Nov. 7 2009

Calliope Weekly Update
November 2-6, 2009
Week Ten

Literacy: Reading groups are underway! Students are establishing solid routines for reading in groups and responding to text in their reading response journals (rrj). Students are able to practice new strategies for reading in small guided groups, as well as, independently with self-selected “just right” texts. In Journey to the Center of the Earth, our explorers continue their trek beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

Math: Fourth graders are working hard on multiplication math facts, and students have set personal goals as to where they’d like to be for next Wednesday’s fact check. They also completed an end-of-the-unit test that will be coming home on Monday. Third graders used part-part-total and start-change-end diagrams to aid in solving addition and subtraction problems. These models especially help students to understand how to solve problems that have missing addends or subtrahends.

Writing: Students have completed some “quick writes” this week, practicing responding to prompts. Students also have been completing daily language review as morning work, which provides opportunities for students to practice editing skills, as well as basic grammar and language work. We made a list of things we Know About (like being a sister or having a pet run away) to build a pool of possibilities for our upcoming narratives.

Word Study: Students in Ms. S’s Fundations group did a third week in unit 2, reviewing the rules for adding vowel and consonant suffixes, as well as how to mark these words. Students did a “retake” of the Unit 2 assessment on Friday, with much better outcomes! Mr. B’s spelling groups are working hard (and having a lot of fun) writing “silly stories” with their spelling words each week. This is a great opportunity for students to apply spelling rules in the context of a written piece.

Science: On Friday, we wrapped up our rocks & minerals study with a collaborative lesson between both classes modeled after the “alphabet guessing game” book: Q is for Duck by Mary Elting & Michael Folsom. Students worked in pairs to make pages for a class book, Q is for Rocks & Minerals. It should be ready for publication next week . We are looking forward to our next social sciences theme: maps and globes.

Responsive Classroom: Ms. Schoolcraft was out half-day on Wednesday and all day Thursday. Mrs. Wissel was our substitute. We were able to earn 2 stickers on our “stickers for substitute” team chart for expected behavior during Ms. S’s absence. Ask your child what we will earn when all nine boxes on the grid are complete!

Ask me about:
• My reading group book
• My Friday spelling assessment
• Mr.Isham’s visit on Thursday

Other: Thank you for supporting your child’s homework routines. We have had better and better participation in Team Choice Time (TCT) each Friday because student work is complete.

We hope you have a nice weekend.

Sarah and David