It is hard to imagine that we were just on vacation. It feels as though we have been in school all along. The class is attempting to accomplish many things and yet is always feels as if there are many more waiting for us to get to.

Writing to Explore Ideas

As a way to increase the amount of writing the child do, each of our writing sessions begins with a 10 minute quick write. The children have their choice of two suggested topics or to write something of their choice. They’ve been creating stories, personal narratives, lists, and poems. They’ve been exploring description and details and looking at different types of sentences. We’ve been sharing favorite pieces or a favorite sentence nearly every day.

The quick write time is silent (mostly) so that the whole time is dedicated to thinking and writing. After two weeks of this daily work the children have quite a collection. From these they will be asked to select a piece or part of a piece to develop through a drafting process to publish.

Writing to Reflect on Learning

Is it true that you learn something new every day? Ask your child what their answer is to that question. We’ve also been working to capture our thoughts, observations and new learning each day and it is harder than you might imagine. Sometimes the things we learn are small bits like: I learned how to change the background image on the computer. Other times the learning is a new observation: Deer can leap high and long. This new personal knowledge was accompanied by the story explaining how this was learned.

All of the children have discovered that learning is an active process. To have something to write means being more aware and self-reflective; stopping to notice that something new just crossed your mind. I think it will be a fun collection to look back through at the close of the year.

Blogging – Sharing Stories, Information and Ideas – Hoping for a Responsive Audience

This week when we went to the computer lab to work on our blog posts I was struck by the diversity of what was happening. One student was working with an ipad to create an ebook to post. Another student was planning how he would make a chatter pix post of his state. Some children were writing book reviews and others video game reviews. A couple kids were creating an audio recording of a story they had written in two voices. Another child was scanning her drawing so she could add it to her narrative story and still another was working from books and notes to create an alphabetical listing of all fifty state’s symbols and capitals. There were original stories being typed and vacation memories recounted.

As the children watch each other work in their different ways and with different tools they are inspired to try new things. It will be exciting to see how this grows in the next few weeks. If you haven’t had the chance to check out your child’s blog, please do and leave a comment. They are excited to know their work has been read.

Subtraction Remains a Challenge

This week in math we have reacquainted ourselves with the standard algorithm and how it works with addition and subtraction. Most of the children feel secure with addition. They can imagine one becoming tens and tens becoming hundreds. Subtraction remains a challenge – especially when zeros are involved. You may notice many math problems coming home that show some confusion. If your child is willing to take your help, please do. If your child just can’t stand the thought of subtracting at home too – that’s okay. We are working on it and I know little by little understanding will grow.

Ask your child about our work with these quick image cards and the die.

Bits and Pieces

• Our broccoli seedlings are three weeks old. The second set of leaves is beginning to show. We are nearly ready for the second transplanting. In a few weeks they will be ready for their one square foot garden out in the greenhouse.
• We are halfway through The Quirks and the Quirkalicious Birthday. We plan to celebrate all birthdays with our own “quirky” party when we finish the book. We will likely be looking for supplies and help depending on the celebration the class plans. I’ll keep in touch.
• Preparing for the new Smarter Balance Assessment – we’ve been practicing a bit so the class is familiar with the format and the tools that are available to them during the testing. They are going to be challenging and we hope the children know that their best effort is all we are hoping for. Please find a letter and 3rd grade testing schedule in your child’s Friday envelope. We are the first grade to begin this process in a week.
• Our Portfolio Board is taking shape at last. We hope to post work and reflections on a weekly basis as a way of : 1) stopping to take note of learning that is taking place and 2) to increase awareness of how good taking pride in what you do feels.
• Report Cards will be coming to your email address on Friday, March 20th. Both second and third term report cards come with narrative comments to help you understand how your child is progressing toward the grade level standards.