Thank you for taking the time to read our classroom blog! I will try to post every couple of weeks with lots of updates on learning and announcements from our classroom. We are REALLY enjoying the "Get-To-Know-You" phase of the beginning of the school year and off to an AWESOME start!!
Thank you to everyone who came to Curriculum Night this past Monday night! If you were unable to attend, important papers came home with your child the next day from our meeting. Please make sure to fill out the Parent Volunteer Forms (green) as soon as possible if you would like to help in our classroom with prep, kids or parties! I'll be reaching out to parents in the next week or so now that we have our official schedule created for each day.
One final detail - if you were not at Curriculum Night, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE sign up for our Remind App text messages/emails! I will use this app frequently to communicate things when I can that are of necessary importance for parents. Lots of reminders and information will be sent via Remind. To join our class, please follow the directions in the picture below. If you have the App, you can also search for "Weckies 2019-2020" to join our class. THANK YOU! (And if you need help, please email me at JenniferPhillips@wlcsd.org and I'll be glad to help get you on board :-)).Readers' Workshop
In RW we are just beginning our launching unit in the Lucy Calkins Readers Workshop series! Mini-Lessons have focused on the following learning targets:
- I can talk about what I'm expected to do in RW (Looks like/Sounds like)
- I can choose a just-right spot to read
- I can identify the qualities of a: wow reader, so-so reader and an oops reader
- I can choose what and how I will read as a second grader
- I can choose what and how I will read will with my partner
- I can take a sneak peek to help me decide how to read my book
- I can practice my sneak peek with a new text
- I can record information about my books into a Book Log
Our Readers' are learning their roles and routines for workshop when we are in a mini-lesson, independently reading and reading with partners. Right now our kids are paired up with readers in partnerships who are reading JUST like them! Each partnership also took time this week to pick their comfy reading spot that they'll use to read together and we brainstormed all of the ways partners can work together.
Writers' Workshop
In WW we are also off to a strong start... we have a room full of great writers!! We really try to emphasize the importance of reading and writing daily and the kids in this class seem to LOVE writing (which is really great!!). Our mini-lessons have focused on the following learning targets:
- I can use the supplies in my classroom to help me do my best written work
- I can talk about what I'm expected to do in WW (Looks like/Sounds like)
- I can write a story about a moment in my life
- I can plan my story by tapping each page and telling each part
- I can think of the main part of my story and tell it bit by bit
- I can write my story with characters thoughts and feelings
- I can copy a writing technique from a favorite author
Math Workshop
In Math Workshop we have done math in a workshop format and we have also done exploratory math stations! In Math we have explored with pattern blocks, geoboards, base-10 blocks and the contents of our math toolkits (tape measure, calculator, money, counting chips and math cards). We have worked with counting on number lines, counting coins (we need practice with this), and filling in number grids (we used number scrolls to go from 1 to 1200!). We have also learned to play a few games like: The Number Line Squeeze and Addition Top-It. Our students especially love the math games to reinforce concepts taught in the lessons.
Word Study
In Word Study we have begun looking at vowels and the many sounds that they can make (long and short) and how as a reader we can decode which sound to make. We have also talked about onsets and rimes and how when we know a familiar pattern at the end of a word, it helps us to read other words! Students have worked with partners to do word lists where they have had to put together word parts to make a complete word (a real word).
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| Birthday board is up - and of course a class favorite! |
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| Everyone has signed our promise - we are ready to be SUPERSTARS! |
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| Each child will be featured this year on our Main Moose board - Mrs. Weckstein has started our year of features! |
