Reading

This week, we learned about creating a mental picture while reading, or visualizing. We read the book, On This Spot: An Expedition Back Through Time, and created a movie in our minds based on the author's words to imagine New York City 15,000 years ago, 350 million years ago, and more. 

We went to the library and got new books. Library books are due back on Tuesday. 

Writing

This week, we used the idea of visualizing and using sensory details to start a descriptive paragraph about the Pigeon River. 

Phonics

We continued UFLI with a review of the Mommy E story. She makes the vowels "Say your name!" We worked with all vowels including the 2 sounds of long u. 

Math

Mrs. Pasche's learners: We started multiplication this week with Unit 2! We start with many different visual models, including loops and groups and arrays. We examined arrays of stamps and found efficient ways to group and find the total. This will help students become familiar with facts using strategies vs. memorizing without strategy. 

Mrs. McKeone's learners started Unit 2, which explores place value through the story, Jack and the Beanstalk. This week, they found a way to count several bags' worth of beans by grouping them by 10's and then 100's. 

PBL

This week, we defined landform and read that land is shaped by water, wind, and ice through erosion and deposition. We then put our knowledge to the test with Play-Doh! Students were given a prompt, such as "archipelago," and had 2 minutes to create. Then, we discussed the features of each landform and how they were created.  We started to learn about Lake Michigan, sand dunes, and marshes in preparation for our Kohler Andrae trip on Tuesday. 

Specials Next Week

• Monday - gym, art

• Tuesday - Kohler Andrae field trip

• Wednesday - music

• Thursday - gym, art

• Friday - movement

 Important Dates

• October 7 - field trip to Kohler Andrae

• October 15 - picture day

• October 21 - field trip to Parnell Tower

• October 24 - no school (fall recess)

• October 27 - no school (PD day)

• October 29 - JMKAC Field trip

Reminders

• Please be sure your child has headphones at school. 

• Scholastic book orders can be done online with the class code: J3LLX

Reading

This week, we learned about text-to-world connections. We read the book, A Chip off the Old Block, and connected several things that happen to Rocky to real-world processes that change rocks over time.  

We went to the library and got new books. Library books are due back on Tuesday. 

Writing

This week, we finished our descriptive paragraphs about our rocks. We added details that would help the reader identify each rock from the group. 

Phonics

We continued UFLI with all of the digraphs and two trigraphs (sh, ch, wh, ph, th, ng, nk, shr, and thr).

Math

Mrs. Pasche's learners: We are continuing to work through a variety of addition and subtraction strategies as we wrap up unit 1 and prepare for a test next week. 

Mrs. McKeone's learners are working on adding and subtracting within 20 and reviewing all representations of a number. They are exploring even and odd numbers and other number patterns.

PBL

This week, we revisited the 3 different kinds of rocks by sharing rock samples. Then, we finished our rock paragraphs and were able to use the detailed descriptions to identify the rock from the pile. Finally, we learned about rivers. We learned that they start at a source, and there are several identifiable features of a river, including confluence, meanders, oxbow lakes, the cut bank, and the point bar. 

Specials Next Week

• Monday - movement

• Tuesday - music, library

• Wednesday - gym, art

• Thursday - movement

• Friday - music

 Important Dates

• October 7 - field trip to Kohler Andrae

• October 15 - picture day

• October 21 - field trip to Parnell Tower

• October 24 - no school (fall recess)

• October 27 - no school (PD day)

• October 29 - JMKAC Field trip

Reminders

• Please log onto Skyward and complete permission slips for Kohler Andrae on October 7th and a field trip to Parnell Tower on October 21st, as well as the Weill Center and JMKAC. 

• Please be sure your child has headphones at school. 

• Scholastic book orders can be done online with the class code: J3LLX

Reading

This week, we learned about text-to-text connections. We read the books, Stick and Stone: Best Friends Forever, and Ricky, the Rock who Couldn't Roll. We connected these books' characters and themes to other books we have read: Stick and Stone and Agate. We are continuing to build reading stamina, and we worked on transitioning from one activity to the other this week. We went to the library and got new books. Library books are due back on Tuesday. 

Writing

This week, we learned about writing a paragraph. After closely examining and performing experiments on our rocks, we wrote a descriptive paragraph about them. The goal is for our classmates to be able to pick our rock out of the pile from the description. 

Phonics

We continued UFLI with the FLSZ rule (doubled after a short vowel) and how l changes the vowel sound in -oll, -all, -ull. 

Math

Mrs. Pasche's learners: We worked on another variety of addition and subtraction strategies this week. We are working on increasing efficiency by using friendly numbers to jump on a number line. 

Mrs. McKeone's learners are working on adding and subtracting within 20 and reviewing all forms of a number. They are exploring even and odd numbers. 

PBL

This week, we did several experiments to get more information about our rocks. We added water, and the kids were astounded at how pretty the rocks looked. Second and third-grade geologists performed a series of experiments on their rocks. They used a flow chart and scratched rocks with various materials to determine the rock's hardness on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. They used a quality flow chart to determine if the rock's luster was earthy, pearly, or something else. They tried magnets to see if their rocks are magnetic. They used vinegar to perform an acid test. A streak plate helped determine if there was a colored streak from the rock. All of this information helped us get closer to identifying the rocks and gave details to help us write a paragraph. 

NEW: Please log onto Skyward and complete permission slips for Kohler Andrae on October 7th and a field trip to Parnell Tower on October 21st, AND the Weill Center and JMKAC. 

Specials Next Week

• Monday - gym, art

• Tuesday - movement, library

• Wednesday - music

• Thursday - gym, art

• Friday, September 26 - no school - PD day

 Important Dates

• September 26 - no school (PD day)

• October 15 - picture day

• October 24 - no school (fall recess)

• October 27 - no school (PD day)

Reminders

• Please log onto Skyward and complete permission slips for Kohler Andrae on October 7th and a field trip to Parnell Tower on October 21st, as well as the Weill Center and JMKAC. 

• Please be sure your child has headphones at school. 

• Scholastic book orders can be done online with the class code: J3LLX

Reading

This week, we learned about text-to-self connections. We read the book, If You Find a Rock, and connected to times we have found similar rocks. We are continuing to build reading stamina and took both STAR reading and STAR math tests this week. Next week, we will do AIMS Web + testing in vocabulary and fluency. We also visisted the Pigeon River library for the first time this week. Library books are due back on Tuesday. 

Writing

This week, we learned about free writing as a literacy choice. We read The Idea Jar, and created our own ideas jars to help generate ideas. Then, we started writing our own story. We learned about the parts of a sentence and checked our stories to be sure we were writing in complete sentences. 

Phonics

We started UFLI this week by reviewing all of our short vowels. 

Math

Mrs. Pasche's learners: We worked on a variety of addition and subtraction strategies this week. We are working on increasing effieienc 

Mrs. McKeone's learners are working on adding and subtracting within 20 and reviewing all forms of a number. 

PBL

This week, we learned the difference between geography and geology and compared and contrasted them in partners. As we worked on geology, we chose a rock and examined it closely with and without a magnifier. After learning about geology earlier in the week, we switched over to geography. We created a list of landforms and used land and water form tiles to think about ways land and water meet, and the names of those landforms. We went on a geography hike in the woods to see what kinds of landforms are behind school. We found a few drop-offs that we are debating about what to call. We also walked by the Pigeon River. We noticed how the land is shaped by the water, and that there are parts of the river that move fast and some that move slowly. 

NEW: Please log onto Skyward and complete permission slips for Kohler Andrae on October 7th and a field trip to Parnell Tower on October 21st. 

Specials Next Week

• Monday - movement

• Tuesday - music, library

• Wednesday - gym, art

• Thursday - movement, hike

• Friday - music

 Important Dates

• September 26 - no school (PD day)

Reminders

• Please log onto Skyward and complete permission slips for Kohler Andrae on October 7th and a field trip to Parnell Tower on October 21st. 

• Please be sure your child has headphones at school. 

• Scholastic book orders can be done online with the class code: J3LLX

Reading

This week, we learned about the classroom library and selected books. We talked about choosing a variety of books. Next, we learned about how real readers think and read. We modeled metacognition with a "real reading salad" that had both lettuce (reading the words) and tomatoes (thinking about the text). We set expectations for silent reading and started building reading stamina. On our first try, we were able to read for 11:29 without anyone exiting their "book world!" That is an amazing start. Next week, we will have our first reading strategy and home learning: text-to-self connections. 

Writing

Writing this week was integrated into classroom expectations and writing hopes and dreams. 

Phonics

We set up for UFLI and will start next week. We started Heggerty in separate grade levels. 

Math

Mrs. Pasche's learners: We took the Unit 1 screener and conducted a few surveys to collect data about how we prefer to learn math. We created a glyph that explains who we are as a math learner. We compared the number of votes for each category and wrote comparison statements. 

Mrs. McKeone's learners took their unit 1 screener. They are working on adding and subtracting within 20. 

PBL

The first week of school was all about setting up routines and expectations that will allow project work and collaboration to flow smoothly for the rest of the year. We talked about why we come to school, and identified each child's hope and dream for the year. Next, we talked about how in order to accomplish these hopes and dreams, we need to act a certain way in the classroom to help. This led us to a generate-sort-connet-elaborate thinking routine that narrowed down to 10 rules. A conversation got us down to our final 5. There will be a letter in your child's binder next week sharing our classroom expectations. We read the book Agate about a moose who is not sure what he is good at. We all shared our hidden talents and painted a watercolor agate. We started PBL work on our essential question, "How can I understand where I live through geographical and geological perspectives?" We did a color-shape-line thinking routine and tried to answer the question. 

Specials Next Week

• Monday - music

• Tuesday - gym, art

• Wednesday - movement

• Thursday - music, hike

• Friday - gym, art

 Important Dates

• September 26 - no school (PD day)

Reminders

• Please be sure your child has headphones at school. 

• Scholastic book orders can be done online with the class code: J3LLX