NWEA This Wednesday and Thursday

When Leslie Science Center visited us last week, students learned about the habitat and needs of Madagascar cockroaches.

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

NWEA
The students will be taking the NWEA reading and NWEA math assessment this Wednesday (tomorrow) and Thursday.  Make sure they have a healthy breakfast, a good night’s sleep, and are ready to their best on this exam.  We will also likely be finishing things up on Friday too.

Book Swap!
Two weeks ago a pink flier went home about an end of the year book swap.  Basically you bring in old children’s books up until May 31st (tomorrow) and then kids will have a chance to choose new (to them) books to with Ms. Reader.  There is a collection box set up in our classroom.  For every book a student brings in they are able to choose a different book to take home.  Even if you can bring in just one, that is great!

Curriculum Overview
Science - We are studying what living things (plants and animals) need to survive.  We are learning about how animals can be classified by their needs (i.e. herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores).

Math - This week we will review measurement and clocks.

Literacy - We are using features of nonfiction texts to learn about the needs of living things for our Project Based Learning unit.

Writing - In conjunction with our project on living things students we will be writing about our experience with the Leslie Science Center last week.

Word Study - This week students are working on understanding synonyms and antonyms.

Room K-3 students during the Leslie Science Center presentation.

Color Fun Run / Understanding Plants

As of this weekend our class raised over $800 which is an impressive amount.  Thank you.  You can still donate, even a little bit, up until 3PM, today 5/22.

Thursday and Friday
I will be out of the classroom this Thursday and Friday.  Ms. Nehlman and Ms. Maier will we teaching in my place.  Ms. N worked in our classroom extensively this past fall.  On Thursday I will be at STEAM, getting ready for next year incoming Kindergarten class.

Volunteers Needed
This week our study of living things is moving from plants to animals.  On Friday between 9:45 AM and 10:45 AM the Leslie Park science center is bringing different animals for us to learn about.  If you would like to join the class for that event, email me and let me know.  I will not be at school that day but if would be good to have parents there helping the presentation go smoothly.

Book Swap
Last week a pink flier went home about an end of the year book swap.  Basically you bring in old children’s books up until May 30th and then kids will have a chance to choose new (to them) books to with Ms. Reader.  There is a collection box set up in our classroom.  For every book a student brings in they are able to choose a different book to take home.

Memorial Day
There is no school scheduled for Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial Day.

Curriculum Overview
Science - We are studying what living things (plants and animals) need to survive.  Last week we went into the Leslie Park forest diagrammed some wild geraniums and spotted painted turtles, American robins, frogs, ants, and other animals.  See our twitter feed for some pictures.  This week we will turn our attention to animals.

Math - This week we will review 3-dimensional shapes, fractions, and place value.

Literacy - We are using features of nonfiction texts to learn about the needs of living things for our Project Based Learning unit.

Writing - In conjunction with our project on living things students we will be writing about seeds and plants, and our experiences planting and growing vegetables.  Look for our work on Seesaw.

Word Study - This week students are working on different word sorts aligned with their academic next steps.  Students are working on letter sounds, blends, and vowel spelling patterns.

On the field trip to Leslie Nature Park students drew and diagrammed wild geraniums.  More pictures in our twitter feed.

We Need Your Fun Run Help

The seeds we planted are seedlings now and should be ready to move to the indoor vertical garden this week.

Fun Run!
The A2STEAM Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is hosting the annual Fun Run fundraiser this Friday, May 19th. That's this Friday!  A pledge sheet went home in every student's red folder a week ago.  The money we raise helps us pay for the costs of field trips, expos, and more.  Even a little bit helps.  More information about how you can contribute can be found here and here.  There is also a paper form in the office.

Chaperones Needed
We are taking a walking field trip to the Leslie Science Center this Thursday.  We will leave the classroom room around 1:15 PM.  Students will have a snack in the forest as well as draw and diagram a plant they find on the grounds.  If you would like to chaperone please email me.

Blue Book Bags
Send in your child’s blue and clear book bag so I can send out new books to read at home!

Curriculum Overview
Science - We are studying what living things (plants and animals) need to survive.  Students have planted all sorts of seeds in class.  See our twitter feed for some pictures.  This week we will look at the parts of plant and the role each part has in helping a plant survive.

Math - This week we will be focusing on computation, both story problems and direct math sentences.  We will study skip counting, how it relates to multiplication, and add that that to our understanding of different types of computation.

Literacy - We are using features of nonfiction texts to learn about the needs of living things for our Project Based Learning unit. 

Writing - In conjunction with our project on living things students will be writing about seeds and plants, and our experiences planting and growing vegetables.

Word Study - This week students are working on different word sorts aligned with their academic next steps.  Students are working on letter sounds, blends, and vowel spelling patterns.

The Mother's Day flowers that went home have a biodegradable pot.  You can can keep them in a pottery pot (shown below) or plant the whole pot directly into the earth outside.

U of M Nuerologist / Living Things

Dr. Dayalu, neurologist from U of M, came in to teach kindergartners about the brain and how it interacts with the rest of the body.

Hello everyone, a lot exciting things happened last week.  My computer is being repaired which makes it harder to post to our photo gallery.  I have put a lot of photos on our twitter feed.

Color Fun Run
The PTO is planning the annual Fun Run, but this year with a twist - a “dash” of COLOR! This is their largest fundraiser of the year and the PTO is hoping to surpass the $20,000 goal - which helps to cover the cost of our school field trips, assemblies, grants, etc. The run is scheduled for Friday, May 19th in the afternoon and will include colorful cornstarch raining down on the students.  More information about how you can contribute can be found here and here.  There is also a paper form in the office.

Walking Field Trip to Leslie Science Center
Next Thursday, May 18th, we will be taking a walking field trip to the Leslie Science Center.  It will be a casual walk, looking for different plants and animals.  If you would like to volunteer that afternoon please let me know over email.  We will be leaving around 1:15 PM.  A permission slip will be going home tomorrow. 

Curriculum Overview
Science - In our current Project Based Learning unit we are studying the needs of plants and animals and how plants and animals adapt to and change their environment to meet those needs.  This week we will study living vs. non-living and begin to look at the parts of plant and the role each part has in helping a plant survive.

Math - This week we will be focusing on computation, both story problems and direct math sentences.  We will study skip counting, how it relates to multiplication, and add that that to our understanding of different types of computation.

Literacy - We are using features of nonfiction texts to learn about the needs of living things for our Project Based Learning unit.  I mentioned this before but I highly recommend going to the library and checking out some non-fiction books--so often we read fiction books at home and it is good to give students a varied experience.  Find a topic that interests your child and use the table of contents and index to read up and learn.

Writing - In conjunction with our project on living things students will be writing about seeds and plants, and our experiences planting and growing vegetables.

Word Study - This week students are working on different word sorts aligned with their academic next steps.  Students are working on letter sounds, blends, and vowel spelling patterns.