I hope your child brought home their progress report to you on Friday. I was very proud of the majority of students, however there are some who just need to make sure they are completing their reading logs and they will be doing great too!!!! We will continue this week with our beginning year assessments with the DRA and FAIR test. Also students will take the M.A.P. test for Music, Art and P.E. on Tuesday. So this will be a very busy week and hopefully the last for testing!
Reading
We will continue this week in the reading textbook with the story Volcanoes. Our focus will be how and why readers categorize and classify information while reading. Classifying is when a reader groups like ideas or details together and categorizing is when a reader then gives a name for that group of like ideas. This helps while reading nonfiction to remember details they are learning by grouping like facts and making a name for those facts. Students will categorize and classify information about Volcanoes this week as well as from their chosen book for their reading log.
Students will have a vocabulary study guide again this week with their vocabulary words and definitions given to them. They need to draw a picture to illustrate the word. This strategy really helps students have a better understanding of the word. Instead of just having a memorized definition they will have a mental picture pop in their head when they see the word. Students should be studying their vocabulary words throughout the week.
You should see the reading textbook coming home through the week for students to read the week selection story and answer the question after the story.
Language
This week we will have a spelling list. The focus is long vowel O sounds spelled with the pattern:o, o-e and the "oo" sound spelled ow, ui, u-e. Students should come home with a pretest on Monday and study the words they missed throughout the week.
Important dates
September 24-26........................Progress reports due back signed
Until next time,
R. O'Steen
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Updates Week of September 17-21, 2012
Last week we started our week off with the exciting field trip to the Marine Science Center. It was beautiful weather and I believe the students learned a lot as well as had a lot of fun on the beach collecting shells.
Then we spent the rest of the week benchmark testing. I have to say the students really put forth their best effort on their tests!! We will continue with beginning of the year baseline assessments this week with the DRA and next week with the FAIR test. Please continue to encourage your child to do their best everyday!
Reading
This week in reading we will study the text organization or structure an author uses with their text. Students will look at different pieces of literature and determine whether the author used sequence, main idea and details, cause and effect or compare and contrast to organize their text. Students will use the story Eye of the Storm which is about a storm chaser named Warren Faidley. Students will have vocabulary words coming home to study.
Please continue to monitor your child with their reading logs. Many students have missing logs and it is beginning to effect their grades. I will send a midterm progress report home this week. I also encourage you to get your oncourse sign on and password to access their grades on line. That can only be given out by the office. I can not give it out in the classroom or over the phone. You have to come in and show I.D. and sign for it but it is worth it.
Language
Students this week will have a spelling list. They will study words with long vowel patterns of a, e, and i. You should see a pretest come home Monday for them to study throughout the week. For writing students will connect what we are working on in reading and apply it to writing. They will choose a topic and then decide the best text organization for their writing.
Important dates
Progress report..........................beginning of this week
Early dismissal.........................Sept. 19
Until next time,
R. O'Steen
Then we spent the rest of the week benchmark testing. I have to say the students really put forth their best effort on their tests!! We will continue with beginning of the year baseline assessments this week with the DRA and next week with the FAIR test. Please continue to encourage your child to do their best everyday!
Reading
This week in reading we will study the text organization or structure an author uses with their text. Students will look at different pieces of literature and determine whether the author used sequence, main idea and details, cause and effect or compare and contrast to organize their text. Students will use the story Eye of the Storm which is about a storm chaser named Warren Faidley. Students will have vocabulary words coming home to study.
Please continue to monitor your child with their reading logs. Many students have missing logs and it is beginning to effect their grades. I will send a midterm progress report home this week. I also encourage you to get your oncourse sign on and password to access their grades on line. That can only be given out by the office. I can not give it out in the classroom or over the phone. You have to come in and show I.D. and sign for it but it is worth it.
Language
Students this week will have a spelling list. They will study words with long vowel patterns of a, e, and i. You should see a pretest come home Monday for them to study throughout the week. For writing students will connect what we are working on in reading and apply it to writing. They will choose a topic and then decide the best text organization for their writing.
Important dates
Progress report..........................beginning of this week
Early dismissal.........................Sept. 19
Until next time,
R. O'Steen
Monday, September 10, 2012
Updates Sept. 10-14, 2012
Well this week is going to be quite busy between the field trip and benchmark testing. Therefore we will not be following our regular routine in Reading. Also, don't forget Open House this Thursday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!
Reading
This week we will not have a vocabulary, story or spelling list due to the field trip and benchmark testing. We will continue to read and log in daily so please be looking for your child's folder coming home each night. Even if they say they have completed it in class ask them what they read and what the response was for that log.
Language
This week we will review writing from earlier in the year that has been graded for neat handwriting, complete sentences, spelling and use of details. Students will receive back their writing to see what they need to improve on and write a new paragraph focusing on the weaknesses of their first paragraph.
Important Dates
September 10..................Marine Science Center field trip
September 11..................Reading benchmark test
September 12..................Math benchmark test
September 13..................Open House 7:00p.m.
September 14..................Science benchmark test
Until next time,
R. O'Steen
Reading
This week we will not have a vocabulary, story or spelling list due to the field trip and benchmark testing. We will continue to read and log in daily so please be looking for your child's folder coming home each night. Even if they say they have completed it in class ask them what they read and what the response was for that log.
Language
This week we will review writing from earlier in the year that has been graded for neat handwriting, complete sentences, spelling and use of details. Students will receive back their writing to see what they need to improve on and write a new paragraph focusing on the weaknesses of their first paragraph.
Important Dates
September 10..................Marine Science Center field trip
September 11..................Reading benchmark test
September 12..................Math benchmark test
September 13..................Open House 7:00p.m.
September 14..................Science benchmark test
Until next time,
R. O'Steen
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Updates September 4-7, 2012
Well we have concluded our focus on rituals and routines in the classroom. Students are doing well knowing and following the expectations of the classroom as well as the school. Please continue to sign the agendas nightly. You should see the weekly conduct grade written each Friday for the week in their planners. If there are big problems through the week they will be noted in the planner or a phone call will be made home.
Reading
This week students will begin working in their textbooks. They will have vocabulary words to study through the week with a test on Friday. This week's story is Earthquake Terror. Our focus is sequence which is using order words and clues to help keep up with the events in a story. At this level students may come across authors using flashbacks in a story which they as readers need to be aware of so they don't get confused with the what is happening in a story. Students will read the story through the week and we will have a test on vocabulary, sequence and the selection story on Friday.
Reading grades consist of a student's reading habits which include weekly reading logs, reading book goal, and other activities in class. Also averaged in are tests which include vocabulary, skills and story selection or comprehension tests. The selection test students may use their reading textbook to reread and find answers.
Language* edit-no spelling words this week
Students will begin to work on a study of the narrative standard in writing. We will be discussing story structure and sequence in stories this week. Students will also have a spelling list this week with a test on Friday. You should see a pretest coming home so students can focus on just the words they need to study through the week.
Language grades consist of a student's spelling tests and writing activities through the nine weeks.
Important dates
Early dismissal...................................September 5
Marine Science center field trip.........September 10
Until next time,
R. O'Steen
Reading
This week students will begin working in their textbooks. They will have vocabulary words to study through the week with a test on Friday. This week's story is Earthquake Terror. Our focus is sequence which is using order words and clues to help keep up with the events in a story. At this level students may come across authors using flashbacks in a story which they as readers need to be aware of so they don't get confused with the what is happening in a story. Students will read the story through the week and we will have a test on vocabulary, sequence and the selection story on Friday.
Reading grades consist of a student's reading habits which include weekly reading logs, reading book goal, and other activities in class. Also averaged in are tests which include vocabulary, skills and story selection or comprehension tests. The selection test students may use their reading textbook to reread and find answers.
Language* edit-no spelling words this week
Students will begin to work on a study of the narrative standard in writing. We will be discussing story structure and sequence in stories this week. Students will also have a spelling list this week with a test on Friday. You should see a pretest coming home so students can focus on just the words they need to study through the week.
Language grades consist of a student's spelling tests and writing activities through the nine weeks.
Important dates
Early dismissal...................................September 5
Marine Science center field trip.........September 10
Until next time,
R. O'Steen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)