Making butter, map work, and our classroom bank!

Making Butter!

Shaking the cream!!!

What's better than making it?? Eating it!!!

Doing some map work with partners.

Our Classroom Bank - making economic choices!

Happy Friday! Well, my day is winding down from back-to-back conferences, so I wanted to get this out before I leave school! Here's what is going on: Language Arts: We've been working with During Reading Strategies - connections, questioning, visualizing... Next week we'll be using two new strategies - inferring and fix-it-up. Inferring happens when something isn't explicitly said, but you can "infer" that it is happening. Fix-it-up strategies are what we use when we aren't understanding the text. We'll be reading some great books to practice these skills. Math: We're working on addition and subtraction strategies so we can apply them to larger numbers. We covered using Base 10 Blocks to draw pictures and expanded form this week. Next week we'll work with number lines and 300's charts. We'll also be practicing what we know with word problems. PLEASE practice addition and subtraction facts at home, even if it isn't on the agenda. Computer fact games, flashcards, etc., are wonderful ideas to use. Social Studies: After talking about continents and countries, we're focusing on Maryland. When we finish with Maryland, each student will be choosing a state and writing a brochure about it. We'll be using laptops in our classroom to get the needed information. I can't wait to see what state each child chooses and their finished product! Writing: We've been talking, talking, talking about Ideas for writing! Every day we make lists that we could write about. Next week we'll be learning about Peer Conferencing for our Writer's Workshop. Word Study: Our focus next week will be homophones. Word that sound the same but the meaning and the spelling are not. Cursive: Different curves and how to form letters properly will be our focus. Information: Some parents needed to know how to access Find Out First. Go to FCPS.org and there will be a place to click on to sign up. Math fact practice - UESLearn has some great places to go on the computer for fact practice. NO SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY! October 8 is a two-hour dismissal day. PLEASE check the blog sometime this weekend! I'm going to be putting pictures on of butter making, map work, and our banking system. Have a great weekend! Faith Humerick

A busy week!

Happy Friday! Can you believe two weeks have already flown by?? We have been soooo busy! Here's what's been going on: Language Arts: We are continuing with During Reading activities. We've been talking about visualizing - especially using sensory imagery (ask your child about "Smelly Socks"!). Making connections, text features, and questioning will be our focus next week. Math: While continuing to revisit place value and rounding, we are talking about addition strategies. Drawing pictures, using blocks, and expanded form are strategies we'll be working with next week. Social Studies: Using cardinal directions and intermediate directions have been our focus this week. Next week we'll be looking at famous cities and the landmarks in them. Writing: I can't wait to have the students begin writing about the pictures they brought in. We'll share in small groups first - then...we'll write about them!! Word Study: There will not be any words next week since it's only a three-day week. Cursive: We'll be starting next week!! This is always a hit with the class! Important information: There are other opportunities for volunteer training. Please read your UES News on Find Out First for information. Conference slips will be coming home today. Please complete and return the form at the bottom. If you did not sign up for a time, one was given to you. If it doesn't work, please let me know and I'll reschedule you. Weekly Checklists: There are quite a few checklists coming home today that have /'s on them. Please speak with your child about their behavior. I will admit I am really strict with talking and not following directions - I've explained this to the class. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Also, on the bottom of your checklist will be a question about having your child's picture taken during activities to put on my blog. Please be sure to answer and return the checklist on Tuesday. Conferences: If you have a conference on Friday, September 21, you will have a questionnaire to complete and return with your child on Tuesday. It's just some information that we can discuss at the conference. At Back To School Night it was mentioned that there was a Math website students could go to practice facts. I'm still looking into it. If you're looking for some fun Math skill reinforcement, there are great ones on UESlearn (you can get to it from my blog). Well, I think that's it for now! Have a wonderful LONG weekend! Faith Humerick

LOVE THIS CLASS!

Happy Weekend! First, thanks to everyone that was able to make it out for Back to School Night. I know that all of you are busy, and for those who couldn't make it, the folder that was handed out was sent home on Friday. I have so much to share with you - some information I may have gone over before, but I think it's important to share again... SOARING WITH PRIDE This is the theme for our positive behavior support system at Urbana . The students have reviewed the expectations and have been informed how they will be rewarded (classroom stickers and star student stickers) and how they will be reminded/what consequences they will face if those expectations are not met. "Think Sheets" are one of the ways we're asking kids to think about their actions. A think sheet is given after a warning...a silent warning. In my classroom that silent warning is a "Thinkman" card...this is a picture of the same "man" that is on the Think Sheet...it is supposed to warn the student that "I've asked you to stop that behavior and now I'm leaning toward giving you a Think Sheet." This positive behavior support will bring consistency throughout our school...our entire staff is involved and we like what we've seen the first two weeks back! DONATIONS If you are so inclined...throughout the year I appreciate donations of these supplies: tissues hand sanitizer Ziploc bags (sandwich and/or gallon) Lysol wipes Behavior checklists came home on Friday. Please review with your child, sign, and have your child place it back in the Take Home folder. They will receive a ticket for returning it on Monday. If you have any questions about the marks on the checklist, please email me. Volunteer Orientation - If you have not taken a volunteer orientation class in the last three years (or completed the online course), you can attend either of two sessions: Monday, Sept. 10, 9:30-10:00, or Tuesday, Sept. 11, 6:30-7:00. If you need more information about this, please call the front office. You will need to have completed this orientation to attend any field trips. PTA meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 7:00. Please come and support a very important part of our school! Classroom Volunteering - At Back to School Night I had a sign up sheet at the back table for volunteer opportunities. If you missed it, or you didn't make it to school that night, please let me know if you're interested in volunteering in the classroom, in the library, or in Art. Just let me know what you're interested in and days and times your available. I LOVE having parents in the classroom!!! UES is going green! Please be sure to read informative emails from Find Out First and the UES News. If you have questions about how to access these, please let me know! Class Directory - I have updated any changes that you gave me. Copies will be coming home on Monday. These past two weeks we have accomplished a lot...here is a quick snippet from each subject area... Language Arts: We have been reviewing Before Reading strategies. Setting a purpose with asking questions... Previewing the text - looking at pictures, reading the cover,etc. ... Planning why you would read the book. We have been practicing this skill with fiction and nonfiction texts. We will be continuing with During Reading and After Reading strategies in the next few weeks. Math: In Math this week we've been focusing on numeration and place value. We've been working with numbers to the thousands and using many different ways to manipulate these numbers. The students have worked with a place value chart, had to read numbers aloud, shown their ability to write the numbers in expanded form, composed and decomposed the numbers and played some games with digit cards to reinforce these skills. We've also been working with rounding to the nearest 10 and nearest 100. We will continue this skill next week. Social Studies: This first unit is all about Geograpy! We have been focusing on maps and globes. Our focus these past two weeks have been from our large Maryland county to our very small place on Earth. Continents, oceans, hemispheres, lines of latitude and longitude...we're covering it! We read a fabulous book, The Armadillo From Amarillo, by Lynne Cherry, to introduce our "place in space". Ask your child about it! Writing: We LOVE Writer's Workshop! So far we're filling up our journals with ideas! I find this is the hardest part for some students. I hear, "I don't know what to write about.." all of the time! We've got so many ideas written already!!! Homework for next week will be to bring in a personal picture that can be glued into their journal - you'd be surprised what ideas can come from one picture!!! Word Study - We just completed the /f/ sound. Your child will be getting a list on Monday... will have class work and homework during the week....and a test on Friday. Please work with these words with your child. Not only do they need to spell them correctly, they need to understand the pattern. I know this is a lot of information! I wanted to end this post by telling you how much I am enjoying this class! They come to school ready to learn and they keep at it until they're done! They're respectful and responsible and I just LOVE having them! A heads up - Tuesday will be PJ Day for those who choose to participate. We've earned 10 Soaring with Pride stickers and it's what they voted on! Have a wonderful and relaxing rest of the weekend.... enjoy the weather!! Faith Humerick