Families,

Highlights:
Monday: Claymation Brainstorming & Planning
Tuesday: Music, library, Spanish, Science, Claymation
Wednesday: Centers, Spanish, St. Patrick’s Day, Claymation
Thursday: Wizard of Oz School Play, Spanish
Friday: Centers, Spanish, Science

Science
We are wrapping up our Pebbles, Sand, and Silt unit this week.  We did some investigations into soil last week.  Students can bring in a small ziplock back of soil from home to compare.  Student have learned that soil contains gravel, sand, silt, clay, and humus (organic material; leaves, sticks, wood, dead insects.)  We will be doing a fun inquiry into dinosaurs and fossils this week too.  

Claymation
We have decided to continue our exploration on Claymation!  Students watched their video clips, have reflected, and want to do it even better.  This time, we are extending our study to fossils and dinosaurs!

Language Arts

Reading: Reader’s Theatre: Town Hall

Writing:
This week we your child will be writing Limericks to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Math:
Math Lesson 127: Showing and counting back change for $1.00
Math Lesson 128: Dividing by 2
Math Lesson 129: Finding the area of a rectangle
Math Lesson 130: Multiplying by and finding multiples of 0, 2, 3, 4, and 5 . Solving a problem by guessing and checking. Making and using a multiplication table.

Spelling
This week we are going to have individual spelling lists. Your child will bring their list home on Monday.

Bonus Words
Prehistoric-It happened before our written history.
Preserve-it is protected so that it does not change.
Reconstruct-Something that has been broken, that you put back together.
Prospect-Something you look for underground or under the ocean.
Site- land that is used for a certain thing or where a certain thing is happened.

Families,

Highlights:
Monday: Spanish,
Tuesday: Music, Library, Spanish, science
Wednesday: Centers, Spanish, Art Docent?
Thursday: Monart, Spanish, Computers
Friday: Centers, Spanish, science

Auction
The Auction on Saturday night was a blast! Thank you for all of those who came to support our school! A very special thanks to Amy Griffin for making such a beautiful rug out of all of the kiddo’s shirts! She spent a lot of her time and patience putting it together! Thank you to my room moms, Stacie Ardoin and Sara Thornros for helping with this process!
 
Claymation!
Last week students created their very own claymation! Students were put into groups of four to plan, create and implement their very own claymation clip. Students brainstormed what they wanted to create, which students had specific jobs (building, moving, background, etc), and worked together to build their creations. Each clip is made from 20-30 photos. Students moved each character or object little by little creating a movie clip that lasts about 5-7 seconds. As all group activities do, we ran into problems, disagreements and struggles, but by using our kind words, patience and problem solving skills, all five movies were created beautifully and all students were pleased!  I will be showing the kiddos their final products this week and will be attempting to post them on our webpage, so that parents may see as well. (I might have to call on help from Mr. V for this one ;)
 
Language Arts

Reading: In Class, your child will read about Jane Goodall, Watching in the Wild by Charnan Simon
 
Writing:
This week we your child will be writing about facts or information they have learned about rocks!

Math:
Math Lesson 122: Writing number sentences for arrays
Math Lesson 123: Telling and showing time to the quarter hour
Math Lesson 124: Identifying and showing transformations: Translation, Rotation, and reflection.
Math Lesson 125: Dividing a set of objects into equal groups, multiplying by 4 facts.
Math Lesson 125: Choosing a survey question and choices, representing data using a graph.
 
Field Trip to Nicolson Blown Glass

As our field trip had to be rescheduled due to bad weather, I no longer have as many chaperones as I once had. I am looking for at least two more and more if they are interested. So far I have:
 
Mrs. Ardoin
Mrs. Murugesh
Mrs. Skarr
 
Is anyone else interested in coming with us on Friday March 26th 9:45-2:15?

Spelling
Last week, students were given a Words Their Way assessment, helping me determine word patterns that individual students need to learn. Remember that although some of the words might seem simple, it is the word pattern itself that your child needs to work on. In class they will be working with word sorts that allow them to work with numerous words with their specific word pattern as well as similar or contrasting word patterns. You might find that your child moves from group to group depending on their spelling pattern needs. Thank you for your support!

Bonus Words
Spectacular-Very beautiful or unusual in a way that really gets your attention.
Diversity- if a place has diversity, it has many different kinds of things, such as plants and animals.
Dependent-if a living thing is dependent on something it needs that thing to stay alive.
Sheer-a sheer drop or cliff goes almost straight up and down.
Geology-The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth.
 
  Hexagon   
  long vowel /a/   

Hexegon - Students are working on the long /a/ sounds ai and a (e)-CVCe and CVVC.
 rain   
  space   
  Jack   
  train   
  blame   
  rash   
  faint   
  frame   
  black   
  brain  

  Trapezoid   
  r-influenced o words   
Trapizoid - Students are working on r-influenced o words. The long /o/ sound can be made by or, ore and oar.
 shore   
  board   
  word   
  more   
  soar   
  chord   
  horse   
  roar   
  horn   
  coarse  

  Rhombus   
  final unaccented syllable   

Rhombus - Students are working on the final unaccented syllable sounds made by er/ar/or.

  Spider   
  color   
  collar   
  brother   
  flavor   
  grammar   
  weather   
  mirror   
  dollar   
  rather  

Report Cards
Report cards will be going home with your child on Friday March 12th. If you are interested in having a conference with me regarding your child’s progress, please let me know. I will be informing you directly if I feel there is a need to conference. Can you believe there is only one trimester left in the year!!???