One Hundred-Fourth Day

Today we worked again with inflections. We continued with our reading of Matthew and Tilly using 'clarification' and 'making connections' as comprehension strategies. We then applied the comprehension skill of stating 'main ideas and details'. We learned that sometimes friends don't always get along and sometimes need to spend some time apart in order to better appreciate the friendship. We took dictation today with long /oo/ and long-u spellings with two syllable words.

In math we worked again with fact families. With 3 points of the score being bonus points from the performance assessment, a score of 17 was passing on Topic 15 test. Of the 23 students taking the test, 16 students passed with a score of 17 or better. One student scored 27 and 3 students scored 24, 3 a 23, and 4 a 22. On the social studies exam, again 16 students passed with a 3 or a 4.

One Hundred-Second Day

Worked hard today. Again we reviewed inflectional endings. We then reviewed initial consonant clusters. Then we pantomimed the actions suggested by our Bath Flow Map. Together we used the Bath Brace Map and the Bath Flow Map to write an expository descriptive essay. We then wrote our own essay using our own Brace and Flow Maps.

We took our Topic 15 math test followed by our social studies map test.

One Hundred-First Day

We reviewed /ow/ spelled 'ou'. We discussed 'scout' as a verb. We reread Big Team Relay Race using the comprehension skill of cause and effect. We read the next selection, Mary Mack. We learned that "hand-games" is a sub-category of games without winners. We worked in groups of 3 to write our own hand game verse.

We used related facts to solve story problems. We took a while longer with math today so we used the rest of our time to do math problems in our head.

If time permits, we should have our social studies continent test and Topic 15 math test tomorrow.

Ninety-Eighth Day

Today we finished reading Jafta. We reviewed doubling consonants before inflectional endings. We discussed and worked with some contractions. We created our second Brace Map together for a game we played today called Griddle Cakes. We then each created our own Brace Map for one of our favorite games, Four Corners.

In math we used addition to solve subtraction problems. We are almost ready to take our first timed addition fact test.

Reminder: we will likely have our social studies map test on Friday.

In science we discussed air resistance and pressure and made parachutes to demonstrate these ideas.

Hope to see you tomorrow evening at the literacy night. There will be 3 sessions following dinner. In my first session I will cover Thinking Maps for those parents who want to take a more detailed look at these ideas. The next 2 sessions I will show how to make accordian books which are quite useful for a number of purposes.

Ninety-Second Day

Today we reviewed our last official spelling-card spellings. We discussed the interesting word 'employ' as a synonym for 'use', or 'to make use of'. We deduced the spelling for schwa spelled 'ou' in a spelling game (e.g. trouble, couple). We completed work on our social studies world map and many went home today with a message to parents. Our test should occur the first Friday in March. Please remember that in order to pass social studies this semester, students are required to locate and name all 7 continents, 4 oceans, and Los Angeles on an unlabeled world map.

I have almost completed the fluency assessments for week 18. We now have 15 students reaching the district required fluency level for first grade. That is up 3 from the last test. Many other exciting gains have been made. Improvements have been made in writing across the board.

We continued work on topic 14 with adding with 9 for homework.

As an aside, thanks to all the parents for your participation in this forum. Our blog has received our two-thousandth page view today.

Eighty-Seventh Day

We reviewed a variety of vowel spellings today. We reviewed possessive 's'. We started putting together our study maps for our social studies standard test.

We took Topic 13 math test today. We ran out of time for a new math lesson. Homework is a spelling sheet.

Parents please check your child's homework each night. I'm repeatedly sending back incomplete homework and homework with careless mistakes. Finding an error in your child's homework is the perfect time to have a discussion about your child's problem solving process.

Eightieth Day

We began the day today with a visit from a counselor from Carson's Family Center. At my request, the counselor took us through some exercises on asserting yourself when confronted with unreasonable or bothersome behavior from another child.

We also began discussing Captain Bill Pinkney's single-man journey around the world. Captain Pinkney was the first African American man to sail solo around the world via Cape Horn. He named his ship The Commitment. In this unit we will explore the meaning of the word commitment as well as delve into mapping skills and imagine what Capt. Bill saw as he visited many of the world's continents. During this unit we will memorize the names of the continents and oceans and learn to locate them on a map as well as where we live. At the end of the unit we will take a test to show what we have learned. In order to achieve a passing grade all continents, oceans, and the approximate location of Los Angeles needs to be located. Maps will be sent home in order for us to study with family.

In math and for homework we continued work on ordering numbers to 100. Our math scores have been tabulated. Twenty students passed the test with a score of 10 or better. A record 6 students achieved a perfect score. This was surprising as this proves to be one of our more challenging topics and one reason why I did not bother with a performance assessment piece.

Fourteenth Day

We continued our discussion of comparing and contrasting. We discussed synonyms such as alike, different, difference, and similarity. We had our first blending lesson with the short vowel 'a'. We discussed proper protocol and behavior expectations for blending. We continued work in our All About Me Books and began work on our ABC books.

In Social Studies we discussed ideas for being a good friend. I have failed to mention previously that in our Second Step training (violence prevention program) we are learning how to identify people's feelings. We are on our 5th lesson.

We continued our sockball game.We will try to finish up tomorrow. Whew.

The first monthly reading log was due today. Not everyone turned one in. I will not mark them late if they are turned in tonight at Back-to-School. Please remember that all reading logs are required for a minimum of a 3 in homework on the report card. Late reading logs are accepted until grades for the semester are due.

Tonight is a free homework night unless you would like to review the practice math test with your child. Nothing has to be turned in tomorrow. I will explain what happened with the homework tonight.

When you or a designated adult comes to room 11 tonight, please make sure to sign in. Your attendance goes on your child's permanent record with me (essentially this is a non-optional meeting). I will try to begin talking as close to 5:oo pm as possible. I will probably stop talking at 6:30. I will pause frequently for questions. Pencils and paper will be provided for taking notes. This is not an informal meeting. Much information will be given. Children of parents who do not attend Back-to-School night are at a serious disadvantage to those whose parents do.