So last week we wrapped up our mini-unit on Animals, and went to the Zoo on Tuesday. You can check out highlights of the zoo trip on our classroom website! Most students have finished their animal reports and presented them during Share Time. The next assignment we’re starting is to write about our favorite...
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Last week we finished up our comic books, screen prints, and recycled ABCs for Art Night, and the hard work paid off! Art Night was a big success, people really enjoyed seeing the projects, and we say “thanks” to the docents who did a good job explaining the artwork. This week’s highlight was Tuesday’s...
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Well we are finally ready for Art Night! Students have finished writing and illustrating their comics, printing their T-shirts, and filming the Recycled ABCs songs. We have all worked hard, and we are very excited to have families and friends come see our works of art this Thursday evening. For Reading, students are working...
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Students in our class have been working hard writing and illustrating their comic books, finishing up the stories and making the covers. They have also made the screen prints of the main characters on paper and on T-shirts. Please visit our classroom website to see some examples, then come to Art Night next Thursday,...
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So we’re working on our comic book stories and the prints of the main characters that will go on the comic book covers and on T-shirts. Each student’s story includes the basic story elements that they figured out on story maps: Who, Where, When, What (problem), and How (problem is solved). We are continuing...
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So we wrapped up our Electricity unit by watching and reviewing slide shows of activities we did in class. These included taking apart the computer, photographing objects in the room that use electricity, making electrical circuits, and static electricity with balloons. Our next unit is about “Government and Making Good Choices”. This unit will...
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It sounds like everyone had a good Spring Break with your families, with many students sharing on Monday what they did during their week off. Before the break, we learned the basics of an electrical circuit and Ms. Harris led the class in some experiments to try to make a light bulb turn on...
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Last week we started our Unique Learning System’s unit on “Electricity”. We read articles about what electricity is and how it’s used in our daily lives. We also read and compared how electricity has made life more convenient today than it was for our ancestors. Mr. Post brought in an old laptop that he...
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Last week we explored some different cultures, particularly Ghana and Bolivia. Ms. Harris brought in “culture boxes” from World Affairs Council for those two countries, and we explored and discussed many interesting items. In one activity, students compared fabric designs from Ghana and Japan, and coins and bills from those two countries. Students also...
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We did many fun activities last week for our “Communities Near and Far” Unit. Mr. Post used to live in Japan and has family there now, so he shared some of his photos, videos, and experiences. Students learned how to make origami “Oni” (ogres or devils), we hung them around the room, then threw...
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Last week for our “Communities Near and Far” unit, we brainstormed a list of common people and places in our local communities and talked about the importance of each job and each place. Then we began working on an art project where we are making our own community map of city blocks. Each student...
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Last week most students were back in class and we continued our “Communities Near and Far” unit. Students also worked hard on making Valentine cards for their classmates and joined celebrations in our room and their other classrooms. We played Valentine Bingo using pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters as markers. For Math on Valentine’s...
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So our classroom was considerably smaller last week with so many students being sick. This allowed for some extra individual work sessions, and some creative breaks from the routine, like going to the Garden to write letters. This Monday most of the students returned, and we are glad they have recovered and we hope...
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Last week we finished our Recycling unit, and most students have completed their “something old into something new” projects, which we are starting to post on the classroom website. They have also enjoyed working on “recycled ABCs”, in which they glued used wrappers, comic strips, straws, Styrofoam and other items onto cardboard cutouts of...
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We are wrapping up our unit on recycling this week by finishing our “something old into something new” projects, and our “recycled ABCs”. As students finish their projects, we will post them onto the classroom website. We are also making “sewer soda”, which sounds gross, but is really made with mint chocolate chip ice...
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We have been collecting a lot of recycled materials for our project of making “something old into something new”, and students have come up with some very creative ideas, They are finishing writing about their projects, and starting to make them. For Art we are also making “recycled ABCs” out of cardboard. As part...
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First, I want to welcome our student teacher, Ariel Harris, to Room 7! Last term she worked in Ms. Swan’s classroom, and since we returned from winter break, Ms. Harris has been in our room getting to know the students. We have started a fun project for our recycling unit this week. Students are...
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Happy New Year to everyone! Last week students and staff returned from Winter Break recharged and ready for school. Many students did a great job on their homework packets, book reports, and writing about their winter breaks to share in class. We also spent some time reviewing classroom rules and routines. For Math, we...
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Last week students used their knowledge of maps to finish making their own “treasure maps”. These will be on display in January on the bulletin board between the Music Room and the Tech Lab. For our geography unit, students are also learning how to use Google Earth and Google Maps. This week we are...
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Last week for our geography unit, we started using the Unique Learning System’s curriculum for learning the basics of maps. We are also exploring how maps work online, especially Google Maps and Google Earth. For Art, students are using this knowledge to make treasure maps, including a “legend” and a “compass rose”, draw symbols...
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From what students shared on Monday, it sounds like everyone had a good Thanksgiving break, and have returned refreshed! Thanks to all of the parents who attended Parent-Teacher conferences to discuss how your children are doing so far, and to collaborate on our next steps. On the Friday before the break, we took our...
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Last week we did some activities related to the election, including viewing a Brain Pop video about voting and working on Reading A-Z leveled readers about elections and President Barak Obama. A highlight was getting to go to Ms. Swan’s booth to cast votes for either Romney or Obama. Some pictures of this are...
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