Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Don't forget it's a three-day weekend. Enjoy!

Day 31: Thursday, September 29th

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families!

I'm so excited about the work that your students are doing!  Mr. Bryant (Earth Science) said that they performed "incredibly well" on their culminating assessment, and they are really challenging themselves with their multiplication.

And in their interactive math notebooks this week they worked on 1 digit x 3 digit multiplication!

Please don't forget to send your child with a water bottle, if possible.  It has been HOT this week!

Homework:
- Read 20 minutes + reading log
- MyMath: Chapter 3, Lesson 4 (p. 157-158)
- Treasures review worksheet
- Study for spelling test

Day 30: Wednesday, September 28th

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families,

The students had Earth Science Lab with Mr. Bryant today. Ask them what they learned!

Also, the students created their initial models of the Rock Cycle.  We will be analyzing and revising our models over the next week.

Most of the students have had a chance to play Multiplication Four Square now, and they suggested we have a tournament! More details coming soon...

You may have noticed that Chapter 3 (Understanding Multiplication & Division) in the math book seems to be much easier for the students than Chapters 1 (Place Value & Rounding) and 2 (Adding & Subtracting Whole Numbers).   Room 36 is doing really well with their multiplication facts!  About 1/3 have moved beyond the basic multiplication chart during the timed drill, and the rest are getting closer every day.

Because the math homework is less time consuming, the language arts is a little longer this week.  Please message me if your child gets stuck, or has a question.  I have been talking to them about asking for help when they need it, and looking up words they don't know.

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes + reading log
- MyMath: Ch3, L3 (pages 151-152)
- Language Arts: Locating Key Facts or Information

Day 29: Tuesday, September 27

Good Evening, Room 36 Families!

Here is today's homework:

Homework:
- Read 20 minutes + reading log
- Close Reading: So Many Satellites!
- MyMath: Chapter 3, Lesson 2

Day 28: Monday, September 26th

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families!

We started our week right, with a visit to the Library!

Today we also went over the Chapter 2 math test students took last week.  All students will have the opportunity to retake the test tomorrow.

We began our exploration of the rock cycle this afternoon with a fun video from Khan Academy.  Take a look and then ask your student what they remember about sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks:

Our September Scholastic book order arrived!  (As usual, there were a few books missing, but I will contact them tonight, and hopefully we can get everything by next week.)

Students received TWO October book orders -- they can order for either one or both.  The October book order is due on Friday, the 7th.  If you would rather order online, our class code is:  Q26XL.

Homework:
- Read 20 minutes + reading log
- Grammar worksheet: simple and compound sentences
- Multiplication chart + study for Chapter 2 retake

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Room 36 students got another chance to finish their Reflex Math assessment today.  If you have a computer with internet access available over the weekend, it would be great for students to log in and practice.

Most students came home with a six-week progress report today.  This is a "room for improvement" report card, not a grade. The purpose is for students and parents to be aware of the areas in which students need to improve.  Please sign and return the bottom portion next week.

Have a great weekend!

Day 26: Thursday, September 22nd

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families!

Your students worked hard today!  Our new math chapter covers multiplication and division. Ask them if they remember the difference between factors and multiples.

If your child is in the instrumental music program, please make sure they bring their instrument tomorrow.

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes + Reading Log
- Math Worksheet
- Spelling Worksheet

Day 25: Wednesday, September 25th

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families!

Today your students had Earth Science Lab with Mr. Bryant.

They also attended a very entertaining Traffic Safety Assembly. I posted a couple of pictures on Class Dojo.

Our homework planners arrived today! The kids are excited about this, and so am I.  :-)  Writing in a planner is a good way for students to work on their organization skills, executive function, and independence.

Homework:
- Read 20 minutes + reading log
- MyMath: Am I Ready (p. 127-128) Some students completed this in class.
- Reading Texts: Potbellied Pigs (multiple choice questions only)

Day 24: Tuesday, September 20th

Good Afternoon!

Today was a lot of fun!  We started out with a visit from our guest speaker, Ms. T.  She talked to us about her job in the pathology Lab at UCLA.  The kids had a great time with her.

In the afternoon, we visited the Laptop Lab and got started with Reflex Math.

Please ask them about their day!

Homework:
- 20 minutes silent reading + reading log
- Close Reading: California Bound!
- Study math vocabulary and practice adding, subtracting and rounding

Day 23: Monday, September 19th

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families,

As I mentioned on Friday, we will have a guest speaker visiting us tomorrow!  In preparation, we discussed what a pathologist does, in class today.  Please ask your students about it.

We will also be getting started with Reflex Math tomorrow! I'm very excited that we will be able to use this math fluency program this year.  Students will bring home a parent invitation tomorrow, so please create a parent account so that you can monitor your child's progress, too!  Here is a great video video about the program:

In addition to the 6 classroom laptops we will be getting soon -- yay! -- we will be visiting the Computer Lab once a week to do Reflex Math, typing practice, coding, and writing.  I will have earphones for the classroom laptops, but I would also like all students to have their own set of earbuds for the Computer Lab.  I am going to order a class set, and will be sending home a note requesting a $1 donation per student.

Please continue to practice rounding numbers with your student whenever possible.

Don't forget, there are lots of great links for students and parents in the "hidden" sidebar to the right!

Homework:

- Read 20 minutes + reading log (on the back of the homework sheet)
- MyMath Chapter 2/Lesson 4
- Grammar Worksheet: subject/predicate

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

On Tuesday, we will have a guest speaker visiting our class.  She is a laboratory technician at UCLA Pathology.  I think the kids will love it!  If you have a chance this weekend, talk to you kids about what a pathologist does.  We will be discussing this in class on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Day 21: Thursday, September 15th

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families,

Tomorrow, in our math block, students will take the Chapter 2 (Add & Subtract Whole Numbers) practice test and vocabulary test.

This chapter covered: adding, subtracting, borrowing, regrouping, estimating sums and differences, drawing a diagram to solve addition and subtraction problems, and multi-step (addition and subtraction) word problems.

Our math vocabulary terms are: (students made math vocabulary flash cards today)

• Associative Property 
• Commutative Property
• Identity Property
• estimate
• round
• difference

Homework:

- Read 20 minutes + reading log
- Finish any unfinished math classwork
- Study math vocabulary

Day 20: Wednesday, September 14th

Good Afternoon, Room 36 Families!

It was so good to be back with your kids today!  I was away on Monday and Tuesday taking my oldest daughter to her first year of college. Here is a picture taken 30 minutes before I drove to the airport to go home:

Even though my flight was delayed, and I was a little late, I was also so happy to see so many of you last night at Back to School Night!  Thanks for being patient.  :-)

While I was gone, the substitute teacher did not assign homework, but I hope students continued to read 20 minutes each night.  We completed the math homework sheets for Monday and Tuesday, in class today.

A big welcome to the families of Bryant, Sophia and Ethan! We're happy to have you in Room 36. :-)

Just FYI: I will be finishing up mandatory TRC testing with the students this week.  This is a one-on-one reading comprehension assessment, that will also be done at the end of the year.

Homework:
- Read 20 minutes + reading log
- MyMath: Chapter 2/Lesson 9 (p 117-118)
- Close Reading: Be a Tree Detective

I'm So Excited!

I'm so excited, I had to share: I just found out that my Donor's Choose project for Room 36 was  completely funded this weekend!!  That means we will have 6 Chromebook computers in our classroom to use for all sorts of next level instruction!

But that's not all!  I ALSO found out that I was approved for a grant to use Reflex Math with Room 36 this year!  Reflex Math is a fabulous math fluency program, that helps students practice math facts in a fun way, at an appropriate level.

We used this program at my previous school, and all teachers noticed a difference in math fluency and automaticity.

Each student will get their own account, which they will log into during the week at school -- and will also have access to at home.  They can practice as much as they want! (And it's so fun, they WILL want to practice.)

We do not have our account information yet, but if you would like to check it out, you can go here: Reflex Math

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

We had our first session with YMCA P.E. today!  It was lots of fun.

See you at Back to School Night!

Day 16: Thursday, September 8th

Hi Room 36 Families,

We started off our day by moving our desks around, and I really like the new arrangement.  :-)  We got a lot of good work done, and ended our day with Mrs. Clarke in a sharing circle.

Your children have kind and caring hearts.

Homework:
- Read 20 minutes + reading log
- Math: Chapter 2/Lesson 5
- Vocabulary sentences. (Vocabulary words: curious, policy, ranged, temporary, several, and frequently)

Have a great evening

Day 15: Wednesday, September 7th

Happy Wednesday!

The students in Room 36 had Earth Science Lab with Mr. Bryant today.  Mr. Bryant has joined our Class Dojo, so he will be awarding points on Wednesdays.  He is especially excited to give points for "Using Scientific Thinking".  It's a great way to try to get  in the Top "10" for September!

Homework:

- Read 20 minutes + Reading Log
- Math Chapter 2/Lesson 2
- Close Reading: At the Amusement Park

Day 14: Tuesday, September 6th

Hi Room 36 Families,

I hope you all had a great 4-day weekend!

This afternoon we had Computer Lab with Mr. Zanotti. Ask your student how they liked it!

Students can log into their coding accounts, from home, here:  CODING 

Before we started our new chapter in math this morning, we went over the Chapter 1 Test they took on Thursday last week.  Most students did well, but anyone who got below 70% will retake it tomorrow. In addition, anyone who would like to try for a higher score may retake the test tomorrow. (It is a different, but equivalent test.  I will take the highest score of the two.)

We also went over their first spelling test, and took a pre-test for the next chapter.  The new spelling words are:
pale      break
face      ache
crate     drain
clay      faint
stray     flame
cane     claim
slate     steak
today    eight
bail       mane
rail       graze
challenge words:  neighbor, railway  (extra credit)

Homework:
- Read 20 minutes + reading log (on the back of the homework sheet)
- Spelling worksheet
- MyMath Chapter 2/Lesson1
- Study for Chapter 1 retake test (optional if you scored 70% or higher)

Remember: Scholastic book orders are due on Friday!

ALSO: Top "10" Dojo Party tomorrow!

Clean Desks

Last weekend, I did SURPRISE desk checks in Room 36. Many students arrived Monday morning to find something like this:

I will do a SURPRISE desk check again in the middle of this week.  Remind your students to keep it clean!

Week 2 Table Points

Congratulations to Table 5!  They had the most Table Points last week, and got to pick from the prize box.

August Top "10" Dojo Party!

Well, the numbers are in, and the students listed below will be able to participate in a lunch-time party on Wednesday, September 7th!

There are MANY ways to earn Dojo Points in my class, including: being on task, being ready, setting a good example, taking a risk, being persistent, silent reading when finished, being a leader, offering to help a neighbor (or ME), working hard, using a vocabulary word, sharing a journal entry, good Library behavior, good Line behavior, following directions, participating, etc.

Last month's Class Dojo points were 95% positive.

August Top "10"
ChonTray 59
Amaree 52
Giselle 52
Jesse 52
Johnny 52
Christian 51
Jasmine 51
Asha 50
Meiage 50
Karen 49
Ashley 49

Great Job!

Happy End-of-the-Week Thursday!

The students in Room 36 really deserve their 4-day weekend -- They worked hard today!

In between assessments, I introduced them to sudoku -- and they love it! Sudoku is a fun brain game, and there are many levels.  I started them with an "easy" 1-4 grid, and some even attempted the 1-6.  There are lots of places to download sudoku for free, but here is a version they (or you!) can play online:

FunBrain: Sudoku

No Homework.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!