Area

In Readers' Workshop, students identified "Memory Moments" (flashbacks). We learned that when the author interrupts an action to share a memory, we have to stop and ask ourselves, "Why might this memory be important?" The answers to this question help us infer ideas about conflict and theme.  Ask your child what "conflict" means when we're talking about books (A: something the character struggles with for a long time/ throughout the book).

In Writers' Workshop, students added illustrations to their previous claims/ posts (see below).  The kids learned how to narrow a search to find illustrations from books they've read.  They then used the copy and paste shortcuts to insert images in their posts.  Ask you child the shortcut for copy and paste (A: CTRL + C and CTRL + V).

In Word Study, we explored the meaning of sympathy and identified people and characters who are sympathetic.

In Math Workshop, students collaborated with their math team to discover the formula for area. Next week we will have our Unit 2 Math Assessment.  As always, we'll spend time reviewing in class, and I'll send home a review.  Tentatively, the test is scheduled for Friday.

In Social Studies, students applied their knowledge of good citizenship to help them create an informational comic strip showing a good citizen.

Homework:

• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Unit 2 Math Assessment: Friday, November 6.

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Math Man Link

In Read Aloud, students identified a color to best symbolize Ivan.  This is a great strategy to get kids critically thinking about characters.  At home, encourage your child to pick a color for their main character, have them explain (or write) their choice to you.

In Writers' Workshop, we revised verbs in our personal narratives to ensure powerful first drafts. To support at home, you can have your child explain what verbs are (action, do

ing words).  Have them identify a boring verb and more precise interesting verb.

In Math Workshop, students used reasoning to make sense of equations. We also learned a new rounding game (see below).  One of the stations the kids visit during Math Workshop is the "technology station". This week, they're playing "Math Man- Estimate Sums By Rounding".  This is a fun game, set up like Pac-Man that reinforces concepts we're working on in Unit 2.  For future reference, you can find this game in the "Educational Games" tab.

Spirit Week Schedule 

• Friday: Sports Day

Homework:

• Math Homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Throwback Thursday Tomorrow

In Readers' Workshop, students worked with their literacy partner to closely read The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson.  As they read, students identified characters' actions.  After, students picked the action that they thought was the most indicative of the main character.  They thought critically about this action to help them infer ideas about said character.

 In Writers' Workshop, students added back and forth dialogue to keep their readers engaged.  See a sample below.

In Word Study, students learned a new word we can use to describe people and characters, sympathetic. 

In Math Workshop, students studied basic facts and their extensions, noticing patterns to help them quickly solve problems in the hundreds.

In Social Studies, students explored the responsibilities of citizens.  They use the visible thinking routine, "I used to think... Now I know..." to reflect on their learning. 

Spirit Week Schedule 

• Thursday:  Throwback Thursday
• Friday: Sports Day

Homework:

• Math Homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Wednesday: Riverside Pride

In Readers' Workshop, we read a few excerpts from The One and Only Ivan, paying close attention to what characters do (their actions) to infer ideas about their character traits.

In Writers' Workshop, we looked a Patricia Polacco's Chicken Sunday.  We noticed how she used linking words to write long and strong sentences.  Students then applied this strategy to their personal narratives.

In Math Workshop, students used round to help estimate sums and differences.  At my station, students are solving real world, multi-step problems that involve data. 

In Word Study, students learned a new word to describe characters, melancholic.  Ask your child what this word means, have them identify someone from books, TV, movies etc..

Spirit Week Schedule 

• Wednesday:  Riverside Pride
• Thursday:  Throwback Thursday
• Friday: Sports Day

Homework:

• Math Homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Twinsies

Crazy Hair/ Hat Day.  Tomorrow's Twinsies!

In Readers' Workshop, we read The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, paying close attention to what characters do (their actions) to infer ideas about them.  When your child is reading at home, encourage them to identify characters' actions (doing words) and infer ideas about their character traits.

In Writers' Workshop, we read an excerpt from Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, noticing how she used inner dialogue in her writing to help us get to know August.  We then applied this element of writer's craft to our personal narratives.

In Word Study, students continued their work on CVC words; either sorting, finding, or generating verbs where the last 3 letters are CVC to help them add and spell the word with the appropriate suffix.

During Read Aloud, students used our accountable talk moves to critically think about characters in The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate.

In Math Workshop, students used rounding to help them estimate ballpark sums.

In Social Studies, students used Kiddle.co, a safe internet search engine, to discover where government officials work.

Spirit Week Schedule 

• Tuesday:  Twinsies!
• Wednesday:  Riverside Pride
• Thursday:  Throwback Thursday
• Friday: Sports Day

Homework:

• Math Homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Spirit Week Schedule

In Readers' Workshop, we read Sam and Dave Dig A Hole to practice making claims (a strong statement we believe to be true).  We used evidence from the text and illustrations to defend our thinking and grow ideas.

In Writers' Workshop, students blogged their claims from reading and learned how to comment on others' posts using our accountable talk moves.  Students also learned how to use spell check and "undo" using the keyboard command Ctrl + Z.

In Math Workshop, students worked in teams to solve a real world, multi-step problem involving unknown variables.

In Social Studies, students finished up identifying government officials, using KidRex as our informational resource.

Next week is Spirit Week.  I'll keep the schedule posted to the blog next week. The schedule is also coming home in students' Beaver Folders.

Spirit Week Schedule 

• Monday: Crazy Hair/ Hat Day
• Tuesday:  Twinsies!
• Wednesday:  Riverside Pride
• Thursday:  Throwback Thursday
• Friday: Sports Day

Homework:

• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Next week starts Monday with Crazy Hair/ Hat Day.

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Spirit Week Next Week

In Readers' Workshop, students grew ideas about characters based on their thinking.  At home, encourage your child to identify where characters think.  Ask them what they can infer about the character by zooming in on their thoughts.  Have them give you the most precise character trait they can identify.

In Math Workshop, students used words, pictures, and numbers to show and solve subtraction problems.  We used content, process, and tools words to aid us in writing about our mathematical thinking.

In Social Studies, students used "Kidrex", a safe internet search engine, to identify government officials in Harford County, Maryland, and the United States.

Homework:

• Math homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Next week is Spirit Week! The kids will come home with the schedule tomorrow, in their Beaver Folders.  I'll also post the schedule on our blog.

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Book Clubs Revealed!

In Readers' Workshop, students learned the first book they'll be reading for Book Clubs.  Ask your child what they'll be reading (Chocolate Touch, Stone Fox, Horrible Harry at Halloween, or Diamond Willow)!

In Writers' Workshop, students used "time transitions" to transition to ideas in their personal narratives. You can always encourage your child to write at home.  Show them the picture below and have them use time transitions to tell the squirrels' story.



In Math Workshop, students learned another strategy to show and solve subtraction and addition problems: expanded form.

In Read Aloud, we continued reading our new text, The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate. During this Read Aloud, students all have a copy of the text in front of them; however, I am still reading aloud and modeling comprehension strategies. Students engage in dialogue about characters and plot, as we stop, think, and discuss.

In Social Studies, students identified the 3 levels of government and their respective authority figures.

In Word Study, students engaged in one of the following: an open sort, "word search" (where students search for words and categorize them into groups, or "digging for words" (creating and categorizing their own words).  All of these activities work toward the CVC pattern we discovered in class.

Homework:

• Math homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Pajama Day Tomorrow!

Congratulations to Riverside students!

We filled our ticket tube and the votes are in… winning by one vote, our first school-wide reward will be PJ Day!  We will celebrate this tomorrow, 10/21/15! Please congratulate your child and remind them of this event as well as appropriateness of the PJs and NO slippers.

Homework:

• Math homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Pajama Day: Tomorrow!  Please no slippers.  Thank you, and congratulations students!

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Food For Thought

Below is a video explaining how and why math is taught differently now than it was when we were going up.  With conferences tomorrow, I thought I'd share it with you as "food for thought".  

I am so looking forward to meeting everyone.  Again, please email if you need to reschedule.  See you tomorrow!

Homework:

• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Parent-Teacher Conferences:  Tomorrow
• Unit 1 Math Assessment Sign & Return due ASAP. Thank you to families who've already returned the assessments.  I so appreciate your cooperation! 

Classroom Supplies:

Kidblog Link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Show, Don't Tell

In Writers' Workshop, we looked at our Read Aloud text, Goblins in the Castle.  We noticed how Bruce Coville uses "show, don't tell" to show his characters' emotions and feelings. The kids worked with their literacy partners to generate examples of show, don't tell for an emotion or feeling we frequently use in our writing.  We put these on chart paper (see below) so we can use this strategy today and everyday!  Following our mini lesson, we tried this out in our personal narratives.

In Math Workskhop, students used a hundreds grid to show and solve how to subtract.

Homework:

• Math homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Parent-Teacher Conferences:  Please check your child's Beaver Fold for you assigned time.  If you are not able to attend your scheduled time, please email with your preference.  Please keep in mind that all evening hour appointments are full. 
• Unit 1 Math Assessment Sign & Return due ASAP. Thank you to families who've already returned the assessments.  I so appreciate your cooperation! 
• Food Drive:  Donations are being accepted for any non-perishable food items.  Thank you!
• Kidblog link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Classroom Supplies:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Conference Times

In Readers' Workshop, students payed special attention to what characters say to infer ideas about their character traits.

In Writers' Workshop, we read Saturdays and Teacakes, by Lester Laminack, noticing how he used sound words to transition to ideas.  We then applied this our personal narratives.  

In Math Workshop, students explored equations, the meaning of the equal sign, and discovered expanded notation.  Students' Unit 1 Assessment results are coming home in Beaver Folders today.  Please review with your child, sign and return at your earliest convenience. 

In Social Studies, students used their schema to write from the word "leadership".  This week, we will explore ideas about leadership within our community and the different levels of government.

In Word Study, students applied their knowledge of the "CVC Rule" to sort and generate words that prescribe to this rule.  Ask your child to tell you the rule (A: If the last 3 are CVC, double the letter and add -ed).

Homework:

• Math homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Parent-Teacher Conferences:  Please check your child's Beaver Fold for you assigned time.  If you are not able to attend your scheduled time, please email with your preference.  Please keep in mind that all evening hour appointments are full. 
• Unit 1 Math Assessment Sign & Return due ASAP.
• Food Drive:  Donations are being accepted for any non-perishable food items.  Thank you!
• Kidblog link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Classroom Supplies:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Out of Building Tomorrow

In Readers' Workshop, students payed special attention to what characters say to infer ideas about their character traits.

In Writers' Workshop, we blogged about our reading; creating our first post using character claims.  When you child reads at home, ask them to make a claim about their character.  Claims should use this language, "In the book Goblins in the Castle, by Bruce Coville, William is determined.

In Word Study, students applied letter relationships they noticed yesterday to help them sort words based on their letter patterns.

Students' Math Assessment scores will come home next week.

Homework:

• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• I will be out of the building tomorrow.  Please contact the office regarding any changes in dismissal, etc.. Thank you!
• Please check your child's Beaver Folder for the blue Conference Request Form. Please complete and return and your earliest convenience.  Thank you!
• Conferences:  Thursday, October 15.
• Food Drive:  Donations are being accepted for any non-perishable food items.  Thank you!
• Kidblog link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Classroom Supplies:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Jeopardy!

Here our own winners from Math Jeopardy yesterday!

Homework:

• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Please check your child's Beaver Folder for the blue Conference Request Form. Please complete and return and your earliest convenience.  Thank you!
• Conferences:  Thursday, October 15.
• Food Drive:  Donations are being accepted for any non-perishable food items.  Thank you!
• Kidblog link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Classroom Supplies:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Unit 1 Test Wednesday

In Writers' Workshop, we read Winter is Coming, by Tony Johnston.  We noticed how he used his five senses to describe his setting. We then applied this strategy during a quick write (see below). Eventually, our goal is to be able to do this independently, in our personal narratives.

In Readers' Workshop, we brainstormed a list of character traits.  We'll be using this anchor chart for the rest of the year to help us critically think about characters, relationships, and plot.

In Word Study, students learned a new vocabulary word: irritable.  Ask you child what this word means, for an example from books, TV, real life, etc.

In Math, we spent time reviewing for our test on Wednesday.  The kids had a review coming home today.  They only need to complete the starred problems for homework.

Homework:

• Unit 1 Review, only starred problems
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Unit 1 Math Assessment: Wednesday, October 7
• Please check your child's Beaver Folder for the blue Conference Request Form. Please complete and return and your earliest convenience.  Thank you!
• Conferences:  Thursday, October 15.
• Food Drive:  Donations are being accepted for any non-perishable food items.  Thank you!
• Kidblog link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Classroom Supplies:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Kidblog

October 2, 2015

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Today students created their own blogs.  To do this, I use “Kidblog” which is a private website that does not allow anyone aside from students in our class to view/ comment on student blogs. I am the "Administrator" of all blogs, and can edit, view, etc. all student blogs.  As a class, we will discuss appropriate and inappropriate ways to use these blogs to write and communicate with each other.  I expect students to be respectful and responsible in their use of their blogs.  Students will only be blogging in the classroom, on Fridays.  I have used this website before, and it has been very successful in its purpose.

The purpose of these blogs is to provide students with an authentic audience for their writing as well as a space to publish their thinking. In addition, when blogging, I will teach students basic keyboarding and computer skills. Furthermore, the majority of the writing published on student blogs will be regarding the books students are currently reading.  Again, blogs are a space for students to document their thinking and collaborate with their peers using productive talk moves. Specifically, blogs allow students to comment on and build ideas off of each other’s thinking.  

Please contact me via email if you have any questions or concerns about blogging.  

Blogs:  Today we solely spent time logging onto Kidblog and setting up our blogs.  After getting our blogs set up, many of the kids were pretty excited to show parents at home.  Because I have not taught them how to comment/ post, they are not allowed to do this at home YET :).  However, they can show you their blog.  Under "Reminders" you'll find the link.  Thank you!

Homework:

• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Unit 1 Math Assessment: Wednesday, October 7
• Conferences:  Thursday, October 15.
• Food Drive:  Donations are being accepted for any non-perishable food items.  Thank you!
• Kidblog link:  https://kidblog.org/class/RES11/login

Classroom Supplies:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill

Early Dismissal Tomorrow

Homework:

• Math homework
• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Early Dismissal (12:30) tomorrow
• Unit 1 Math Assessment: Wednesday, October 7
• Food Drive:  Donations are being accepted for any non-perishable food items.  Thank you!

Classroom Supplies:

Thank you,

Mrs. O'Neill