Room 7
June 8, 2007
Friday’s Message:
We All Scream For Ice Cream
Maybe we didn’t scream, but we certainly were excited and louder than usual as we feasted on ice cream. Today we were treated to an ice cream/cupcake party for having 100% class participation in the school’s Walkathon. Thank you everyone for your support!
Special thanks to Lisa, Emily’s mom, for being our room coordinator for this event.
Keep on Jogging
Some kids said our hike was easy. More importantly, everyone did it! (I knew they could!) They are great walkers! They easily made it to Joaquin Miller Park. When we got there, we had a frozen otter pop break, then went off exploring some more. We walked to the “waterfall,” and walked across it. Then we went down the stairs and went back up it to prove we are the “stair masters.” Everyone did it.
Then we went back to the picnic area and had a great pot luck lunch. Kids could name the foods and countries it came from. Thank you everyone!
After lunch we did relay races, then it was time for dessert. Next, it was time for the pinata we made. They made a strong one, because it never broke apart. Everyone had two chances to swing at it. Once they did it blindfolded, then without the blindfold. The top just popped and I ended up pouring the goodies to the ground...because we were out of time. We needed to head back to school. It was a full day. I hope your child told you all about it.
Angie’s, Matthew’s,and Micah’s parents, Joanne, Linda, and Mark walked with us.
Mack’s and Mikayla’s parents, Karen and Kristin, helped bring the food up to to park and set up the picnic. Many parents joined us for lunch. I was a super day!
Planter Box
Mack’s mom, Karen, came back and had the students put grout around their mosaic section of the planter box. Now the mosaic pieces are “set in stone.” It looks great. Next year I can’t wait to get soil in it and plants growing. I’m looking forward to expanding my garden curriculum. Thank you for making it possible.
Star Students
Your child is bringing home their star student poster and book. Classmates wrote for whoever was the “star” for the week. These writings are the original / first draft writings that make up each star’s book. After I do “underwriting”/corrections, students rewrite (2nd draft) on the strip of paper that is used for the poster. The final product is each “star” has a collection of what their classmates like to do and/or how they have worked together with your child.
Because each child’s original work goes to the “star,” I made copies of their writings so they can see what s/he wrote for their classmates. (I strongly encouraged them to write different things for each student. Now they can see if they did.) The last page of their book is what they wrote for themselves, how they feel they are a “star.”
Book Bag
Please have your child return his/ her book bag reader. Make sure there is a “bookmark” so I’ll know whose book it is. Thank you.
Minimum Days Reminder
There are only three more days of school and they are minimum days. (It was in the Walkie-Talkie). Dismissal is at 1:25 next week!
A Wonderful Year
I’d like to take this time to thank everyone for their support and help this year! Many of you assisted with skill groups, did 1-1 reading with students, or helped out in the library on a weekly basis. Some of you helped prep activities at home or drove / chaperoned on field trips. Several came in and did a special activity with the class. Many helped with the 1st grade Asian Pacific Islander Day. All of you helped your child get information for their bread presentation and/or made bread with the class. Many of you made your child’s bread for the “first” time. These are just a few things that I am thankful for.
I’ve enjoyed working with you. Thank you for a wonderful year!
Walking to the Park
We’ve been jogging every day this week. The kids have built up their endurance.
We have parents to walk with us Thank you Matthew’s, Micah’s, and Mikayla’s dads,
Bill, Mark, and Brant. Other parents are welcome to walk with us; more would be better.
Thanks.
Your child brought home their reminder of what to do/wear on Thursday. Just in case you didn’t get their note:
*Bring multicultural food dish to the classroom
students will tell what they brought and find country on map
before we walk to the park
*Bring a bottle of water for the walk/hike
*Wear layers (It has been cool in the morning)
*Wear long pants and tennis shoes.
*Wear a hat and/or sunscreen
*Go to bed early!
It’s going to be another fun full day!
Handmade Journal
Sirr Dezion’s grand dad, Asual, came back this week to make a journal using the printed fabric he did with the students They are truly journals to cherish! I hope they proudly showed them to you.
Musical Notes
Emily’s dad, Adam, brought his cello to class and taught us some facts about this instrument, but also other kinds. He told us there are three instrument families. He asked students if they had heard of brass instruments and asked for examples. Then he showed a picture of brass instruments and asked what they have in common. Next he talked about percussion instruments and explained how these instruments make a sound when something hits it. Students named the obvious percussion instruments, but then when he asked what kind of instrument is a piano, they hesitated, but knew the answer. Finally he took out his cello and asked if students knew what kind of instrument it is and in what family. Then he told us about the strng instruments.
Adam told us how a cello is made. Forty pieces of wood are glued together to make the “box” of the cello. When the strings are struck/strummed/picked, the sounds vibrate through the “f” holes. Of coarse Adam demonstrated by playing a couple of songs for us.
He even showed us the music he was reading. He said music is like a language. It’s a fancy way of writing. He told them there is lots to learn and practice to get to the fun part.
Summer Reading
Reading should be a daily habit. I hope you encourage your child to keep on reading, any and all books. Students have made great gains this year. Many of the students are starting chapter books and/or you can read them together.
Barnes and Noble is offering a summer reading program (form is attached. Also check out the public library, they also have summer reading programs.
Room 7
May 24, 2007
Thursday’s Message
Flea Market
I’m sure your child was excited to show you what they bought. They learned about making choices and had fun with math. Most students were able to figure out the exact change needed to make their purchases. It was when they ran out of the exact change and had to give a coin of higher value (and needed to use subtraction skills ) that more students needed help.
We switched several times, opening and closing “stores” so they could be both the seller/consumer with different students. The final time, students decided whether they wanted to sell or shop.
Price tags were left on the objects so you could see how they spent their money and (of coarse) is needed for HOMEWORK.
Growing Lessons
Super surprise! Monday morning the kids insisted I needed to go outside to see something. I figured a swarm of ladybugs must be on our plants. (We did see ladybug eggs on them and observed several hatch.) But there it was, this big, beautiful planter box! It’s perfect! It’s more than I hoped for! Thank you so much!
This is my second year of trying to incorporate math and science with a garden. We’ve had a great year with our current garden, but I wanted to expand it When we planted our vegetable seeds in the Fall, it was hard for the students to work around the barrels. Now we’ll have plenty of room to grow things!
A special thanks to Blythe’s, Diana’s, and Mikayla’s parents, Deb and Arlene, Wendy and Dave, and Kristin and Brant, and Mr. Ramos, our school custodian, for getting it built!
Mosaics in the Garden
I knew students were going to do a mosaic, but it was a double surprise to find out they were doing it on the top edge of the planter box. The students’ personalized touch makes the planter box even more special. Thank you Karen, Mack’s mom, for overseeing this activity. Come and see this work of art.
Printmaking
Sirr Dezion’s granddad, Asual, started a printing project with the class. Students could choose from a container filled with his hand made stamps. Many of the stamps were his design and some were adinkra symbols, west African symbols that teach values and philosophy. He told what some of the symbols meant.
Students applied paint to a stamp, and then continued it across a piece of fabric.
They made a pattern with one stamp and color. Then they did random printing with other stamps. They are in the process of applying at least five stamps/ colors. They started this project yesterday, they will be working on it for a couple more sessions. Thank you Asual for coming back to work with us.
Breads Revisited
Emily brought Finn crisp from Finland. This bread is made from rye and can be eaten with any meal. They learned that rye is a whole grain which is high in fiber. I liked how Emily explained fiber: “It’s good for you because it helps vacuum your insides. “
When Emily pointed Finland out on the map, the kids could see how far up north it is. She explained because it is so far north, it’s a cold country. It’s also the land of the midnight sun. That means in summertime it’s always light! Even though it get a lot of light in the summer, they have a short growing season. In fact they don’t get a lot of fruit, so they eat mostly dried or canned ones. Fresh fruit is expensive. One berry that does grow there is cloud berries.
Finland has many lakes and flat plains. It does not have big mountains. Soccer is their favorite sport, but other sports include swimming, ice skating, and cross country skiing. We could see how these sports fit into the lay of the land.
Diana’s mom, Wendy, made Italian biscuits from Italy with the class. The recipe she used originated with sailors. It was a quick, easy bread that you scooped, then dropped onto a tray to bake. The rosemary and cheese that were added to the dough made our room smell sooo... good. Though this was just one kind of Italian bread, it was easy to see how the “average” Italian eats one half pound of bread a day! ( We talked about an average loaf of bread is about one pound.)
Wendy told us that even though they eat a lot of bread, pasta is the national dish of Italy. Then she told us a few things that were invented there: eye glasses, the thermometer, typewriter, the ice cream cone, and pizza ! We also learned that it has the most hotel rooms in Europe and 3000 museums! A lot of people visit Italy!
Diana told us Italy is just a little bigger than Arizona. It has a lot of beaches and three volcanos. One of the volcanos is named after the puppeteer in Pinnochio, Stromboli.
Field Trip / Picnic at the Park
Your child brought home a permission slip for our hike to Joaquin Miller Park and multicultural picnic. Please return the form no later than Wednesday, May 30. Thanks!
This will be the last homework assignment for the year!
READING
Read and record in your Reading Log.
WRITING
Write about something your bought at the flea market. Use complete sentences. Try to include the “w” questions: why, who, when, where, and what when you are writing your story.
MATH
Students kept the price tag on their items. Now have your child list what he bought and how much it cost. Have him/her find out the total amount they spent.
One way is to have you child count out coins for the cost of each item. Then make a pile for every dollar. Count how many piles/dollars and the coins left.
How much money did your child bring home in their “wallet?”
PLAY MY GAME WITH ME
Hopefully you saw / played your child’s game at Open House. Your child designed their own gameboard. Then they wrote the rules. When they played the game with classmates, some students had to add and/or revise and/or clarify their rules. They’ve played their game with other students. Now it’s time to play with YOU! Have fun!
Make sure they read the directions first. Keep the gameboard. There is nothing to turn in for this portion of the homework.