Blog May 20
It is so hard to believe we are getting down to the end of this school year. Our next couple of weeks will go by very quickly..
Today I am sending home our bean plants. We have had so much fun with this science experiment. First we put a wet paper towel in a plastic bag along with three beans. We then observed the skin of the bean turn all wrinkly .The beans got fatter and fatter and the skin split. The bean then began to grow. We observed the roots growing and a little stem start to grow. It was very exciting! Today, we filled small paper cups with soil and very carefully planted the bean plant. You will need to put a hole in the bottom of the cup for drainage, and water it a little each day. Make sure it gets plenty of sunshine. In a few weeks you can plant transplant it into a bigger container or find a special place outside.
We started a unit today on birds. Emilie from the middle school brought in some baby chicks from her farm to share with us. Thank you Tulie for helping us learn how to hold them. You are such a farm girl. We will be studying the life cycle of the chick as well as learning lots of fun information about them.
We want to thank Annabelle's mom Jeannie who shared some very cool arrowheads with us. They were about 5000 years old! It was so interesting. The arrowheads were collected by Jeannie's grandfather and father from their mid-west farm long ago.
Dates to remember:
Tuesday May 25th--Play practice at Hollins
Wed. May 26th – School wide play practice
Thursday May27th- Our class will walk over to Hollins to view school wide art show.
Friday May 28th- Art Festival – Please drop your child off at school at the regular time . We will walk over as a class and get ready for our performance. It is really wonderful for the children to see the whole show so if possible please let them stay and watch the entire production. You are welcome to sit with us after the performance or your child may join you. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE TAKING YOUR CHILD!!! Dismissal will take place at 12:30 p.m. from the theater. Check Quick Notes for details.
Monday May 31st- NO SCHOOL!
June 7th- Junnie B. Jones play at Roanoke Children's Theater- Bring a disposable bag lunch. We will picnic downtown after the play. At this point no drivers are needed.
Wednesday June 9th- Conferences - Check Quick Notes for your time.
Thursday June 10th- Last day of school. Dissmissal at 12:00. Celebration 5:45 pm. at Hollins. Please check Quick Notes for details.
This past year has been a year has been a wonderful year for me. I cannot tell you what a pleasure it has been to have your children in my class. I have enjoyed watching them learn and grow in many ways. I have also enjoyed getting to know all of you parents. I love my job because of your kids! Thank you for the privilege of teaching your child. Have a great summer!!
The Laughing Frogs
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
April
Wow ! I can't believe the Strawberry Festival is right around the corner. Please take the time to go on the Community School web site and sign-up to help. We still have 176 jobs open that need to be filled. Each parent needs to volunteer 12 hours. Hours are also available on Monday after the festival for clean-up. Remember this will benefit your child. Please do your part and volunteer.
While we are on the subject of Strawberry Festival, on Friday April 30 our class will walk over to the Hollins Strawberry Station and enjoy a strawberry shortcake .Because the short cakes are so big each child will eat ½ a cake. I need parents to help pay for our shortcakes. I only need 7 tickets to cover the cost for our class. Thank you in advance.
With May around the corner we will be walking over to Hollins once or twice a week (we need to practice for the Arts Festival which will be May 28th and also for Celebration), please have your child wear appropriate shoes for walking.
We will be going to see the play, Junie B. Jones on June 7th. Look for more details to come.
Author Study
We are studying the writer and illustrator Robert McCloskey. His classic books include among them “Make Way for Ducklings” and “Blueberries for Sal”. Today we read “One Morning in Maine”. In this story Sal, whose family lives at the beach, looses her first tooth. As you all know the Tooth Fairy has been very busy this past month in my class, so the kids can really relate to this classic. Being from Maine the story makes me just a little homesick. Over the next month we will be doing lots of activities pertaining to the beach.
Thank you for making conferences so enjoyable. The kids did a great job sharing their work. As always please let me know if you have any questions. My computer has not been very cooperative lately (this is my third one ), so it is best to write a note or call and leave a message in the office for me.
While we are on the subject of Strawberry Festival, on Friday April 30 our class will walk over to the Hollins Strawberry Station and enjoy a strawberry shortcake .Because the short cakes are so big each child will eat ½ a cake. I need parents to help pay for our shortcakes. I only need 7 tickets to cover the cost for our class. Thank you in advance.
With May around the corner we will be walking over to Hollins once or twice a week (we need to practice for the Arts Festival which will be May 28th and also for Celebration), please have your child wear appropriate shoes for walking.
We will be going to see the play, Junie B. Jones on June 7th. Look for more details to come.
Author Study
We are studying the writer and illustrator Robert McCloskey. His classic books include among them “Make Way for Ducklings” and “Blueberries for Sal”. Today we read “One Morning in Maine”. In this story Sal, whose family lives at the beach, looses her first tooth. As you all know the Tooth Fairy has been very busy this past month in my class, so the kids can really relate to this classic. Being from Maine the story makes me just a little homesick. Over the next month we will be doing lots of activities pertaining to the beach.
Thank you for making conferences so enjoyable. The kids did a great job sharing their work. As always please let me know if you have any questions. My computer has not been very cooperative lately (this is my third one ), so it is best to write a note or call and leave a message in the office for me.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Blog March 25, Thursday
Happy Spring. It is hard to believe spring break is around the corner . Strawberry Festival will be here before we know it! Please make sure to sign-up to work for the festival. It is very fun. You will also get to know people in our community.
As most of you know I was gone at the beginning of the week. I went to see my sick Dad in Florida along with my five brothers and my sister. The last time we were altogether was over five years ago. The weather was nice and it was wonderful to see my family, but I am very happy to be back on Virginia soil.
Lynn reported the kids were wonderful. They had lots of fun learning about and reading Dr. Seuss books. Lynn read Green Eggs and Ham with the class on Monday . They graphed food they liked and disliked. They also made green eggs and ham. It was a big hit! Lynn also reviewed some high frequency words with the kids (am, and, in, like, the). They had to match the words up and then write sentences with the words. On Monday afternoon the kids had computers.
Tuesday was a very busy day. The children worked on addition problems. Using buttons with an addition mat, with a set of number cards 1-9 they solved the problems.. Next week the children will record their number sentences. After spring break we will start to work on subtraction problems. The children also continued working with Dr Seuss. They read The Cat in the Hat. They played a rhyming game and completed a rhyming activity. In music Kim introduced the classic “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev. The children listened to the music, discussed the characters and the instruments that were in the story. Thanks Julie for letting the kids do their play over.
Wednesday in math the children worked on estimating. With pom-poms the children had to estimate how many pom-poms would fit inside a picture of a lion or lamb. After they made an educated guess they would check their guess to see how close they estimated. This is a very difficult skill.
With the arrival of spring the kids surprised me with a beautiful masterpiece painted on my front window. They made all kinds of bugs and flowers with fun foam and hung them on the window. I love it!!
Thursday and Friday will be crazy as always. Thursday, as you know, is a day filled with specials. Cherry is making very cool strawberry puppet heads with the kids. I can't wait to see them.
Friday we will be working on our rock unit! Thank you Yutika for coming up with this great idea. We are going to weigh and measure them as well as decorate and name our pet rocks this week. Next week we will write a story about them.
Please remember Wednesday the 31st is not a pizza or lunch a month day. Please make sure you pack a lunch for your child.
Spring break is Friday-!Friday April 2-9th. Enjoy your week!
As most of you know I was gone at the beginning of the week. I went to see my sick Dad in Florida along with my five brothers and my sister. The last time we were altogether was over five years ago. The weather was nice and it was wonderful to see my family, but I am very happy to be back on Virginia soil.
Lynn reported the kids were wonderful. They had lots of fun learning about and reading Dr. Seuss books. Lynn read Green Eggs and Ham with the class on Monday . They graphed food they liked and disliked. They also made green eggs and ham. It was a big hit! Lynn also reviewed some high frequency words with the kids (am, and, in, like, the). They had to match the words up and then write sentences with the words. On Monday afternoon the kids had computers.
Tuesday was a very busy day. The children worked on addition problems. Using buttons with an addition mat, with a set of number cards 1-9 they solved the problems.. Next week the children will record their number sentences. After spring break we will start to work on subtraction problems. The children also continued working with Dr Seuss. They read The Cat in the Hat. They played a rhyming game and completed a rhyming activity. In music Kim introduced the classic “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev. The children listened to the music, discussed the characters and the instruments that were in the story. Thanks Julie for letting the kids do their play over.
Wednesday in math the children worked on estimating. With pom-poms the children had to estimate how many pom-poms would fit inside a picture of a lion or lamb. After they made an educated guess they would check their guess to see how close they estimated. This is a very difficult skill.
With the arrival of spring the kids surprised me with a beautiful masterpiece painted on my front window. They made all kinds of bugs and flowers with fun foam and hung them on the window. I love it!!
Thursday and Friday will be crazy as always. Thursday, as you know, is a day filled with specials. Cherry is making very cool strawberry puppet heads with the kids. I can't wait to see them.
Friday we will be working on our rock unit! Thank you Yutika for coming up with this great idea. We are going to weigh and measure them as well as decorate and name our pet rocks this week. Next week we will write a story about them.
Please remember Wednesday the 31st is not a pizza or lunch a month day. Please make sure you pack a lunch for your child.
Spring break is Friday-!Friday April 2-9th. Enjoy your week!
Friday, March 19, 2010
March 19 2010
Drama Play
Tuesday:
Time: 10:45
Place:
Drama Room
We are doing this performance again... for parents who missed it the first time around. Please use your imagination because we will not be in full costume.
- Beth
Tuesday:
Time: 10:45
Place:
Drama Room
We are doing this performance again... for parents who missed it the first time around. Please use your imagination because we will not be in full costume.
- Beth
Friday, March 5, 2010
March 5 2010
They say March weather comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Let's hope that the lion doesn't ROAR too loudly, because we all have had enough of this weather. I am hoping the weather forecast for this week is mostly sunshine.
Each day in math we graphed the weather. Daily, we decide if it is a lion day or a lamb day. With a little luck, we will have mostly lamb days! Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather. We try to go out even if the weather is cold, (lion day), just for a little fresh air. Most mornings before school we are outside, so please dress your child for the cold mornings.
Thank you for rescheduling your conferences. I enjoyed sitting down with all of you. Conferences give your children time to shine and show off their great work.
Because we have had such crazy weather this year, it is taking us longer to get through our literacy study of Tommy dePaola. We have been working with Tulie's class on this literacy unit. It has been so much fun! Working with another class gives my class an opportunity to play the role of older buddies. Tommy dePaola is an author and an illustrator of many books for children, including Strega Nona (Caldecott Honor Book), The Art Lesson ( my personal favorite), Tony's Bread, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. He has written over 150 books.
We have been doing many fun activities with his books. To name a few: we have painted Indian rocks with Plains Indian symbols, dyed scarves with natural fruit and vegetable dye, and tasted and graphed vegetables based on our preferences. Carrots were the vegetable of choice, beets were second, spinach third, with onions placing far behind. The kids interpreted the graphs and came up with many interesting conclusions.
Last week we started reading Tommy dePaola's Strega Nona Tales. This is a series of books that tell the story of Strega Nona (the town witch). The stories are wonderful. Strega Nona has a magic pasta pot that makes lots wonderful pasta. The pot also has a magical secret! We created our own “Magic Pot” books filled with magical sight words. We also have made the most beautiful pasta structures which we plan to spray with gold or silver paint. With pasta, we predicted how many pieces of pasta you would need to fill a measuring cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and ¼ cup. After each prediction, we counted out the pasta pieces to check our predictions. It is really amazing how much pasta it takes to fill up a one cup measuring cup (150 pieces). We are getting very good at counting to 100.
In science we have experimented with different colors of food coloring, made “magic potions,” and created magical colored pasta. Next we we will string beautiful pattern necklaces with the colored pasta. We have had so much fun working with Tulie's class. The Laughing Frogs have been the best big buddies!
Dates to remember:
1. Monday is a teacher work day. The children have no school.
2. Next Wed., March 10, we will be going to see The Boxcar Children play at the Roanoke Children's Theater. We do not need any drivers.
3. Please remember to sign up for the Strawberry Festival. Check your Quick Notes.
4. On Wed., March 17, our class will be preforming a play in their drama class. The time is 10:45, and the play will last about 5 minutes. All parents are welcome. (Please don't feel bad if you can't come; Julie has made this very low key. Students will be preforming for their buddies and other classes.)
Each day in math we graphed the weather. Daily, we decide if it is a lion day or a lamb day. With a little luck, we will have mostly lamb days! Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather. We try to go out even if the weather is cold, (lion day), just for a little fresh air. Most mornings before school we are outside, so please dress your child for the cold mornings.
Thank you for rescheduling your conferences. I enjoyed sitting down with all of you. Conferences give your children time to shine and show off their great work.
Because we have had such crazy weather this year, it is taking us longer to get through our literacy study of Tommy dePaola. We have been working with Tulie's class on this literacy unit. It has been so much fun! Working with another class gives my class an opportunity to play the role of older buddies. Tommy dePaola is an author and an illustrator of many books for children, including Strega Nona (Caldecott Honor Book), The Art Lesson ( my personal favorite), Tony's Bread, Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. He has written over 150 books.
We have been doing many fun activities with his books. To name a few: we have painted Indian rocks with Plains Indian symbols, dyed scarves with natural fruit and vegetable dye, and tasted and graphed vegetables based on our preferences. Carrots were the vegetable of choice, beets were second, spinach third, with onions placing far behind. The kids interpreted the graphs and came up with many interesting conclusions.
Last week we started reading Tommy dePaola's Strega Nona Tales. This is a series of books that tell the story of Strega Nona (the town witch). The stories are wonderful. Strega Nona has a magic pasta pot that makes lots wonderful pasta. The pot also has a magical secret! We created our own “Magic Pot” books filled with magical sight words. We also have made the most beautiful pasta structures which we plan to spray with gold or silver paint. With pasta, we predicted how many pieces of pasta you would need to fill a measuring cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, and ¼ cup. After each prediction, we counted out the pasta pieces to check our predictions. It is really amazing how much pasta it takes to fill up a one cup measuring cup (150 pieces). We are getting very good at counting to 100.
In science we have experimented with different colors of food coloring, made “magic potions,” and created magical colored pasta. Next we we will string beautiful pattern necklaces with the colored pasta. We have had so much fun working with Tulie's class. The Laughing Frogs have been the best big buddies!
Dates to remember:
1. Monday is a teacher work day. The children have no school.
2. Next Wed., March 10, we will be going to see The Boxcar Children play at the Roanoke Children's Theater. We do not need any drivers.
3. Please remember to sign up for the Strawberry Festival. Check your Quick Notes.
4. On Wed., March 17, our class will be preforming a play in their drama class. The time is 10:45, and the play will last about 5 minutes. All parents are welcome. (Please don't feel bad if you can't come; Julie has made this very low key. Students will be preforming for their buddies and other classes.)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
December 3rd 2009
Happy December! I find it very hard to believe we are already here.
During this holiday season, many cultures use lights to celebrate or commemorate special occasions. Our class will be learning about some ways light is used during different holidays. Be sure to ask your child to share some of the things he or she learns about these special occasions. If your family has a special celebration or tradition, I would love for you to share it with the class. Let me know, and we can set up a time for you to come to our class.
The first Holiday was introduced on Wednesday; it was Mexico. Did you know that in Mexico, children enjoy nine days of celebration before Christmas Day? In a special ceremony, the children parade down the street holding lit candles. They are in search of lodging, and at the end of the procession, they will gather around a manger. After the ceremony, there is merrymaking and the breaking of a pinata. We also read a wonderful story about a family that lives in Mexico. The story takes place on Christmas Eve. Mama loses something special. Ask your child what Mama has lost. Is Christmas Eve ruined?
Our class will also study the winter solstice {the darkest day of the year}, the Swedish festival of lights known as Luciadagen, the Advent wreath, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, St. Nicholas Day, the tradition of the pickle ornament in Germany, in India the Hindu Festival called Diwali....
In literacy, the children will be working in small groups reading books and learning phonics skills. Each child has his or her own individual skill folder to work with at center time. Parents are welcome to look at their child's folder. Each child will bring his literacy book home to share when we complete the lesson. Next week I will be sending home book bags. (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THEIR LITERACY BOOKS!!!} The book bags contain activities that children and their families can do together. The bags are meant to be fun. Most of the kits contain a hands-on activity using manipulatives along with a journal recording sheet that needs to be returned with the bag to school. I understand your days and evenings can be crazy, so feel free to keep the bag for a week. Please help your child to be responsible and return the bags with all the materials they contained. A child will not receive a new bag until all materials are returned. Please let me know if you have any questions.
In math, the children are working on number fact families, skip counting, and addition and subtraction. The Mother Goose Rhyme next week will be Old Mother Hubbard.
The children are very excited to share with you the completed vests they made for the Frog and Toad stories. Each child had to sew {with my help) two buttons onto their vest. They also used lots of glue and glitter along with permanent marker to decorate them. It was so much fun...I had glitter from my toes to my head!
Please remember Barnes and Noble this weekend. Please have your child there at 10:15. Check your Quick Notes for details.
The Frog and Toad play is Wed., December 16. No parents are needed.
Jack-Tales will be at Hollins on Tuesday, December 8. No parents needed; we will walk.
Last Day of school Party: December 18. We will be making Gingerbread houses. If your child is a girl, please send in a bag of candy to decorate with. Boys, please bring in 2 cans of white frosting. We will decorate in the morning at 10:30. Please let me know if you would like to help. I also need a parent to bring in drinks for the class and a holiday cookie for each child.
Thank you for letting me teach your child. I truly love my job. All of your children give me much joy!!! Enjoy your holiday season. They are only little for a short time. Thanks Beth
During this holiday season, many cultures use lights to celebrate or commemorate special occasions. Our class will be learning about some ways light is used during different holidays. Be sure to ask your child to share some of the things he or she learns about these special occasions. If your family has a special celebration or tradition, I would love for you to share it with the class. Let me know, and we can set up a time for you to come to our class.
The first Holiday was introduced on Wednesday; it was Mexico. Did you know that in Mexico, children enjoy nine days of celebration before Christmas Day? In a special ceremony, the children parade down the street holding lit candles. They are in search of lodging, and at the end of the procession, they will gather around a manger. After the ceremony, there is merrymaking and the breaking of a pinata. We also read a wonderful story about a family that lives in Mexico. The story takes place on Christmas Eve. Mama loses something special. Ask your child what Mama has lost. Is Christmas Eve ruined?
Our class will also study the winter solstice {the darkest day of the year}, the Swedish festival of lights known as Luciadagen, the Advent wreath, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, St. Nicholas Day, the tradition of the pickle ornament in Germany, in India the Hindu Festival called Diwali....
In literacy, the children will be working in small groups reading books and learning phonics skills. Each child has his or her own individual skill folder to work with at center time. Parents are welcome to look at their child's folder. Each child will bring his literacy book home to share when we complete the lesson. Next week I will be sending home book bags. (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THEIR LITERACY BOOKS!!!} The book bags contain activities that children and their families can do together. The bags are meant to be fun. Most of the kits contain a hands-on activity using manipulatives along with a journal recording sheet that needs to be returned with the bag to school. I understand your days and evenings can be crazy, so feel free to keep the bag for a week. Please help your child to be responsible and return the bags with all the materials they contained. A child will not receive a new bag until all materials are returned. Please let me know if you have any questions.
In math, the children are working on number fact families, skip counting, and addition and subtraction. The Mother Goose Rhyme next week will be Old Mother Hubbard.
The children are very excited to share with you the completed vests they made for the Frog and Toad stories. Each child had to sew {with my help) two buttons onto their vest. They also used lots of glue and glitter along with permanent marker to decorate them. It was so much fun...I had glitter from my toes to my head!
Please remember Barnes and Noble this weekend. Please have your child there at 10:15. Check your Quick Notes for details.
The Frog and Toad play is Wed., December 16. No parents are needed.
Jack-Tales will be at Hollins on Tuesday, December 8. No parents needed; we will walk.
Last Day of school Party: December 18. We will be making Gingerbread houses. If your child is a girl, please send in a bag of candy to decorate with. Boys, please bring in 2 cans of white frosting. We will decorate in the morning at 10:30. Please let me know if you would like to help. I also need a parent to bring in drinks for the class and a holiday cookie for each child.
Thank you for letting me teach your child. I truly love my job. All of your children give me much joy!!! Enjoy your holiday season. They are only little for a short time. Thanks Beth
Thursday, November 19, 2009
November 18 2009
We are having so much fun reading Frog and Toad! The kids did an incredible job mapping out the places that Toad lost his button in the story. They illustrated the story, and they also had to hunt through the button box to find the right attribute for the buttons they found at each location as they searched for Toad's lost button. The children have begun to create their own Frog and Toad vest. They are sooooooo awesome!!!!!! I can't wait for them to share their completed project with you!! Thank you Wendy {Christopher's Mom} for all of your help cutting out the vests.
In science, we are learning about amphibians. We made Venn diagrams with our buddies to illustrate the differences and similarities between frogs and toads. Ask your child what they have learned.
On Tuesday, November 24, we will have a Special Reading Day. Students are encouraged to bring their favorite blanket, stuffed animal, and books. We will spend extra time reading. Please remember to let them wear their pajamas {but we will still play outside}. It should be a fun and cozy celebration of the joy of reading.
Please remember to check Quick Notes regarding Thanksgiving Luncheon and Book Fair information. Our class will be performing at 10:30 on Sat. the 5th. Please have your child there at 10:15. Please let me know if you are unable to attend.
In science, we are learning about amphibians. We made Venn diagrams with our buddies to illustrate the differences and similarities between frogs and toads. Ask your child what they have learned.
On Tuesday, November 24, we will have a Special Reading Day. Students are encouraged to bring their favorite blanket, stuffed animal, and books. We will spend extra time reading. Please remember to let them wear their pajamas {but we will still play outside}. It should be a fun and cozy celebration of the joy of reading.
Please remember to check Quick Notes regarding Thanksgiving Luncheon and Book Fair information. Our class will be performing at 10:30 on Sat. the 5th. Please have your child there at 10:15. Please let me know if you are unable to attend.
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