Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you to the Franklin Veterinary Clinic for their Awesome presentation yesterday!

Our Speeches today were fantastic!  The children had the option of being video taped giving their speech or having a photo taken.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Highlight of our Week

Our week was filled with many fun activities.  We started reading Little Dog, Lost during Reading.  During Writing we worked on a Thanksgiving project.  We had our Mexico and Multiplication tests.  Mrs. Merten was very proud of our performance on the math test! Parents can see the questions from the test by asking your child to log into the Pearson website.

The highlight of our week was a visit from Mrs. Silvia from the Haffenreffer Museum at Brown University.  She spent TWO HOURS with our class, telling us about archaeology and how archaeologists find information to tell us about the people who lived in various places long ago.  This program set the stage for 3 other visits we will have from Mrs. Silvia.  She will come throughout the year and become our "anthropologist in residence".  She will teach us about various Native American tribes in the US.  We are very thankful to the Kennedy PCC for funding this awesome opportunity for us!
Below are some pictures of her time with us.

Nouns

Below is a video about nouns.  This may look familiar to some parents!  I have asked the children to watch this video throughout out unit.  It may help to solidify their understanding.

Our Week In Review

This week we have be working really hard!  Below is a curriculum update ~


Math Update:

• We have really worked hard to understand the concepts of multiplication.  Using the blocks, drawings and window boxes can be challenging, but we are doing well!  Next week, we have an assessment in math, and we will be spending Monday-Thursday reviewing what we have learned.  Below are two videos.  One shows how to use the blocks to solve a multiplication problem and the second shows how to use the "window boxes" model.  These should help with homework.

• Practicing multiplication facts continues to be very important.  A link to xtra math  has been placed under "Curriculum Links". Students received a code on Friday, and have the opportunity to practice facts at home.  Students will be rewarded with chips in class for completing these activities.  Occasionally students may have "xtramath" practice assigned for homework.  Please let me know if computer/internet access may be a challenge, and we can make other arrangements. 

Reading Update:

• This week, we began reading our next Interactive Read Aloud, Little Dog, Lost.  While reading this book, we will be focusing on the topics of theme, author's craft, and figurative language. We will introduce other topics as we continue with this novel.

Writing Update:

• We have been working diligently on planning for our fiction stories.  We have developed our characters (both inside and out), have determined the character's problem, and established a setting.  Next week we will finish planning and begin drafting these stories.  
• In order to improve our writing, we have been working at "reading like writers", looking at the books we are reading as writers.  This will help us when writing our own fiction stories.
• During Poetry Workshop, we finished writing our Penguin Cinquains with partners. We also began writing acrostic poems with a November theme.  Check back soon for some published poems!

Science/Social Studies Update:

• We have finished learning about Mexico, and have our assessment scheduled for next week.  We also began learning about Heredity.  Students were asked to bring a family picture to school on Monday.  This picture can be of your immediate family or of ancestors (grandparents, great grandparents).  We will look at these pictures on Monday and look for family resemblances. 

Technology Update

• During Technology workshop last week and this week, we learned about blogging.  Students were all given a blog on the website "kidblog".  We discussed digital citizenship, and specifically never putting last names or pictures of themselves on the blog.  The teacher has to read the blogs in order to allow them to be published.  Mrs. Merten will also have to read any/all comments posted before they are "live".  Students are very excited about this, and are looking forward to reading your comments. In the future, we may have weekly blog updates from our students.  You can find our blog posts here, and can also access the link under the "curriculum links" gadget.

Author Alert!- Jeff Kinney Author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books!

From Brookline Booksmith Diary of a Wimpy Kid #9: The Long Haul went on sale this week, and so did tickets to our 11/16 event with Jeff Kinney! Up to THREE tickets are FREE with the purchase of a book! This event is going to be unlike anything we've ever done here at Brookline Booksmith, with numerous activities and photo ops all around the store...and at the end of the line, you get to meet the creator of the books, Jeff Kinney! Be sure to call or stop by the store soon to purchase your copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, and get your free tickets to this one-of-a-kind book signing! This will be a ticketed event for up to 800 people. Everyone in line will be required to have a ticket (no exceptions!). Tickets are free with the purchase of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. Each book purchase is good for up to three tickets per family. Nobody will be admitted to the event without a ticket. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis. ***TICKETS CAN ONLY BE COLLECTED OR PURCHASED IN STORE OR ON THE PHONE; WE WILL NOT BE SELLING ANY TICKETS ONLINE. THEY MUST BE COLLECTED IN PERSON. ***

brookline booksmith www.brooklinebooksmith.com 279 Harvard St. Coolidge Corner, Brookline an easy block from the Coolidge Corner T-stop on the C line 617.566.6660 thestore@brooklinebooksmith.com Dana Brigham, Co-owner and Store Manager Come visit us any time!  And by any time, we mean - Monday - Thursday: 8.30 am - 10 pm Friday: 8:30 - 11pm Saturday: 9 am - 11 pm