January / February Highlights

Well, winter crept in slowly this year but by the looks of things it's finally arrived in earnest.  The unexpected change in schedule has afforded me some quieter moments in which to send along a few Room 10 updates...

We certainly moved quickly through January, celebrated the 100th day of school last week, prepped for Valentine's Day, and are already (believe it or not) gearing up for the February winter break. Time sure is flying.  Our garden and seed catalogs have already begun to arrive which is a sure sign of spring and our 2017 classroom garden!

Some curriculum highlights...

1. Writing Workshop:  We have been engaged in our newest genre of writing  -  Nonfiction "All About..." books.  The children are choosing topics that they are knowledgable about and working to write informational books to match.  We are learning LOTS about various non-fiction text features:  table of contents, labels and captions, diagrams, index, glossary, fun facts,  diagrams, and more.  The children are doing a wonderful job writing about a wide range of topics including nature, animals, sports, geography, hobbies, collections, places and a host of other things.

2. Reading:  We continue to be busy with literacy centers, focusing on reading, writing, word study, poems and much more.  The children know there are LOTS of things a good reader must be able to do, and that one of those things includes THINKING ABOUT READING  before, during and after reading. We have spent time in recent weeks learning about the following ways readers can “think”:

• Before I read:

I can look closely at the cover (front and back) and think about the title

I can think about who is in the story  

I can think about what might happen (i.e. goal, wish, problem)

• While I read:

I can think about what I am learning about the characters

I can think about what is happening

• After I read:

I can think about how the story ended

I can think if the character changed or learned something

I can think about what the story reminds me of

We also continue to practice comprehension skills related to retelling, responding to post-reading questions, and making connections.  All readers, no matter their level, have plenty of work to do to broaden their repertoire of reading comprehension skills.  We will continue to expand upon all of these skills in the days ahead.  

3.  Math:  We have been equally busy with a number of math concepts…

• Continued practice with deciphering, solving and representing one's thinking with several different types of math story problems.

• Survey questions, data gathering and analysis:  YES… data and analysis!  In very age-appropriate ways the children are learning about ways that questions can be posed to elicit certain kinds of data.  We’ve worked on ways to record the data and then how to use that data to learn something (i.e. What are you having for lunch today What do you like better - football or baseball?  What’s your favorite kind of ice cream?, etc.). The children will be writing their own survey questions, polling their peers and figuring out clear and efficient way to represent their data.  Believe me, they love it!

• Place Value:  Since the very first day of school, we have been working on the foundations of place value  -  ones, tens, hundreds places and the values connected to them.  We’ve just begun to take an even closer look.  The children are learning how to determine the value of a given 2-digit number (or 3-digit in some cases) and represent the value with concrete materials.  We are working to notice patterns within number sequences, and to write numbers past 100.  We are also learning how to add and subtract by tens from any given 2-digit number.  Lots more to come!

• During the final week of January, all teachers and math specialists from Grades K - 6 took part in “Math Vertical Learning Walks”.  Over the course of the week we all had a chance to observe classrooms K - 6, and to be observed here in Room 10.  It was a wonderful opportunity to see how math builds from our foundational level at Memorial to the concepts facing kids at Blake Middle School.  When it was our turn to receive visitors, the children did an amazing job demonstrating all their fantastic problem solving and thinking skills.  The upper-grade teachers were quite impressed!

• Social Studies:  We have spent a few weeks learning about the history, beliefs and important vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.  The children, as they often are, have been very engaged in and curious about Martin’s teachings, and the challenging journey he undertook with many other like-minded citizens.  We have learned about other important figures from the civil rights era such as Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges.  We will continue to remain mindful of Martin's important messages of tolerance, acceptance and compassion for others, and how we can live them at Memorial each day.

Other tidbits….

We are excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day this week.  Many thanks to the room parents for coordinating our party.  The children enjoyed decorating their Valentine bags and are eager to exchange Valentines with each other.  

Your first grader may have mentioned that we’ve been observing an eagle nest located at Berry College in Georgia.  The eagle parents have been taking turns keeping the two eggs warm, rolling them from time to time as well.  I invite you take a moment to check out this link - Berry College Eagle Cam.  As of today (Sunday) one of the eaglets has hatched from his/her egg.  I suspect my first graders will love to know this so please take a peek!

If you haven’t yet had a chance to sign-up for our March Parent-Teacher conference, please follow this link to do so:  Ravinski March Parent-Teacher Conferences

Many thanks for ALL the wonderful donations of paper, envelopes, stickers and hole punchers to help get our "note and letter writing" off the ground.  Children are accessing the materials during quiet choice and writing times, or during indoor recess.  They are loving the freedom to create messages to friends and family, and I love that it's an authentic, motivating way for them to express themselves.

I hope everyone enjoys a nice break during the February vacation week.   Enjoy the snow (or sun) depending on your plans!!!