Winter Wonderland

Owl-Ways Learning

Waiting

Ms. Greene showed us a video of the Waiting Game featuring the Cookie Monster. Waiting can be a challenging skills for young students. She talked to the students about strategies for what to do when you have to wait. For example, counting in your head, singing a song, or even bringing a toy to play with.  After the break she will talk to the students about what to do when a teacher or an adult ask you to wait. 

Addition

The students were introduced to adding/joining groups this week.  We talked about using different strategies to add, such as using counters, counting on your fingers, or even using knocks and claps. We explored different strategies to find out which strategy works best for each student. We learned how to write an equation with the plus and equal sign too.  When we return from break we will jump right back into addition and even New Years themed math center tubs! Check out some photos from this week's math centers. The students had a blast with their winter cocoa centers and see count graph.

Holidays Around the World

Winter is filled with holidays and family traditions. We used Google Earth to travel to Israel to learn about Hanukkah, Africa to learn about Kwanzaa, and India to learn about Diwali. Mr. Chinni came to our classroom to talk about Diwali and their family traditions.  Diwali is similar to Fourth of July in that they both light fireworks and sparklers to celebrate.  Mr. Chinni gave the students print out of one of their Diwali mascots to color and take home. 

Thank you Mr. Chinni for coming in to teach us about Diwali! 

Emergent Readers

Even with a busy week, we were able to read and practice our emergent reader. Please continue to practice these books at home on Thursday nights. 

Teacher Talk. . .

Thank You!

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for your generosity this holiday season. We are SO fortunate to have an active involvement of parents in our classroom. It truly makes an impact in our students' school experience. Thank you to those who donating tissues and hand sanitizer. We are ready to fight back against the cold season. Thank you to those parents who made themselves available to come into the classroom and helping our class with fun activities! The kids look forward to these days and they are only possible when we have extra hands. Finally, I want to say a special thank you for your generous holiday gifts. The students were overjoyed to come into the classroom and give out gifts to their teachers. They loved seeing our reactions to these personalized gifts. You all know me SO well! 

Again, Thank you!! 

New Year...New Beginnings

When we return from break we will celebrate the New Year and review classroom procedures and routines. It will be a great way to restart and refocus. We will discuss resolutions, classroom promises, and become more goal orientated. This is also the time of year when we begin guided reading groups, sight words, and the "I Can Club". It's a great time of year! Keep a close eye out for handouts and blog posts for more information.

Mystery Reader

In January, I send home a notice about volunteering to be a mystery reader in our classroom.  We welcome parents, grandparents, or aunts/uncles to come into our classroom to read a favorite book to the class. The best part about this activity is the MYSTERY! The students are given 5 clues about the mystery reader, which are provided by you or the reader, right before you arrive.  The students try to guess who they think it might be. Then we open the door to reveal the mystery reader. The look on the child's face as their mother or grandfather coming into the classroom is PRICELESS! Keeping the secret is certainly hard but a wonderful experience! 

It's the perfect opportunity for those who may not have been able to volunteer in the classroom yet or have time constraints because being a mystery reader takes no longer than 20 minutes.  I will send home a hand out with available dates/time and more information. There are dates from January all through the end of the school year. If you do not see a date/time that works for you please let me know and we can set something up. 

Snowball Fight

Room 5 greeted our classmates with a snowball fight in the classroom! The students wrote their name on a piece of paper, crumbled it up, and threw it around the classroom like a real snowball fight! I am happy to report...there were NO injuries and the kids were able to handle this exciting event with calm bodies. Great job Room 5!!

If You're a Kid

Shake breaks are a great way to get out our wiggles and refocus before our next lesson. This week we followed the If You're a Kid, Christmas edition. Many parents saw this in real time during our Polar Express day but it's really fun to catch them when they think no one is watching!! =)

 

Upcoming Events. . .

January 3rd. . .Back to School

(January 6th we will watch the ball drop in RM. 5 and countdown to the New Year!)

January 16th. . . Martin Luther King Jr Day. . .NO SCHOOL

Hero Assembly. . .January 20th

Mrs. Johnson will hold an all school assembly on Heroism and Heroes. In preparation for this event we will read some books and discuss some characteristics of Heroes. If you or someone in your family is interested in coming in or talking to our class about their experiences of heroism, please let me know. This can include, but not limited to, someone in the armed forces or community helper such as a firefighter or police officer. 

Decemburrr!!

Owl-Ways Learning. . .

Gingerbread

This week we wrapped up our unit on gingerbread. We read spin-offs of different gingerbread tales such as:

 

  

During centers, we wrote about our favorite version and why. Here's are our results:

Weather

Since the beginning of the school year we have been collecting data about the weather.  We track the conditions and temperature each day. December has been a very chilly month thus far!! After the student checks the temperature, they look at our color coded thermometer to see which color correlate with a temperature range.  

For example anything below freezing is a "White" Day. Or anything above 81 degrees is a "red" day. 

We've had 6 white days so far!! A great conversation starter at home with your child is to ask them about the temperature and/or colored day. I look forward to some more yellow and orange days! 

Addition

Before and after vacation we will learn about addition. Topic 6 focuses on joining groups and deciding how many there are in all.  This week we've learned strategies for adding groups, such as, using pictures or counting fingers. After vacation we will use the plus sign (+) and equal sign (=) to write number sentences about our joining groups.  After our unit on addition we will send home some flash cards for your child to practice their fluency in adding 0-5. 

Here are some of our Decomposing Trees to get us in the holiday spirit!  

Teacher Talk. . .

Community Circle

Mrs. Johnson came to our Pod on Wednesday to talk to the students about Heroes and Heroism.  She asked the students, "What Heroes do?" "Who are heroes?" and "How can you be a hero?" The students turned and talked with a partner about their thoughts and then shared as a whole group.  Mrs. Johnson read a story called, Everyone Matters. 

 

Holiday Traditions

On Friday, December 23rd our class will celebrate their collective efforts with a movie day. We will watch the Polar Express to go along with our Polar Express festivities on Thursday, December 22nd. Next week will be a busy but fun week! We will research about holiday traditions around the world and even make a craft for each holiday. If you or your family has a special holiday tradition or holiday you'd like to share, please let me know. We love to have parents come in and talk about their culture or even read a book! 

Emergent Readers

You may have noticed I did not send home an emergent reader this week to practice.  I apologize. The students have been working on their reader in school and went home Friday. Next week we will be back into our routines and reading a book called, The Little Elf. It is a perfect accompaniment to this time of year.  I will look forward to videoing more brave volunteers next week! 

Paper Bags

If anyone has any extra paper grocery bags, Room 5 would love some! We will use them during our Polar Express Day. You can send them at anytime. Thank you in advance! 

Upcoming Events. . .

Polar Express Day...Thursday, December 22nd 

*Students can wear their Pjs!*

Movie Day... Friday, December 23rd (Class Reward)

Winter Break....December 26th- January 2nd. (NO SCHOOL)

Read! Read! As Much As You Can!

Owl-Ways Learning. . .

Compare & Contrast

Our two week unit on gingerbread kicked off this week.

 Each day this week we read a different gingerbread tale.  After reading, we discussed the characters, setting, repeating phrase, and ending. We mapped out each story's elements on the base of a gingerbread house display.  

Home Connection Questions:

-Ask your child which story was their favorite?

-What was the setting?

-Who were the characters?

-What are the steps to making gingerbread men?

Check out our Classroom Display:

Fundations

This week we learned the letters, sounds, and of course signs for the letters E and R.  We've learned all of our vowels and more than half the alphabet! Students are continuing to use their letters and sounds correspondence for writing and reading. Students are also making the connection between learning sign language and being able to sign their own names!! 

Ask your child if they can sign their own name? 

Check out a sneak peak of our magnet board work:

Whole Body Listening

Ms. Greene came on Tuesday morning to introduce Whole Body Listening.  She used Mr. Potato Head to facilitate the listen and discuss what a person needs to listen appropriately. We will reinforce this concept in our classroom, especially during morning meeting and whole group instruction. We encourage you to use the phrase, "Whole Body Listening" at home with your child.  

Teacher Talk . . .

Holiday Shoppe

On Monday Room 5 will visit the Holiday Shoppe.  What is the Holiday Shoppe? Students will have the opportunity to do some Holiday shopping for their families at school.  The PTO sets up tables of items ranging from: Key chains, small toys, scarves, journals, etc. Students can bring anywhere between $1-$10 to use for shopping.  

Helpful Hints and Recommendations:

1. Have a plan! 

This helps speeds up the process and narrow down the endless possibilities. 

Discuss with your child who or what they can buy.  

The purpose is for students to select some items for their family members, not necessarily for themselves.

2. Set a Budget!

Seems Silly, but necessary!

We've found in the past if you send your child with $5.00 they will want to spend every penny. So think about how much you want your child to spend. 

3. Labeled Bag/Envelope

If you are sending in money please label the bag or envelope with your child's name and room number. 

Finally. . . 

Please Remember this event is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.

Library will take place later in the week due to the Holiday Shoppe. 

Tis the Season for Healthy Habits!

We are continuing to enforce hand washing and sanitizing in our classroom.  However, germs are still being spread quickly. We are working hard to disinfect and sanitize the classroom. 

Donations of tissues, hand sanitizer, or disinfectant wipes are greatly appreciated.

Thank you to those parents who have already donated to our classroom. We really appreciated!!

Upcoming Events. . .

Holiday Happenings

As we near the winter break more and more events and special occasions pop up in our schedule. 

Wednesday, December 14th. . . Community Circle.

Friday, December 16th. . . Viewing of the 4th & 5th Grade Holiday Concert.

Thursday, December 22nd. . . Polar Express Day! Wear your PJs!!

Classroom Snap Shots:

Happy Birthday Sid!!