October 30, 2009

Calliope Weekly Update
October 26-30, 2009
Week Nine
Dear Parents,

Literacy: Wow! What a couple of weeks it has been! We have been using our Reading Response Journals to write down what topics we like, what genres we like, and which authors we like. This kind of self-reflection is helping kids take responsibility for finding books they can love. Thursday was the first time we met in guided reading groups, and students will be working to establish guided reading routines and expectations with Mr. B and Ms. S in the upcoming weeks.

Math: Third graders explored extended facts (6 + 9 = 15 and 60 + 90 = 150), fact families, fact triangles, and “what’s my rule?” problems this week. Fourth graders are finishing up with geometry and will begin, next week, studying data collection and graphing. They will also move into a more focused study of multiplication, division, number sentences, and algebra.

We also practiced figuring out area without drawing out and counting up the squares.
Instead, you can just trust that an 8'x9' will have 72 square feet in it. Speaking of multiplication, Mr. B's class is also setting goals for their math-facts speed. Everyone is graphing their results each week on a timed one-minute test. Many students are hoping to go from fifteen to thirty random problems correct by Thanksgiving. The goal for the end of the year is to be able to finish fifty facts in a minute. Kids, put a set of flashcards in the car and quiz each other on rides. You'll see your speed improve in no time.

Writing: With NECAP testing behind us, we have shifted our writer’s workshop focus to personal narrative writing. For the time being, our minilessons will provide strategies for generating ideas for writing in this new genre.

Word Study: Students in Ms. S’s Fundations group continued to work with vowel and consonant suffixes this week. We learned the 1-1-1 rule for vowel suffixes; a 1-1-1 word has one vowel, one syllable, and one consonant following the vowel. When adding a vowel suffix to a 1-1-1 word, double the final consonant before adding the suffix. For example, cup becomes cupped. Groups in Mr. B’s spelling class explored many different patterns. “Remember, my clothes are drier than your clothes because I put them in the clothes dryer.” It helps to pretend that the Y in dryer is like an open clothes hamper receiving the laundry! We also studied the many spellings of the /er/ sound: worth, nerve, search, spur,
And horse. Wow.

Science: Our field trip to the Rock of Ages quarry in Barre was exciting and enlightening. We learned about the “famous” granite color Barre gray, the secret to the turquoise water, and were able to witness some of the dirks in action, lifting granite blocks! All week we have On Wednesday, we observed minerals and recorded luster, texture, and color. We introduced Mohs’ Hardness scale and will be experimenting with scratch tests next week!

Responsive Classroom: For sharing this week, we have talked about who we admire and why. That is a challenging question for this age group, but it has helped the kids think about what qualities in a person each of them most values. We talked about how if you know who you are, you will have a greater chance at becoming who you hope to be.

Ask me about:
• Thursday’s Harvest Festival (including singing to Esprit and inviting them
to lunch with us in Calliope.)
• Friday’s Harvest celebration in the field behind the school.
Students stood up and publicly thanked each other for what they feel they
have gained over the first 8 weeks of school.
• My favorite mineral.
• Our Four-winds lesson on leaves: leaf rubbings and leaf drawings. What
does a “palmate” leaf look like? (Hint: look at the root word in palmate.
Think Maple leaf)

Thank you for your donations of food and supplies for stone soup and our class Harvest Party. Students had a wonderful time at both! Many children have been out this week in our class, school, and county…please encourage your child to wash hands, eat healthily, get plenty of rest, and, please keep your child home if s/he is sick! Have a safe, spooky, super weekend!

David and Sarah