Groundhog Day!

Goodbye January, Hello February!
Groundhog Day is this Thursday, February 2nd. It is said that if Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, sees his shadow, then there will be 6 more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, then we are in for an early spring.

Make a prediction.  What do you think will happen this February?

Math Addition Facts

Click on image to make larger.  This week we will be spending a lot of time with math facts to better familiarize ourselves with adding numbers and recognizing patterns.  This week we will be focusing on the first two columns and rows (adding by 0 and 1).  The addition facts highlighted in pink will be discussed as well. 

This Week's Homework 1/30

Click on the image above to enlarge print.

Let it Snow!

How quickly the snow has come and gone...  Some students were disappointed that the snow went away so quickly.  We decided to experiment on our own after spending time reading Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day.  After a classroom book talk envisioning the story and making personal connections, we decided to create some insta-snow of our own!  Check out the video below to see what we created during extended day on Tuesday and Wednesday.  A zip-lock bag will be sent home Monday so that you can share in the excitement!

*Unlike the story, this snow can last and last and last.  If it turns into a powdery substance, just add water and watch it transform back into snow!  At first it felt like sugar.  When we added water, it felt like snow.  It was fluffy and felt cold.  We don't recommend keeping it in your pocket like Peter did.

Chinese New Year

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy New Year!

We are learning all about the Chinese New Year during our shared reading with our National Geographic Explorer.  During extended day, we designed and created our own dragon.

Watch the video above to listen to a girl read aloud one of my favorite stories about fortune cookies.  You can follow along as she reads. The girl, Tia, reads like a storyteller.  She is reading to her friend, just like we read to our partners at school.  Let me know how you like the story!

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Opinion Writing: Persuasive Letters and Speeches

Our writing center has turned into a post office!  We have been writing so many letters.
*Thank you to all who donated stamps and envelopes.  You really made our workshop highly motivating for students work. We have been using special stationary to write our letters on too!

We began this unit by thinking about things we like and don't like; what we want and don't want.
We've been reading many stories to help us learn how to be persuasive:
Dr. Mr. Blueberry by Simon James
Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems * class favorite
Can I Keep Him? by Steven Kellogg

**Enrichment:**
Write a persuasive letter and bring in to class. 
Questions you can think about to get you going...
-What do you wish our classroom had?
-What is something you've always wanted but couldn't have or get?
-How could we make our school better?

---All letters will be showcased in a special frame on display in our room for all to see your hard work!  Make sure you put your name on your work, and if you would like extra special stationary, please let me know!

Readers Meet the Characters In Our Books

This month we have been learning all about the characters in our books.

We have been reading books such as:
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Cam Jansen and the Ice Skate Mystery by David A. Adler
Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea by Cynthia Rylant
Arthur's Teacher Troubles by Marc Brown

We are learning to think about the characters in our story as people.  We pay close attention to the things characters do, the kinds of people they are,and how their feelings change across the story, chapter or series. 

Questions you can ask:

• Retell the story (what happened first, next, then.... last)
• What lessons did I learn from this story?
• How is the character feeling?
• What type of character is he/she? (Nervous, clumsy, friendly)
• Based on what we know about the character, what do we predict he/she will do next?
• Think about the actions and decisions of the character.  Do you agree or disagree with them?
• Put yourself in your characters' shoes... Are the character's actions or decisions similar to or different than the ones you would make?

Fire Safety

Click below for fun links to explore fire safety!

Sparky the Fire Dog

Fire Safety Bookmark

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Click on this link to watch a BrainPOP video on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Link's address: http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/biographies/martinlutherkingjr/

After you watch the video, you may want to choose a fun activity to do at the bottom of the website.

Leave a comment on our blog about what you learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You may even want to talk about your dreams to make our world a better place... I can't wait to read what you write!

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Please click on image to make it larger.

Welcome Aboard

We are so excited to share what we are learning in school with you!  Please visit often to see what's happening in Room 108.