News for the week of January 25, 2016

Welcome back!

PARENTS! I would love to find out which of my students and parents are following along on our class blog! Please ask your child to solve this riddle, bring me the answer in class and you will be given a special prize! 

Riddle:

What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?

• Quote of the Week: "None of us is as smart as all of us."
• Life Skill of the Week: cooperation

What's that I hear?

One of the things I added to our classroom is an iPod to listen to music while we work. I had the kids each write down one request of either an artist or a song. I thought their requests were too cute so I had to share!

Kindergarten CogAT Testing for HA

Next week begins the month of February which means I'll be screening all kindergarten students for High Ability Services for the 2016-2017 school year. Looks like the grade most affected by testing will be my first graders.  We get the best results when we test in the morning and that happens to be when I see my first grade groups. Come March it will be screening all of second grade for High Ability Services for the 2016-2017 school year, so flexible scheduling will continue . . . 

First Grade Math:

The first graders were great super sleuths helping to solve our Math Mysteries at the 3rd Strike Sports Store.  Jessica was the first to solve the puzzle, great job! We also practiced math facts on iPod's! This was a huge hit! Soon the app "Rocket Math" will be downloaded for all of us to do together. I encourage you to download it on your devices at home to practice, it's a lot of fun! Next week we will work on a clock/time lesson!

First Grade LA:

We read the book Yo Yes!.  Emmersynn worked hard on a no spaces cipher, a reading analyzer, read poems about the period, question mark, explanation mark and the comma. Emmersynn also drew a great picture in her workbook about a connection she has with a friend, she picked Sloane. Next week we will read a new book called, The Fantastic 5 & 10 Cent Store by J. Patrick Lewis! I can't wait to read who she interviewed for her homework! I'll make sure I get a picture of her next week, she always wears the cutest matching bows with her outfits!

Third Grade Math:

We started off by taking another multiplication timed test.  This week several kids passed, you'll have to ask if your child got to glue a scoop onto their ice cream cone! This group is so determined and work very hard to improve each week. They formed different groups to solve their latest packet on the Magic of Multiplication. When there were finished, they got to play math games on the iPod's or do an extreme dot-to-dot! I'll do my best to snap some pictures of them next week!

   

Third Grade LA:

This week we talked about the Edmund Fitzgerald. We first read the lyrics, then talked about the events. We watched a You Tube video showing what it looked like and opinions on what happened. The kids started coloring a picture of what the ship would have looked like. They are doing a great job! We will finish up this lesson next week.

 

Second Grade Math:

We finished up our lesson packet on Binary Sequence. This was a hard packet but the kids paired up and worked great together to solve the problems, great teamwork! When the kids were finished, they got to use iPod's to practice math facts or they worked on an extreme dot-2-dot worksheet which is always fun! Next week we will begin a lesson packet on Patterns in Multiplication. I'll do my best to snap some pictures of them next week!

  

Second Grade LA:

Nate and Emma volunteered to read a chapters 11-13 in the book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Then I asked them to write in their journal about what they thought about Edward's journey, what made it miraculous?  Their answers were great, I love how they think! They even asked me questions about what I thought too, I'm excited about writing back and forth with them! Next week we will continue to read and journal. I'll do my best to snap some pictures of them next week!

Fourth Grade Math:

It's now to the point in our fraction unit where they have all different operations for dealing with fractions.  Does it need to be an improper fraction?  Mixed number?  Do the denominators need to be the same?  How do I multiply a fraction by a whole number?  How do I add/subtract fractions?  Our latest worksheet called, Double Trouble for Mrs. Jarka, had them doing most of the above.  They were required to double and triple the recipe.  When comparing fractions, they needed to add or subtract.  I am so impressed with the work they are doing in there.  I've seen some proud moments they've had with their results.  They know this is tough and they are completely stepping up to the plate!  Keep up the great work! When they finished their packets, they got to practice math facts on an iPod or do an extreme dot-2-dot. Next week we will begin a lesson on persuasive writing in their math journals. 

Fourth Grade LA:

They are hard to work on their biography projects, we got the COW delivered both days and they are really good at using Google Docs.  I'm very proud at how hard they are working on these.  I hung their timelines and all grades are enjoying reading them.  As you know, with it being such a large project that we only work on twice a week . . . it's taking a long time!  They have great attitudes and are really putting their all into making sure their presentations look their best.  I'll do my best to snap some pictures of them next week!

News for the week of January 18, 2016

Hi Bailly students and parents! 

My name is Chrissie Shaffer. I am the new HA Aide at Bailly Elementary and I am excited to be a part of the Duneland HA Team!  Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself! I live in Jackson Twp. with my husband and two boys. Some of my favorite activities include running, scrapbooking, playing with our doodle puppy and anything Disney. 

   

I look forward to working with your child. We spent last week playing a few "ice breaker" games to get to know each other. We've switched around our seats and we'll be adding some new technology to the classroom which is really exciting! I will also try taking some pictures of the children in our classroom and begin posting those to my blog as well, I hope you'll enjoy seeing those smiling faces hard at work! 

Smiles!
Chrissie Shaffer

News for the Week of January 11, 2016

Life Skill:  Friendship

Quote:  Of all the blessings that time and earth bestow, there is none so precious as one true friend.

Captian's Table of "STAR" Students

(STAR = Stop, Think, Act Responsibly)

                                                   Student                     Life Skill                           

1st Grade Math                           Dante                         Caring 
                             

2nd Grade LA                              Bailey                      Curiosity
2nd Grade Math                           Nate                          Caring

3rd Grade LA                              Amadeo                    Friendship
3rd Grade Math                          Natalie                    Perseverance

4th Grade LA                               Logan                          Effort
4th Grade Math                          Olivia V.                  Perseverance    

This Week In HA...

1st Grade LA

First grade students learned about acronyms as we revisited the book, E-mergency, by Ezra Fields-Meyer and Tom Lichtenheld.  We learned that acronyms are abbreviations for words or phrases and discussed the following acronyms:

ASAP - as soon as possible
ER - emergency room
TLC - tender loving care
EMT - emergency medical technician.

Ask your child to tell you other acronyms we discussed.

After discussing acronyms, we compared and contrasted acronyms with "wumbers" from the book, Wumbers, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.  Then, we discussed the similarities between acronyms and "wumbers" with text messages.  Following this discussion, the students used a hamburger graphic organizer to prepare for writing a paragraph answering the question, "Do you think parents should buy first graders cell phones?"  After completing the graphic organizer, the students wrote out their paragraphs.  Ask your child to explain her/his opinion on this subject and have her/him provide you the supporting arguments for her/his position. 

2nd Grade LA

In second grade this week,  the students continued reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.  At this point, we have learned that Edward remained on the bottom of the ocean for 297 days.  During a storm with high seas, the churning of the waves brought Edward close to the surface of the ocean, where he was hauled aboard a fishing boat inside a fishing net.  An old fisherman took to Edward and cleaned him up with plans to give Edward to his wife, Nellie.  The fisherman was named Lawrence.  When he took Edward home to his wife, Nellie, she mistook Edward for a girl, calling him Susanna.  She cleaned Edward up and dressed him in new clothes made for a girl.  Edward was initially offended but realized this was better than being at the bottom of the ocean.  In residing with Lawrence and Nellie, Edward especially enjoyed looking at the constellations in the night sky with Lawrence.  After a time with Lawrence and Nellie, the couples daughter, Lolly, came to visit and took a disliking to Edward.  As a result, she threw Edward in the garbage dump.  He remained there for several months until he was unearthed by a dog.  Ask your child to retell what we have read so far and to predict what will happen next in the story.  Also, ask your child to tell you how she/he is feeling about Edward's current situation.

3rd Grade LA

This week,, third grade students worked in groups to present a summary of the tall tale they read to the rest of their classmates.  It was fun to listen to the many different tall tales.  We laughed at some of the exaggerations from the tall tales that were shared.  Ask your child to retell the tall tale she/he read to you.  

4th Grade LA

Fourth grade students continued to work on completing their time lines this week.  The students were able to finish assembling their time lines and began working on their monologues.  Check the Google Drive file to see how your child is progressing with our biography project and make sure she/he has her/his costume and props planned out in preparation for presenting near the end of the month.
                                                                  

Building Vocabulary

The "Words of the Day" for this week were amicable and zenith.  Ask your child to define these words.  If he/she is unable to define them, have him/her look them up in the dictionary and read the definition to you.

   

1st Grade Math

This week in first grade, the students continued working on logic puzzles.  We started a puzzle titled, Mystery at the Third Strike Sports Store.  Ask your child to explain the puzzle to you and tell you what we have determined so far.

2nd Grade Math

Second grade students continued working on solving problems involving the binary sequence.  Ask your child to write a binary sequence for you.

3rd Grade Math

In third grade, the students completed another timed multiplication test.  Please continue to encourage your child to practice her/his multiplication facts.  After completing our multiplication test, we continued working on the Ed Zaccaro unit titled, "The Magic of Multiplication".  Ask your child to complete the following word problems:

Twelve people each bought 12 dozen donuts.  If each donut cost $.12, what was the total cost of all of the donuts?

There are 4 cups in a quart and 4 quarts in a gallon.  How many cups are there in 4 gallons?

4th Grade Math

Fourth grade students were introduced to a wonderful website called Sumdog.  It presents math problems in game format.  The students loved working on Sumdog this week.  You should have received a letter from me about this website and your child's login and password information.  Ask your child to show you this website and how to play Cake Monster, which was one of the classes favorites.

It has been a very "chilly" week and I hope everyone has a warm weekend.  Best wishes to you all as I leave this position.  I hope everyone has a terrific finish to the school year.  I leave you with the following final quote:

Melissa Valtierra
High Ability Aide
Bailly Elementary School

News for the Week of January 4, 2016

Life Skill:  Sense of Humor

Quote:  A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
                                                                         --Roald Dahl

Captain's Table of "STAR" Students

(STAR = Stop, Think, Act Responsibly)

                                                   Student                     Life Skill                           

1st Grade LA                           Emmersynn                    Effort
1st Grade Math                           Jessica                   Enthusiasm
                             

2nd Grade LA                               Layla                          Effort   
2nd Grade Math                         Michael                      Integrity

3rd Grade LA                            Samantha                 Cooperation
3rd Grade Math                           Rowyn               Cooperation/Integrity 

4th Grade LA                                 Luke                       Initiative
4th Grade Math                            Riona                      Enthusiasm       

** Important HA News:  

I am currently enrolled in a school counseling graduate program.  As I have moved into the practicum/internship phase of my program, I have found that I will be required to complete a large number of practicum/internship hours, which conflict with my current position as an HA aide.  As a result of these circumstances, it has been with great difficulty and sadness that I have submitted my resignation from the HA aide position at Bailly Elementary School.  Therefore, my last day will be Friday, January 15, 2016.  It has been a great joy to interact with the HA students as I have assisted them in enhancing their learning and fostering their academic growth.  I will truly miss seeing all of them on a consistent basis but will hope to see them in the halls as I am completing my practicum/internship at Bailly for the remainder of this school year!  

Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.

                                                                                     --Joseph B. Wirthlin

My hope is that your children enjoy the journey of self-discovery and learning. May their ships reach many distant shores in the process of learning!

This Week In HA...

1st Grade LA

As we began the New Year, first grade students also started a new unit of study.  This week, we worked on decoding the Random Reverse Cipher.  In this cipher, the students needed to recognize that the message was written backwards.  After decoding the cipher, we read Wumbers by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Tim Lichtenheld.  In this book, numbers were substituted for some of the letters in the words.  For example, the word, created, was changed to cre8ted.  It was fun to read this book!  Afterwards, we chose several of the words from the book, which had numbers in them and translated them into real words.  Ask your child to write 2-3 words that they read which substituted numbers for letters.

2nd Grade LA

In second grade this week, the students finished completing our reading analyzer on chapter 4 in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.  Therefore, ask your child what we determined the main idea of this chapter to be.  Afterwards, we reviewed the parts of speech and practiced diagramming some sentences.  Ask your child to define the following parts of speech:

• Noun
• Verb
• Adjective
• Adverb
• Preposition
• Article
• Conjunction
• Pronoun

We then began learning about Paul's Wheel of Reasoning, which is a tool to assist the students in learning to ask questions as they read a text.  Each part of the wheel provides a different way to think about the text being read and helps the student formulate questions in areas such as point of view, concepts, consequences, evidence and assumptions.  Ask your child the following questions, "How does asking questions as we read help us make sense of the text being read?" and "How does it help us become better readers?"

3rd Grade LA

This week in third grade, students continued working on labeling words in sentences with the appropriate part of speech.  Afterwards, they finished writing up their retells on the tall tales they read before winter break in preparation for presenting their retells to the rest of their classmates.  

4th Grade LA

In fourth grade, the students worked on diagramming a few sentences before they continued constructing their time lines by typing up the events in the template provided in Google Docs.  After typing up the events, the students printed out the timeline information and began constructing them on large sheets of paper and included the photos they had acquired.  As we approach the monologue portion of the biography project, please ask your child if he/she has planned out a costume and props to utilize while presenting his/her monologue.  In planning the costume with your child, if you find you are in need of something your child requires to complete their costume and/or props, please let me know and I will try to assist you.

                                                                     

Building Vocabulary

The "Words of the Day" for this week were farcical and satire.  Ask your child to explain these literary terms and use them in a sentence.  

1st Grade Math

First grade students have continued to work on coin identification and determining the coins needed to make a purchase for a specified amount.  Some of the students are having difficulty remembering the coins and their associated value.  Therefore, ask your child to identify the coins in a handful of change you give him/her.  Then, divide the handful of coins into a variety of groups and ask your child to calculate the value of each group of coins.  We also worked on a logic puzzle this week, which required reasoning, deduction and problem solving skills.  To introduce these skills to the students, we worked through a practice puzzle together to allow me to show the students tips on completing a logic puzzle.  Our first puzzle is called, "The Cafeteria Caper".  Ask your child to explain some problem solving tips and provide a description of our current logic puzzle to you.

2nd Grade Math

This week in second grade, the students learned about the binary sequence.  Like the Fibonacci Sequence, the binary sequence is another set of famous numbers.  In a binary sequence, the sequence is determined by doubling a number to get the next number.  For example, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64... is a binary sequence.  After learning how to create the binary sequence, the students compared and contrasted this sequence with the Fibonacci Sequence.  Ask your child to explain the similarities and differences of these two famous sequences to you.  Then, have your child complete the following binary sequences of numbers:

                            3, 6, ?, 24, ?, ?, 192
                             10, 20, ?, ?, 160, ?

3rd Grade Math

In third grade, the students completed two more timed multiplication tests on our quest to master the multiplication facts.  I know all of the students will achieve mastery as we continue on this journey to achieve "sweet" success with our Multiplication Sweets timed test activities.  Please continue to encourage your child to practice his/her multiplication facts.  Afterwards, the students continued to work on our unit created by Ed Zaccaro titled, "The Magic of  Multiplication".  This week, we solved many word problems requiring us to utilize our multiplication facts. 

4th Grade Math

Fourth grade students continued working on our fractions unit.  This week, we continued working on equivalent fractions and reducing fractions to their lowest terms while also looking for patterns within our work.  Ask your child to reduce the following fractions for you:

        3       6       9
       12     18     27

Success is not a destination, but the road that you're on. Being successful means that you're working hard and walking your walk every day. You can only live your dream by working hard towards it. That's living your dream.

                                                                                    --Marlon Wayans

Welcome to January and winter!  What an amazing week of learning the students have had in HA.  The students are making wonderful progress with the continuing units of study, as well as, all of the new concepts introduced this week.

Melissa Valtierra
High Ability Aide
Bailly Elementary School