Reading Updates

This week we will wrap up Unit 2 in our reading series and take the Unit 2 test on Friday. The spelling focus is the sounds of ow as in grown and clown. In language students have been focused on common and proper nouns. A test will be given on Wednesday.

I will also be administering some assessments to see students' improvements from the beginning of the year. This week we will retake the NWEA and third grade placement test. Over the next two weeks I will readminister the DRA test.

We have also finished our study of the Narrative standard in writing and will be moving onto the Functional or How to writing standard.

Be sure your child is still reading every night for homework. Reading logs are collected and graded as part of the reading grade weekly.

The winter party will be next Friday. I will send home a note within the next couple of days. 21 shopping days until Christmas!! : )

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week is an extremely short one...two days! We will not have a reading focus or a spelling focus. However, we will be ending our study of the narrative standard in writing with a character develop and story assignment. Most students have already turned in their characters and have started working on their story. Ask your child about their character!

When we return from the break we will be finishing up Unit 2 in our reading series. Students can review the past reading focuses in their readers notebook. It will cover: realism and fantasy, graphic sources, context clues, fact and opinion, and main idea and supporting details. The week of November 26 we will study main idea. The following week we will take the unit test.

There has been a change in the date progress reports will go home. Look for your child's progress report on November 27. This will not include the Unit test unfortunately.

Have a safe and delicious Thanksgiving...and keep reading every night!!!!!

Important Dates in November

Report cards go home November 9
Veteran's Day Holiday - No School - Monday November 12
Thanksgiving Holiday -No School - Wednesday November 21-23
Early Dismissal November 7 and 28

End of the First Nine Weeks

Wow! Can you believe it is already the end of the first nine weeks? I find it hard to imagine but we are there. The classes took the Unit One test in Reading and I was pleased with the results! You should find the test in your child's Friday Folder tomorrow. We have gone over it in class however you can still have them reread the stories to you and discuss the questions they missed and ask them to explain the corrected answers to you. We will begin Unit 2 on Monday October 22.

Just a reminder...students are still assigned to read and log in their reading folders every night. I no longer collect folders overnight so you should see your child reading and logging in nightly. They should also read and log in at least once over the weekend also. This is extremely important for their growth in reading.

End of the Reading Unit and 1st Nine Weeks

Well it's hard to believe this will be the last week of the first grading period. This week there will not be a reading focus or spelling list. Some students will have a spelling list to reteach and retest long a and long i. Look in your child's planner to see if he or she has to retest based on the past two spelling test grades.

This week in reading we will be focusing on building reading stamina and practice using different types of reading such as diagrams, maps, and learning different parts of books. Look for daily practice from class to come home in the planner for you to review with your child at home.

We will take the Unit one test in reading on Thursday. It counts as a part of your child's grade. There is nothing they can study for specifically however be sure your child is reading and logging in nightly. This is the best way to become a better reader. Rereading the stories in the text book is also a great way to build fluency.

At this point in the school year your child should have read 8 chapter books. If he or she is behind now is the time to catch up. Their goal is 30 by the end of the year. We have read one together in class that can be counted. It is Gooney Bird Greene. Ask your child what it is about!

Family Learning Night

Thursday, October 11 is Family Learning Night. PTA is hosting a dinner at 5:00 and the activities will begin at 6:00. Look for a flyer your child should have brought home today detailing the dinner and learning night activities.

FCAT Explorer

Today your child should have brought home their sign in name and password for the FCAT explorer. This is a great way to practice for the FCAT in reading. If you do not have the internet at your home, local public libraries have computers with internet access which the students can use. I highly recommend having your child make a goal to complete the FCAT explorer. They will get to work on it at school during computer resource however that is not enough time to complete it.

Current Reading News

Hopefully by now you have seen the reading log folder coming home nightly (except Wednesday's when I collect it). Another part of our reading workshop you will want to review is your child's reader's notebook. Every week we will have a skill focus. In class I introduce the skill on Monday by making a chart together with the class. Students are to copy the chart in their reader's notebook. Other activities you should be seeing in the notebook are vocabulary words and definitions and answers to the questions at the end of the story in the textbook. Here are some pictures of a few of the charts we have done so far in class.








This is our current reading focus skill.

Students will have a test Friday Sept. 28 on Author's Purpose, weekly vocabulary and genre. Students should have brought home a study guide on genre (types of writing) to study.

Room Parent Needed!

I sent home a flyer in the Friday Folder last week asking if anyone was interested in being a room mom or a room dad. So far nobody has volunteered. There really is not a lot to do. We have two parties a year: Winter Party and and End of the Year Party. Other times of need are during play day, field trips, and possibly book celebrations. If you would be interested in taking on this responsibility please let me know! Thanks

Upcoming Test Info

We have now gotten into our reading textbook and skills. Last week the students focused on sequence in a story. Most did very well on the tests. We also started focusing on vocabulary in reading and had our first vocabulary test. Again most students did well! This week we are focusing on drawing conclusions. Students have to use clues from the story as well as what they know in real life to make decisions about the characters in the story.

One way you can review with your child at home is to go over the skill introduction page in the textbook. They should be able to show it to you as we use it in class every Monday to introduce the skill. Also they should be able to show you in their reader's notebook what we did in class that day to practice the skill.

From now on you should see the reading textbook coming home with homework assignments such as to define vocabulary or to reread the story and answer the question at the end.
Students should continue to read and log in from their chosen chapter book. Their goal is about one chapter book a week.

This Friday students will have a reading test on drawing conclusions
vocabulary test with words from the textbook story Goldilocks
grammar test on complete sentences (practice pg. homework
on Wednesday)
spelling test

To study for spelling and language tests students have a Language notebook with activities we have completed in class to use as a study guide or I will give a practice sheet to go home to do as homework. If they can do the practice page then they should have no problem completing the test. In Spelling they may have spelling rules at times to study and on the test they may have to apply those spelling rules to words as part of the test. All this would be introduced and practiced in their Language notebook which they are then instructed to take home and share with their parents as part of the test. Please ask you child what they are studying. They should be able to tell you if they have been paying attention in class.

Reading is Thinking!

By now students should have brought home their reading folder with their reading log inside. This is how they will track what they are reading independently. As I tell them in class, since they will be doing their independent reading in their head this is how they show me what they are thinking while reading. They will also keep track of their 30 chapter books in this folder. These logs will change as the year goes on. Today students are to start practicing predicting and questioning while reading. You should see post it notes (or sticky notes as we call them in class) in their books showing what they are thinking. I call these reading tools needed to help them do a good job reading. We will be adding more to our tools in the next weeks. Ask your child what they are reading and thinking about in their book.

Open House

Open House is tomorrow from 6:00 to 7:00 for Kindergarten through Second grade and from 7:00 to 8:00 for Third through Fifth grade. Hope to see you there!

Off to a Great Start!

One week is over and I am glad to see just about everybody has their supplies and everybody is ready to learn! We have learned many classroom routines from how to organize our crates to reading behaviors during Readers Workshop.
Today we started Spelling. Students took a pretest in their planners to help focus their studying through the week. They will have a Spelling test on Friday. They were to write in their planners "Ways to Study Spelling" from a chart we created together in class. Throughout the week students are to choose a way to study their Spelling words for the test Friday. The ways to study Spelling are as follows:

1. Write words 5 times each (or more if needed).

2. Write word triangles. Example: if the student needs to practice the word stamp they would write the word triangle like this-
s
st
sta
stam
stamp

3. Look, Say, Cover, Write, and Check. Students look at the word, say the word, cover the word, write the word on a separate piece of paper, and then check to see if they spelled the word correctly.

4. Have someone call the words out to you.

Homework reminders will be written on the board and the students have to copy them into their planners daily. Students will have homework nightly in my class. You should see some reminder written everyday from today on.

Welcome to the Classroom!

Glad your here,
Glad you came!

Take a peek,
and come again!










This is where we will Plant the Seeds of Learning!

Finished a Great Book!

As you will hear me say quite often..."To become a better reader you must....READ!" Reading truely is the way to grow. So this summer my daughter and I went to the book store and purchased some books. I just finished mine last night. It was a great book! It was by one of my favorite authors, Nicholas Sparks. I hope you spend time reading and finding a favorite author of your own. It's like getting to watch a movie anytime you want! I will be hunting my new book to start today. I hope you will hunt for a book of your own! When you do... tell me about your book and your favorite author.

School Supplies

Sometimes stores put on great summer sales on school supplies. I know there was a supply list in the report card, however it was a general list. I have found that students that have their supplies stay much better organized and are able to keep up with their assignments much better. The following is a complete list of supplies students will need to bring to class everyday:

*magazine crate-single size
*composition notebook
*2 spiral notebooks
*3 pocket folders with prongs
*loose leaf notebook paper
*erasable pens preferably
*zippered pencil bag
*crayons 24 count or smaller

The following are supplies needed for use throughtout the year:

*1 box large freezer zip lock bags
*box tissues
*bottle softsoap
*package loose leaf notebook paper
*1 ream copier paper
*wipes for cleaning

Please do not bring the following items as they are a disruption to the classroom:

*rolling backbacks
*trapper keepers or notebooks
*supply boxes
*toys
*snacks-we do not have snack time in class as there is not enough time in our schedule

We Are An A!!!!!

WOW! Crystal Springs Elementary is an A school. Hope you are as excited as I am! What an exciting year coming up!

Welcome!

Hello! If you are reading this then it most likely means you will be in my up coming class this year. I will be looking forward to seeing you at Meet the Teacher on Friday, August 17 from 2:00 to 3:00. You can come by, see the classroom and pick up a supply list for my class. Look forward to seeing you!