Thursday, November 14, 2013

Field Trip

Our field trip to the Science Discovery Museum in Acton is tomorrow (Thursday!) Please remember to send your child in with a bagged lunch, drink, and a separate snack.  We will not be back in time to buy lunch from the cafeteria.
Chaperones, please come to our classroom by 8:45.  The buses will be leaving at 9:00.  You should be able to ride the bus with us on this trip.
Look for pictures from our trip soon!

Summarizing

Comprehension strategy of the month:
Summarizing

A summary is a brief statement that contains all the important ideas of a text.  Summarizing is a great skill to have and a great strategy to practice at home.  It can be as easy as asking, "What was your book about?"

Helpful Hints
Fiction:
Can you retell the story? 
Tell me the story in your own words.
What happened in the beginning, middle, and the end?
Who were the characters?
What was the setting?
What was the problem and solution to the problem?
**Try to have your child retell the story in order of how it happened.  Students often want to tell you the end first, since it is the last thing they read.  Prompt them to start at the beginning!**

Non Fiction:
What was the text teaching you?
What was the main idea? 

List a few details about the main idea.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Maps & Globes

This week, we have started learning about maps and globes, we have also focused on where we live.  We started with our street and moved outward to town, state, country, continent, and world.  Next week we will move onto the compass rose and the seven continents.





Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Monster Writing

Our monster writing activity was a huge success.  I was amazed at how well they came out.  These monsters are displayed in the hallway to the cafeteria.  If you are in the building, definitely go take a peek!  Here are some pictures of our monster display.  









Monday, October 28, 2013

Halloween Parade

Our Francis Wyman Halloween parade will be taking place on Thursday October 31st at 1:55 pm.  All parents are welcome to come view the parade in the gym.  We hope to see you there!
If you are willing to volunteer, I may need some help getting costumes on in the classroom.  Please email or call me if you are available to help out in the room @1:35 pm.  Thanks!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Monster Making

On Friday, we started our first creative writing activity.  Before we could start writing, the students had to design a monster.  By rolling a die, the student found out how to design the body, eyes, nose, mouth, arms, legs, and hair.  Once we finished the design process, students had to start brainstorming ideas about their monster.  What is his or her name, where does your monster live, what does he or she eat, etc...
Here are some pictures from the design process.  Can't wait to see the finished product!