Newsletter for December 8, 2017

I'm hoping for some fun and festive snow this weekend!

What We Learned This Week

Word Study
I introduced ways we can make the hard /K/ sound at the ends of words. Our first pattern is based on a short vowel sound followed by /K/. In this case we make /K/ with -ck (e.g., lick, lock, etc.). If we have a VCe syllable that makes the long vowel sound, we end with -ke (e.g., spoke, bike, etc.). Our other pattern is -ook (e.g., book, took, etc.). This unit provided a good opportunity to revisit the VCe syllable type.

We use a lot of sign language to support multi-sensory learning. Here is an example of using ASL to indicate vowel sounds and appropriate endings. Ask your student to teach you a few signs.

Reading Workshop
Good readers make good writers; good writers make good readers. We are studying figurative language and author's message in reading workshop. I am sharing poetry and poetic verse, full of figurative language, for our upcoming poetry unit.

Aesop's fables have provided us with many short stories with author's messages to identify and support. We have talked about strategies for identifying the author's message, including identifying who learns the message and what traits the animals symbolize.

One of my favorite poets for children since I first read this book in 4th grade.

And an inspiring quote from the poet who is displayed in a frame on my classroom wall... "Teachers can be bearers of gifts. Not only do we have the privilege of introducing great literature to young, imaginative minds, but we also have the priceless opportunity of giving each child the gift of believing in him or herself."
- Albert Cullum

Fishing In The Air is full of figurative language. 

Writing Workshop
We published pen pal letters to Livingston and our Oman pen pal letters finally reached the school, two months later. We are looking forward to continuing to work with these other classrooms.

We are starting to use figurative language, with a distinction between descriptive and figurative language, in poetry, using organic objects for non-literal inspiration.

These deer antlers inspired the following images: bear claws, five ivory towers, menacing hands, jail bars, white flames, bramble, haunted forest, fork, daggers.

We have published a few pieces recently and are using keyboarding more often. Click on the iPad image below to see keyboarding activities recommended by our iCoaches.

Click to visit keyboarding activities.

Please help your student remember to charge their iPad nightly and bring it to school.

Otherwise, they miss out on learning/practice opportunities.

Math Workshop
I introduced the 9's strategy for multiplication facts. Students should have mastered their 0's, 1's, doubles, and 5's. I also introduced perimeter and the class is getting it really quickly. We are continuing to work on independent problem solving.

Science
Students continued their coding this week to develop comfort and familiarity. I will introduce keyboard (as opposed to block or drag and drop) coding next week. If your student would like to do some more coding at home, I recommend Scratch, Scratch Jr., and Code.org.

December 2017

Holiday gifts - It is a long practiced tradition that elementary students give their teachers gifts during the winter holidays. My gift is getting to work with your wonderful students, in an amazing school, in a progressive school district and for a supportive community. Please do not feel any obligation to get me, or any other teacher, a gift, but if you and your student feel strongly about gift giving, please consider making a small donation to an organization you support in our class' name.

21 Holiday Parties 2:00 pm - Thank you in advance room parents and volunteers for your time and planning. You help make Windermere the wonderful school it is!

December 22-January 4 Winter Break

January 2018

5 No School for Students:  Teacher Workday/PD Day

8 School Resumes

15 No School for Staff or Students:  Martin Luther King’s Birthday

18 PT Conferences grade 1-5 (students are dismissed at 11:05)
22 STEM Exchange with Livingston (UA Rotary providing pizza)

February 2018

5  State of the Schools at UAHS 5-8 p.m.

5-9 Collection Days for “Box Tops for Education”
8 Third Grade Musical
11-14 Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
14 Ohio Wildlife Center

19 No School Staff or Students:  Presidents’ Day

28 Early Release 1:00 (NO LIFT)

March 2018

5 Spring Pictures

9 End of Second Trimester
9 Invention Convention 10-10:30am in the Multipurpose Room/Cafeteria

12-16  Spring Break

19 No School for Students:  Teacher Grading Day

27 Progress Reports available online

30  Good Friday:  No School for Students or Staff

April 2018

4  Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at Windermere 11-12 in lounge

May 2018

April 30-May 4  Scholastic Book Fair

4 KidFest, 5-8 p.m.

8  NO School for students or certified staff - Ohio Primary Elections
11 Science field trip to Livingston Elementary

21  Field Day

28 No School Staff:  Memorial Day

30  Last Day for Students

30 End of third trimester