4th/5th Week 19

by Sarah Segall | Jan 30, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts

This week we spent most of our Literacy time working on what our class enjoys the most: Writing! Students were responsible for writing a literary review (critica de un libro) of their favorite book. Using mentor texts, we explored the characteristics of a book review. We identified the elements of  a literary review and analyzed styles, content, vocabulary and word choice. Students were then ready to write their own. Following the writing process, students created strong informative pieces which are, currently,  in their final state of publishing. Be sure to look for our students accomplished pieces next week on our Spanish bulleting board!

Other activities in Literacy this week included:

• Community circle
• Assessments’ scores and feedback
• Word Study and Grammar: Possessive Nouns / Possessive Pronouns/ Conjunctions
• Word Study and Grammar: Verbs ( infinitivo, gerundio, participio)
• Independent reading time
• Dictado: Palabras con z
• Literacy Centers
• Reading homework sharing time
• Art project: Environments

Science

In science this week we started the first investigation of our science FOSS Kit: Terrestrial Environments. After going for a nature hike, we talked about and identified the factors that make up  terrestrial environments around this area. We discussed the meaning of the word organisms and gave examples of them. For the first part of our investigation students will be planting terrariums. This week we worked on our terrarium plans. Next week students will be planting and determining what are the optimal conditions for the plants to grow. Some of our goals during this part of our investigation is for students to be able to:

1. Gain experience planting seeds of different kinds. We will be using clover, barley, corn, peas and radish seeds. 

 2. Observe a terrarium environment over time and record and document changes in a journal.

3. Determine the  the factors that will allow the plants grow (water, light, air, etc).

History & Geography

Math

This week we worked on the multiplication of fractions and spent particular focused time on simplifying fractions when coming up with the product requiring simplest form. Next week we will take on division of fractions and will participate in some games toward further mastery of answering in simplest form. Some students will embark on new challenges in math, including some individual and group project and presentation work requirements.

Art

In 4th-5th grade art, we used paper weaving to create artwork that mimics Op Art. We looked at some Op Art by Victor Vasarely, and noted the geometrical shapes, patterns, and sense of movement. The students learned how to use a variety of lines in their paper looms to create different visual effects. Some of these beautiful designs are on display by the door to their classroom.

2/3 Week 19

by Sarah Segall | Jan 30, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts 

• Ideas:Does your poem have the purpose of entertaining or explaining?
• Organization:Is your poem organized in a manner to make it easy to read and understand?
• Did you use words that rhyme at the end of the verses?
• Word Selection:Did you choose the best words to express your thoughts and feelings?
• Sentence Flow: Do your sentences flow?
• Voice: Does your poem communicate your feelings?

Some students were able to type their poems in class while others did not have time. All students should bring their typed poem (size 20 font) to school on Monday with an illustration on the bottom half of their paper.

In grammar this week we focused on noun, adjective, article agreement in number and gender. We also learned that adding a suffix to a word changes the word. Suffixes are added to the end of the words. The students thought it was great fun to select the correct words and to edit a paragraph.  They are such enthusiastic students!

Math

This week we worked on using multiplication and division within 100 to solve real-world word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities. We used bar models to solve two-step division word problems.

During our small group math lessons I stressed to the students the importance of knowing when to apply your math knowledge. We need to understand how and when our math skills are necessary. Sometimes a solution to a problem might seem very easy. Other times it might seem really complicated and we will need to draw out the problem. Bar models are not mean to be used with every type of problem, only those where a visual representation is helpful.

The math packet is due this coming Friday.

Social Studies  

This week we finished our Norsemen studies.  On Monday we watched a short Viking film on what a village may have looked like and on Tuesday we took our Viking assessment.  Everyone did great on the map and multiple choice portion of the test which we graded in class.  I will be correcting the short answers over the weekend.  We worked on our puppet show skits and filmed some on Friday.  The rest will be done on Monday.  The class also typed up the letters home to Norway from the perspective of one of our characters in our read aloud.  These are on display in the hall.  On Friday we all got to go to the Kid’s BBC site and do some of the Viking activities as a final end of the unit activity.

Science

We have started our next domain on Astronomy.  We read about eclipses and the different ways the earth rotates.  The class is super excited about this unit, they already have a wealth of prior knowledge that they are bringing to this unit.  On Feb. 8 we will be going on a field trip to Aladdin Theater in Portland to see the Bodyology show.  This relates to our Human Body Domain that is being covered by Ms. Leane during health.  We will meet directly there at 9:45.  As usual, families should arrange their own transportation.

Our class is also participating in a service learning project with the Children Center of Vancouver.  Thank you Laura McBride for bringing this project idea to our class.  We will  be collecting stuffed animals, 12″ or larger, to be filled with aquatic rocks and used as therapy toys for children with sensory disorders.  We are looking for donations of stuffed animals and aquatic rocks, both new and unused.  Later in the year we will also be needing volunteers who are willing to do a small amount of sewing on these items.

English Spelling/Writing

The class had their spelling test on Friday, everyone did wonderful.  The new 15 pt. goal for sort activities seems to be the magic number, all homework was turned in last week.  For grammar review we worked on suffixes and prefixes, taking a closer look at how these additions change the meaning of the root word.  We will continue to work on these next week as well.  We did not do very much journal writing due to the fact that we were writing quite a bit in our content areas.  It was a very busy week.  

                A Week’s Review by Maddie

                 In social studies Bjorn and Toli are on a knarr ship and they have been traveling for 14 days and when they got to Iceland it was green and the mountains had snow on them.  The one who greeted them was their uncle.  He showed them around.  Bjorn and Toli had sea legs, they were just getting use to the ground again.  Bjorn and Toli’s uncle asked if they were hungry but Bjorn did not want anymore fish.   We learned the saying “Rule the Roost”, it means when someone rules your house and it is also from a chicken who rules the roost.  In science we had our light and sound projects.  We enjoyed that. Last week was very fun, we did some fun stuff!

Art

In 2nd-3rd grade art, we continued our weaving theme by making a variety of paper weavings. The students learned how to create different paper looms using diagonal lines, curvy lines, zig-zags, etc. It was fun to watch the students working! We displayed everyone’s work on the whiteboard, and we saw how the patterns in the weavings created optical illusions of movement and depth. Check out these weavings on the bulletin board by the boys restroom.

First Grade Week 19

by Sarah Segall | Jan 30, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts 

This week we spent a lot of time editing our Spanish animal reports. We discussed that a good writer must at times rewrite their piece many times before it’s ready to publish. We also discussed that publishing or publicando is the last step before their writing is read by their public. When something is published it must be perfect and without errors. We will be displaying our finished reports next week!

The story we read together as a class was called El cangrejo armitaño or The Hermit Crab.
This was an example of expository writing or escritura explicativa. We were able to compare this type of writing to our animal report which is also expository writing. We also discussed drawing conclusions as a type of a reading comprehension skill. The children learned that sometimes the author of a book will not give us all of the information but we must draw a conclusion from what is written. In Spanish this is called sacar conclusiones. We practiced drawing conclusions with this story.

The kiddos also spent time this week learning about nouns or sustantivos/nombres. We reviewed that a noun is a persona/person, lugar/place or objeto/thing. We then practiced identifying nouns in various sentences.

To finish off the week and reinforce our knowledge of nouns we had a fun noun scavenger hunt or búsqueda del tesoro de nombres. Ask your kiddo about it!

Math

In math we finished our chapter on numbers through 40. The kiddos did very well on their chapter test, and I’m so proud of them!

We also played a math matching game where the kids had to match a regular number with its word form, base ten form and a math equation that represented the number.

The children also took the pretest for chapter 13 that we will be beginning next week.

Social Studies & Science

In science we have been learning about measuring matter.  On Monday and Tuesday our focus was measuring solids.  We looked at lengths, widths and the weight of a solid object.  We discussed the difference between the metric system and the customary system, or inch-pound. On Thursday and Friday we explored measuring liqiuid and talked about different types of ways that you can measure volume.  We had fun pouring water from cups, to pints, to quarts, to gallons, and back again.

 English Spelling

Art

In First Grade art we looked at Pablo Picasso’s “Bull’s Head” which is a sculpture made out of an old bicycle seat and handlebars. The students learned that even famous artists can use recycled materials to create art. We then discussed robots, and I showed the students how to use plastic berry boxes, popsicle sticks, plastic caps, etc. to make a robot figure. Although the basic shapes are the same, each robot has its own very creative personality!

Kindergarten Week 19

by Sarah Segall | Jan 30, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts 

We are nearing the end of the ABC books we are writing.

This week we began our new unit: Persevera/ Perseverance. Perseverance is a quality that adults associate with success. For kindergarten students, however, the value of sticking to an activity is not

always evident, especially if the reward is not immediately apparent. Helping students persist in situations in which the reward is not immediately apparent or forthcoming is one of the major tasks that kindergarten teachers and parents face.

Story characters who “stick to it” are usually rewarded, while those who give up easily often suffer grave consequences. One aim of this unit is to give students the opportunity to experience persistence vicariously.

Our first story in this unit was El sancocho del sábado, which describes how Maria Lili and her grandparents make a chicken sancocho every Saturday.

We used our high frequency words in our journals.

Our words of the day were:

libro – book

pero – but

igual – equal

cada – each

enfrente  – in front

Math

This week the students showed mastery in their decomposing and composing of numbers 1-10.  They did a fantastic job!!

We also solved addition and subtraction word problems within 10 by using objects and drawings to represent the problem.

Social Studies & Science

Art

In Kindergarten art we looked at another Ezra Jack Keats book called “A Letter to Amy.” The story takes place on a rainy day, and we looked at the pictures of the rainy, stormy skies, and the little boy Peter wearing a yellow raincoat and rain boots. The students learned how to use watercolors to paint a rainy day background. We set these aside to dry while the students drew pictures of a child with a yellow raincoat. They also had time to draw an umbrella. Next week we’ll put all these pieces together. Everyone did a great job listening, painting, and drawing! Many thanks to Alora and her mom Stacie for helping out every week!

2/3 Week 18

by Sarah Segall | Jan 23, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts 

We, as a class, are working on only communicating in Spanish.  We have observed that the students typically communicate with their Spanish teachers in Spanish. They also tend to mainly use Spanish in teacher directed activities but then resort to English when interacting with their peers. The students did an absolutely fantastic job of using Spanish for the large majority of their afternoon classes.  I am so proud of them! (I think they were proud of themselves also.)

The students received two new books on Friday. They will receive a reader’s response sheet on Monday to accompany book #15.

This week we spent a lot of time working with descriptive details. We read the great story, Por los ojos del abuelo. This story is about a grandson following his blind grandfather and realizing the importance of all our senses. The class was able to brainstorm the five senses for our word study journals and the descriptive adjectives that enhance the experience for the reader.  We used these to write a class description of our lunchroom.

Spelling/ ortografia  (ll digraph) – Test on Tuesday, 1/26

millón – million

valla – fence

orgulloso – proud

tobillo -ankle

batalla – battle

estampilla – stamp

calle – street

semillas – seeds

llegaba – he/she arrived

llevar – to arrive

llamado – called

maullar – meow

llena – full

enrolló – roll

follaje – foliage

Math

This week we began our new unit Using Bar Models:Multiplication and Division. Both multiplication and division are based on the concept of equal groups, or the part-whole concept, where each equal group is one part of a whole. A bar model can show one or two steps, where some amount might be subtracted from the whole, or added to equal groups.  Also, two separate sets might be comopared, showing one whole being a multiple of another whole.

Drawing bar models provides students with a systematic means of organizing information and determining the calculations needed to solve a problem. Bar models simplify the problem by showing clearly what steps need to be taken to answer the question.

The students received a rather large math packet for home reinforcement of the lessons we are doing in class. There is no due date yet. Each day the students are write the current lesson we have covered in class that day. Each page in their packet also has the corresponding lesson number.  So far we have covered lesson 9.1 (using bar models to solve one-step multiplication word problems) and lesson 9.2 (using bar models to solve two-step word problems and choosing the correct operations in two-step word problems).

Social Studies  

We finished reading about our Viking unit this week.  The class has enjoyed learning about the Nordic people and listening to the stories about their lives and sagas.  We heard the idiom “Rule the Roost” and found out where the original meaning came from.  The class wrote out more responses to the readings this week and also wrote a letter reporting on life in Iceland from the perspective of one of our read a loud characters, Bjorn.  We also watched a short movie on Viking life, which showed what a viking village and ship might have looked like.  On Friday we began reviewing for unit assessment which we will have next week.

Science

Everyone did a wonderful job of presenting their Light and Sound experiments this week!  What a variety we had, I loved being able to listen to all these great ideas.  Thank you parents for running to the store for supplies, applying the glue gun, being the guinea pig, or what ever else you did in order to assist with putting together these experiments at home. Thank you too for coming in the middle of the day to listen to the presentations in class, it always is so special to have you there.  Along with our presentations we also read several trade books on sound and  reviewed for our assessment on our Light and Sound Domain.  The class took their assessment on Friday.

English Spelling/Writing

The class had free choice in journal writing this week, but I did give them a writing prompt of what they would tell or ask an animal if they were to find out that animals could suddenly talk.

We got our new sorts this week.  Students now only have to complete 15 pts. for their activities.  Over all everyone did very well on their test.

We are starting something new in our class this week.  Some of the students have expressed interest in contributing to our weekly news letter.  Each week a different student volunteer will write a review of happenings from the week prior and then this will be included in our newsletter.

A Week’s Review by Hazel

Last week we learned about Vikings.  We heard about Bjorn and Toli who were Norsemen, and how now they are becoming Vikings.  So they are sailing on a Knarr to Iceland.  Did you know that Knarrs only were for carrying cargo and people?  They weren’t for battle.  Bjorn was sad to leave his homeland of Norway, but Toli was so excited.  In my opinion it was a good week to learn about Vikings. 

Art

The 2nd and 3rd graders finished their woven bookmarks today. They all did a great job! While they were weaving we listened to a CD of Señor Kit’s harp music. A very relaxing art class!

Music

This week we talked about the life and works of George Gershwin. We listened to and discussed the instruments in Rhapsody in Blue.

First grade Week 18

by Sarah Segall | Jan 23, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts 

In language arts we read a story called La araña/The Spider. We discussed what the main idea or idea principal was in the story. We also talked about some of the details or detalles that supported the main idea. Ask your kiddo if they can remember the main idea of this story.

We also continued writing our Spanish animal reports. They are really doing a great job sticking to their main idea. They are also using adjetivos or adjectives to make their report more interesting.

Math

This week we reviewed our number words. The students got to play a game called math Olympics and were able to form their own numbers with a special deck of cards and then write them in word form. We also reviewed the rule for writing numbers in their 20’s. Ask your kiddo to tell you what they learned about number words in their 20’s. To practice spelling the 20’s we played a game where the students formed teams and received number cards and raced against the clock to write their number in standard form and word form. They also had to show the number by using base 10 blocks, which were a huge hit!

We worked also on solving math problems using words for example: 15-2=13 or ___ es igual que dos menos quince.

Social Studies & Science

English Spelling

Students got their new sorts on Thursday this week.  You should have seen a copy of it in their take home folder.  Several of our kiddos have been doing extra practice with their sorts at home and are bringing them in for me to see.  I like to make a big deal about these and give them stickers and credit for taking the time to practice away from school.  If your child is doing sorts at home please send me a brief note about it or have them bring in any work that they have done and I will celebrate them too!

In our journal writing this week we listen to the book “What a Wonderful World”  based on the Louie Armstrong song and talked about how Martin Luther King had a dream about making our world a better place.  The class then wrote about what dream they have to make the world better for everyone.  We also wrote a festival or fair that we had been to before as a response to our Social Studies readings on the Festival of the first star.

Art

The first graders finished their “Winter Birch Tree” art project. These look so nice on the bulletin board by the water fountain at school. Great job everyone! We also had time to practice mixing colors using primary colors to make secondary colors, and also adding white to make pastel colors. We’ll use these color sheets to create an Eric Carle animal collage in a couple weeks.

Music

The class discussed the use of different instruments in the orchestra to represent different themes. We then read a book and listened to a recording of Sergei Prokoviev’s Peter and the Wolf.

Kindergarten Week 18

by Sarah Segall | Jan 23, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts 

We had a great week in language arts.  The students are really flying through their little readers!  We do want to make sure they are also reading for understanding (and reading fluently, rather than memorizing their books).

A few of the stories we read this week were Tormenta de Nieve and Feriado. The students especially enjoyed listening for all the rhyming words in  Feriado.

I have been very impressed with how the students are doing during our word of the day. I always ask for volunteers to use the word in a sentence.  Typically every student provides at least one sentence. On Friday I elected to record a few of their sentences on the board so they could see the sentence as well as hear it.

ahora –  now

busca – he/she looks for

frío – cold

The students brainstormed things they like to do in winter and then wrote and illustrated this in their writing journals. I’m pleased to see them beginning sentences with a capital letter. We will continue to work on the concept of punctuation.

Each student has been working on adding two letters a day to their ABC books. Each day we brainstorm all the words we know that start with the two letters of the day. Sometimes the lists are quite long! Their vocabulary knowledge is getting huge! They then pick one word for each letter, write the word, and illustrate it. These will be a great resource for them when they are finished.

Math

This week we focused on composing and decomposing groups of 5 and groups of 10. The students all did a great job using cubes as a visual representation, as well as using number bonds/ números conectados and equations.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.3   Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 5=2+3 and 5=4+1)

These activities are part of our operations & algebraic thinking and help us to better understand addition and subtraction.

Social Studies & Science

Art

In Kindergarten art, we talked about the seasons, and we looked at Ezra Jack Keats’ book “The Snowy Day.” After looking at the shapes and colors of the buildings in Keats’ book, the students used construction paper to make a variety of houses, with doors, windows, and chimneys. To create a “snowy day” in their pictures, the students learned how to dip sponges in white paint and dab it onto the rooftops, road, and sky. These turned out beautiful, and I saved them to put on a bulletin board at school.

Music

Today our class welcomed a pre-school class. We shared several of our favorite activity songs, including Un Elefante and La Tía Mónica and learned Cabeza, Hombros, Rodillas y Pies (Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. The kindergarteners set a great example for the younger class.

4th/5th Week 18

by Sarah Segall | Jan 22, 2016 | In The Loop

Language Arts

The highlight of our week was to have maestra Sally back at school! We were very excited to hear about little Finn and keep her up to date with the latest projects at SWS. We would also like to express a big thanks to Maestra Lisa for being such a wonderful “guest” teacher. We are so fortunate to have her be a part of our staff and our 4th/5th grade class !

Students did a fantastic job this week during their oral presentations, based on the reading and collaborative writing project of the book Desastre inminente.  Carefully following the details of the rubric, and through different visuals and crafts, students captured the essence of the books they read and were able to communicate the message to others in an articulate, organized, effective and engaging manner. What a wonderful outcome! Students enjoyed reading this book so much that they have asked to read all three of the collection: Volcan, Terremoto, Tornado. This is a great opportunity to continue to practice reading at home in Spanish!

Later in the week, we had an opportunity to continue with our read aloud, have independent reading time, work on spelling and use of words in context, as well as review accents marks. We are focusing on words spelled with z this week. Students responsibly turned in their spelling sentences. They took home their revised sentences on Friday. Please make sure your child practices for our spelling quiz(dictado) next Thursday.

Next week we will be elaborating on a new class project: Escribir una critica de un libro. Ask your child to tell you what we discussed in class about this project.  Some key concepts we are:

Publico: ¿Quién leera tu critica del libro?

Propósito: ¿Por qué quieres escribir una crítica del libro?

Science

Students successfully took a reading assessment of the book Habitats y el medio ambiente. Nice work getting their reading done, paying special attention to those important non-fiction text features.

We had such great idea-communicating time. One of my favorite activities as a teacher is to do an open ended activity. I provided students with photographs of different environments. I asked them to think about what they noticed about what they were seeing on the pictures. You would have loved to hear all the interesting things they noticed, and the elaborate use of descriptive language! Students named the characteristics they observed, then they classified and categorized these pictures according to these characteristics. They came up with multiple ways of sorting them.

We have introduced a big portion of science vocabulary and concepts and are ready to start our first science investigation next week! Please make sure your child wears appropriate shoes and coats on Monday, as we will be taking a little walk around the school. Thank you!

History and Math

It is so great to be back with these kids! What an incredibly warm welcome I received upon my return. Thank you so much for all of your well-wishes and support during my absence. I am very blessed to be working among such a caring community. For these two first days back, we are doing some writing and share time around all that’s happened in the past five and a half weeks. Additionally we created a winter art project of “Winter Birch Trees”, which will soon be displayed on the hallway bulletin board. Next week we will begin new units in both History and Math. Stay tuned! – Ms. Sally

• “While you were gone” writing task and share time.
• Spelling sentences (test on Friday.)
• Thank you letters to Ms. Lisa
• Read aloud
• Mt. Language
• Winter art project “birch winter trees”

Art

The 4th and 5th graders learned about Op Art today and we looked at a some examples by Bridgette Riley and other artists. The students created their own “Op Art” design using a tracing of their hand, and a simple object such as a star or heart. They used different directional lines to create a sense of movement and dimension in their designs. The students did a great job, and you can see their work on the bulletin board along with their shoe drawings from last week

Music

We talked about classical music’s “big three,” Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. We watched a video biography of Beethoven, then a performance of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. The version we watched was conducted by Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the inspiration for the phrase “Hear the Hair,” in the series Mozart in the Jungle.