Hello, well, we only have one more short week. I can't believe it. I have to say that in the short time I have been here, I have come to love your children so much. We had so much fun today. In science we talked about Giant Clams and Queen Scallops. We also talked about how people do not live in the ocean, but that they only visit, and why they might visit. Our experiment today was about sinking and floating. They each got to choose an object in the class to test if it would sink or float. We talked about how in science we predict what it will do, and we are either right or not; but, it does not matter if you are wrong, but that, it is how you learn in science. We continue to learn addition and subtraction in math. They are really getting good at it!!!
Have a very wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!! Sincerely Mrs. Bartsch
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday
We had a great day today. We all felt very thankful for the sun. Today we practiced spelling short /e/ words such as set, bed and step. Other words we practiced spelling are hat, bit, got, sad and sod. We also read the story "A Big Dent" and looked for this weeks high frequency words look, that, is, a, what, the, and blue. The special word we focussed on was truck.
We also talked and read about sponges in the ocean. We did an experiment to find out how waves are formed. Ask your child. Have a great night. Sincerely, Mrs. Bartsch
We also talked and read about sponges in the ocean. We did an experiment to find out how waves are formed. Ask your child. Have a great night. Sincerely, Mrs. Bartsch
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday May 24th
Today is Sophia's birthday but we had to postpone her celebration with the class until tomorrow because she was sick. We still made her birthday cards and many of the children made Get Well cards for her at center time! I am not sure if we'll have time for Second Step tomorrow as we want to do Sophia's poster and write sentences about her and have birthday treats!
We had a wonderful informational book about how beavers build their homes. We talked about their teeth, their tail and their webbed feet. It even had a glossary in the back with new word definitions and a search and find game that we hope we'll have time to play toward the end of the week. It's amazing to see how the game lends itself to good study skills later in their school years.
We are having fun making up Math stories, but the children are having trouble switching from adding to subtracting story problems. So challenge your child to tell you a story that turns into a subtraction problem like: At the store I saw 7 lollipops. Emma bought 3 of them so there were only 4 left! 7 take away 3 is 4 or 7 - 3 = 4
Tomorrow is library but we have all of our books turned in !!!!
Way to go boys and girls and parents!
Have a nice evening!
Sincerely,
Carol Clapper
We had a wonderful informational book about how beavers build their homes. We talked about their teeth, their tail and their webbed feet. It even had a glossary in the back with new word definitions and a search and find game that we hope we'll have time to play toward the end of the week. It's amazing to see how the game lends itself to good study skills later in their school years.
We are having fun making up Math stories, but the children are having trouble switching from adding to subtracting story problems. So challenge your child to tell you a story that turns into a subtraction problem like: At the store I saw 7 lollipops. Emma bought 3 of them so there were only 4 left! 7 take away 3 is 4 or 7 - 3 = 4
Tomorrow is library but we have all of our books turned in !!!!
Way to go boys and girls and parents!
Have a nice evening!
Sincerely,
Carol Clapper
Monday, May 23, 2011
SUN IS FUN!
We were so excited to be able to have Field day this afternoon. We did experience a little rain at the 3rd station, the sack races. But the students just kept on jumping and enjoying the many activities that Mrs. Edgmond set up!
We started our Building with Beavers unit and practiced our lower case "e"s with the proper handwriting technique o starting in the middle going across, up and then around. Many of the children were making a backwards c and then the line This will slow them down when they start writing longer stories! The week is a review of the vowels "a.e. and i". One of the things we were doing was rhyming things with the word 'it'. After quite a few one child started to put the sh sound at the beginning and quickly decided not to say it. Others realized that a 'bad word' could be made. One student said "only bad guys say that word" . We talked about how it is inappropriate to use that word and that something regular people say it when they are hurt or shocked. We even talked about the animal in last week's story that hit his hoof with a hammer and screamed 'OUCH" and how somebody else might have said the "sh" word. Just wanted you to know how it happened so you'd know what happened!
Tomorrow, I will be leaving a little before lunch to attend a funeral, and Mrs. Bartsch has offered to come in. On Friday I will return the favor when she gets to go to an honors program for one of her sons! This is another benefit of job sharing. I am so thankful for Mrs. Bartsch and her joyful attitude about coming in and helping us finish our year. Our hall is filled with bright colorful fish, she had the energy to do with the children. Many teachers could not believe we were doing a big painting project this close to the end of the year!
That's about all for tonight. I've been entering numbers and letters into the report card program. It is amazing how much we have learned since August and unbelievable how fast the year has flown by!
Have a nice evening!
Sincerely, Carol Clapper
We started our Building with Beavers unit and practiced our lower case "e"s with the proper handwriting technique o starting in the middle going across, up and then around. Many of the children were making a backwards c and then the line This will slow them down when they start writing longer stories! The week is a review of the vowels "a.e. and i". One of the things we were doing was rhyming things with the word 'it'. After quite a few one child started to put the sh sound at the beginning and quickly decided not to say it. Others realized that a 'bad word' could be made. One student said "only bad guys say that word" . We talked about how it is inappropriate to use that word and that something regular people say it when they are hurt or shocked. We even talked about the animal in last week's story that hit his hoof with a hammer and screamed 'OUCH" and how somebody else might have said the "sh" word. Just wanted you to know how it happened so you'd know what happened!
Tomorrow, I will be leaving a little before lunch to attend a funeral, and Mrs. Bartsch has offered to come in. On Friday I will return the favor when she gets to go to an honors program for one of her sons! This is another benefit of job sharing. I am so thankful for Mrs. Bartsch and her joyful attitude about coming in and helping us finish our year. Our hall is filled with bright colorful fish, she had the energy to do with the children. Many teachers could not believe we were doing a big painting project this close to the end of the year!
That's about all for tonight. I've been entering numbers and letters into the report card program. It is amazing how much we have learned since August and unbelievable how fast the year has flown by!
Have a nice evening!
Sincerely, Carol Clapper
Friday, May 20, 2011
Fish, Fish, Fish
Dear parents, I was not here yesterday because my mom had surgery. It was a minor surgery, but she had a small complication that my sister and I needed to help monitor. She is better now; but I missed being with the class. In the last two days the substitute and I have middle phonics sound a and i, and beginning sounds. We reviewed the story Old MacDonald had a Woodshop, and discussed plot and characters, and vocabulary from the story. In math we worked on regrouping and subtraction. In science we discussed whales and the fish they eat in the sea. Today we made awesome pillow fish. This was a big day of art. It was a fun thing we did because we missed the farm. The class had to cooperate A LOT!!! I was so proud of them. They had to cut out their fish, then stuff their fish, and then paint and glitter their fish. We did this in stages. This takes a lot of concentration. I was so proud of them for being good listeners, working kindly together, having self-control, and being so creative with their fish. Have a Great weekend. Sincerely Mrs. BArtsch
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday Tool Day!
We had so much fun reading Old MacDonald Had a Toolshop that it helped the children take the disappointing news of a cancelled Farm Trip much better than I expected. Then as it started drying out today, I am questioning our decision to cancel but I always second guess things like that.
We talked about a variety of tools, both that a carpenter would use and the tools we use at school. The children enjoyed the online song called 'If I were a builder" to the tune of "If I had a hammer". We used Mrs. Hansen's computer and found all sorts of fun songs and activities to do related to our reading series. Later the children drew what they would make if they were building something. I saved them to assess how much they label and write about their pictures, but you will get them home by the end of the year.
I better close now, but please check backpacks tomorrow. As we are sending home Thursday folders on Wednesday so that everyone gets the news about not going on the field trip in three ways - email - Blog - and written as a reminder on the newletter that comes home in the folder. (4 if your child told you about it)
Have a good rest of the week!
Sincerely, Carol Clapper
We talked about a variety of tools, both that a carpenter would use and the tools we use at school. The children enjoyed the online song called 'If I were a builder" to the tune of "If I had a hammer". We used Mrs. Hansen's computer and found all sorts of fun songs and activities to do related to our reading series. Later the children drew what they would make if they were building something. I saved them to assess how much they label and write about their pictures, but you will get them home by the end of the year.
I better close now, but please check backpacks tomorrow. As we are sending home Thursday folders on Wednesday so that everyone gets the news about not going on the field trip in three ways - email - Blog - and written as a reminder on the newletter that comes home in the folder. (4 if your child told you about it)
Have a good rest of the week!
Sincerely, Carol Clapper
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