Spring Has Sprung!

It has been a very, very busy few weeks in room 24.  We have wrapped up our study of the weather, and Mrs. Merten was very impressed with our science tests.  In the next week we will begin to learn about Magnetism and Electricity. We will even build some simple circuits!

In Social Studies, we finished our study of the west, and got to enjoy some mining just like the "Forty-Niners".  We really enjoyed this activity, and we got to take some gems home with us today!  We will be taking a test on the West Region this Thursday.

In Reading, we are wrapping up our interactive read aloud, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.  This is a wonderful story about friendship, and we have really enjoyed reading it.  While reading this book, we focused our learning on character's motivation (what they do and why), author's message, and reading with expression.  We have read this book using a reader's theater model, and we've really enjoyed it.

We have been working hard to wrap up our poetry writing in time for our Coffeehouse on June 7th.  We think you will be very impressed with all that we've written this year!

Lastly, we are all excited to welcome a new student, Casey, to our class on Tuesday.  We are all very excited to meet him!


From the Teacher's Desk

One reason I love the spring is that we have developed a wonderful community that supports one another.  By this time in the year, the children work very well together, and are clear about the expectations for our class.  Learning is at its best.  The children are excited about the new topics and they know what their responsibilities are.  

 As you know, the focus of this year was "independence and responsibility".  I am pleased with how the children have grown in both of these areas. Despite this growth, homework has continued to be problematic for many students.  This spring, I've noticed that there is an even bigger increase in missing or incomplete homework assignments. Please take a minute to discuss homework with your child.  The year will end soon, and I'd love it to be with positive steps toward homework completion.  I truly appreciate all of the support you provide.

Our Week in Review

Happy Birthday to our May birthdays ~Dylan, Holly, Matthew, and Tyler!

What a week we had! Miss Liz, our poet in residence, spent TWO days with us teaching us poetry.  She gave us some fabulous ideas on how to use our imaginations to write poetry.  Then we were able to learn about reciting poetry to an audience through an "Open Mic" session on Thursday.  Mrs. Merten was very impressed with our poems.  Miss Liz talked about the "Journey of the Journal" and suggested we all try to keep a journal over the summer.  She even shared her journals with us.  We also learned an oral poem/chant called "The Poetry Bus".  You can find a video of part of that below.

Miss Liz with her "stones" discussing Poetry in the "oral tradition"

Below, Miss Liz is showing students how to read their poetry aloud.

Here, Miss Liz is reading our poems and sharing her thoughts

 Here we are working on our first poems, thinking about our "stone" and using it for inspiration.

Remember, "Poem like a plate!"

 

Here is Miss Liz doing the "Poetry Bus" chant with us!