Open Door in 504

Friday, January 13, 2017

Informational

Finally, today is the day the kids have been waiting for! The Informational Unit is over, and we can move on to...MORE INFORMATION!

But now it's going to be in the form of an argument. :)

I am so proud of how hard the kids have been working- and you can really see their growth in their final products. They've worked extremely hard this last unit- even with the nice interruptions of the holiday breaks, I am still very proud of their final products! So kudos to them, as I hope they carry on what they have learned towards the future, when they have to do it again in 6th grade.

Coming up this month, we will be working on a argumentative unit. Currently, they are working in groups on learning to read and focus on the elements of a good argument during reader's workshop. During writer's workshop, we are going to dive into the BYOD policy (Bring Your Own Device) and start a warm up with that argument.Then, I am going to unleash the fury of their own opinions on various topics that interest them, and let them take the reigns once again. The key to a good argument is good organization and strong sources. So, if you are looking for ways to help your child with writing at home, those are two topics that they can definitely use help with, always. Also, if anyone has professional experience in the art of arguing and would like to come and talk with the kiddos, please let me know, as it's always better to have real life experience than just take my word for it.

Also, just over the horizon is our first major "field trip." We are headed to the high school to watch the MHS performance of "Seed Folks" on February 1st. Keep your eyes open for a permission slip coming home next week.

Another permission slip that will be making it's way towards you is the annual, "Share The Reading" event, where KMS students go to the elementary schools and read with the elementary students for an hour and share the love of reading. This will be taking place towards the end of February, and is a really fun event. Mr. Engle, our Dean of Students, usually helps coordinate the event, and tries to get students to go back to their old elementary schools. The kids usually love it.

Remember, no school on Monday as it is the ever ironic holiday, "Martin Luther King Jr. Day". Enjoy the time off :) See everyone on Tuesday!

Friday, December 16, 2016

Cheers to 2016

What an incredible end to our year together!
STEAM a Palooza went off with a SMASH! It was an absolute blast, and I know that they all really enjoyed meeting and listening to the presenters, as well as participate actively. My brother, Jeff, who came in to talk and share engineering experiences- mentioned how impressed he was not only with the kids but with how many questions and how creative all of them were. I hope your kids come home today excited to share their experiences! I uploaded a few photos on the slideshow from what was taking place in my room if you want to take a look!

The students will have no major homework over break, other than to read and to log. I asked them earlier this week to keep track of how much they read- they should be reading 30 minutes at least for 10/16 days, so 300 minutes at a minimum. When they get back, we will be doing our second round of Fountas and Pinelle testing to see how much growth there has been, so even though we are on break, we never break from reading! I also encourage the kids to spend a little time researching their nonfiction topics and gathering more information. Doesn't have to be finished when we get back, however, we are in the drafting stage, and a lot of them are a little lost and disorganized. A little bit of time spent researching here and there over break goes a long way.

Lastly, I wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and thoughtfulness. I was bombarded this morning with lots of gifts and cards, and a plethora of hugs! Your children are so kind, and it is really a gift that I wake up and thank my lucky cards for every day. I can't say that enough.

Other than that, I don't have a lot of announcements. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I hope everyone has a safe, healthy, fun, and relaxing break. Please be safe if you are traveling somewhere (especially in this crazy weather we are having!!), and I look forward to seeing all of you in the new year!

Cheers!
Happy Holidays,
Jennifer

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Informational

Good Evening Everyone!

Sorry for the delay in information! I thought it would be a good time for a quick update on what the class is up to these days.

INFORMATION, INFORMATION,INFORMATION.

The last few weeks or so, in both Reader's and Writer's Workshop, the theme has been nonfiction. I am spending a lot of time working with the kids on reading non fiction, and strategies to help dissect information, as well as ways to read between the lines. After spending time in NYC this summer at the Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project Institute, I learned a lot more about ways to amp up non fiction, and how to teach it better. It was a mind blowing institute, and I am eagerly trying to find ways to incorporate what I learned with the kids. This means that I am going off the curriculum book a little bit, but it's already helping the kids read and see more while they are reading.

In writing, we are starting the "Lens of History" writing project.Usually, I choose a time period and they pick the information, however, this year I asked them to chose what event or time THEY wanted. Now, considering they are interested in almost everything from Star Wars to Cold Wars and dinosaurs and black holes, this has taken a little bit of time and effort. I worked on creating a tool to help them make sure they have a good topic, which I passed out to them today. It's a 12-16 page packet (most of the pages are places for them to find and collect information for their writing), with lots of tools for them to use. I asked that they keep it at school so they don't lose it, but if you would like a copy, I can certainly attach it to an email/ put it on the resource page.

This writing project will require some time spent outside of class looking up information, and gathering resources. If you could help your child with this process, that would be awesome! They will have them the rest of this week to get more information, as well as next week.

STEAM-A-PALOOZA

On the Friday before Winter Break, December 16th, the 5th grade team has invited a few community members to join the kids on a new event called, "Steam-A-Palooza". In hopes to help enrich and motivate students in the S.T.E.A.M categories of education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) we will have many speakers share what they know and how they use S.T.E.A.M in their profession. Some speakers will be familiar faces ( Brian Miles and Eric Engle to name a few), including my own brother Jeff will be attending. We will be taking part in this activity from 8:30-11:00.

After the "Palooza", students will be having "math" with me, and then spending the last hour of the day with their W.E.B leaders in some fun activities. So all in all, Dec. 16 will be a very fun and exciting day for everyone.

READ IN

I usually do a holiday themed Read In, complete with Pajamas, a projected fire place on the white board, and a warm cup of hot chocolate. We are having the last read in of the year (for 2016 that is) THIS FRIDAY from 8:20-10:20.

The students were also wondering if YOU would like to join us! If you are interested,please let me know if you can make it. Feel free to come and read with your kiddo! They would LOVE it!

I can't believe 2016 is almost over, and that this school year is flying by so quickly, Thank you so much for all of your support and continued communication with me.Looking forward to many more amazing weeks to come.

Best,

Jennifer

Monday, October 24, 2016

conferences

The first round of parent-teacher conferences will be held on November 10th and 17th, from 3:45-7:45. I have time slots opened and available for pick up on SignUpGenius, which is a link I just sent everyone in their emails.

Conferences will be only 15 minutes long, which is just enough time for me to tell you about your child's progress and what to look forward to, and answer any questions you may have ahead of time. I usually have a list of things I walk through during that time, but by all means, it is your conference. If you have questions or concerns and would rather spend your time with me on those topics, please let me know ahead of time, so I can generate those answers for you.

Topics I will cover:

-How awesome your kid is(--->for real, I'm a huge fan)

-Writing goals/ achievements

-Reading goals/achievements

-what we are working on in the future, so you are aware of what's happening!

-Possibly math goals and progress (Mostly for those in my math homeroom)

I am so excited to see all of you again- if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Friday, October 21, 2016

Pineapple.

What an incredible week we have had this week. I hope everyone is enjoying these beautiful days of fall, and getting outside and eating a ton of apples! I know I am!

The kids have been busy this week, as we've had a crazy schedule. Mark Denning, a teaching leader from the Oneida Community, has come in to teach the kiddos about various topics in Native American culture. Over the last two weeks, he has talked to the kids about dancing, art, lacrosse, homes, and stereotypes, as part of ways to use our resources in our community and bring perspective and awareness in our social studies curriculum. The kids really loved it, as you can see in the many pictures I've posted on the website.

Along with our speaker, we have also been working very hard on setting up expectations for our first book club. The kids have been doing okay with it- but it's been a bit of a challenge getting the kids to really "interpret" the books they've been reading. As a way to help them move through the book and read it with a steady eye, I had the kids participate in a read in this morning, that went from 9:30-11:00. We moved all of our classroom furniture out of the way and brought some of the collaboration space furniture inside, and READ.

As a rule in my classroom, stuffed animal friends are always welcome to join us on read-in days, as they not only provide the comfort of a friend, but also, they can be good pillows. They spent all morning read to their fuzzy friends, and had a blast. This has easily been one of my favorite days so far.

Next week I am going to prep them on Word Study rituals, and then they are off on their own the following week. Sorry for the delay in rolling that out. More information to come on that soon!