Poetry and Collaboration

Room 101 is teaming up with the LTC to create poems!

A special thank you to Mrs. Ardizzoni (Instructional Technology Specialist) and Ms. Carney(Librarian) who are working with us to create a book of poetry as we wrap up National Poetry month!  Over the course of a few lessons we have explored our senses and discussed which senses are on high alert during the spring.  We can hear the birds, see new flowers growing and smell the fresh air and grass!  Selections of books have been shared, such as Aliki's focused on the 5 senses.  

Students worked with Mrs. Ardizzoni and Ms. Carney today to write down a sentence about each sense and will be illustrating and recording thoughts and ideas using the book creator app in our next lesson. 

We are excitedly working towards our finished products!

Back from vacation

We made clay flowers to match the ones we planted and are making books about.

Planting requires us to follow multiple directions.  Now we need to remember to water the plants daily so they will germinate.

We reviewed a number of math concepts today in preparation for our Topic 12 assessment tomorrow.    We know about many measurable attributes.

We can compare length and height. We can also measure weight and capacity.

Working on our math topic review materials.

Today sure was a busy day.  We also listened to a few stories read aloud to us about plants and demonstrated our automaticity in doing sight-word and math fact flash cards.  In our journals we shared about vacation week activities.  Whew........did you work this hard today?!

Back from vacation

We started a new book about planting.

With the helpful hands of parents we are able to do fun projects like planting.  Mrs. Patel helped us plant our own rainbows!

Writing and Editing was practiced with Mrs. Parnell.

Time to make new calendar markers.  May is coming soon.

We are working on a special book about our moms.

Keep Reading During Vacation Week

Mrs. Parnell and Mrs. Hoyt encourage everyone to keep reading during vacation week.

We hope everyone is enjoying a much needed change in schedule and perhaps some outdoor activities.

Be sure to still read every day.  Perhaps keep a vacation week journal about what you have been doing.  Practice math facts and high frequency words.

We will see everyone in a few more days!

Heading into vacation

Heading into our vacation we were still pretty busy yesterday!

Using the scale to weigh various objects.

We continued our work on math exploring and learning about various, measurable attributes.  We have discussed length and height and yesterday worked on capacity and depth.  The scales were fun to play with and the water measuring for capacity was a little messy!

We learned that if the scale is not balanced, two object that should be equal may not be.

Reading and listening to our Let's Find Out Magazine on Earth Day!

Before heading to the library to begin a special project on Poetry, students did some reading and writing with Mrs. Parnell as they read the Scholastic, Let's Find Out Magazine addition on Earth Day!

Earth Day work with Mrs. Parnell.

Students were sent home with a note encouraging them not to let their brains take too much of a vacation!  Suggestions included daily reading, practicing math flashcard words and high frequency words.  

Have a wonderful and refreshing vacation.  When we return we will be working writing a new book, illustrating a book by Lois Elhert and a unit on planting in addition to learning about different types of jobs and preparing for our circus trip!

Look what I built!

We painted like Monet

Tallest to shortest

Thank you Ms Horton

Ms. Horton was in to help with reading groups this week.  

Writing and re-writing

Math facts quiz tomorrow

Painting like Van Gogh

Parent Help Wanted

Room 101 will be starting a Community Helpers unit and will be inviting parents who work in fields as community helpers to visit with us and share about their job.  Notices will be going home with students.

In addition, Pine Glen will be doing a program on professions and is inviting parents to participate in a career day.  See information below..............

              

Career Day

Pine Glen Elementary School

1 Pine Glen Way, Burlington, MA

Monday, June 15, 2015

Presenters Needed:

Outside Presenters: Outside presenters with a vehicle: You will speak with different groups of children from grades K-5 every 10-15 minutes from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM.

Inside Presenters: You will speak to a different group of children every 15 minutes. The children will rotate through the various rooms from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

We will need all presenters to arrive by 8:45 AM to set up.

Come and join in on a great time and share your career with our students! We would love having you!

Interested? Contact Lauren Zanotti, School Counselor

Pine Glen Elementary School

781-270-1715 or lzanotti@bpsk12.org

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Fill out this form and return to Lauren Zanotti, School Counselor if you would like to present:

Presenters Name: _________________________________

Career Title: ________________________________

Phone Number: _____________________________

Please check one of the following:

___ Outside presenter with a vehicle available 9:00-10:00 am

___ Inside presenter 10:00-1:30 pm

____ I can only present for a specific time period (Please list the hours you are available).

Comments (special set up, equipment needed, etc):

Community Spirit

Students are invited to wear Boston Strong clothing and colors tomorrow in honor of the Boston Marathon.  Then on Friday...........

The Student Council would like to invite the Pine Glen Community

to participate in “MSPCA Day”.

Friday April 17, 2015

Students (and staff) are welcome to dress up as their favorite animal and donate $1. to the MSPCA. The members of the student council are hoping to build awareness for animals in need.

This link is a great resource for children interested. http://www.mspca.org/programs/humane-education/information-for-kids/

Writers - Comments Invited!

Students writing about Patch.

This afternoon students discussed that it would be helpful if we all came to an agreement about what good kindergarten writing looks like.  We also concluded that having a list to check off each task accomplished will help us remember all that we need to strive for.  We want to share our findings and seek your input in the comment section.

 End sentences with punctuation.   (., !, ?)

Capital letter at the beginning of the sentence.
Leave two finger spaces between each word.

Writing matches our illustration.

Add describing words (adjectives) in our writing.
Spell flashcard words correctly.

Lots of details in our illustrations.

Next we shared samples of other students writing.  We wanted our students to see the various stages of kindergarten writing:  Pre-Writers, Emergent Writers, Developing Writers, Capable Writers and Proficient Writers.

Finally, Mrs. Hoyt shared a picture and some information about her dog, Patch and invited students to write about him.  We hope to share our writing and illustrations with her daughter, Cat when she visits and perhaps will post some of the writing for you to see next week!  We hope everyone is able to accomplish all the goals we collectively set for our writing!

Note:  Mrs. Parnell and Mrs. Hoyt also want to show our students that we can interact and get feedback about student work in many ways.  We want students to see that there are many viewers looking at our class blog and that we should always strive to do our best work as many, many people will see it.  

Please add a comment about our writing goals for us to share with students.  Teachers will be reviewing and then publishing comments for students to see.

Playground time!

Yipee!  We went back to the playground today!

Everyone was all smiles this afternoon for recess.  With the warmer temperatures and snow finally melted we were able to return to the playground for recess.  We had so much fun and it was so warm that many of us were hot and thristy at the end of recess.

Parents, please help pack your child a water bottle to have in their cubbies at school.  It is much easier to get a quick drink  at our cubbies than to send students to find a water bubbler.

Wee!  We love the swings!

Mr Lyons helps silent E give A a push!

Mr.  Lyons helps us understand silent E.

Mr. Lyons stopped in this morning as Mrs. Parnell was reviewing some Fundations rules.  He jumped in to share his trick.  Our student pretended to be the letter A and when the letter E silently creeps up behind him in a word and give a little push, the letter will be surprised and say:  AAAAAAAAA!  

Celebrate

Dressed for fun!  PJs and stuffed animals.

Winner, winner!  

Happy to Dance

We were all very happy to dance this afternoon.

Lots of fun celebrating our accomplishment of filling our popcorn jar!

Some of us were a Frozen when the music started but slowly everyone warmed up and joined in.  By the time we were done, everyone was participating and having fun!...........Mrs. Parnell and Mrs. Hoyt were tired!

Pajama Day - Stuffed Animal Share

We started our day writing about our stuffed animals.  Kindergartners clad in PJs arrived toting a favorite stuffed friend this morning.  Our first task was to write about and share what we brought.

Then we spent the day working in PJs!!!!

Reminder

Tomorrow we celebrate!  Students are welcome to wear PJs to school and bring a small stuffed animal.

Math facts

Please keep practicing those subtraction math facts.  Our goal is that students should know the answers to the subtraction facts through 5 without using their fingers and demonstrate fluency by producing answers in less than 3 seconds per question.

Our subtraction math quiz is next Thursday, April 16.

Practicing our math facts!

Work boards

Art:  painting horizontal lines with primary colors.

Our morning was quite busy as we worked our way through our work board stations.   

Last page of our dictionary!

Reading groups included an intoductory book for our next math unit!

FUNdations!

Today's Fundations's lesson had us changing words by adding a second, silent vowel.  We build mad and made, cap and cape, rob and robe.............Mrs. Parnell and Mrs. Hoyt are so impressed with how well everyone did!

Add caption

Lunch Time Prizes!

Students were informed today that anyone who purchases lunch tomorrow, Friday, April 10 will be eligible for a special prize!  The bottoms of some of lunch trays will be tagged with stickers.  Anyone who receives a lunch tray with a stickers  will receive a gift certificate for a Papa Gino's pizza.

Ms. Zanotti talks personal space

Pine Glen guidance counselor, Ms. Zanotti was in today to talk about personal space with the students in room 101.  She read a fun story about a boy who thought space was all about outer space and rockets, but was having a challenging time at school in keeping out of others personal space.  

Then we tried out climbing into each other's space by squeezing into hoola-hoops....kind of cozy!

Turn and Talk- Butterfly Life Cycle

Practicing Turn and Talk.



To help demonstrate our knowledge about the lifecycle of a butterfly we participated in a Turn and Talk exercise today.  Last week students created a diagram of the lifecycle.  They colored pictures, added various pasta shapes to represent the stages and labeled each.  Today students were assigned partners to turn to and explain their diagram.  This activity is explained explicitly before we begin.  Partners should be facing each other with knees touching, eyes watching and ears listening.  Each partner is assigned a number (either 1 or 2) and then the teacher tells which number to do the talking and which number to do the listening.



This exercise is great for many reasons.  1- Each student has a voice and an audience.  2- Everyone is expected to share and knows they will have a turn.  3- It is a fast and easy way for us teachers to listen to all and get a quick handle as to whether the ideas are sticking with the students.  4- Specific language is expected to be used in the correct context.

Scientists

With clipboards in hand we theorized whether an item would stick to a magnet, then tested our ideas and recorded our findings.

Room 101 scientists were busy this afternoon researching, testing ideas and recording their findings as we continue our study of magnets.

Exciting news!

Be sure to see the note that will arrive home in green communication folders today!

April Newsletter

Please click the tabs at the top of this blog to view the April newsletter.

Practice your math facts!

Please continue to practice your subtraction math facts.  See the link at the top of the blog to go to the flashcard practice set.

Subtraction quiz is scheduled for April 16.

Continue to review sight words.  A new set will be sent home shortly.

Magnets!

Day one on our magnet books! Magnets attract and repel.

Hands on fun testing items that are drawn to magnets.

All the students were attracted to work at this table with Ms. F, a visiting student!

All in a days work!

Today we worked on the number 19.

Writing about our guest rabbit, Turbo!

Mrs. Fallon took a few minutes to share the beautiful work that 4th graders have been doing  with charcoal and chalk.  We were impressed with all the details in the pictures and the frames that the students did when recreating owls like those found in the book Owl Moon!  We learned that they studied real birds in order to get it right in their work!