Super Bowl Jersey Day 2017
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
If you know me, then you know I love sporting my Dallas Cowboys jersey anytime!! It has been so much fun goofing off with each other on which team is the best! Silly rabbits, the Dallas Cowboys are the best!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Per our school principal, students and staff at Heroes ES will be allowed to wear a jersey or team shirt of your choice on Wednesday, February 1st, and dress code will be relaxed for this day.
Pants, shorts, skirts, etc. will need to be within dress code and
jerseys or shirts must be appropriate for school 😁😁!!!
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Last week, I decided to remove 4 tables from our room to make more space for my kiddos to have more learning spaces. I've used flexible seating (crates, Ikea stools, Ikea toad stools, and pillows) in my room for years, but we have always been crammed into tight spaces with so many tables.
Each year, I have always given my students the option to sit on the carpet, stand at their seats, or move to a learning area to make their learning more engaging and collaborative. This year, I decided to take it one step further and take away assigned seats, unless requested by student or parent, or required on an IEP, 504, etc. Students have the option to sit anywhere they want. They chose a starting spot and then they can move around if they feel restless, bored, or need to adjust for their learning style. This has made a huge difference in my room!
I've included some pictures below. The room is not done. I'm still looking for a loveseat or 2 armchairs and our coffee table is still a work in progress, but so far, so good. It's exciting to watch third graders take responsibility for their learning and have the option to decide what helps them focus and learn best. Enjoy!
Each year, I have always given my students the option to sit on the carpet, stand at their seats, or move to a learning area to make their learning more engaging and collaborative. This year, I decided to take it one step further and take away assigned seats, unless requested by student or parent, or required on an IEP, 504, etc. Students have the option to sit anywhere they want. They chose a starting spot and then they can move around if they feel restless, bored, or need to adjust for their learning style. This has made a huge difference in my room!
I've included some pictures below. The room is not done. I'm still looking for a loveseat or 2 armchairs and our coffee table is still a work in progress, but so far, so good. It's exciting to watch third graders take responsibility for their learning and have the option to decide what helps them focus and learn best. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 26, 2017
I've updated and added additional links,in the right hand sidebar area of this page, for the websites that we use the most in the classroom. Think Central is for our math program and Pearson is for our reading program. You can access your child's account and follow their progress on assessments. I sent home a paper, a few months ago, with your child's username and password. If you do not have that page, your child should be able to log you in. They all know their information and how to log in.
In Think Central, please be aware that any assignments that have the word "pretest" in them, are not counted as a grade. Pretest are used to guide my instruction and identify the areas we need to focus the most on. Grades are given on Posttest and Mid Chapter Checkpoint Quizzes.
In Pearson, all assessments are counted as a grade. The unit and weekly assessments are to measure your child's comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar on our reading stories. We listen to the story together and discuss, twice each week. Students are also assigned listening to the story during station rotations. Students are also allowed to use their reading textbook to answer each test question. It is my expectation that students score within 80-100% on these assessments, based on the amount of time spent reading and discussing the stories and students using the text to support them.
In Think Central, please be aware that any assignments that have the word "pretest" in them, are not counted as a grade. Pretest are used to guide my instruction and identify the areas we need to focus the most on. Grades are given on Posttest and Mid Chapter Checkpoint Quizzes.
In Pearson, all assessments are counted as a grade. The unit and weekly assessments are to measure your child's comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar on our reading stories. We listen to the story together and discuss, twice each week. Students are also assigned listening to the story during station rotations. Students are also allowed to use their reading textbook to answer each test question. It is my expectation that students score within 80-100% on these assessments, based on the amount of time spent reading and discussing the stories and students using the text to support them.
Classroom Facebook Page
The classroom Facebook page is up and running! I am pleased to say that 7 out of 16 parents have friended the page. I am still waiting on a few parents to accept their Friend Request, if they chose. I have the setting set to very private, so you may not see a Friend Request button at the top. If that happens, please email me at school or text me through Remind and I will adjust the settings to accept your request and then turn the privacy settings back on. I hope you enjoy the page!
Monday, January 16, 2017
Camp Lejeune students will have off February 2nd and 3rd, rather than off only on February 3rd. Teachers have math training for those two days. The original school calendar, which is posted under the Calendars tab, shows that students are off on February 3rd and 6th. The District changed it so that now students are off Feb 2 and 3 and they WILL attend school on February 6th. I'm not sure if the district sent out updated calendars. If you have any questions you can contact the Superintendents office or Heroes school office.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
I have uploaded the December Specials/PLC Calendar and the December Newsletter. Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!!
Saturday, November 19, 2016
In the month of October, students began working on a Project Based Learning (PBL) activity for the 2016 Presidential Election. The objective of the PBL was for students to learn how to become informed voters. Students began the PBL by learning about the 3 Branches of Government, the roles and responsibilities of each branch, and what groups made up each branch. This was a vital part of the PBL, since students would spend time researching and participating in activities related to the Executive and Legislative Branch.
Students spent the month learning about the history of the Republican and Democrat Parties, the candidates for each party, the biographies for each candidate and how each candidate felt about issues related to our country. Students researched the issues of Economy, Defense, Taxes, Education, and Healthcare and compared each candidates views.
Using Close Reading strategies, research skills, graphing activities, and technology, students were able to develop an understanding of each candidate. From that point, we spent time learning about the difference between a popular vote and the Electoral College.
To wrap up the Election Process PBL, students participated in a mock election on November 8th. Each student casts their vote on a private paper ballot. Results were tallied, with the entire grade level present, and the result were 21 votes for Hillary Clinton and 28 votes for Donald Trump. Using those numbers students created a bar graph to compare their votes. On Wednesday, November 9th, students used a U.S. map and recorded the number of Electoral Votes per state and then colored in how each state voted.
Spending time working with students on this PBL was so rewarding. Students were able to discuss issues and concerns with each other and with their families. I even had a few parents that mentioned their child informed them that they were voting for the wrong candidate. When they questioned their child as to why they thought that, the student was able to inform them based off of the information they learned through this PBL.
I hope you enjoy the pictures below. There are a lot of them!
Students spent the month learning about the history of the Republican and Democrat Parties, the candidates for each party, the biographies for each candidate and how each candidate felt about issues related to our country. Students researched the issues of Economy, Defense, Taxes, Education, and Healthcare and compared each candidates views.
Using Close Reading strategies, research skills, graphing activities, and technology, students were able to develop an understanding of each candidate. From that point, we spent time learning about the difference between a popular vote and the Electoral College.
To wrap up the Election Process PBL, students participated in a mock election on November 8th. Each student casts their vote on a private paper ballot. Results were tallied, with the entire grade level present, and the result were 21 votes for Hillary Clinton and 28 votes for Donald Trump. Using those numbers students created a bar graph to compare their votes. On Wednesday, November 9th, students used a U.S. map and recorded the number of Electoral Votes per state and then colored in how each state voted.
Spending time working with students on this PBL was so rewarding. Students were able to discuss issues and concerns with each other and with their families. I even had a few parents that mentioned their child informed them that they were voting for the wrong candidate. When they questioned their child as to why they thought that, the student was able to inform them based off of the information they learned through this PBL.
I hope you enjoy the pictures below. There are a lot of them!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
I have uploaded the November Specials/PLC calendar and newsletter. Take a moment to look at the Home School Letter for Chapter 1. It gives a short synopsis of what students will be working on in Unit 1. Unit 1 contains only one chapter, however, it has 12 lessons within the chapter, so it will take a good part of November to complete, especially with days off.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
We have spent the past 7 weeks working on becoming fluent in multiplication! They have learned how to use repeated addition, make arrays, skip count on a number line, make equal groups, and use properties of multiplication (Commutative, Distributive, & Associative). Students are working with square tiles to help them make arrays to solve problems. In the pictures below, they are using square tiles to make arrays to help them solve for an unknown factor in an equation.
This concept can be taught at home, using any small objects (buttons, coins, cereal, etc.) Any object that can be easily used to make straight rows and columns, can be used. Students know that in multiplication, the first factor is the number of groups (rows) and the second factor is the number in each group. So, if the equation was 6 x 4, students should have 6 rows (each row is a group), with 4 objects in that row (group). If they line up their array straight, then they should easily be able to find the product. In this case, the product would be 24.
If you do not have objects at home for your child to use, they can always use this same concept by drawing arrays on a sheet of paper. The process is still the same.
If you do not have objects at home for your child to use, they can always use this same concept by drawing arrays on a sheet of paper. The process is still the same.
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