Preschool Week 34 News

by Sarah Segall | May 21, 2016 | In The Loop

Aqua, Aire, Luz

Letras

Numbers

First Grade Week 34

by Sarah Segall | May 21, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts

This week in language arts we worked on our new writing project. The assignment was to write a story about something that happened to you or something that you learned to do. This gave the kids a chance to practice using the past tense verbs. They did a great job with this. To prepare for our writing we practiced different ways of saying verbs in the past and in the present. We also discussed that many verbs in the past tense end with an accent, for example: él baila(present tense) él bailó(past tense).

Phonics/fonética:
We reviewed diphthongs and consonant blends. We learned about the suffixes -ito and -ita which when placed at the end of a word make the word smaller for example casa or house becomes casita or small house.

Math

In math we finished our unit on money, the kiddos played a game that helped them practice converting 25 cents into different coin variations. We also started our unit on multiplication and division. We discussed that 3 groups of 2 is the same as 2+2+2=6 or 3, 2’s. The students had a chance to form their own groups with connecting blocks and string. Ask your child to show you.

History & Geography

This week we did quite a bit of map work. We made a map of the territory that was the United States before and after the Louisiana Purchase and we compare this to the first map that we made of the 13 colonies. For our read alouds we read about Thomas Jefferson’s plans to have James Monroe purchase New Orleans from Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor of France at that time.  We learned a little bit about what was going on in Europe and we read about the outcome of Monroe’s endeavors. We also reviewed  and added to our time line.

Science

The class is so excited to begin their lapbook on the Earth and rocks. We spent most of our science time working on them Monday and Tuesday. In the read aloud this week, we read about different types of mining. We learned about coal , ore , and other materials that are found in mines and quarries. We also learned the role that geologists play in finding these substances. On Friday we took a pausing point and reviewed what we have learned so far.  The class answered some riddles  and read a trade book to go along with this unit. We ended the day with a very excited group heading off to the Portland Zoo Snooze.

English Spelling

We did lots of activities practicing all of our sorts this week.  The students are pros with these words now since they  review all the vowel patterns that we’ve gone over in the last few sorts. We finished our final draft letters to Sean Daniels the geologist , and sent them off on Tuesday. We’re hoping to get a reply sometime next week. Two of our journal entries this week were to write about our favorite zoo animals and things that we liked about and/or did for Spirit Week.

Art

I found a small amount of air-dry clay in my storage area this week and decided it was just enough for the first graders to make clay elephants. We worked on this step-by-step, and the students did a great job creating these very cute elephants! Next week they can paint their elephants with acrylic paint.

Music

2/3 Week 34

by Sarah Segall | May 21, 2016 | In The Loop

History & Geography

Our class was full of spirit this week. We had some wonderful hairdos, crazy socks , and terrific book characters .
We began our new social studies unit on colonial America we read about the beginning of the English colonies and reviewed our kwl chart that we made last week. On Fridays we read about the founding of Jamestown and began working on a lapbook for the unit. The class was so excited to be doing a lap book this year.

Science

Student spent several days doing research for their ecosystem papers. They spent time on the computers looking for information as well as signing books in our library that can help support their research. For our read aloud this week we read about human changes to the environment and the impact these changes have. We also read about protecting the environment and brainstorm ideas that we could do ourselves.  We ended the week with an excited crew ready for their adventures at the Portland Zoo Snooze.

Our parents were great too!!

The parents who survived the Zoo Snooze sleepover!

English Spelling

We had fun with grammar this week. On Tuesday we watch Schoolhouse Rock’s “Conjunction Junction” and “Interjection!”.
The clouds love the music and it was a great way to review both of those Concepts. On Thursday and Friday we did practice worksheets identifying different types of conjunctions and interjections. In our journals we wrote about what it would be like to be in a New Colony as one entry and we also hypothesized what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke Island. For our sort words, we continue to work with homophones, compounds, and prefixes and suffixes.

Art

In both 2/3 and 4/5 art this week, we read a book about Picasso and looked at a variety of his amazing artwork. It is always interesting to hear the students’ insights about Picasso’s different styles! Then the students worked on a still life drawing of the musical instruments that Señor Kit brought back from Cuba. We’ll continue working on both a realistic and a cubist rendition of the same still life.

Music

This week pairs of students composed, practiced and performed original songs in Spanish with topics ranging from space rockets to dogs.

4th/5th Week 33

by Sarah Segall | May 14, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts / artes del lenguaje

What a busy week! Students are very excited about our new literacy studies, “Our Corner of the Universe”. We got to brainstorm ideas and activate prior knowledge about this area of study. I was so very impressed to find out how knowledgeable and passionate students are about this topic. Next week, students will be conducting a research project in class about a topic they have selected from our unit. They will also receive a calendar and a rubric. Everybody is thrilled and want to get to work already! Stay tuned!

This week we finished another successful book club! Students did a magnificent job during our book club time and have met all expectations.  For our literature circle next week, we will be working on a new fun project involving children’s theater.

Other concepts seen in literacy this week:

• Preview vocabulary (cognates)
• Listening comprehension: El universo by Seymour Simon
• Classifying and organizing information 
• Dictado
• Reviewing  concepts of writing

Science / ciencia

Another busy science week! The focus of our investigation this week was on a particular part of the food webs, the decomposers. As we continued to revisit the concept that decomposers are organisms that consume and recycle dead organisms and organic waste, students got to be very close to some of them! Our guiding question this week was: What happens when compost worms interact with organic matter? To conduct this investigation in collaborative groups, students set up redworm habitat systems to study detritivores. They will be recording what organic materials go into the habitat and observing changes in the worm jar over several weeks.  With this, we have concluded our investigation 1, Systems. Next week, we will be working on Nutrient Systems.

Students have taken home a science book, Las cadenas alimentarias y las redes alimentarias. It is very beneficial that they practice reading their book on a regular basis. This will help, not only with their Spanish practice but also, to be ready for class’ discussions.  We will be having a quiz on this book next Thursday.

History & Geography

This week we learned about The Alamo and how it was the beginning of the Mexican-American War. We began with learning about The Alamo, we even came up with our own classroom battle cry which is “We are SWS and we strive to learn and pet pugs!”. We then discussed how The Alamo was the start of the conflict with Mexico. We did a read aloud about the conflict with Mexico including The Alamo and the Mexican-American war. Students were then divided in to groups of 3 and given an important figure from the Mexican-American War to research. Students used their history textbook and online resources to create a mini-biography about their person. On Friday each group presented their information to the class. We then discussed how Zachary Taylor, Jame K. Polk, Winfield Scott, and Santa Anna affected the war and their stance on annexation in general. We also had a great discussion on the importance of voting and how it affected the elections in 1840. It was great to be able to see students making connections from past elections to present day. I love letting the students lead discussions and build connections on their own. Next week we will be finishing our Westward Expansion before the Civil War Unit and we will move onto the Civil War!

Math

We had our chapter 13 test this Monday. This was a very long and challenging test. Students received their tests back on Tuesday and had the option of doing test corrections. Students receive half of the total points for the question back, if completed. It is so important for students to go back and look at the mistakes they made and correct them. We found out that, as a whole, the class has trouble with nerves and reading the instructions during tests. Many students expressed the feeling of wanting to finish the test first or skipping the instructions. This brought us to have a conversation about test taking strategies, which I created a poster of, that is now hanging in class. We also began our reverse classroom ratios project! This has been very exciting and the students seem to love it. All of them have such great ideas for their projects and I am very excited to see them when they are complete. Remind your student they have all of next week during math to ask questions if they get stuck on something. Projects are due Monday May 23rd, I invite all parents to come watch the presentations that day! I will make sure to send out an e-mail the Friday before giving more details about presentations.

English Spelling/ Vocabulary

This week we continued with our sorts. The students have the routine down and work very well independently. Many students have also decided to go farther with our rotation than instructed. Some students race each other to do their sorts or quiz each other with any extra time after completing the assignment. These sorts are so important and really teach students to pick up on the patterns within words. We have been focusing on our word hunts. This is where students use the groups from their word list and try to add to it. They use their history, math, science, and individual reading books. After they find a word that they think may fit into one of the groups they must prove it by explaining how it follows the pattern or meaning. I am very pleased with all of the spelling test scores! I can tell everyone is working very hard and using their class time wisely.

Art

The 4/5 students finished their Dream Catchers this week in art. They finished weaving the “web” and then added strings of beads and feathers. These turned out great! The students brought them home today. In a couple weeks, I’ll be sending home all the artwork that the 4/5 students have created since January.

Music

The class continued work on a medley of songs we have learned at SWS and “L’s vida es un baile.” We also learned both the song and dance of “Pajaritos a bailar,” a Swiss polka known in English as “The Chicken Dance.”

Kindergarten Week 33

by Sarah Segall | May 14, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts

The kindergartners wrote their first persuasive writing piece! They first researched ocean animals by looking through all our ocean themed books. They then chose an animal to focus on. They drew a picture of this animal and then drafted an advertising sentence. The sentence is meant to entice people, like a billboard, to come see their animal. Pictures were meant to be as realistic as possible. (And these kindergartners did a great job!) These can be viewed on our class bulletin board.

The students did a great job with their dictation this week. They then did a fantastic job in their weekly writing journal. Typically we write something together and then they add on to it. This week we brainstormed a class word bank and then the students wrote their own sentences. I am very proud of their progress!

Math

We used the number line for counting on and counting backward.  We also worked on adding three numbers. Games, counters, dice, and the number lines were great practice this week.

Science

This week we continued learning about magnets. We had several days of stations with magnets, geography, and literacy that the kids enjoyed. We learned about compasses and how they work. We explored how you can make a magnet and we made our own compass. See if your student can tell you about some of the exciting g things we have learned about. We continued working in our lap books which will come home next week.

Art

“Me and My Shadow” was the theme for art this week. We had already looked at our shadows on a sunny day a few weeks ago, so we looked at some photos of shadows, and discussed the poem “My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson. The students used oil pastel to draw a picture of themselves, and then they cut it out. They traced their figure onto black paper and cut out a “shadow.” Finally, they glued both pieces to construction paper, and added a sun. We were very busy and all the students did a great job!

Music

We learned to sing and dance to “Pajaritos a bailar,” a Swiss polka known in English as “The chicken dance.” Each student also tried his/her hand at plucking out a short melody on Sr. Kit‘s harp.

First Grade Week 33

by Sarah Segall | May 14, 2016 | In The Loop

History & Geography

This week we had our domain assessment  and everyone did fantastic! I was very proud of them. On Tuesday we started our unit on the early exploration and settlement of the American Frontier. We read about Daniel Boone and his desire to cross the Appalachian Mountains. We began a timeline for this unit, colored a map of the areas that were populated and those that were still considered the Western frontier , and we read a trade book about Daniel Boone.

Science

Everyone was very excited to learn about minerals and gemstones on Monday. I wasn’t surprised to hear how many students in our class have their own rock collections. We talked about how collecting rocks can be a hobby and how learning about them can actually be a career as well. We learn about the three types of rocks  and wrote about how they are different , using adjectives to describe them. The students had fun listening to several books on rocks and thinking of questions to ask my geologist friend in California about rocks and the study of them. On Friday we spent a little time outside going on a rock hunt and trying to identify the different types that we found.  We also examined  the rocks that we have on display in the classroom.

English Spelling

We started off the week with a new sort. This one  reviews all of the long and short vowel patterns that we have studied in the last 2 months. The class did several activities with their words, including alphabetizing, writing out the vowell patterns, and writing a sentence for each word. We will have a spelling test next Friday, May 20th. For grammar, we reviewed adjectives and applied this to one of our science lessons for the week. In our journals, the students wrote a story about Daniel Boone and they also wrote a draft of a letter to Sean Daniels, a geologist at the University of California, San Diego. We will be writing a final draft of our letters and sending them off next week

Art

We discussed Memorial Day this week and the students learned about the poppy flower being a symbol of remembrance for people who have given their lives in military service to our country. The students made beautiful pictures of fields of poppies by using balloons dipped in red paint. They learned that lots of paint created OPAQUE flowers, and less paint created TRANSPARENT flowers. Be sure to look at these vivid paintings on the bulletin board at school!

Music

We learned to sing and dance “Pajaritos a bailar,” known in English as “The Chicken Dance.” We also worked on the folk dance steps of one of the class’ favorites, “La bamba.”

2/3 Week 33

by Sarah Segall | May 14, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts

The students have really found a love of writing.  They’ve been spending their daily writing time on their new pieces and consistently groan when it’s time to stop writing. We were able to take advantage of the nice weather and do some of our writing outside this week.

We missed a week and are off on our Spanish spelling words.  Students have had their new lists all week and will be assessed on Tuesday. (This is the -cción list.)

Math

We did quite a few hands-on area activities with inches², centimeters², meters², feet². One particular activity was to work in groups to find the area of a given space. This involved:

1. measuring two sides of the rectangle
2. multiplying these three-digit numbers
3. dividing to find the answer in feet²

After this particular activity we had a class lesson about organizing our work on our paper, labeling our work, and drawing diagrams to help us.

History & Geography

This week we spent a lot of time prepping for our Explorer interviews as well as studying for the end of the unit test. On Monday we reviewed what we’ve learned so far about the Explorers and we play Jeopardy to help us refresh our memories. On Tuesday, the students went through there expedition logs to make sure they had all of their material and then they quizzed each other on the information. We talked about what makes  good interview questions; open-ended vs closed, and we also talked about the importance of studies up on the explorer that they would be representing so they could answer the questions Acura tell during the interviewer. The class did a great job on Thursday with the interviews, everyone looked terrific! On Friday we took the unit test and I was very pleased with the results. It was one of the tougher test that we’ve taken this year. Students were able to use class notes during the test. Next week we will begin our last social studies unit for the year, it will be covering Colonial America.

Science

We began the week by reviewing what we’ve learned so far in our Earth science domain. On Tuesday we played a fun game outside called “Oh deer”. Some students were deer, others were components that the deer needed in their habitat, some were wolves, and others farmers. The game Illustrated how population fluctuations can change and  what elements in nature affect those changes. The class had a blast playing the game and we had an interesting discussion about what they learned afterwards. On Thursday we began a lesson on natural changes in the environment and talked about temporal and cause and effect language. Our next big assignment in science will be a research project. The students have chosen ecosystems that they want to do a research paper on. Some are researching the ecosystem that they did for their food web, while others are looking at endangered ecosystems.

English Spelling

Everyone did well on their spelling test last week. It’s important that the green group pay special attention to there homophone definitions. For grammar review we looked at colons, semicolons, and dashes. We also reviewed suffixes (-ness and -ly).  In our journals we had some whimsical entries this week. One was to write about what you think the world will be like in a hundred years and another that began “I remember when…”

Art

Since the 2/3 students are going on the “Zoo Snooze,” we looked at Eric Carle’s book of animal pictures which he makes using painted paper. The students used the entire art class creating painted and textured papers using rollers, bubble wrap, and combs. After the zoo trip, the students will use their painted papers to create their favorite animal.

Music

We learned to sing and dance to “Pajaritos a bailar,” and Sr. Kit talked about meeting a musician friend of the composer when they both played for a wedding reception in Switzerland.