Teaching and Learning Together

Mid May

05/17/2013

I hope you all had a great Mother's day! Again, thank you for showering me with gifts last week for Teacher Appreciation week. It was extremely thoughtful!

Exciting News From Mrs. Poduska

Dear Parents,
I apologize for not including some very exciting news in this morning’s Bell Ringer!
Last week, the Teton County Recreation District funded our school’s playground project for the entire requested amount! Combined with the funds PTO and Old Bill's have raised over the past year, we now have enough money to purchase playground equipment that our students will be able to enjoy next fall!
In the next week or so, our playground committee student representatives will visit all classrooms to share the “top 2” playground configurations the committee chose, and get input from all students on their favorite. The reps will also prepare a display of these top choices for the hallway, for parents to view and provide input as well.
Stay tuned for updates, and thanks to the many families who supported our playground fundraising efforts!
Thanks,
Tracy

Silent Quilt Auction and Photo Exhibit Coming Soon!

Poetry

This week we started our Poetry unit. Children being exposed to many types of poems and are beginning to view the world through poet's eyes. Please check out our poetry link. This week we started with many visualization exercises. We listened to poems and water colored or wrote down our thoughts. To the left you'll see a poem without a title. Do you know what it is about? Take a guess and ask your child.

Reading Workshop

This week we've been very busy with theme and drawing conclusions. I've been working on conversations with the kids and this week I did a little experiment. I read the kids a story and had them write down what they thought the theme was. We then all brought our papers to the carpet to discuss. After our discussion children went back to their desks to write what they thought they theme was now that they talked about it with friends. Some children decided that they liked what they had before or made changes because they learned something new from a friend. I tried this pre-post STOP and JOTs with poetry too. It's been extremely interesting. I'll need to post some student work.

Wyoming Reads was a hit! Read alouds and new books!

Add Comment

Calendar: Lots of Events

05/06/2013

0 Comments

May 7th: Music Informance 1:15-1:35 in the music room.
May 7th: Poetry Alive Performance 9:00-9:50
MAP Testing Dates:
May 8th @ 9:00, May 13th @ 10:20, May 20th @ 10:20, May 21st @ 10:20.
May 14th: Wyoming Reads Day! We will go to JES for the morning to celebrate this special day!
May 15th: Community Groups
May 24th: Talent Show!! 12:40-1:40
May 27th: Memorial Day/No school.
May 30th: 6:00 Under the Big Top school-wide event at Owen-Bircher Park
June 5th: Field Day
June 7th: Early Release: Last Day for Kids.
String Lake Trip last week of school. Date TBD.

Add Comment

April coming to an end

04/26/2013

0 Comments

Dates to Remember

April 30th & May3rd: Photography project with pARTners 2:15-3:00
May 2nd: ACES (All Children Exercising Simultaneously) in the afternoon. Details below from Kim Hunt.
May 6th- 28th MAP window (Will send out specific testing days in a couple weeks)
May 7th: Music Informance 1:15-1:35 in the music room.
May 14th: Wyoming Reads day! We will go to JES for the morning to celebrate this special day!
May 15th: Community Groups
May 24th: Talent Show!! 12:40-1:40
May 27th: Memorial Day/No school.
May 30th: 6:00 Under the Big Top school-wide event at Owen-Bircher Park
June 5th: Field Day
June 7th: Early Release: Last Day for Kids.

What's new?

We started a new reading unit this week and we are back to reading fiction. The children are loving the change. This week we read many books by Laura Numeroff. I'm sure you've heard of her books. Some titles include: If you Give A Dog a Donut, If you Give a Pig a Pancake, If you Give a Cat a Cupcake. These books are perfect when teaching cause and effect. The EFFECT is what happened and the CAUSE is why did it happen. We had a great conversation today. Children were able to related cause and effect to their lives and had many examples from books. Some children noted, "Everything happens for a reason."

Essential Questions:
What is cause and effect?
How do readers identify what happened and why it happened?
Why is it important for a reader to understand cause and effect?
What words help us understand the relationship between cause and effect?

Writing Workshop

We are working extremely hard on our expert books. Our plan is to finish them up next week. Children have been adding many different chapters. This week we talked about adding descriptive detail, labels and a glossary. The glossary page was optional and a few students are playing around with it. Please take time to ask your child what their expert book is about. Coming up with a few interesting facts together would be wonderful to have for next week. Stay tuned to learn about our publishing celebration. Children will share their books with their parents in May.

Math & Science

We finished up Unit 8 on Monday and kids took a small assessment. I graded these tests and sent them home with your child Monday night. Unit 9 started on Tuesday and we have been working with patterns on the number grid. Today children had to solve mini number grid puzzles.

We also started our plant unit. We planted our small, individual "lawns" and some brassica. We are hoping everything begins to sprout next week. Children brainstormed what they already know about plants and what they want to know. Children also started observing their plants and will continue to add entries next week. What do plants need to survive? That is an essential question which will guide our unit.

A message from Mrs. Hunt

Dear Parents,
Wilson Walkers and Joggers will begin next Monday, the 29th of April instead of this Monday, due to the weather and a limited number of volunteers. I am looking for volunteers!! If you have availability on Mondays or Wednesdays during the lunch hour (11:40-12:40) the students and I would really appreciate your help? WWJ promotes lifetime fitness and is an excellent activity for our students during lunch recess, two days of each week. Your job is to hand out cards to students, punch cards when they complete a lap, hand out motivational rewards and cheer them on as they walk or jog!! It is not hard and very fun to see these children so motivated. Please email me at khunt@tcsd.org if you can help!
Thank you,
Kim Hunt
(Physical Education Teacher @ Wilson Elementary School)

ACES ( All Children Exercising Simultaneously) and "Lets Move Wyoming" supported by the Governor's Council
Thursday May 2nd
•
This program kicks off the month of May, which is National Physical Fitness and Sport month.  Children all over the world participate in Project ACES, calling this the worlds largest exercise class.   ACES aims to educate children about the importance of lifelong fitness which is an important part of our Physical Education Mission to be fit, strong and healthy so we can ski when were 80!!

This year, the Governors Council has challenged all schools in Wyoming to do an all school activity called "Lets Move Wyoming"! Our ACES program is right on!!!

"Physical Activity Isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.Help our kids reach their greatest potential. Only 6 states require physical education in every grade and only 20% of school districts require daily recess. Only 1 in 3 kids is active every day. ACTIVE KIDS PERFORM BETTER. Active kids increase concentration and attention and up to 40% will have higher test scores." Governors Council Wyoming

All students participate in an activity: Parents are welcome to join!
K and 1st grade: can either walk or jog on the bike path.
2nd-5th grade :  can either walk, jog, rollerblade, scooter or ride a bike.

Dismissal Times:
2pm- All bikers will go to the gym, briefly then ride down Fish Creek Road.
2:00pm- All other 2nd- 5th graders will meet on the black top to travel along the bike path.
2:30 -Kindergarten and 1st grade will walk or jog on the bike path.

***Helpful Tips**
Students riding a bike must have a helmet.
Check your bike to make sure it is in good working order. Tires pumped etc...
Rollerbladers must have all protective gear.
Bring a camel back or water bottle, you will get thirsty.
Wear appropriate clothing for the weather, coats, gloves etc..

Sincerely,
Kim Hunt(Physical Education Teacher @ Wilson Elementary School)

Add Comment

Welcome Back

04/15/2013

0 Comments

Welcome back! It was great to see the kids on Monday morning. I really missed them all and we had some great vacation conversations. I got in on Sunday night due to delayed flights and was thankful to make it back home after traveling for 30 hours. Thailand was hot but beautiful. It was wonderful seeing my aunt and staying in her little guest house. Here are a few pictures!

Writing Workshop

We are exploring ways to become an expert since we will be starting our expert books this week. Children started the week brainstorming what they know A LOT about. We then "tried on" these topics and wrote facts. From there, children were able to try on the table of contents. This is an excellent way to see if your topic will work for you. Children planned chapters and noticed that some topics were better choices than others. On Friday, children made their final choice and started writing chapter one of their expert book. Please ask your child about their topic and what chapters they are planning to have in their book.

Reading Workshop

This week we explored fluency. More specifically we had many conversations about pacing and what the correct pace for reading sounds like. I modeled reading a fictional story and then read a nonfiction book aloud. Children observed and then had a conversation about my pacing and how it changed. The conversations was amazing and I wish I recorded it! The kids came up with the following.

Nonfiction:
-Read at a slower pace
-Stop and Think
-You're learning new things
-Hard words (glossary)
-Don't want to miss any words or facts
-Need to pay attention
-The author is trying to inform you.

Fiction:
-Read at a faster pace
-Exciting plot
-You don't have to remember facts
-Easier words
-No facts
-The author is trying to entertain you.

These conversations were outstanding. They figured this all out on their own and we then took time to practice independently. Children are learning to slow down when reading nonfiction. Please try to reinforce this at home. We will wrap up our nonfiction reading unit this week. The unit test will be on Friday!

Math

Children spent most of the week making u, solving and recording number stories based on the cost of items that might be available in a school store.

Key Concepts:
- Express amounts of money using dollars and cents notations.
- Show amounts of money with the fewest number of coins.
- Write number sentences to match solution strategies.

We also explored the concept of making change. This is very challenging for most first graders. I went slow and did a 2 day lesson and was impressed with this class. Children practiced making change by pretending they were paying or items with more than the exact change.

Please try some simple number stories at home. Children like to go right to addition, so adding some word problems that involve finding the difference will be helpful.

Dates to Remember

April 18-19th: Miss Freundlich at a Behavior Response to Intervention Conference
April 30th & May1st: Photography project with pARTners 2:15-3:00
May 1st: ACES (All Children Exercising Simultaneously) in the afternoon, more details to come

May 6th- 28th MAP window (Will send out specific testing days in a couple weeks)

May 7th: Music Informance 1:15-1:35 in the music room.
May 14th: Wyoming Reads day! We will go to JES for the morning to celebrate this special day!
May 15th: Community Groups
May 24th: Talent Show!! 12:40-1:40
May 27th: Memorial Day/No school.
May 30th: 6:00 Under the Big Top school-wide event at Owen-Bircher Park
June 5th: Field Day
June 7th: Early Release: Last Day for Kids.

Add Comment

March 8th

03/08/2013

1 Comment

BINGO NIGHT tonight at 5:30. :) I can't make it this year. Have a wonderful time with the kids!

Writing

This week we started our expository writing unit. Children were exposed to How To pages in many nonfiction texts. A how to book explains to the reader how to do something. How to topics could be:

1. How to make a pizza.
2. How to play top it.
3. How to brush your teeth.

We started talking about steps, simple how to topics and how to plan a how to book. On the left is an example of the beginning stages of planning. We explored materials needed for each how to book and began to work.

By Wednesday we were ready to start writing our How To books. Children were eager to get the new paper and started writing right away. On Thursday we took a close look at our how to books and checked for clarity. We started to act out our partners books to see if they actually work. We found out that we sometimes left out some important steps. (Such as feeling the banana before putting it the blender to make a smoothie).

Reading Workshop

Have you asked your child about nonfiction features? I'm so impressed with this bunch of kids. I have learned to slowly introduce these features and this week I've heard the kids using this academic vocabulary.

In the beginning of the week, we focused on asking questions when reading. I did a lesson on slowing down when reading nonfiction and taking time to think/ask questions. Children loved this lesson and enjoyed an engaging read aloud. We all started to ask questions and wrote our thoughts down. (see left and below)

We then started to record new information that we learned. I read a book on tornadoes to the children to model what it looks like and the kids were jumping off the carpet with excitement to try it out on their own.

Next week, we will explore the KWL chart. What we think we know. What we want to know. What we learned.

Continuing to Review our Rules

Below are the posters that we made together. Very cool!

More to come. Stay tuned for Math and Science updates! :)

1 Comment

Reading with 3rd Graders

03/04/2013

0 Comments

On Friday we played the good behavior game and tied. Our reward was having some 3rd graders come join us in our room and read to us. We even read to them! The kids were thrilled with this prize. Pictures are below.

Add Comment

February 28

02/28/2013

0 Comments

New Unit in Reading

Day 1:

We started a new unit this week. First we started off review what we know about fiction books and how they work. The kids had an amazing conversation once again about fiction. This conversation then lead to the nonfiction piece. Children explored through some nonfiction and we then brainstormed what he thought we knew and made a chart.

This is what the kids came up with:
Nonfiction is/has...

can happen
tells you about something
facts
dark words
index
table of contents
give you information
arrows with words
maps
real pictures
pictures that look fake but could be real
glossary

The kids continued to discuss real pictures vs picture that look fake but could be real. I asked them if they wanted to learn some vocabulary and they did. I introduced the words photograph and illustrations. The children obviously have heard those terms before and were excited to investigate the difference between the two. Children then explored nonfiction books again and had to put sticky notes where they found illustrations and photographs.

Day 2:

The kids were very interested in the table of contents and arrows with words. We learned the vocabulary word label and found these special features in many nonfiction books. We had small guided reading groups and all children got to read a new nonfiction book on their level.

Day 3:

We took time to review the four features. Children were able to compare/contrast illustration vs. photograph. They were all comfortable with the term table of contents and knew the purpose of this feature. When we got to label, many children struggled to define it. I decided to grab a bunch of sticky notes and have the kids label parts of their teacher. Mr. Jack was here to snap a few shots. The kids laughed and told me that they will now never forget what a label is. Ask your child about this at home.

Kids in the paper

Looking at Math Data growth on MAP

We took some time to look at recent data from MAP. This is a chart of our classes MAP growth. The goal for January is about 8.5 points and you can easily see that we are are doing an amazing job. I've seen amazing growth in all the kids! Do you see it at home?

This week we finished up unit 6 and will start with unit 7. The quarter was introduced to the kids and is extremely challenging for the entire class. Please take time to work with your child on this. Coin top it is on the EDM website. It's interactive and fun! Try it out this weekend if you have time.

Fact Triangles

A few parents have mentioned that they need help with fact triangles. Below is a youtube video that I found online. I should make my own someday. :)

Dates to remember

March 1: No school
March 13: Center for the Arts trip to see the Little Engine
March 21: Miss Freundlich is in professional development.
March 23 - April 7: Spring Break.

Add Comment

February 15th

02/15/2013

0 Comments

Happy Valentine's Day

Math

This week we took a closer look at name collection boxes. There was a sheet that went home with the kids that explained what a name collection box was. If you didn't get it here's a little definition:

Name collection boxes are used to record equivalent names for numbers. Children can use addition problems, subtraction problems, money combinations, tally marks and dominoes. Base ten blocks are another way to represent a number. Please take a look at the example to the left.

Writing

Please take a look at our writing link. Scroll down to the Fiction link. I have updated it with new information and I will continue to do so as we work on it.

Reading

This week we focused on problem and solution. It was a great marriage between reading and writing. Guiding questions:
- What is the problem for the character in the beginning?
- How does the character try to solve the problem in the middle?
- How was the problem solved in the end?
- How do I use a graphic organizer to keep track of the plot?

Children will take our unit 3 test next week. Unit 4 will start Feb. 25.

We also jumped ahead in our unit three book and read the last story which is a play. Children took time working in small groups practicing their parts. In the end, one confident group came up to the front of the room and read aloud to all of us. It was wonderful. The children gave a warming applause and raised their hands to compliment each child. I learned that the students really liked this kind of literature and I'm on the hunt for some more pieces similar to this.

Looking Ahead...

Monday: No School
Tuesday: No School for kids. Professional development for staff.
Mon-Fri. February 25-28: Conference week. I sent your conference time home with the kids today. Please review it, sign it and return it next week. I took into consideration everyone's requests so I hope this schedule works for each family.

Add Comment

News

02/04/2013

0 Comments

Conference week is during February 25th-February 28th. I'll be holding conferences starting at 3:15. They will run between 20-25 minutes. Please let me know if there is a day or time that works for you. Please give me a few options as it is difficult to schedule 21 conferences. Sibling conferences will be back to back. Thanks.

Reviewing our Rules.

Last week we reviewed our classroom rules. It's a great time to reteach the rules and to discuss rules which we should focus on. The kids acted out the rules as I took photos so that we can create a poster. Here are our rules. Please take a look.

Be Safe:
-Keep our bodies and hands to ourselves.
-Walk in the classroom.
-Travel by 2 feet.
-Look where you are going.

Be Responsible:
-Keep your desk and belongings organized.
-Clean up after ourselves.
-Do your best work.
-Complete and return homework. (We are missing a lot of homework. Please make sure your child is completing their daily math homework and that they are reading 15 minutes a night to you)
-Make smart choices.

Be Respectful:
-Be a good listener.
-Raise your hand to talk to the entire class and wait to be called on.
-Use our manners.
-Use a proper voice. (We are working on this too)
-Treat others the way you want to be treated. (Golden Rule)
-Smile
-Be kind to everyone.

Valentines day!

Valentine's day is coming up. We do not have a class party but do exchange valentines together. Please send your child in with a show box (Cereal box works too) wrapped in newspaper. We will decorate them in class. I'm trying to save paper by using newspaper. We will pass out valentines on Thursday morning before winter sports. We have 21 kids in our class.

Dates to Remember

Winter Sports Days - Feb. 5, 7, 12, and 14
Mon., Feb . 18           School is closed – President’s Day holiday
Tues., Feb. 19 Teacher In-service day, no school for students
Feb. 25-28                 Parent-Teacher Conferences
Fri., March 1 No school

Add Comment

January 25

01/27/2013

0 Comments

Some general information for you and your students from Mrs. Hunt:

1. All skis, poles and snowboards should be labeled with tape so they are recognizable to all!

2. Skis should be held together with velcro straps.

3. Skis and snowboards should be placed by the fence in the parent drop-off pick-up lane before 10:00am to be transported to the appropriate venue.

4. All equipment must be collected after school each tuesday!

5. Children need clothing that is warm, functional and comfortable for their chosen sport.

6. Helmets are required for: Skiing, snowboarding, hockey and beginner skaters. NO exceptions!

8. Gear is the responsibility of the family, make sure your child is prepared for Tuesday.
9. If you are in need of Cross Country ski rentals, Phil Leeds at Skinny skis is out of equipment, Teton Village Nordic Center and Teton Pines Nordic Center have children sized equipment available.

If parents are planning on picking up their children from Winter Sports at the Venue, they will need to give Tracy a signed note stating the date, the venue and who will be picking up the child. This note needs to be signed by Tracy, and the signed copy returned to the parent before the date of the Winter Sport in order for the parent to be able to pick up their child at the Winter Sport.

Very busy with revision unit.

This week we spent a lot of time adding to our revision chart. We took a look at student work and noticed how everyone was adding dialogue to their work. As we looked closer we noticed that everyone was using the word said. We talked about other words and started a chart called fancy words for said. (I've heard of the said is dead poster but I just don't like that title.) We are going to keep adding to our chart during read alouds. Children have been coming up and saying, "Miss Freundlich I have another word for the chart." We are motivated by this chart and will continue our work next week.

Unit 3, Sequence

I just added new information about this. Please visit this following link or go up to the Reading link and scroll down to Unit 3.
http://www.teachingandlearningtogether.com/unit-3-retell-sequence--plot.html

Math

Math Key Concepts and Skills:
-Use addition and subtraction facts to solve "What's my Rule?" problems.
-Continue patterns in "What's My Rule?" problems.
-Find the rule in "What's My Rule?" problems.
-Find and describe rules in "What's my Rule?" problems

Add Comment

<< Previous

Exciting News From Mrs. Poduska

Silent Quilt Auction and Photo Exhibit Coming Soon!

Poetry

Reading Workshop

Wyoming Reads was a hit! Read alouds and new books!

Dates to Remember

What's new?

Writing Workshop

Math & Science

A message from Mrs. Hunt

Writing Workshop

Reading Workshop

Math

Dates to Remember

Writing

Reading Workshop

Continuing to Review our Rules

New Unit in Reading

Kids in the paper

Looking at Math Data growth on MAP

Fact Triangles

Dates to remember

Happy Valentine's Day

Math

Writing

Reading

Looking Ahead...

Reviewing our Rules.

Valentines day!

Other Links to Check out

Dates to Remember

Very busy with revision unit.

Unit 3, Sequence

Math

Rachel Freundlich

Archives

Categories