Week of October 22th

Please remember that there will be a Spelling test each Friday, along with the weekly language arts assessment.

Early Dismissal (12:30) on Wednesday, October 24th.  Parent Conference invitations were sent home last week.  If you did not receive one and want to schedule a time please email me.

Language Arts: this week we continue focusing on the subject of a sentence and reading Pig in a Wig! The genre is Animal Fantasy.

Science: I had gotten my weeks mixed up :(  We will work on the light, heat, and sound energy this week.

Social Studies: we continue working on historical figures

Planner: we continue learning about the different ways people express themselves through art.  This past week we looked at a piece of art and noted all the different things we saw and wrote down questions that we have about the piece.  This is the first step in the Independent Investigation Method (IIM), determining a topic.  This first time, we will be investigating and researching as a group, to learn about the process.

Mrs. Bradford came in and lead an Art a la Carte lesson on Friday.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed it!  The lesson was on Henri Matisse, creating art with cut paper.

Their work is posted ourside our room, what a gallery!

Thanks for all the work at Spooky Spaghetti!  Our booth was very popular, and I know that it was very hard work so please thank all the volunteers!!!

Both my daughters enjoyed getting their nails done.  Below, Jackie is attentively watching as Mrs. Friesen begins working on hers.

Week of October 15th

Please note that the homework looks a little different this week.  A spelling list is included in the packet and there will be a Spelling test on Friday, along with the weekly language arts assessment.

Language Arts: this week we continue focusing on detailed sentences and reading Sam, Come Back! The genre is Realistic Fiction which is a made-up story that could happen in real life. We will discuss Character and Setting.

We had several special activities this week that set us back:
Social Studies: we continue working on historical figures

Planner: we began our second planner entitled How We Express Ourselves: the central idea is that through art, people express ideas, thoughts and feelings.  It is an inquiry into different art forms and styles, materials used over the world to create art, and personal reactions about art.

Nathan's Nighthawks: week of October 8th in Pictures

What a busy week we had!!!

Ethan volunteered to help at the SKATE presentation on Tuesday :)

 We celebrated the 30th day of school by making pumpkins or jack-0-lanterns with Zero the Hero!

 The class work is hanging outside our classroom, check out the creativity!

 The children sorted Nouns & Adjectives on "The Vortex"

 After holding a 'primary' for the class' Field Day name, the 3 contenders were:

The children then practiced being good citizens and cast their votes, a secret ballot.

 We ended the week with the ribbon-cutting for the track!  Mr. Mike Lunceford, president of the HISD Board of Directors.

We celebrated the 30th School Day today and sang about Zero the Hero!

Language Arts: this week we are focusing on detailed sentences and reading Farmer's Market. The genre is Realistic Fiction which is a made-up story that could happen in real life. We are working on identifying the plot of the story, which includes the beginning, middle, and end, and often includes a problem and the solution.  We will also be reviewing Setting.

We have officially started Literacy Workstations.  The children are still getting the hang of it but they are very enthusiastic, flexible, and independent!  Making Words at the Smartboard is extremely popular!  Please try to walk your child through the Log in process on Pearson; if the kids are quick to log in, they have more time to explore the different activities online :)

Social Studies: we will work on historical figures such as Ben Franklin

Science: different forms of energy, light, heat, and sound

PYP: we have begun our new planner entitled How We Express Ourselves.

Science:  "Mmmm!  It smells sweet!"

Another fun and yummy senses activity.  The kids really enjoyed recording their observations on the graphic organizer, using all five senses, and eating the tasty treat.

Week of October 1st

Language Arts: this week we are focusing on adjectives and reading School Day.  The genre is Realistic Fiction which is a made-up story that could happen in real life.  We are working on identifying the plot of the story, which includes the beginning, middle, and end, and often includes a problem and the solution.

Social Studies: we will continue working on timelines identifying past, present, and future.

PYP: we will officially wrap up our planner this week,however, the central idea is one which is applicable throughout the year.  We will begin our new planner entitled How We Express Ourselves.

Hard at work on daily journaling! They have made such strides in just a few weeks!

 We practiced making short a words on the Smartboard, a very popular workstation.

 This is the end result, almost every student came up and contributed a word.

Using the five senses to describe objects can be quite tasty!  We all, very patiently, observed Ritz crackers and used the senses to describe the cracker.  After recording our observations, we all got to enjoy a small, round, bumpy, delicious snack.

They are round!

They are crumbly!