletter for February 10, 2017

What We Learned This Week

Please visit the link to the Invention Convention page to help your student stay on pace. We planned our prototypes today and will be able to use many materials provided by Mrs. Hemmelgarn's Inventors' Station next Friday to start constructing them. Students should bring in any other materials they will need. Boards are not expected to be done as students may want to include photos of their prototype stages and may make further improvements as they go through the process.

From the Leadership In Action Committee... "The Windermere Leadership in Action Group is having a pop tab collection competition to support Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. By saving the tabs from aluminum cans you can join the hundreds of groups throughout Central Ohio who are generously contributing to the charity. Each donated pop tab helps to provide a home away from home for families of seriously ill children. We collect all types of aluminum tabs from items such as: soda cans, soup cans, pet food cans, vegetable cans and even tennis ball cans. (from Ronald McDonald House Flyer). Please help your child's grade level win by keeping your tabs in a baggie and sending them to school with your child! Deadline for this competition is February 28!

Thank you for your help and support - Leadership in Action"

Important Dates & Reminders

Testing dates are in bold. I will highlight changes and new dates in red.

A Days: No specials 

B Days: Music and PE

C Days: Art

D Days: Library

E Days: Music and PE

February 14 - Ohio Wildlife Center visit
February 14 - Valentine's Day card exchange: Please do not address cards, but do sign them. This greatly speeds up passing out cards. Thank you. 
February 20 No School for Students & Staff:  President's Day

March 1 - Early Dismissal 1pm
March 6 - Recycled percussion instruments due - Mrs. Delcamp will discuss with students. 

Click to enlarge.

March 9 - 3rd Grade Musical
March 10 - Invention Convention 10:30-11:00 Cafeteria/Multipurpose Room

March 10 - Town Hall Meeting1:45 PM

March 10 - End of second Trimester

March 13 - 17 Spring Break - No School 

March 20 - No School for students - Teacher Workday 

March 28 - Progress Reports Home Today  

April 5 - 6 Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment
April 5 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon 

April 6 Spring Picture Day          

April 10 - April 28 STAR Reading and Math Assessments
April 12 - 15 Ohio Mathematics Assessment
April 14  No School for Staff & Students: Good Friday     

April 24 - 28 Scholastic Book Fair        

April 28  KID FEST 5 - 8pm

May 8 - 19 Terra Nova & Inview Gifted Screener
May 15 - 19 Diagnostic Writing Assessment
May 22 Field Day             

May 26 Town Hall Meeting 8:25am

May 26 Last Day for Students; End of third trimester     
May 26 Early Dismissal 1pm  

Newsletter for February 3, 2017

Happy February. I'm hoping for an early spring!

What We Learned This Week

Word Study
The entire class worked on developing vocabulary. Our words this week were appropriate, appliance, and mumble. Students learned each word's parts-of-speech designation (noun, verb or adjective) and used them in increasingly elaborate, but grammatically correct, sentences.

We began learning how to make verbs past-tense. We learned we can typically add -ed to many verbs (e.g., walk > walked) and simply -d to words ending in e (e.g., smile > smiled). We then studied words where the final syllable has a short vowel sound followed by a single consonant (vc). These words typically double the final consonant and add -ed (e.g., admit > admitted). We will continue to master these features next week.

Reading Workshop
We are going beyond who, what, where, and when comprehension and digging deeper. Point of view/perspective was our focus this week and will be again next week. I am modeling for students how we can determine who is telling a story, a neutral narrator, a main character, or even multiple characters. We have started to consider how a story might change from one point of view to another. This has proven to be challenging, but we are making progress with autobiographical stories by Patricia Polacco.

Writing Workshop
We are working on opinion writing, using the text as evidence. Students are doing a great job of identifying support in the text, but are struggling to explain or elaborate how their text evidence supports their opinion. We will continue this for a bit more and then move into informational writing.

Math Workshop
We took an end of unit assessment on multiplication and division. We will begin fractions next week. Keep working on those facts. I have seen some meaningful improvement in many students!

Science
Students should be done (or at least have started) the first three pages of their Invention Convention packet.

We began sharing our problems and solutions with peers to start making improvements and began planning our design boards. Students should be done with their boards by February 27th. They may bring them to school as soon as they are done. This will give us ample time to practice presenting. Please don't let your student fall behind. You can read more specifics at our Invention Convention post.

Click on the image to enlarge. 

Coincidentally the fourth graders invited us to their cardboard arcade where they figured out how to make arcade games using cardboard. They were inspired by the young creator below, Caine.

Caine and his arcade

Click on the photo of Caine to see a short video that demonstrates his ingenuity and perseverance.

Thank you in advance for your generous Ohio Wildlife Center donations. Donations should be sent to school next Friday, February 10th.

Important Dates & Reminders

Testing dates are in bold. I will highlight changes and new dates in red.

A Days: No specials 

B Days: Music and PE

C Days: Art

D Days: Library

E Days: Music and PE

February 6 - 10 Boxtop Collection Days

February 6 - March 31 Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment
Feburary 10 - Ohio Wildlife Center donations due
February 14 - Ohio Wildlife Center visit
February 14 - Valentine's Day card exchange: Please do not address cards, but do sign them. This greatly speeds up passing out cards. Thank you. 

February 20 No School for Students & Staff:  President's Day

March 1 - Early Dismissal 1pm
March 6 - Recycled percussion instruments due - Mrs. Delcamp will discuss with students. 

Click to enlarge.

March 9 - 3rd Grade Musical
March 10 - Invention Convention 10:30-11:00 Cafeteria/Multipurpose Room

March 10 - Town Hall Meeting1:45 PM

March 10 - End of second Trimester

March 13 - 17 Spring Break - No School 

March 20 - No School for students - Teacher Workday 

March 28 - Progress Reports Home Today  

April 5 - 6 Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment
April 5 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon 

April 6 Spring Picture Day          

April 10 - April 28 STAR Reading and Math Assessments
April 12 - 15 Ohio Mathematics Assessment
April 14  No School for Staff & Students: Good Friday     

April 24 - 28 Scholastic Book Fair        

April 28  KID FEST 5 - 8pm

May 8 - 19 Terra Nova & Inview Gifted Screener
May 15 - 19 Diagnostic Writing Assessment
May 22 Field Day             

May 26 Town Hall Meeting 8:25am

May 26 Last Day for Students; End of third trimester     
May 26 Early Dismissal 1pm