Your child has been assigned a book project entitled "Book Buffet." This project will be on a fiction book that your child chose from a list of books in class. This is the project for the second trimester. Almost all the students in the classroom have had their books approved and I have tried to obtain most of the books. Students should read some of their books every night. Reading the book buffet book can count towards the nightly reading homework. The goal is to read the entire book by January 23rd, so the students can start on the book report and have that part of the project completed by February 15th. 

The packet that was sent home has a lot of detailed information. I have also attached the "Teacher Edition" of the packet here in case your child forgot to bring their packet home. Students will be completing a written project that is hidden inside a model of food. Student can choose any food they wish as long as it has not been chosen by someone else in the class already. I will be getting this information from students next week. Each part of the project must be included in its own section. The sections can be either written or typed. Students should take notes for each section as they read the book to make the process easier. To see examples of past projects go to the READING page. 

Major Due Dates: 

• Parent/Guardian Letter Due (signed): January 14th I will give the packet back if you do not want to cut off the bottom. 

• Book selected and approved: January 9th (In Library) 

• Have book completely read and notes taken: January 23rd 

• Final Project Due: February 15th 

There are 5 Sections that will be on the report-

Section 1 Introduction 

• Book Title

• Author

• Genre

• Reasons you choose this book

Section 2 Setting

Include where and when the story takes place including all the different changes of setting in the story.

Section 3 Characters 

Write about the various characters. Include the most prominent character traits and explain them with character traits and be sure to include an example from the story to demonstrate the character.

Section 4 Plot/Summary 

The directions say the plot/summary should be exactly 8 sentences but it can be longer. The plot should include 1. Exposition 2 Conflict 3. Rising Action 4 Climax 5. Falling Action 6. Resolution and conclusion.

Section 5 Your Opinion of the Book 

• Did you like the book?

• Who was your favorite character?

• What was your favorite part?

• What was the theme of the book?

Here are some examples of  book buffet projects from the past for some ideas. Please do not copy previous projects exactly. Let your child be as creative as they would like.  Thank you!

List of Books that were picked by students: 

Aimee- Number the Stars

Branson- Tuck Everlasting 

Isaiah- Wringer

JJ- Wonder

Jordyn- Rules

Kaitlyn- Doll Bones

Leah- Masterpiece

Lilly- The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Manvir- Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Porter- The Graveyard Book

Quincy- Roller Girl 

Rivelino- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon 

Sierra- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Taylor- Ramona and her Father

​Eli- Hello Universe

Dear Parents,

On Friday, December 15th our class will be celebrating with a Winter Mug White Elephant Exchange and a Hot Cocoa Party.  I am asking each student to bring in one winter/holiday ceramic mug stuffed with a small treat (candies, stickers, erasers etc.) and wrapped in either a gift bag or paper bag so it can be unwrapped. The students will do a white elephant gift exchange to trade the mugs with one of their peers.  The mug (including all items inside) should cost no more than $5 to $7, and it should be able to be given to a boy or a girl. It should not be specific to a holiday.

We will drink hot chocolate from our new mugs, and we’ll eat cookies and/or donuts while enjoying a winter Holiday movie. The students voted for either The Polar Express or The Grinch. Let me know if either of these movies are a concern for you. If you are willing to send in store-bought cookies or donuts for this activity, please send me a note under your signature to say what you’ll contribute. I would greatly appreciate this! We have 22 students. If your child has allergies to hot coco or cookies, please have them bring in a suitable treat. 

On the day of our Mug Exchange, students will be allowed to wear their pajamas (something warm and moveable because we have PE on Friday). We will be doing our Read In before our Mug Exchange, so they may bring in their favorite toy or stuffed animal to show and tell that day. This is voluntary and students need to keep track of their personal belongings. If students are afraid to lose an item they should not bring it to class. 

I would like all children to be able to participate in the Winter Mug Exchange, and I’m willing to help if needed. Please sign below to show that you are aware of this activity. All mugs must be turned in by Thursday, December 14th so I know how many mugs we are short.  Let me know if I can assist you in any way. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me. Thanks for your support! 

                                               ~ Mrs. Nunez

To See Biography Project samples and to learn more information go to this site- http://mrsnunez.weebly.com/updates/archives/11-2018 

Our trimester project is based on a nonfiction biography study of a famous person. Students have researched a subject person of their choosing and organized that information into a lapbook that will be completed in class. If students are unable to complete the lapbook in class, they will need to complete the project at home. The students will use the information from their chapter books and their lapbook to create a presentation for the class. Along with this presentation the students will also turn a water bottle into a “bottle buddy” that accurately resembles their biography subject.  THIS PROJECT WILL BE DUE ON NOVEMBER 5. Presentations will also be this week!   

Bottle Buddy Bottle buddies are made from basic plastic water bottles, emptied out and cleaned.  Please note that sand, small beads or rocks on the bottom of the bottle will help them stand up since they fall over easily. Please make sure the bottles are completely dry before using them because I have had bottles grow mold inside them in the past.  The bottles should be decorated to look like your child’s biography person. Bottles must be completely covered and decorated with items that the biography person used during their lifetime. (For example a small kite with Benjamin Franklin or a small model light bulb with Thomas Edison). The bottle should be recognizable.

Here are some suggested items you may want to use to help you: water bottles, Styrofoam ball (for head), scissors, glue, felt, paint, yarn, cloth, construction paper etc. 

I usually buy Styrofoam balls in bulk for the heads since they are rarely sold individually. I ask students to bring in $1.50 to cover the cost of the Styrofoam ball if they would like one. This is voluntary and up to each individual student.  

To see some examples of past student work please visit the webpage at  Social Studies. 

Book Buffet Project!

1/8/2019

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Your child has been assigned a book project entitled "Book Buffet." This project will be on a fiction book that your child chose from a list of books in class. This is the project for the second trimester. Almost all the students in the classroom have had their books approved and I have tried to obtain most of the books. Students should read some of their books every night. Reading the book buffet book can count towards the nightly reading homework. The goal is to read the entire book by January 23rd, so the students can start on the book report and have that part of the project completed by February 15th. 

The packet that was sent home has a lot of detailed information. I have also attached the "Teacher Edition" of the packet here in case your child forgot to bring their packet home. Students will be completing a written project that is hidden inside a model of food. Student can choose any food they wish as long as it has not been chosen by someone else in the class already. I will be getting this information from students next week. Each part of the project must be included in its own section. The sections can be either written or typed. Students should take notes for each section as they read the book to make the process easier. To see examples of past projects go to the mrsnunez.weebly.com/reading.html

Major Due Dates: 

• Parent/Guardian Letter Due (signed): January 14th I will give the packet back if you do not want to cut off the bottom. 

• Book selected and approved: January 9th (In Library) 

• Have book completely read and notes taken: January 23rd 

• Final Project Due: February 15th 

There are 5 Sections that will be on the report-

Section 1 Introduction
Book Title
Author
Genre
Reasons you choose this book

Section 2 Setting
Include where and when the story takes place including all the different changes of setting in the story.

Section 3 Characters
Write about the various characters. Include the most prominent character traits and explain them with character traits and be sure to include an example from the story to demonstrate the character.

Section 4 Plot/Summary
The directions say the plot/summary should be exactly 8 sentences but it can be longer. The plot should include 1. Exposition 2 Conflict 3. Rising Action 4 Climax 5. Falling Action 6. Resolution and conclusion.

Section 5 Your Opinion of the Book
Did you like the book?
Who was your favorite character?
What was your favorite part?
What was the theme of the book?

Here are some examples of  book buffet projects from the past for some ideas. Please do not copy previous projects exactly. Let your child be as creative as they would like.  Thank you!

List of Books that were picked by students: Here is the list of books to choose from  
Aimee- Number the Stars
Branson- Tuck Everlasting
Isaiah- Wringer
JJ- Wonder
Jordyn- Rules
Kaitlyn- Doll Bones
Leah- Masterpiece
Lilly- The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Manvir- Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Porter- The Graveyard Book
Quincy- Roller Girl
Rivelino- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Sierra- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Taylor- Ramona and her Father
​Eli- Hello Universe

Presentation Component 

Students can use the chart on the back of this page to choose their preferred method to present their biographies. My hope is that this project enables your child to find a fun and engaging way to share their knowledge with their peers.  If your child wants to “think outside the box” and come up with another innovative way to share their knowledge, please let me know. The choices on the chart below are based on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. Stated simply, your child may have a preferred “intelligence” in one of 8 areas.

1. Verbal linguistic- loving to read, write and tell stories.

2. Math/Logical- strong problem-solving and reasoning skills.

3. Spatial- the ability to create visual-spatial representations (a builder or creator).

4. Musical- have a sensitivity to rhythm and sound.

5. Kinesthetic (body)- gravitate towards athletics and tactile learning.

6. Interpersonal- love cooperative group situations and are skilled at communicating.

7. Intrapersonal- understand one’s emotions, goals and motivation.

8. Naturalist- students who love all things nature (plants & animals).

I tried my best to develop a project that would be conducive across the various multiple intelligences listed above in order to appeal to the different types of intelligences in the classroom. Your child needs to pick only one of the methods listed to present their information.

Just be creative and have fun!

Biography Presentation Ideas- Choose one of the boxes below or come up with a different idea! 

1. Choose a major event in your biography person’s life. Choose another person in the class and role play that event using props and dialogue.

Bodily/Kinesthetic 

2.  Use your computer to summarize your person’s life on your computer at home. Type out your own article and print enough copies for the class. You can include a quiz or worksheet to go with it.

Verbal/linguistic 

3. Create a poster board or comic strip that highlights 3 important life events of your biography person. Make sure the pictures are labeled and detailed with facts or dialogue.

Visual/Spatial 

4. Design a campaign ad for your biography person and present the campaign as a commercial. Try to convince others what a great person you researched. 

Interpersonal 

5. Create song lyrics to a music track to tell about your person. Make copies of the lyrics and teach the class your song.

Musical/rhythmic 

6. Create a shoebox diorama of a specific setting or location in your biography person’s life. Be sure to include real items from outside. Make sure you create a presentation that explains why this setting was important.

Naturalist 

7. Write a letter to your biography person. Make sure to summarize the person’s life. Also be sure to include any questions you would have asked that person if you could send them the letter. Include enough copies to share with the class.

Intrapersonal 

8. Make a visual time-line sequencing 10 important events that happened to your biography person. Make sure to add details so others can learn as much about your person as possible. The timeline can be on poster board or digitally on the computer.

Logical/mathematical 

9. Create a 3-5 minute video of an event in your biography person’s life. Record the video and bring it in to show the rest of the class.

Multiple intelligences 

The chart above has some examples of ways your child can present their biography projects that are categorized based on multiple intelligences. Students can be as creative as they like and present their information in another way if they wish. Here is a list of some additional ways students have presented in the past:

• Dressed up as the biography person and delivered a speech.

• Created a newspaper article or graphics brochure on the computer about their person.

• Wrote a fictional narrative story from the point of view of the person and shared with the class.

• Created a collage of the person’s inventions, books etc.

• Created a presentation and a crossword puzzle activity.

• Worked with a friend to perform a pretend interview with the person.

• Created a mobile of major life accomplishments.

As you can see, your child can be as creative as they want for this project. They will gather most of the information in class that will be required to complete this project. Please make sure they keep their lapbooks until their presentation so I can grade all of the pieces together at that time. Projects are due NOVEMBER 5. Starting (and finishing) early is a good skill for the students to learn!  The presentations will count towards the Speaking and Listening grades on the report cards. 

I would like to formally welcome both you and your child to my classroom for the 2018-19 school year at Seven Bar Elementary School.  Your child's education is of the utmost importance to me, as I know it is to you. In order to keep you informed of what is happening in the classroom and to also provide further resources and reminders that can be used at home; I have developed a classroom website. The website is located at https://sites.google.com/aps.edu/mrsnunez/updates  (If you are already here, welcome).  I will be using the website throughout the school year to post on-going information about classroom and school events, information pertaining to lessons and classroom content, as well as links to helpful websites and additional resources that will help to reinforce the content we will cover in the classroom. I will also contact parents through the online App Class Dojo.

 The HOMEPAGE  will have school-wide events and classroom information including the classroom discipline policy and links. The links include the scholastic book orders, Typing Web and Class Dojo.  Parent teacher conferences will be set up on Sign-Up genius. On Class Dojo parents can instant message me, receive reminders for events and check student behaviors.

Teacher Contact- One of the best ways to contact me is via email.  My email address is nunez_c@aps.edu.  If you forget my email or if you are unable to log into outlook there is a contact section on the homepage that links directly to my email. Please also consider getting class Dojo app with instant messaging capabilities. 

Class Schedule – The class schedule is on the homepage with "Pull-Outs" (PE, Art, Library) and with subject times if you are ever wondering what your student will miss if they have to leave class early.  

Classroom Newsletter/Information- There is a tab on my webpage labeled  which will be set up in a blog comment/response fashion. I will try to update the newsletter every other week, depending on lesson changes.  The Math, Reading, Grammar and Social Studies/Science links will be updated when classroom content and lessons change. These tabs will have student links and information. If a research project is assigned I try to describe the project on the webpage with visual examples and pictures.  I try to send out copies of the news blog in an email format, as well as on the Class Dojo webpage.

GRADED CLASSROOM ASSESSMENTS- 

Student Data Binders- Most of the graded pages in the classroom are kept in a data binder by the students and are graphed on charts that match the different sections of the student Report Card which include Reading, Writing, Study Skills,  Social Studies, Science, and Math.  At the end of the trimester students fill out a goal sheet for the next trimester. As a class we analyze their data from the trimester and look for weaknesses and strengths, and use that information to create new goals for the next trimester.  The format of the data binders is designed so students can show parents their growth quickly over time and also share their assessments. Students are able to explain what areas they need to work on the most and how people at home can help them. I use these data binders at parent teacher conferences, but students can take home their data binders to show parents at any time. This allows students to better understand that their work is a direct reflection of their report card. This also allows students to see progress throughout the year. Please make sure the student brings the binder back PROMPTLY so we can continue to add work.

HOMEWORK- 

Agendas- This year each child should have already received an agenda as part of his or her fourth grade supplies. It is your child's responsibility to write down his/her assignments. I usually have students fill out any important information for the week on Monday. Each day, students take the agenda home, and then bring it back signed by a parent or guardian. The agendas are routinely used to help students prepare for middle school. Help your child develop an independent and responsible attitude toward homework by providing a set time and a quiet place for students to complete homework.

Homework- Please help monitor your child's homework assignments by making sure they are completed neatly and turned in on time.

Reading Homework- Students should be reading every night Monday through Thursday night. In their agendas students need to write the TITLE, AUTHOR and NUMBER OF PAGES READ. Please try to focus on grade-level chapter books. If a student consistently misses reading homework I may require a summary written nightly until they develop the habit of reading each night.  

Math Homework -  This year APS has purchased the math program called Stepping Homework will be assigned depending on the completion of math lessons during the day. There are no tear out book pages in the math booklets this year, so if students do not finish in class they will need to take home their entire math book and return it finished the very next day.

Math Facts should also be practiced often. Students need to memorize them and be able to recite them quickly. They should no longer be counting on their fingers by the middle of the year!

There are 2 websites for student math homework, in lieu of written pages.

• Xtramath-  This website allows students to practice multiplication math facts. The program automatically determines the math facts the child needs the most help with. Students should know their login. Please email me if they forgot.

• Prodigy Math- Students play a quest style game where they practice math from the common core state standards. Students have a login name and password. Please email me for that information.

Social Studies Homework-  Students will be memorizing the 50 states and capitals using a song that is available on the Social Studies section of the website. Students only need to practice 1 line per week. They only need to know the states and their capitals, not the locations.

Social Studies Homework-  The Spelling list for the week will be handed out on Mondays. The page is due back on Friday and the spelling test will also take place on Fridays.

Special Projects- Each trimester I try to give the students a larger research project that needs to be presented to the class. These projects help teach the students how to research and how to manage time for larger projects. These qualities are very important in order to prepare students for the 5th grade and middle school.  The main purpose of the projects are to teach students to talk in front of others and to balance their time wisely instead of waiting until the last minute.

Scholastic Book Orders- Orders are placed every two weeks.

Classroom Wishlist- There are some items that I am asking for parents to donate to the classroom.

1.     Small Prizes for our prize box. Party favors that are found in the Walmart aisle are good for our prize box.

2.     Black Expo Dry Erase Markers! Each students has an individual dry erase board. The workroom markers last only about 2-3 weeks at the most. If your child wants their own set of dry erase markers I would suggest getting 1 or 2. Some students choose to get a package of dry erase markers and share them throughout the year in their groups.

4.  Old Board Games- We use old board games with different centers in class.

Parent Volunteers- 

·         Class Field Trip Chaperones- please make sure you have a current background check on file with the school office. If you are interested please go to www.aps.edu or the link on the homepage of the class website to get your volunteer background check.

·         Classroom parties- I will email the date of each party and I would appreciate parent help in organizing the party supplies. Last year a parent created a “sign-up genius” account for party supply sign-up.

·         Fluency Assessments- a parent volunteer on Wednesdays is always helpful to give fluency assessments to students. Each child reads the same passage for 1 minute and the words said correctly in 1 minute are recorded. This would be every other Wednesday. If Wednesdays do not work for you I can work with you for different days/times.

·         Occasional Classroom Copies- If you can commit to coming on day during the week throughout the year to help make copies, please let me know. I usually complete most of the years copies in the first couple months of school so no further copies need to be made.

You are always welcome to email me or give me a call if you have any questions. There is also a contact form on the home page of the website.

Thanks again and I look forward to a great school year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nuñez