Mrs. Lester's Clubhouse News

Anticipating April

The old saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers.  In the Clubhouse we can assure you we have already had many showers, yet it's still March! Please send your students prepared for rainy weather, because rain or shine, we are hard at the business of learning.  Raincoats with hoods are easiest to manage.  An inexpensive poncho is fine.  

Spring break is almost here.  I don't know who's more excited, the children or me!  Whether you travel or relax at home, I hope everyone gets rested, recharged, and comes back ready to roll.  

Please encourage your students to read AR books over the break.  A few of my students need to reach an AR points goal to be in the Hundreds Club. Take some books along with you on your trip or to the backyard. Read!!  I know I will be reading; I can't wait to curl up with a book, no bedtime to worry about!

Here are some entertaining web sites that students will enjoy AND will help them keep their skills sharp.

http://www.funbrain.com/

Funbrain has games for lots of basic skills.  My favorites are Grammar Gorilla with nouns and verbs, Math Car Racing, and the dialogs under Reading.  What is yours?

http://coolmath.com/

Coolmath helps students study math facts in a game format.  Flashcards are also available here.  Here's a fun way to study those multiplication facts.  :)

The CRCT test is scheduled to begin on April 21.  I hope all your students are practicing on line.  The passwords and logins are available from their homeroom teacher.  The practice is easy to use and very, very helpful. Boost their confidence with the practice!

Flying High Into March

  Here we are, flying high into March.  This week we will wrap up our persuasive writing, take our third nine weeks IMI, and finish up the third grading period.  Whew! 

    Homework Changes!  Parents and students, take note!  Homework has changed.  For much of the year I have used a predictable format for homework, but as of today things are different.  For third grade, reading and spelling assignments for the week are given on one two-sided sheet of paper.  Students will do their homework on lined notebook paper.  OT students will use mid line paper which I will supply.  The difficulty of the homework has also changed.  Instead of a one-sentence response to their nightly reading, third graders will write several sentences or complete a graphic organizer.  Second graders will respond to a specific question about their reading.  My goal is improve thinking and writing skills through this practice and prepare the students for more challenging work next year. 

    One spelling assignment your students will have is to look up words in the dictionary.  We have worked on this in class, but students need to practice it regularly to become proficient.  They are asked to look up the word, write its part of speech, and the first definition.  If you do not have a dictionary at home you may use an on-line dictionary.  Here is one you can use:  http://www.merriam-webster.com/     This site allows students to type in the word.  It will pronounce it for them and give them the part of speech (function) and the definition. 

About Math:   When I quizzed third grade students on multiplication facts recently, I wanted to cry!  They did not remember their facts well at all. We are about to take up multiplication of two or three digits by one digit and division of two or three digits by one digits.   Parents, they must brush up on these facts and master them all in order to succeed in our next unit. 

On the bright side, one of our students, Kaitlyn, has mastered all her facts, scoring over 90% in five minutes or less for each operation.  Hooray for Kaitlyn!!!

Topics Blowing Our Way:  

Second Grade:  Responding to Literature, Review of all Writing Genres, Introduction to Multiplication, Three Digit Addition and Subtraction, and Consonant Blends, Closed Syllables, and Compound Words

Third Grade:  Narrative Writing, Extending Multiplication and Division, Interpreting Data, Listening for Sounds in Words, Comprehension strategies, Word Meaning and Uses, and more Sentence Diagramming.

As you can see, we're going to be busy! 

Here's an on-line math fact practice site:  

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/thats_a_fact/english_K_3.html

    

February Facts and Fun

February has blown in with a blast.  Here in the Clubhouse we are checking our thermometer each morning. Today we had a reading of only 18 degrees Fahrenheit!  Brrrrrrrr. But as the saying goes, cold hands, warm heart!  We're warm inside the Clubhouse, and we're busy making new friends and encouraging our "old" friends, too.  As a group we're making lots of progress in academics and relationships.

Did you know Nicholson was a chosen school?  "What," you wonder, "does that mean?"  I wish I could say it means we've been chosen to receive 30 Smart Boards or a grant for student activities.  No, we haven't been chosen for those delightful things.  We were selected to be a pilot school for a new version of the CRCT test.  This pilot test is intended to be a test that bridges the gap between the Georgia Alternative Assessment (GAA) instrument and the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT).  I think if you asked your third grader, you would hear it's about as much fun as any other test:  not much!  I am proud of their good attitudes, though. One good thing about this pilot test is that it gives us a chance to see how appropriate our testing accommodations are before the Spring 2009 CRCT.

We're now working on giving reasons and even examples for our opinions in persuasive writing.  A favorite topic has been whether or not a child should be allowed to have a computer in his/her bedroom.  Parents, do you have an opinion?  Do you have reasons for your opinion?  Your students do!

In math we're measuring to the inch (second grade), half inch, and quarter inch (third grade.)  Please encourage your students to practice at home.

We're covering new material in reading.  The Language! reading group is learning about maps, diagramming sentences, and possessive nouns.  The Fundations group is working with new glued sounds:  -ang, -ing, -ong, and -ung. Can your student name words ending in each of these sounds?  

Winter in the Clubhouse

 

Brrrrr!  The Clubhouse is toasty-warm inside, but baby, it's cold outside!  How cold is it?  Ask your student.  We now have a thermometer on our porch, and each day the students will practice reading the thermometer.  We will begin graphing our temperatures next week.  Ask your student to read a thermometer.  Can he/she do it?

Here's a funny Clubhouse story.  As you know, we're studying fractions.Today I asked, "What do you get when you add 1/2 + 1/2?  One aspiring scholar answered, "Pizza!"  Third grade is adding and subtracting fractions now, so whether it's pizza, a sub sandwich, or a candy bar, or a recipe, talk about fractions in real life. 

                                          

Spelling grades for many of my students have taken a nose-dive, right along with the temperatures outside.  Students can practice these words by reading them, spelling them, then   covering up the word and writing the word.  Then they can check their work.  Some errors come from carelessness in sentence dictation.  Capitalization and punctuation count!

Here are a few websites for those cold winter afternoons:

This website can't really make it snow outside, but your child can make it snow in the game.  Scholastic offers many other great games, too.  Check out their website!

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/

 

Here's an entertaining fractions website.  I especially liked the comparing fractions game.

http://www.factmonster.com/math/knowledgebox/

 

 

 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year from the Clubhouse.  We ended up 2008 with a bang.  Hollie M. passed her 100 subtraction facts test!  There are a few other students on the verge of passing a facts test, too.  Keep up that practice because it's paying off.  If your student is not progressing, try keeping a set of flashcards in the car or near the T.V.  Practice them on trips or during commercials.   

2009 brings us new topics to study.  Guess what we're studying in math now!  I'll give you a hint with this picture.

 

If you guessed pizza, guess again.  We're studying fractions.  Whether you're serving cake, pizza, or apples, it's a good time to talk about fractions.  When we can see, feel, and even taste the fractions, it helps us remember them.   Ask your student which he would rather have, 1/8 or 1/6 of a pizza.

Watch out for our writing this nine weeks.  Why?  We are studying persuasive writing.  Your student will learn to form an opinion and support that opinion with reasons.  I am not responsible for how this skill is used at home!

                                 

 

 

 

December Greetings

Happy Holidays to you all!  As we approach the holidays, it is a good time to take a step back to rejoice in our blessings.  Here in the clubhouse I have witnessed growth in social skills, math, reading, and language arts.  Mrs. Geoffrion, our wonderful parapro, tells me the growth in writing skills in second grade is fantastic.  Hooray!  Celebrate the progress you have seen in your student, whether it is learning math facts, learning to write a paragraph, or reading AR books.  Maybe it is all three!!!

My next comment may seem strange, but here it is.  Don't take a vacation from learning!  "What???" you say.  Let me explain.  While you are busy holiday shopping, baking, and decorating, involve your student. 

Compare prices in the stores.  Use terms like greater than, less than, or the same.  Notice sale signs such as 50% off the original price.  Does your child understand what that means? 

If you cook at home, let your student help measure.  Talk about cups, pints, quarts, and fractions such as 1/2 or 1/4.  What I say in January about fractions will make much more sense if your child has worked with real-life fractions.  If you don't cook, maybe you order pizza.  Pizza is a great way to discuss fractions.

Thank you notes are a great way to build real-life writing skills.  A sentence or two to tell Aunt Suzy-Q how much the gift is appreciated is well within the writing abilities of all the Clubhouse students. Using special markers, stamps, and pens can make it more enjoyable for reluctant writers. 

It goes without saying:  read, read, read.  Read the comics, read magazines, read books, just read! 

For those inevitable rainy days, here are some websites Mrs. Messinger found for Nicholson Stars: 

http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/christmas/christms.htm

http://www.janbrett.com/trim_a_jan_brett_christmas_tree.htm

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Love,

Mrs. Lester

November News

   November is here.  The leaves are beautiful, the sky is blue, and we're wearing sweaters and jackets on our way to the clubhouse each day. 

    We have another star to add to our math stars.  Dakota M. has passed his 100 addition facts, joining Hollie M., Kaitlyn L., and Diego A. as addition stars.  Several students are close to passing the subtraction facts test, too.  Hooray!  Keep up the good work.

    Both second and third grades are studying informational writing.  Last week both groups read a book about gorillas, took notes, and wrote informational paragraphs.  Friday they took off their writing hats and became illustrators.  Come and see!

    In addition to our Fundations and Language! reading the students are reading informational literature.  This week they are reading on-line encyclopedia articles about animals. They will learn how to take notes and use relevant details to write a report.  Check out Cobb's Virtual Library on the district homepage and also found on the Nicholson homepage. 

Here is a web site to help practice math:  http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/thats_a_fact/english_K_3.html

Moving On

It is now mid-October, and the Clubhouse folks are moving on!

In math we are working on subtraction facts, subtraction with regrouping, and estimating in subtraction.  If your student has not passed the 100 addition facts test, please help him/her practice.  The need is to increase speed. Your student should be about ready to pass the 100 subtraction facts test.  Congratulations to Kaitlyn L. for being our first student to pass it.

In this new nine weeks we are beginning to study informational writing.  This writing is the type of writing we do to report factual information on topics such as rocks, animals, George Washington, and Georgia. Do you what tree is Georgia's state tree?  Informational writing can answer a question like that. 

We will continue to improve our reading with Fundations and Language!  I am pleased that a number of the Clubhouse kids have more than 10 AR points.  Keep it up!

Read On!

Our first order of business for this blog post is to congratulate several busy readers in our class.  Michael S. has earned more than 11 AR points!  Way to go, Michael!  Michael is joined by two other busy readers, Chris R., who has more than 9 AR points, and Jessica A., who has more than 5 AR points.

My next order of business for this blog post is to tell you more about the reading programs I am using with my students, Fundations and Language!

Fundations is a reading program based on phonics-based approaches such as the Wilson Reading Program and the Orton-Gillingham methodology. Fundations builds a foundation for reading and writing while having fun.  It is especially good for students who have difficulty learning to read through traditional programs due to disabilities, dyslexia, or gaps in instruction.  Fundations builds reading skills through an emphasis on a strong phonics base, word and sentence reading, spelling and sentence writing, fluency, and comprehension.  Students will also participate in guided reading groups to address comprehension needs more fully.  Fundations is geared toward younger students, so the second graders and some third graders in my class are using it, according to their needs.

Older students who already have some reading skills are using the Language! program.  Language! is a full reading program which incorporates phonics skills, spelling, fluency, grammar, writing, and comprehension.  The stories catch the students' attention, and their favorite part of the lesson is getting to read in those text books.  From time to time you will see packets of Language! papers coming home in their mail.  These are lessons that have been completed at school. 

These programs are wonderful, and I hope your students benefit a great deal from them.  There is no substitute, however, for parents who themselves are readers and who take the time to enjoy books with their children.  Picture books are a great way to start, and then you can work into chapter books.  There's nothing like sharing a book with your child.   If you would like suggestions for read aloud books, just ask! 

Homework Update and Other Tidbits

It's  hard to believe we have been in school for over four weeks, but we have!  As I get to know the students better, I am finding ways to help them be more successful.  One way I hope to help them be more consistently successful is in homework completion. 

Second graders in my class have a sheet with a homework assignment table on one side and behavior notes on the back.  They will continue to write their assignments in the homework table.  Underneath the table is a section for writing sentences for Monday-Thursday.  Every night they should be reading.  Then the students use the lines for that day of the week and write one complete sentence about what they've read.  Second graders will usually have math and reading homework.  Spelling homework will be given about once a week.

Third grade students use their homeroom assignment sheet.  Today I started something new with my third grade language arts students.  They now have a sheet in their homework folders for writing their reading sentences and practicing their spelling.  Since several students struggle to write neatly, the sheet has lines with a mid-line.  They should use this paper to record their reading sentences and on the back, they can practice their spelling words. I will check the work and put the sheet right back in their folders so it will be ready for the next night's work.  (Please note that the third graders answer specific questions about their reading.) Hopefully this will cut down on confusion, illegibility, and lost papers.  :) 

Third grade students typically have math and reading/writing homework each night. Spelling homework is given two nights a week.

Other Tidbits

Congratulations to Diego A., Kaitlyn L., and Hollie M. for passing their 100 Facts Tests in Addition!  Keep working, everyone, and maybe your name will be here next time.