October 14, 2011

Congratulations, Ananya, Anna VB, Diego, James, Julia, Leo, Luna, Mitchell, Olivia R., Sean, and Tyler for reaching your 200-minute or 300-minute goals . I loved looking at everyone's reading log to share what your are all reading :) The rest of you are close!

Hello Parents.

I am attaching here a copy of the Reading Log so you will be able to print it up on your own. Feel free to change the bottom-line-question to something engaging for your child to answer. It currently asks, "Where do you like to read?" Other questions you could cut and paste there might be:

Which character from this week is most like you and why?

Does one of your characters remind you of someone you know? Tell why.

What do you like about the way your mom or dad reads to you?

What is hard about reading?

What is fun about reading?

Does one of this week's books remind you of another book you have read? Explain.

Did you read a book this week that one of your school friends would like? What is it called? Who do you think would like it?

If you could magically enter into one of your books from this week, who would you like to spend time with and why?

Think of the characters you have come across this week in your reading. Which one is most like your Dad or your Mom? Why? ...etc.

Notes from this week:

Just an hour ago, we Skyped with Mrs. Hartshorn's First and Second Grade class from Moretown Elementary School. We watched as they opened their Care Package we had sent. It included a picture of all the Horizon kids. They enthusiastically thanked us, and we gave them a hearty Moretown Cheer. One of the second-grade girls named Anlou told us how the river had risen up (her house sits next to the Mad River) so high that debris had smashed her roof. She still is not yet back in the house. Students in my class also wrote "Good luck!" letters to our Moretown friends. I copied them and they are in your child's Friday Folder today.

Please post the What is Due -- When? schedule I emailed a couple of days ago. Some parents and kids put it on the fridge or right next to where the child hangs his backpack. That way, the kids can have a visual reminder and learn to be responsible for getting the folders and notebooks and reading logs handed in. Generally, if students occasionally don't hand in their things that are due on time, I give them a pass. If it happens frequently, I have the student stay in for recess to complete the work -- not as a punishment, but simply as a way to get the work completed and as a way to begin to teach these youngsters that it matters if they are asked to complete a task and they don't complete it. It matters if they do!

In second grade math, we sorted ourselves in a big class-wide Venn Diagram: ex: "stand in this circle, everyone who has played frisbee. Now stand in this circle, everyone who has a dog -- Now, where should you stand if you don't have a dog and you've never played frisbee? Where should you stand if you have a dog and you also have played frisbee?"

We have a no-school day coming up. Look on the WSD website for this and other calendar questions you might have.

Have a nice weekend, everyone.

David