Owl-Ways Learning. . .
Persuasive Writing
Our focus this week has been on persuasive writing. We talked to the students about what persuasive means, which is to convince someone through reason and/or argument. Then we prompted students with an opportunity. If you want a class pet, all you have to do is write a persuasive letter to Ms. Pavlicek, from the Science Center, providing reason as to why our class deserves a pet. The class was elated!
On Monday, We made a list of suitable animals for the classroom and a few reasons why they would make great class pets.
Tuesday, the students selected a pet they wanted to convince Ms. Pavlicek for and wrote a greeting, an attention grabber, and stated their argument.
Next, we used books and online research to find information about our specific animals. Students learned a lot about caring for animals, which they used to write their reasons.
Finally, we wrote our closing to end our letters. We will copy our letters onto stationary with matching illustrations to be sent to Ms. Pavlicek this weekend. We look forward to her response and even more excited to see if our ability to persuade pays off!!
Tapping & Long Vowels
We are finally coming to an end of our uppercase letters. Yay! On top of learning uppercase and lowercase letters, we have been practicing tapping/sounding out CVC words. Students are practicing these skills by building words on their magnet boards and/or writing them on a white board. As we continue to reinforce CVC words; we are also starting to introduce CVCe words. These are words in which the vowel says it name.
For example KIT is a CVC word and KITE is a CVCe word. The I in KITE says "I" not /i/. We will continue to reinforce this skill next week and move onto digraphs the following week. Look out for Fundations handouts in your child's folder.
Brave Volunteers
Rainbow Adjectives
Students were given a cloud with their name on it. Then they were asked to write an adjective about themselves on strips of paper to create a rainbow. They have brightened up our confidence and our hallways!
Mystery Reader
Thank you Chrissy Finney!
Mrs. Finney read us a story called, This Book Just Ate My Dog. At the end of the story, the students had a chance to draw their own creature that was eaten by the book.
Teacher Talk. . .
Conferences
Spring conferences will begin next week. Whether you selected a phone conference or an in-person conference; I will be speaking about your child's academic progress, sharing some work/assessments, and discussing plans for next year. Please keep in mind these conferences are scheduled back-to-back and are scheduled for 15 minutes each. Thank you in advance and I look forward to speaking with you next week.
Volunteering
We have selected volunteers for our second field trip. We have two trips left in the school year. One will be to the zoo and the other to Legoland. I apologize if you were not selected for our field trip to the Discovery Museum. We hope you will volunteer for a future trip and we will be sure to select some new parents, who may have not had the opportunity yet. I appreciate your support in our classroom and our events. They are truly not possible without you, we look forward to having you on our next trip. Thank you!!
Reading Groups
Next week we will resume centers and reading groups. You will see take home books sent home more frequently. At this point in the school year, we are working with students on their comprehension skills. This means retelling a story, recalling their favorite part and why, or making connections to the text. At the end of the story ask students to start from the beginning and tell you as much as you remember from the story. You can ask them does this story remind you of another story or an event in your own life? Asking your child what their favorite part is just as important as asking them why? Why is that part your favorite? All of these quick questions can enhance your child's comprehension skills.
Peter Pan
On Monday, Burlington High's production of Peter Pan came to Fox Hill. They shared a few scenes from the play, which got students excited to see more. Peter Pan can be seen at the high school this weekend. Check out their website for more information if you're interested in checking it out.
Upcoming Events. . .
March 31st. . . Community Helper Day
April 7th. . .Field Trip
April 14th. . .Good Friday (NO SCHOOL)
April 14th-April 23rd. . .Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)
