Testwiseness Week

What another engaged week we had together learning about each other and building a safe learning environment for us all.  We are still learning about routines of our classroom that will help us to be efficient.  Some of these routines include: classroom jobs, morning routines & bellwork, lining up & washing up for lunch, and signing in every morning.  In addition, there was an assessment each day given to the students and the children got to practice good test-taking behaviors.  These tests were baseline assessments (pretests) that will give information about each child's strengths and will also help in determining individual needs.  

Here is a summary of what happened in our classroom:
Getting to Know Each Other…

• Individually, students took a reading survey that asked questions about what books they like to read, how often they read, what genre they enjoy most, and how they learned (still learning) to read.  It was very powerful to see how everyone reads for different purposes (to be entertained, to learn new things, for homework, etc…) and how books are a very special part in everyone’s life! ​

​In Langauge Arts...

• Students used highlighting strategies to find text evidence in the stories they read from Wonders.  They practiced looking for key details.  As students were asking and answering questions about the text, they learned to use Q.A.E. = Q=Repeat the Question, A= Answer the question, E=Provide Evidence.  Students used this nemonic device to help them answer the questions in a complete sentence and with text evidence.   (Check your child's AVID binder ELA section for an example!)
• Students listened to and watched an interactive story called Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae.  In this story, Gerald the Giraffes watches all his friends boogie down to the beat at the Africa Jungle Dance and his only wish is that he could dance just as well.  He tries hard to learn, but his clumsy body and his friends telling him "Giraffes can't dance" discourages him to even try.  Finally he meets a cricket who tells him to listen to the music and "find your song."  Gerald soon realizes he can dance he just needed to try again to different music!  After reading this story, students enjoyed two songs which can be found here on our class website Don't Give Up by Bruno Mars and The Power of Yet by Janelle Monae.  Students then thought of an academic and personal goal that they have and posted it on our "Things We Can't Do....YET!" poster.  ​(Some children are still working on theirs) 

In math...

• ​Student explored even and odd numbers and investigated the conditions for a number to be even or odd.  
• By grouping 10 tens, students learned that it makes a 100!  Students composed and decomposed quantities of base-ten pieces (blocks) to show that numbers can be represented in more than one way.  This skill of decomposing and composing will help students later with trading and regrouping when adding and subtracting numbers.    
• Using our Stepping Stones curriculum, students learn about place value, this week going up to the hundreds place.  They also practiced writing numerals and number names for three-digit numbers.  Students learned that with three-digit numbers you say the tens and the ones together, but the hundreds is said separately, so a hyphen is needed between the tens and ones, but not for the hundreds.  For example, three hundred fifty-nine.   

REMINDERS AND ANNOUCEMENTS

• Spelling test on Monday (normally it would have been on Friday, but due to the Holiday it was postponed to Monday)
• Field trip is on 8/20 (shoes and home lunch & drink is needed)
• 1st PE is scheduled for 8/24 (shoes needed to participate)
• Don't forget to check and sign your child's planner daily!  Thank you!

• Please help your child log the genre he or she reads daily.  It is important to expose them to the correct genre name when referring to the books they read.  The Genre-at-a-Glance chart is located behind the reading log (laminated to the manilla folder).
• Please have your child complete their daily oral reading fluency.  They should be timed for 1 minute and the amount of words should be logged.   

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