Exploring Coins

Today we set time aside to explore and identify coins. The boys and girls worked in pairs to observe and take notes about the coins.














We came back together and shared with each other what we observed about each coin.


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Early Release on Thursday

School will be dismissed at 11:30 this Thursday for parent/teacher conferences.  However, since it is a month earlier than usual and we only are allotted 3 hours compared to 7 hours,  I will plan on meeting some of my parents at a later date.

If you didn't receive this letter from me, we will get together later in October.  However, if you feel we need to talk now, please do not hesitate to send me an email to schedule a time to meet.

DOG cupcakes

A very special friend of mine has started a small cupcake business to raise money to go to Haiti with a friend who is adopting two boys from there.  Anyway, she was making these for someone's birthday party and thought of us!  She surprised us Tuesday morning with them for FREE!!  They were so yummy.  Thank you, Paige Dorr, for being so sweet!

I am paying her to make HEDGEHOG cupcakes for us on Friday because there is a special birthday on  Saturday, September 21.   Who could it be?  

Skip Counting to 1000

 We've spent a lot of time this week skip counting to 1000.  We also reviewed odd and even. 

 This coming week, we will focus on place value and expanded form.  Identifying coins is also on the agenda!  

Sentence Buddy Lesson

The boys and girls created Sentence Buddies today to help them understand the structure of a sentence.  

IPODS

It's been an eventful week....balls, IPODS., and substitutes!!  The children have enjoyed having free time to explore apps on their IPODS.  Next week, we will start using them for actual assignments.  If you want to purchase your child a case for their IPod, it is the 4th generation.

The balls are here, and we're bouncing to brilliance!

The children are doing fabulous!  Actually, it's been quite amazing.  We need 7 more balls!  4 45cm and 3 55 cm.  

Checks are ready!

I found out at 5:00 PM on Tuesday evening that I was approved to go a workshop that is being offered for reading coaches in the Decatur City School System.  After lots of kicking and screaming as a regular classroom teacher, I was offered a spot!!  I've gone by each morning to check on my Coondogs and explain to them why I've had to be out!  They have been super for my subs!  I've heard nothing but positive feedback.  Therefore, I've spent my evening writing  hefty checks for them to cash tomorrow!!  

Classroom Store

We had another successful day of shopping last Friday!!  

The children are loving it!  We have had some awesome items sent in to encourage good behavior!!  Thank you, parents!!

We appreciate Jacob's grandmother and Abby's mother for running it!  You gals did a fabulous job!  

Visualization

We read The Bad Case of Stripes and visualized what we would look like if we had a "bad case of stripes."  

Getting to Know You

Finally, we've all shared our backpacks from the first week of school!  I really enjoyed learning more about my students!!

Comprehension Strategy: Visualization

Today, I read the this poem to the students.  To spice things up, I stopped reading it before the last line.  The children drew the mental picture they created in their heads while I was reading it.  After sharing their visualizations, I reread the poem, but this time I added the last line!  Then, they drew their "new" visualization.  They LOVED it! 

Guess My Number

We played "Guess My Number" with number lines today.  They took turns picking a number and then coming up with clues using less than (<), greater than (>), odd, and even to help their partner "guess" the number.

Introducing Time

We compared the two different kinds of clocks. We reviewed and focused on our daily schedule as a Coondog.





The children explored with clocks. They worked with partners to tell time to the hour.








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Daily 5: Read to Self

We spent a lot of time role playing what "read to self" should look like. Our goal is to build our stamina up to at least 15 minutes.






We completed 3 minutes, gathered on the carpet, discussed and evaluated the 3 minutes. After much discussion, they begged me to let them shoot for 4 minutes. Did we do it? Ask your child!





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GRAND OPENING

 We made our first trip to the bank today to cash the checks the boys and girls received for their FABULOUS behavior this week.

 After visiting the bank, they went shopping and paid the store clerk for their purchases.  

 Thanks to all the wonderful parents who sent items in today to make the store a TRUE success!

Believe it or not, we had some SAVERS today because they eyed items in the $12-$20 dollar baskets.  

Happy Birthday, GIRLS!

We celebrated two birthdays today at school.  Frances brought donuts to celebrate her birthday which is on Sunday, and Nellie brought cupcakes at lunch for her birthday which was TODAY!  We sang to both girls this morning, and they blew out a candle together.  

All About Me Glyphs

 The students created pictures of themselves that didn't look like themselves!  They LOVED it.

 The color of your hair was determined by your birthday month, the number of freckles you had was determined by how many letters were in your name, the color of your eyes was determined by how you got to school, etc.

 They had to tally the results once they were all displayed.  They had to determine how many students had siblings, how many people had last names that began with A-J and K-Z, and how many students rode in a car to school.  They worked great on this assignment.  FUN!!

Getting to Know Each Other

 Thursday, each child had a handful of M&M's.  He/She sorted them into colors to determine what he/she had to share about himself/herself to the rest of the class.  For example, if I had three brown ones, I would share 3 hobbies of mine.