Month in review

OK. So it looks like I need to work on being a better blogger! We have been busy this past month and I apologize for not keeping you in the loop.

Important Announcement: Every Friday(Thursday for my 3-day students) students are sent home with a yellow envelope. This envelope contains classwork, important papers that need to come back to school, announcements, etc. We have been doing this now for a few weeks and I am having trouble getting the envelopes back to refill the next week. Please look for these envelopes every Friday, empty them out or sign what needs to be returned, and return the envelopes every Monday(Tues for 3-day). Please help your students to get in the habit of bringing them back to school!

Thank You: To our wonderful room parents, Sondra, Claire and Vicky for the great job they are doing. If it wasn't for them, our fabulous Halloween party would have been a bore. The kids had so much fun especially with the mummy wrap and the pizza party. Thank you to parents who have been bringing in snacks and water for the class. Last but not least, thanks to Vicky, Naomi and Coleman for chaperoning the Grossology field trip at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

During SoEmo this month we covered highways 5-8: Honest Communication, Forgiveness, Gratitude and Hope. Marcelline Broglie, our compassionate communications expert has also come to our class to talk about communicating with empathy. We are basically learning how to speak a new language in order to communicate our needs and feelings.

Language Arts is moving smoothly. The Jeremy Fink reflections were the main focus of the month. Students learned how to organize and write a typical five paragraph essay focusing on an introduction with a strong thesis, supporting examples and a thought provoking conclusion. We have been working on 39 literary terms and had a test on the terms last week. Students will be retested on the terms every few weeks until they have been mastered. So far, 3 students have already mastered them and won't have to take the test again!

In Algebra we finished chapters 1 and 2 this past month. We learned about integers, different types of graphs and functions. Most of the students are feeling the challenge of algebra! Next week I am putting the math into their hands as they plan, prepare, and teach the lessons to the class.

Our project time has been fun. We finished our nutrition project a week ago. Throughout the month students did group presentations on the digestive system, learned about the necessities of life, eating and burning calories and created 3D edible animal cells out of jello and yummy treats. Our service part of the project is a school wide "Running Club". This is a club where students can run laps at lunchtime on the field, collect sticks for each lap and collect foot charms for every ten miles. It won't start until after Thanksgiving due to the field closure this month for reseeding. We had a final test last week. Look for the results in next weeks yellow envelope.

Our new science project is called "It's ELEMENTary My Dear Watson." So far we learned about atoms, elements and compounds. We had a fun hands on experience making human atoms using balloons. The kids are making a giant periodic table where each student has a "pet element." During Mad Science this past Friday, students learned about molecules and made compounds. The favorite was the putty made from glue and sodium borate.

Bill is teaching the history projects and the kids are enjoying going to his class during that time. Check his blog for more information.

Don't forget! Tuesday is a holiday. Do not come to school!