Weekly Reminders

Don't forget:

Monday:   Pumpkin Patch money is due!
            "Star of the Week" posters are due too!

Thursday: Blue day! Wear something blue! 

Pumpkin Patch field trip permission forms will be coming home tomorrow! Look for it in your child's blue folder. Sign and return as soon as possible! :)

This week, I will be sending home some of your child's writing as well. Please take a moment to check out their wonderful pieces. I am so proud of my stars! 

SPIRIT Stick!

We were the winners of the SPIRIT Stick last week!

Our class carried the Spirit Stick down the hallway all week!

We are AMAZING!!!

Here is Sophia holding the spirit stick! 

What's a Rekenrek?

What is a Rekenrek? 

There is perhaps no more important task for primary teachers than to help young children develop powerful understandings of numbers -- their meanings, their relationships to one another, and how we operate with them.  


The Rekenrek has recently emerged on the U.S. mathematics education scene as perhaps the most powerful of all manipulative models for young learners.  Developed by mathematics education researchers in the Netherlands (although similar models were used in ancient cultures) the Rekenrek combines various strengths of other manipulatives (e.g., number lines, base-10 blocks, counters, etc.) in one accessible tool. 

The Rekenrek is comprised of two strings of ten beads each, strategically broken into two groups: five red beads, and five white beads.  Readily apparent in this model is an implicit invitation for children to think in groups of five and ten.  As illustrated below, the strings of red and white beads (in groups of 5) provide a visual model that encourages young learners to subitize, i.e., to build numbers based on groups of five and ten. 

We started using our Rekenreks this last week during our Number Talks.

My class LOVED them!
We love to make numbers using our special tool! 

We have AMAZING Schema!

What's in your Schema?

We are learning all about schema!!!

Schema is information we already have in our brains. 

It's our prior knowledge!

We use our schema a lot: 

-when we read

 -working a math problem

-writing a story 

 -playing a game

-learning something new

We update our schema or learn new information when we use our 5 senses. 

Yummy!! We made Applesauce!

Since we are working on making predictions in reading,

I thought it might be fun to see if my little stars could use their predicting skills

and guess what we were going to make from their apples.

I set out all of the ingredients and this recipe on Friday. 

Some of their predictions were:

-apple pie

-apple juice

-apple cake

Then, someone predicted and...

What was it? 

APPLESAUCE! 

One of our clues...the recipe!

We mixed our apples with LOTS OF SUGAR! 

A LOT OF SUGAR!

Some yummy cinnamon..

some water...

more cinnamon...

We stirred...

J.R. stirred....

We smashed the apples...

We mushed the apples...

After a lot of stirring, smashing, and mushing
we cooked our applesauce all day! 

We read the story: A Little, Red House with No Doors, No Windows, and a Star Inside.
The story is about a little boy who goes looking for a little, red
house with no doors, no windows, and a star inside.
Before he gives up, the "wind" helps him to find it.

What does he find?
He finds out the house is a little, red apple.
Check out the star inside!
Soooo cool!!! 

For snack, we ate our yummy applesauce! 

I think Carson likes it! 

Tanner is enjoying his applesauce! 

Writing Our Numbers

We learned fun poems to help us remember how to write our numbers 1-5. 

I have listed our poems below to help you when you write at home. 

Our Number Poems:

Number 1

Number 1

is like a stick

A straight line down

that's very quick!

Number 2

Number 2

go right around

Then make a line

across the ground!

Number 3

Backwards C

Backwards C

to make a 3!

Number 4

Down and over
and down some more
That's the way
to make a 4!

Number 5

Go down and around

Then you stop
Finish the 5
with a line on top!

We practiced writing our numbers in rice, on a gel bag, 

making the number with Playdoh and writing them on a whiteboard. 

It was so fun!!! 

Science: Living and Non-living

In Science, we are learning about living and non-living things.

We sorted different picture cards

of living and non-living things.

We are learning characteristics of a living thing and a non-living thing.

In our journals, we drew pictures of living and non-living things.

We labeled our pictures. 

Madelyn looked outside our window
and found some great non-living things.

It's Apple Pickin' Time!!!

I love September for many reasons, but I have to 

say harvesting apples is the best part!!! 

 We met and read about Johnny Appleseed. 

We learned that his real name was John Chapman. 

He loved animals and helping people. 

The best part-- he planted his apple seeds throughout the United States.

Check out the portraits we made of Johnny Appleseed:

We completed a sentence by inserting our names:
I am Caroline Appleseed. 

Here is Ashton Appleseed.

Meet Leah Appleseed! 

I am Eli Appleseed.

I am Harrison Appleseed. 

Here is our bulletin board outside of our classroom.
Johnny Appleseeds EVERYWHERE! 

Settings in our Writing

Last week, we focused on creating a setting in our stories.

Here are a few if our anchor charts that we made of 

 great places and settings for a story:

We shared with a partner pictures of different settings.

Titus has a picture of the playground.
What a great place to use in a story! 

Scholastic Book Clubs

Parents:

I sent you an email this evening regarding our class

participating in Scholastic Book Clubs.

SO EXCITING!!!

Together, we can have a partnership 

in developing life-long readers!!!

So, let's get started...

Here is our class' website and the code to begin your order:

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub

One-Time Class Activation Code: H2QPJ

Our orders are due by: Friday, October 11, 2013

Just a quick reminder

With Scholastic Reading Club: 

- Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library 

- You can choose from handpicked, grade- and reading-level-specific books for your child

- You'll find the best values on a variety of formats, including eBooks

I hope you and your child have a blast

picking out some exciting books!

Let me know if you have any questions.

NEW Library Day

We will be going to library on Fridays now!

Starting this week, please make sure your child

brings their library book back by Friday.

Thanks! 

Just a few reminders...

Weekly Reminders:

• Thursday: Green Day! Please wear something green! 

• Wednesday: If your child has not brought back their "Things I Love to Write About" heart, please send it by this Wednesday. We are placing those in our writing folders to use as a tool to help us write. 

•  "Star of the Week" posters are due next Monday, Sept. 30th. 

• Be on the look out for information and a permission slip to be coming home soon for our upcoming field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Volunteers need to have their background checks completed and back by October 18th, so you can participate with us. :)

Playdoh and Plates

Parents: 

We are in need of a couple of canisters of Playdoh and some plastic, Solo brand grip plates (not the 3 portion divided ones). If you could spare either item, we would be very grateful! Thank you!!! 

Fiction and Non-fiction Stories

In Reader's Workshop, we learned about fiction and non-fiction stories. 

We sorted different fiction and non-fiction texts:

Sorry so blurry!!! :)