As the last couple weeks have passed, we have really been in a groove. Students are really hitting their stride during our writing time. All students have been achieving our goal of producing lots of writing, and the quality that they have been producing is fantastic! We will be starting a new writing unit next week. This unit will focus on writing to state and show opinion...get ready for some strong evidence and convincing coming your way!
We have also continued our work studying human body systems. We collected data on the amount of air we can hold in our lungs, and graphed with in relation to the duration that we could hold our breath doing different activities. While this was not necessarily the most credible data ever collected it gave us some very interesting results to discuss. This work was also valuable as it gave us time to practice with the scientific method, collect and review data, and refine some of our analysis skills.
Math has been going quickly. Each day our hour seems shorter. We have two groups currently working in math, one is focused on fractions, and the other on foundation facts. Our foundation facts group is working to build automaticity with the foundation facts in multiplication, and our fractions group is working on understanding how fractions interact with one another, and with whole numbers.
Our reader's workshop time has also been interesting. We have worked really hard on the difference and use of figurative and literal language. It is amazing how astute and observant these students are during our read alouds. We have just recently switched our focus to be on the point of view stories are told by, and we are currently finishing up the first person account of Sam Gribley!
I look forward to seeing all of you next week for our conferences. I have been sending home hard copies, and there is a page tab on the top of this blog with the conference schedule as well. If you still wish to have a conference and don't see you student's name on the schedule, please let me know so we can get one scheduled.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Geez, it has been a long time...
..since I posted! I apologize for the absence. We have continued our hard work, and begun some very interesting investigations.
We are currently in the midst of some writing focus groups. These groups are zooming in on different writing skills to really deepen student understanding of how and why authors use different devices in their writing, and different tools for editing. One group is focused on creating structure for our writing to grow within, adding transition words to pieces of writing, and crafting enticing introductions and mindful conclusions. Another group is working on adding figurative language to illuminate ideas and bring writing to life. Our third group is working on following conventions while writing, these include scouring work for punctuation, and building dictionary skills.
Math has been quite interesting indeed. We are continuing our work on multiplication and division. Most recently we have been investigating the difference between 10 divided by 2, and 1/2 of 10. That is to say that the former is, two even groups of five, while the latter is only 5. This is a tricky but important concept to build to deepen number sense in students. We have also been continuing our work on foundation facts, building fluency and automaticity with these.
The human body is our current focus in discovery. We began by investigating the brain and it's different parts and functions. From there, we have moved to the respiratory system. Our work in this system is focused mostly on the lungs and their capacity, and we have been using an investigative approach to design our own experiments to measure lung volume. This work has also led to engaging and lively discussions about states of matter, conservation of volume, and displacement.
As always, I hope this post finds you well and that you have a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend!
Dave
We are currently in the midst of some writing focus groups. These groups are zooming in on different writing skills to really deepen student understanding of how and why authors use different devices in their writing, and different tools for editing. One group is focused on creating structure for our writing to grow within, adding transition words to pieces of writing, and crafting enticing introductions and mindful conclusions. Another group is working on adding figurative language to illuminate ideas and bring writing to life. Our third group is working on following conventions while writing, these include scouring work for punctuation, and building dictionary skills.
Math has been quite interesting indeed. We are continuing our work on multiplication and division. Most recently we have been investigating the difference between 10 divided by 2, and 1/2 of 10. That is to say that the former is, two even groups of five, while the latter is only 5. This is a tricky but important concept to build to deepen number sense in students. We have also been continuing our work on foundation facts, building fluency and automaticity with these.
The human body is our current focus in discovery. We began by investigating the brain and it's different parts and functions. From there, we have moved to the respiratory system. Our work in this system is focused mostly on the lungs and their capacity, and we have been using an investigative approach to design our own experiments to measure lung volume. This work has also led to engaging and lively discussions about states of matter, conservation of volume, and displacement.
As always, I hope this post finds you well and that you have a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend!
Dave
Friday, February 20, 2015
Another excellent week!
What a week! We finished out our winter fitness fun, finalized our unit on informational writing, practiced math facts, and studied the difference between figurative and literal language.
This week concluded our winter fitness fun. What a fantastic time this has been. Over the five weeks of this program students have learned to ice skate, starting skiing, increased their proficiency nordic skiing, and had a lot of fun. This program was new to us this year, and was grant funded. We will be working hard to keep this program going in the future! We would also like to thank all of the parent volunteers who participated. Parent involvement is so helpful in endeavors like this one.
We have also completed a unit on non-fiction writing. Throughout the course of this unit students have, practiced research and citation, crafting engaging text, adding text features, and created work that they can be proud of! The skills used in this unit will be revisited after our break as we investigate the human body.
While talking about the human body...we are starting a new unit, and our current focus in on the brain. This is such an interesting subject. Thus far we have looked into the Stroop Effect, and investigated the different hemispheres of the brain an what they control. We have also investigated how impulses travel throughout our bodies to deliver sensory input information to our brains.
Finally we are looking into literal and figurative language. For this we are using one of my favorite books The Tiger Rising. This is a Kate DiCamillo book, and throughout it's course she artfully weaves figurative and literal language together. What a great read!
I hope this reader finds you well, and that you have a relaxing and fun February Break!
-Dave
This week concluded our winter fitness fun. What a fantastic time this has been. Over the five weeks of this program students have learned to ice skate, starting skiing, increased their proficiency nordic skiing, and had a lot of fun. This program was new to us this year, and was grant funded. We will be working hard to keep this program going in the future! We would also like to thank all of the parent volunteers who participated. Parent involvement is so helpful in endeavors like this one.
We have also completed a unit on non-fiction writing. Throughout the course of this unit students have, practiced research and citation, crafting engaging text, adding text features, and created work that they can be proud of! The skills used in this unit will be revisited after our break as we investigate the human body.
While talking about the human body...we are starting a new unit, and our current focus in on the brain. This is such an interesting subject. Thus far we have looked into the Stroop Effect, and investigated the different hemispheres of the brain an what they control. We have also investigated how impulses travel throughout our bodies to deliver sensory input information to our brains.
Finally we are looking into literal and figurative language. For this we are using one of my favorite books The Tiger Rising. This is a Kate DiCamillo book, and throughout it's course she artfully weaves figurative and literal language together. What a great read!
I hope this reader finds you well, and that you have a relaxing and fun February Break!
-Dave
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Bus Camera Letter
East Montpelier Elementary School
665 Vincent
Flats Road
East
Montpelier, VT 05651
802-223-7936
Marion Anastasia, Ed.D., Principal
Alicia Lyford, M.Ed., Assistant Principal
February 17, 2015
Dear
Parents/Guardians of EMES Bus Riders,
The
letter is to inform you that First Student will be installing cameras on our
busses over February vacation. Our primary
goal is to transport students safely to and from school. In order to accomplish
this goal, we need the cooperation of our bus riders. Appropriate student behavior while entering,
riding, and leaving the bus contribute to safe transportation. Such conduct makes it possible for the driver
to give full attention to the roadway and other drivers.
Having
cameras on the buses will allow us to monitor the behaviors and enhance the
safety of your children. The EMES Bus
Discipline Policy states “Student behavior may be monitored by video cameras
and other monitoring procedures.” Please
be assured that no persons, except the Administration may view the videos to
protect the FERPA rights of all our children.
Thank
you for your support for helping us with compliance of bus expectations!
Best,
Marion
Friday, February 13, 2015
A chilly and fun week!
This week we all experienced our fourth winter fitness Thursday! We also finished some of our writing. Over the past few weeks students have been working on researching and writing informational books. This work has taken the form of books focused on Vermont. Throughout this unit of study students have practiced elaborating their writing, adding mini-stories to their writing, and verifying facts that they are writing about.
We have also begun a deep investigation into words by practicing "word consciousness." This practice follows us into the books we are reading and encourages us to search for and identify different literary devices the authors employ. Some of our favorites are simile, metaphor, and hyperbole. Check in with your student for their favorite.
On the topic of words and their importance, we have been working on word problems during math. Our focus has been to ascertain what the questions are asking, by focusing on the words used in the problems. From these word problems we have been recording the expressions that will help us solve the problems, solving the problems, and finally checking our answers using the inverse operation of the one we used in the solution.
On a final and celebratory note, we have been working hard on reflection this year, and the fruit of that work is becoming evident. All students are interacting in a mindful manner with one another, and our community is an exceptionally strong one!
As always have a restful and invigorating weekend!
Dave
We have also begun a deep investigation into words by practicing "word consciousness." This practice follows us into the books we are reading and encourages us to search for and identify different literary devices the authors employ. Some of our favorites are simile, metaphor, and hyperbole. Check in with your student for their favorite.
On the topic of words and their importance, we have been working on word problems during math. Our focus has been to ascertain what the questions are asking, by focusing on the words used in the problems. From these word problems we have been recording the expressions that will help us solve the problems, solving the problems, and finally checking our answers using the inverse operation of the one we used in the solution.
On a final and celebratory note, we have been working hard on reflection this year, and the fruit of that work is becoming evident. All students are interacting in a mindful manner with one another, and our community is an exceptionally strong one!
As always have a restful and invigorating weekend!
Dave
Friday, January 30, 2015
Another great week!
This week saw a lot of focused work in our room. Throughout the week students have reflected on work they have done, thought about our learning intentions and set goals for action that they need to take during work time. This sort of authentic engagement always results in quality work, and this week proved this.
Students have been working on two pieces of writing. Both of these are pieces of non-fiction writing, but the focus and purpose of each is different. One of the pieces of writing is about land-forms. In this piece students have worked on researching different land-forms, citing sources, and paraphrasing information. The other piece of writing is about Vermont. In this piece students chose a topic related to Vermont that interests them. These topics range from the Vermont state symbols, to the Green Mountains, and span everything in between. This piece of writing is focused on creating an engaging piece of informational text that engages readers as well as teaches readers important and interesting facts. Our reflection during writing time hinged on thinking about the steps needed to complete these types of writing pieces, self-assessing what parts students have already done, and then determining next steps to follow in order to complete the task at hand.
In math we have continued work on multiplication. Our big focus has been on solving multiplication expressions using the standard American algorithm and procedure. We have been working on solving expression with 2 and 3 digit multiplicands, and 1 and 2 digit multipliers. Through this work, we are practicing using the basic foundation facts (1-digit X 1-digit) and place value to help us solve problems.
During our reflection time, of which we have three daily, we are thinking about the interactions and thoughts we have with one another during our time at school. This practice is to increase self-awareness, and help students understand that the way they treat one another has a direct impact on their own well-being. This process is one that is embraced by many of the students, as they all see to look forward to it.
As always, I hope you have a restful and enjoyable weekend, and if you need to contact me please feel free to!
-Dave
Students have been working on two pieces of writing. Both of these are pieces of non-fiction writing, but the focus and purpose of each is different. One of the pieces of writing is about land-forms. In this piece students have worked on researching different land-forms, citing sources, and paraphrasing information. The other piece of writing is about Vermont. In this piece students chose a topic related to Vermont that interests them. These topics range from the Vermont state symbols, to the Green Mountains, and span everything in between. This piece of writing is focused on creating an engaging piece of informational text that engages readers as well as teaches readers important and interesting facts. Our reflection during writing time hinged on thinking about the steps needed to complete these types of writing pieces, self-assessing what parts students have already done, and then determining next steps to follow in order to complete the task at hand.
In math we have continued work on multiplication. Our big focus has been on solving multiplication expressions using the standard American algorithm and procedure. We have been working on solving expression with 2 and 3 digit multiplicands, and 1 and 2 digit multipliers. Through this work, we are practicing using the basic foundation facts (1-digit X 1-digit) and place value to help us solve problems.
During our reflection time, of which we have three daily, we are thinking about the interactions and thoughts we have with one another during our time at school. This practice is to increase self-awareness, and help students understand that the way they treat one another has a direct impact on their own well-being. This process is one that is embraced by many of the students, as they all see to look forward to it.
As always, I hope you have a restful and enjoyable weekend, and if you need to contact me please feel free to!
-Dave
Friday, January 16, 2015
Zoinks! So much happening....
The past weeks have seen a lot of action. One action filled day was yesterday, our first winter fitness fun day of the year! This was a resounding success, as I chatted with students this morning nearly all had glowing reports, and we still have 4 more of these days to look forward to! We had students who had never skated before gliding on the ice, and kids enjoyed beautiful ski conditions at Bolton, while some nordic skied at Morse Farm, and still others enjoyed sledding and snow games here at school!
We also have been working hard in our classroom. We are in the midst of an informational writing unit, and are creating some books about Vermont. We have worked hard this week on adding stories and elaborated text to our writing, rather than just presenting a "dry toast" piece of writing rich with only facts.
Dividend, divisor, and quotient have been our words of the week! We are working with division and understanding and identifying these parts of a division expression are terribly important. For a refresher (if you need one) check with your student and they will fill you in about which is which.
We are looking forward to another fantastic week next week, and please remember that there is no school for students on Monday and Tuesday. If you need to contact me, please feel free anytime, and as always, enjoy your weekend!
Dave
We also have been working hard in our classroom. We are in the midst of an informational writing unit, and are creating some books about Vermont. We have worked hard this week on adding stories and elaborated text to our writing, rather than just presenting a "dry toast" piece of writing rich with only facts.
Dividend, divisor, and quotient have been our words of the week! We are working with division and understanding and identifying these parts of a division expression are terribly important. For a refresher (if you need one) check with your student and they will fill you in about which is which.
We are looking forward to another fantastic week next week, and please remember that there is no school for students on Monday and Tuesday. If you need to contact me, please feel free anytime, and as always, enjoy your weekend!
Dave
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