Peek at the Week of October 15-19

This is going to be an exciting week! 

On Tuesday afternoon we have our first field trip to the Ridgefield Playhouse to see Stone Soup.  We will be eating an early lunch in our classroom before boarding the buses  at 11:15.  We will NOT be going to the cafeteria so there will be no hot lunch.  Make sure your child brings a lunch to school.  Thank you in advance to Mrs. Ochman and Mrs. Stockdale for chaperoning.

Going on a field trip is exciting in and of itself, but we are so lucky to have an amazing after- school activity.  Sara Pennypacker, the author of our beloved Clementine series, will be having a special meet and greet with our class at the Darien Library at 4:30.  I hope to see many of you there!  If you have anything orange to wear, please do so...it will be fun to show our Clementine spirit. 

Homework
Monday 10/15
1.  Read for at least 10 mintues
2.  Fall Word Work

Tuesday 10/16
1.  Read for at least 10 minutes
2.  Writing:  Field Trip or Clementine 3-2-1

Wednesday 10/17
1.  Read for at least 10 minutes
2.  Math:  Sports Tally Graph

Thursday 10/18
1.  Read for at least 10 minutes
2.  Review words for tomorrow's spelling test.

Have a great week!

Highlights of the Week: September 12

• (WD) We played instruments in music.
• (SD)  We practiced the Clementine song that we made up.
• (GG)  We had Game Day yesterday.
• (LM)  We are going to have a Clementine author party really, really soon!
• (GM)  We played Tumbling Monkeys at Game Day.
• (CN)  We played card games this morning for Fun Friday morning work.
• (BO)  In the computer lab we played Dreambox.  It is a math game.  We earn tokens and learn math facts.
• (GP)  We played Uno on Game Day.
• (DP)  We played basketball in gym.
• (MRS) In Reading Workshop we practiced pointing to the words.
• (RS)  We will take a spelling test in a couple of minutes.
• (AS)   At Game Day we played Chutes & Ladders.
• (VS)  We shopped for new books.
• (LS)  Me and RS and GG played a fun game at recess. 
• (ES)  We made book covers for a Halloween book.
• (BT)  We used blue pens to revise our Small Moment stories.  Revise means you can make your story bigger and better.
• (BV)  In Reading Workshop we learned that sometimes strong readers skip a tricky word and read on.  Then you have to go back and try again.
• (WB)  In gym we played a game where you have to skip around and find your partner. 
• (JB)  We had D-Day in Writing Workshop.  Everyone picked out their best story and put a heart sticker on it.
• (WC)  At recess my brother and me played a fun game with 3 people.
• (RC)  In gym we played Sit.
• (MD)  We put the new Halloween books out.
• (AD)  We will have our 4th Mystery Reader this afternoon.  Everyone wants to know who it is!

Game Day Fun!

Peek at the Week of October 8-12

There is no school for students on Monday, October 8th in honor of Columbus Day.  Enjoy the long weekend.

Game Day
Our first game day will take place this Thursday, October 11th at 2:30.  The class will be broken into groups to play games with a parent volunteer.  Thank you to the following families for volunteering for game day:  Popson, Struk, Donzeiser, Sarsen, Nemec, and Maniscalco. 

Reading Workshop

• We are in the middle of a unit called Tackling Trouble:  Hard Words & Tricky Parts.  During this unit I have been modeling what readers do when they come across words they don't know. 
• Last week we worked on Sight Words, which we were also calling "Popcorn" words because they "pop" up all the time.  Also, we talked about how we want those words to become so automatic that they pop into our brains quickly.  Each child has their sight words in their reading notebook and are given some time each day to practice those words.  These are the same words I gave to you at Open House. 
• This week we will do some strategy work which will include:  using the picture, think about what makes sense, go back and reread. 

Writing Workshop

• We spent the beginning of September learning the routines of Writing Workshop.  Towards the end of September we started our first unit which was on writing Small Moment stories.  These are stories in which your son/daughter is the main character.  It is a story about something that happened to them.  We have written family stories, friendship stories, and neighborhood stories. 
• This week we will (hopefully) be wrapping up our Small Moment stories.  Each child will reread their stories and select one to 'fancy up'.   We will be following the writing process of revising, editing, and publishing.  At this point in the year revising will be adding on one more detail to make your story even better.  Editing will be checking for capital letters at the beginning of every sentence.  Publishing is rewriting our stories using our best handwriting.  I will share the Small Moment stories at our November conference.

Math

• We will begin Unit 2 of the Growing with Math program.  This Unit is called Understanding Addition and Subtraction.  We will show addition and subtraction in many ways.  Using mathematical language and terms is a part of this unit.

Second Steps (Social & Academic Success)

• This week's lesson is called Listening to Learn.  The 4 components are:  Eyes watching.  Ears listening.  Voice quiet.  Body Still.  We will be using that phrase as a reminder of expectations during all lessons. 

Homework
Monday 10/8
No School/Columbus Day

Tuesday 10/9
1.  Read for at least 10 minutes
2.  Fall Word Work

Wednesday 10/10
1.  Read for at least 10 mintues
2.  Columbus Math Problem

Thursday 10/11
1.  Read for at least 10 minutes
2.  Review word list for tomorrow's test

Have a great week!

Mystery Reader

We were so lucky to have 3 readers today. BO's grandmother read a funny book to us. She came all the way from Florida! Mrs. O and her little daughter also came to visit!

Highlights of the Week of October 5

• (AD)  We have a spelling test today. 
• (WD)  We learned a strategy called "Look at the Picture".  Strong readers do this when they are stuck.
• (SD)  We made up our own words to the "Oh My Darling" song.  We are going to sing it to Sara Pennypacker.
• (GG)  In gym we played a new game called Sit.
• (LM)  We are going to have a Mystery Reader today.
• (GM)  We are making landscapes in art.  We will paint them.
• (CN)  We learned that "Pointing to the Words" is something strong readers do.
• (BO)  We put our Halloween books out on the shelf.  They are fun and scary!   BOO!!!
• (GP)  In gym we played a new game called Four Corners.
• (DP)  We did the Pacer Test in gym.
• (MRS)  We went to the Computer Lab.  We are playing a fun math game called Dreambox.
• (RS)  We used red & yellow chips for a math game. Miss Dineen calls them ketchup & mustard chips. 
• (AS)  We learned new songs in music. 
• (VS) In music we sung lots of songs.
• (LS)  We played some new games at recess.
• (ES)  We played on the playground.
• (BT)  In music we played instruments.
• (BV)  Some kids played at Overtime Athletics.
• (WB)  Miss Dineen liked how we worked in Reading Workshop.  Our stamina is getting better!
• (JB)  We did a new game called Clue in Rainbow Word Work Groups.
• (WC)  During snack time we started the fourth Clementine chapter book.
• (RC)  Miss Dineen gave us fun pages about Johnny Appleseed and Christopher Columbus.
• (MD)  We are going to a Clementine party in 11 days.

How To Make a Caramel Apple



Step 1
Pick an apple.



Step 2
Wrap the caramel circle around the apple.

Step 3
Push a stick into the core.



Step 4
Bake for a few minutes in the oven so the caramel can drip down the sides.  Let it cool off and then enjoy!