I am looking forward to our St. Patrick's Day celebration on Monday! We will be doing a craft and having a special treat (thank you to our room moms and parent volunteers for coming together on this!). Don't forget to wear your green - after all, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!
Reading Workshop - Reading is a (continuous!) adventure!
- Readers continued to read non-fiction books to learn new information.
- Readers ask questions like; "How does this work and what does this mean?"
- Readers solve tricky words! Everyone has a laminated star in their book bag that outlines word solving strategies - check the picture, look for words your know inside larger words, (chat) does the word look or sound like another word (book/cook).
- Readers are now using the pictures in non-fiction books to make observations and learn more about the topic simply from what they see in the photographs.
- In the coming week, we will be learning to compare and contrast two different non-fiction books on the same subject.
Writing Workshop - We continued our unit on "All About" Books!
- We began writing our first "All About" book about a topic that all children are experts on - themselves! As writers complete their "All About Me" book in the coming week, they will move on to write about topics that they are experts in.
Math: We continued to practice our math exercises using a "math centers" approach. We used Dreambox during computer lab, and practiced using the math rack and 10-Frame. We warmed up our math brains with a fun Leprechaun counting video - here's the link if you would like to practice it with your child on your own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSvz1lkvih4
Technology: Each week, I will have a new Smartboard-based activity incorporated in to center time. All groups will be given the opportunity to be at that center, broken up over a 2-day period. I have also incorporated the use of educational programming on the classroom computers (Dreambox, Starfall, RAZ-Kids, etc.) as an option for students during free choice time (at the end of the day).
Lastly, please see the message below regarding the Holmes School Literary Magazine - entries are due by Monday, March 31st!
Dear Students and Parents,
It is the time of year to start thinking about the Holmes Literary Magazine!
The Holmes School Literary Magazine is a compilation of student work from
students in grades K-5. Each student is able to submit a piece of writing to be
included in the magazine. Anyone who submits a piece will be included (as long
as the piece follows the criteria below and is content appropriate).
Students can submit poems, stories, research articles, reviews, etc. We
are looking for submissions for the Holmes School Literary Magazine.
All student work must be submitted by Monday, March 31st.
Students may submit a
piece that they have created in school or at home, students are
limited to submitting one entry. Participation is voluntary.
Students’
work must fit the following criteria:
· 400
words or less
· Typed
in Microsoft Word
· Single
spaced in Times New Roman, 12 pt font
· Centered
title (using the center justification tool, rather than tabbing)
· Students'
first and last name and grade level typed on separate lines at the end of the
piece
Ex.
John Smith
1st Grade
Document edited with
an adult. Spelling and grammar must be corrected.
·
Illustrations for
pieces can be scanned and e-mailed. Please make sure that illustrations
are clearly labeled with the student’s first and last name and grade level.
·
K-2 should email pieces to kpaladino@darienps.org . 3-5 should email pieces to rsatter@darienps.org. A confirmation note will be sent upon receiving all
e-mail submissions.
Entries must be submitted by Monday, March 31st.
If you have any
questions please feel free to contact Kim Paladino at x 6168 or Rachel Satter
at X6166.
Thank you!
