Ms. Hall

May 7, 2012
Dear Parents,

I hope that everyone had a terrific weekend. Thank you to Ruth’s dad for being our mystery reader last week! Also, Happy Mother’s day to all the moms and grandmas! Enjoy your day this Sunday! A few reminders for this week:

• Please send the field trip $$ no later than tomorrow if you have not done so already. The cost of the trip for Thursday is $10 (you are welcome to send $15 for the last two trips if you like.) Please have your child bring a lunch on that day.
• This is the boys’ month for snacks. Please donate snacks if you are able.
• Continue to return (and exchange) the traveling library book bags on Tuesdays.
• I will send home the Mystery Reader calendar today. If you would like to read, please return the calendar by tomorrow. I am flexible on the time of day, just let me know what works for you!
• Please send $1 with your child if they are in need of a replacement for their green homework folder.

This week we are continuing with “The Mouse and the Motorcycle.” In writing we are still working on poetry. We will focus on identifying the ingredients of a poem, including experimenting with line breaks, seeing things in a new way, choosing a big topic and identifying a small moment or object that holds that same feeling. In reading we will work on the reading strategy compare and contrast. We will read a story called “The Dot.” We will work on identifying base words and adding endings to words. Students will learn how to double the final consonant and drop the e when adding endings. In math we are working on fractional parts. Students are learning that fractional parts must be equal parts of a whole. I am not teaching the notation with numerator and denominator until students have a firm grasp on the foundational concept of fractions. Students will also learn about the long e sound spelled with a y and ie. We will celebrate a FULL marble jar with a special showing of “The Mouse and the Motorcycle.” In science we will observe two aquatic plants and discuss components necessary in setting up an aquatic habitat.

Have a great week!
Heather

I hope that everyone had a terrific week. Thanks so much for making it to report card pick up this week. It was great to see everyone and talk about the progress that the students have made and are making. Thanks again to all the parents who were able to fill out the CPS surveys. There are a few notes for the week:
• Everyday Mathematics is offering free game apps from the Itunes store starting tomorrow. The promotion will last through the 27th.
• I will not be in school on Thursday of this week. I will be attending an RtI workshop.
• Thank you to Ruth’s mom and Lea Sophie’s mom for teaching us about unique animals groups and cell formation last week. We are lucky to have some super smart scientist moms!
• Please return unwanted Lifetouch pictures or payment asap.
• Students will bring home their handwriting books this week, as well as some of the writing we have been working on.
• There is a PTA meeting tonight. Please attend. The meeting starts at 6 pm and childcare is provided.
• Please return traveling book bags tomorrow and remind your child to wear gym shoes on Wednesday and Friday.

This week we will be reading poems that will inspire us to write more of our own poems. We will read the poem “A Fish’s Wish” and “Bugs”. We will also continuing reading the classic The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary. We are working on the reading strategy sequencing this week. We are reading several selections about the life cycle of a butterfly. We will also work on the spelling patterns oo, ou and ew. In math we are spending some additional time working with money (dollar and cents notation) and learning about the dollar. We will take the unit 7 assessment today. We will also make spinners and discuss probability and graphing. In writing, we will start a unit on poetry. We will listen for line breaks and hearing the music in poetry. Children will work in small groups to make observations about simple objects like tape dispensers and pencil sharpeners. In science we will continue to make observations and discuss changes in plant growth.

Heather

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Thanks so much to all of the families who were able to attend the Ray School Festival. It was a lot of fun. I think we painted 100+ faces over the course of the evening. I hope you enjoyed your weekend!

A few reminders for the week:
• Thank you to all of the families that were able to donate glue sticks, Clorax disinfecting wipes and sharpened pencils.
• Report Card Pick-Up is scheduled for this Wednesday from noon to 6 pm. I am posting the schedule on the classroom blog. I also wrote your scheduled time on the calendar inside your child’s Ray School folder.
• There is a PTA meeting scheduled for Monday, April 23rd at 6 pm.
• Please return the student release forms I sent home last week. There are two sides to the form. Thank you for your help.
• I will submit Scholastic book orders on Thursday.
• Please read the attached article Exercise Balls Keep Students Focused. If you are interested in sending in an exercise ball for your child to sit on, please do. I would like to try out exercise balls in the classroom in lieu of chairs to see how it works. Exercise balls can be purchased online, as well as in sporting good stores.

This week we will read two selections from the reading series: Around the World in a Day and Whistle for Willie. We will work on the reading strategy cause and effect. We will learn about the sound oo in words like pool, good, look and food. We will practice reading words with the pattern consonant-vowel-consonant. In writing we are working on writing letters to members of our families. We will learn the poem Pet Snake and add it to our poetry journal. In math we will begin to discuss 3-D shapes including pyramids, cones, cubes, spheres, cylinders and prisms. In science this week we will record observations of the rye and alfalfa seeds we planted, as well as recording observations of the wheat seeds we planted in straws. Thank you in advance to Chris Andrews for volunteering to share her unique group of animals and teach the children how animals’ bodies are similar and different. Have a great week and see you on Wednesday!

Heather (hahall@cps.edu)

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I hope everyone had a great weekend. I ran the Shamrock Shuffle this weekend! It was a lot of fun! I was lucky that the weather was pleasant, as it is quite a bit cooler today. Please continue to check the forecast daily and dress your child appropriately for outdoor brain boost.

A few reminders for the week:
• There is a PTA meeting tonight at 6:30 pm. Pizza will be served at 6 pm and childcare is available.
• Tomorrow our class will go the Book Fair. If you would like to have your child buy books, please send the money in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and $ amount in the green folder. I will distribute the envelopes before we go to the book fair.
• Thursday is picture day. If you would like to choose a specific pose for your child, please return the picture form by Thursday. No money is due at this time. You will be able to preview the pictures before purchasing.
• We could use donations of glue sticks and sharpened pencils.
• Spring Break is next week. There will not be any homework over break other than read, read, read!! Enjoy the time off with your child!

This week we will read two selections about animals: How Bat Learned to Fly and Amazing Animals. We will work on the reading strategy drawing conclusions. We will learn about words with r-controlled vowels such as er, ur and ir. We will practice more with segmenting syllables and changing middle sounds in words to make new words. In writing we are working on All About books and How To books. In handwriting we will finish up the handwriting book with number writing practice. We will learn the tongue twister Betty Botter and add it to our poetry journal. In math we will use the student reference book, look for objects 1 cm and 10cm long, discuss data collection (median and range) and take the unit 6 assessment. In social science this week we will continue to talk about changes over time, specifically changes in transportation and changes in communities. In science we will finish the animal research flipbooks and share what we have learned. We will continue with our unit on living things/new plants after break! Have a great week!

Heather (hahall@cps.edu)

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Dear Parents and Families,

I hope that everyone had a great weekend. We had a super week last week. Today we are taking our trip to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Gospel Choir. We are really excited. Thanks to JunYuan’s mom for volunteering to accompany us!

A few notes for the week:
• March is the girls’ month for snack.
• Please donate glue sticks if you can.
• On Friday I will send home a report of how many checks (reminders for following classroom rules) your child received over the course of the week. Please talk to your child about appropriate behaviors for the classroom/school. The students are rewarded weekly for good behavior with choice time.
• Please return a signed copy of your child’s progress report.
• Please consider keeping an extra set of clothes at school or in your child’s book bag for accidents that might happen.
• We are sending home the plants we have been growing with an instruction sheet. Enjoy caring for them at home!

This week we will work on using story clues to draw conclusions about a text. We will read Christina’s Work and Tomas Rivera. The students will complete an inference map to work on the reading strategy drawing conclusions. We will review contractions ‘ve and ‘re. In phonics we will work on the long o sound spelled oa and ow. We will talk about items from long ago and how they compare to things of today. We will also work on word choice for future tense. In handwriting we will review abbreviations for the months of the year and capitalization. In writing we will continue with final copies of our how to books and write about a job we would like to have in the future. In math we will work on basic facts using the fact triangles, addition/subtraction facts table and playing the fact power game. We will also learn about the centimeter and explore pattern blocks. We will read several books in celebration of Women’s History Month including I Could Do That! The Story of How Ester Morris Got Women the Right to Vote, Annie Oakley Saves the Day, and The Librarian of Basra. We will learn the poem Crocodile and continue working on animal research in science.

Have a super week!

Heather (hahall@cps.edu)

I hope you had a restful and relaxing weekend. I continue to see lots of growth in all of the students. Keep working on reading and writing at home. Find time to practice reading and writing in ways that are meaningful and enjoyable. I am excited about having a full five days of school this week! A few notes for the week:

• If you have not updated your contact information electronically yet, do so by visiting our classroom blog or through the following (super long) link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGsxTm5zZnZWV3hld3VfUjVJZUFScXc6MQ#gid=0
• March is the boys’ month for snack donation.
• Please check your child’s folder for homework and notices nightly. Also, please have a peek at your child’s agenda book. The students should record their weekly sight words, as well as homework reminders and personal notes periodically from myself and other teachers.
• Please pay for our upcoming field trip if you have not already. The trip is March 12th and is $13.
• Thank you to all of the families that came out Thursday night for the African American Histiry Gallery Walk and Poetry Slam. It sounds like it was a huge success.
• The mystery reader calendar will be sent home today. Please mark the dates you are available to read, if you would like to volunteer for the month of March. Thank you to Lea-Sophie’s mom for reading on Friday.
• Don’t forget we have library tomorrow.
• Traveling book bags will also go home tomorrow. Please return any clear bags you have at home.

This week we will read a selection called The Big Trip. We will review the reading skill compare and contrast and work on asking questions while reading. We will learn the poem Sleep Baby Sleep. In phonics we will learn about the sounds for the following spelling for long e: ee, ea, y and e_e. We will learn about the sounds for –ng and –nk. We will review proper nouns. In math we will learn about the routine called What’s my Rule? and learn how to use the addition/subtraction facts table. We will also work on addition facts and discuss the importance of fact power. We will play Beat the Calculator and Coin Exchange. In writing we will learn about editing using periods, parentesis and colons. In social studies we will learn about resources. In science we are looking closely at the seeds we have planted and adding to our seed journals to record what we observe. We will also make our animal research folders.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at hahall@cps.edu

Homework:

Questions to Ask:

• Can you think of any words with the long e sound?  Can you think of any words that rhyme with seed? Can you think of any words that end in the long e sound like baby?
• Can you remember a time that you went on a trip?  How did you get there?  Did you go by land, sea or air?
• What are the turn around facts for the following facts: 3+4=7, 9+1=10, 2+6=8?
• What is a doubles fact?  Name a fact with a sum of 10?
• What is a resource?
• What changes have you observed in your seed planting?