What is it?

Here are two products that are coming home.  You may be wondering, "What is it?"  Worksheets from the curriculum are fairly straightforward.  The kids are working on blending, beginning sounds, high frequency words, story structure, and summarizing.   The purposes of the products are not so straightforward, but the activities are valuable.  They supplement rather than supplant the curriculum.  

First, there is a poster for lost underwear.  We designed it after a book we read entitled Oh, Where, Oh, Where is My Underwear? by Barney Saltzberg.   The story was mostly about an elephant who has misplaced his underwear.  Here's a link:    http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9781562826949

Yesterday, while reading the story I pointed to the word "where" printed on the whiteboard as a cue for the kids to repeat it.  Then, after thinking about who, what, when, and where, we created the poster.  Many students were able to easily find the word in the text of the story we read in the anthology today.  Easy-cheesy-piece-of-cake kind of recall.

The second paper I would like to share with you is a venn diagram used to compare two stories we read.  One is from the curriculum.  It is titled Jasper and the Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth:
http://www.amazon.com/Jaspers-Beanstalk-Nick-Butterworth/dp/0340945117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317181590&sr=8-1   Jasper finds a bean, tries to plant it, and mows right over it.  He digs it up, throws it out, and forgets about it. While Jasper reads a book that looks like Jack and the Beanstalk, we see the plant growing in the background.  Jasper is last seen climbing the beanstalk.

Some of the students were not familiar with the story Jack and the Beanstalk.  To bring more meaning, we read Paul Galdone's version:
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Beanstalk-Paul-Galdone/dp/0899190855/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1317181953&sr=8-12

We then made a venn diagram to compare the story elements:

The left side of the diagram shows what only happens in the story with Jasper.  The right side shows what only happens in the story with Jack.  The center shows what both stories have in common.

In addition, we briefly related Jasper's story to another story we read called
Cookie's Week:
http://www.amazon.com/Cookies-Week-Cindy-Ward/dp/0698114353/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317182057&sr=1-1
This story follows Cookie through the week just as Jasper is followed through the week.  Both kitties are black and white.

During these supplemental activities,  I could see students making connections and getting excited.  It's a wonderful thing to see.  When these papers come home maybe you can see that enthusiasm when you ask,
"What is it?"

The Pony Express Arrives at School

On Wednesday, the students witnessed a special treat.  The letters they wrote were picked up by the Pony Express.  The local post office came riding in on horses, spoke a little about how deliveries ran long ago, and took letters from lucky students who got to place them in their saddle bags.  The letters were then hand stamped with a special Pony Express cancellation stamp and delivered through the current mail system.

In class we used this opportunity to expand on the information we read in the social studies curriculum.
First, we talked about different services and goods that are provided in our community including the contribution of postal workers.  Students thought about and shared what they would like to do when they grow up.

We discussed types of modern transportation, categorized them by land, sea, or air, and compared the way mail was transported in the past to the way it is transported today.  We learned what 'change' means and used the term in our comparisons.  We are thankful for technology and that today mail is delivered much more quickly.

I hope you enjoy the letter that comes to your home.  The process it took to get there contains a special piece of our history.  The letter itself is a directed group practice of the letter format written to the main character of this week's story from the reading curriculum, Minerva Louise at School by Janet Morgan Stoeke.

http://www.amazon.com/Minerva-Louise-School-Morgan-Stoeke/dp/0525454942

In the story, the hen takes a walk and finds a school.  Having never seen a school before, she mistakes everything she sees for something she has seen in her barn.  She even believes the red school to be a very big barn.  After reading the story, we made a chart showing what Minerva thought the objects she saw were versus what the students knew they really were.  She saw nesting boxes, but they were cubbies. We then used the chart to compose a letter to Minerva sharing what we knew the objects really were.

Here are the social studies standards that this unique experience helped illustrate:

1.4 Students compare and contrast everyday life in different times and places
around the world and recognize that some aspects of people, places, and things
change over time while others stay the same.
1.  Examine the structure of schools and communities in the past.
2.  Study transportation methods of earlier days.
3.  Recognize similarities and differences of earlier generations in such areas as work
(inside and outside the home), dress, manners, stories, games, and festivals, drawing
from biographies, oral histories, and folklore.

1.6.2.  Identify the specialized work that people do to manufacture, transport, and market
goods and services and the contributions of those who work in the home.

Special thanks to Mrs. M. for the photo.

Sight Word 1.3: who

Who has an eraser?

Sight Word 1.3: one

I have one pencil.

Sight Word 1.3: have

I have a pencil.

 

Sight Word 1.3: to

I can go to school.

Sight Word 1.3: find

I can find my hat.

Sight Word 1.3: a

I see a dog.

(Pronounced two ways.)

Math Chapter 2

In chapter 1, students counted forward and backward, used ten frames to represent numbers, and reviewed patterns by looking at the number of objects and identifying the pattern unit.  In chapter 2 of the math curriculum, students were introduced to the concepts of tens and ones, one more, one less, ten more, and ten less.  These concepts are difficult, particulary if a child does not have one-to-one correspondence and is not able to write or identify numerals to 100.  Coming home in next Monday's homework are some charts for your child to practice counting and writing to 40.  If your child can already complete the task independently, it is still a good idea to have them work on this skill, because the stronger the skill the more it helps when learning the other concepts we cover.

Of Pig Labels, Writing, and Making Five

Thanks to everyone who came to Back to School Night at Horizon Elementary.  It was a pleasure to meet you.  If you couldn't make it, here are a couple of pictures of some work that was on display.  We will have a chance to talk during parent conferences in October.  

Here is something we do during writing instruction which is in alignment with the curriculum.  We draw and label who and what.  The next step is to label who, what, and where.  This will lead to writing sentences.

Here is the front of a little piggie.  Some students added eyelashes. Behind the pig you see samples of writing done using sentence frames and a math project illustrating ways to make five.  

On this back wall the only assessment data which appears right now is a list of sight words the students know.  You can come in and see this to know exactly where your child is.  I also send home a report in the weekly homework to let you know what words your child is on.  More test data will appear as we continue to take theme skills tests and math chapter tests.  If you have any concerns, please, call me at the school.

Sight Word 1.2: jump

I can jump high.

Sight Word 1.2: too (also)

I like dogs, too.

Sight Word 1.2: too (too much)

I ate too much.

Sight Word 1.2: we

We get on the bus.

Sight Word 1.2: not

That is not my hat.

Sight Word 1.2: here

                         You are here at school.

sight word 1.2: and

The cat and dog run.