Teaching Through Innovation

Monday, October 14, 2013

Curriculum Update October 14-17

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Please remember that this is a short week for the students. There is no school on Friday and Monday. Also, this is a reminder that picture day is on Thursday.

Please remember to continue having your child complete their reading log. The next one will be due on Tuesday.

Grammar: We will continue to focus on verbs and adverbs in writing. They students are going to use them in their free writes about different communities they watch live on web cams.

Math: We have started working on the meaning of multiplication. The students will work on arrays in multiplication, the Commutative Property, writing multiplication stories and writing to explain in problem solving this week.

Writing: We completed our descriptive writing monsters. They are on their way to a third grade class in New Mexico. The students are very excited about receiving their monster writing to try to draw their monsters. Also this week, we will be writing letters to our France pen pals and beginning bouncing stories with a class in New Zealand. We also will begin working on argumentative writing, where they will take a stance about if living in Shawnee is better today or in the past. They will include reasons to explain their thinking.

Spelling/Vocab: The tests will be on Thursday this week since there is no school on Friday. Here are the words:
Johnson: a county in Kansas
Prairie Ridge: elementary school in Shawnee
Monticello Trail: middle school in Shawnee
Grey Oaks: neighborhood in Shawnee
Mill Valley: high school in Shawnee
Woodsonia: neighborhood in Shawnee
Crystal Park: neighborhood in Shawnee
Oakmont: neighborhood in Shawnee
Shawnee: city in Kansas
Kansas: state in the Midwest region of the United States
mayor: highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or large urban city
ordinance: laws of the city
council: a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate or make decisions
representative: a person chosen or appointed to act or speak for another or others
ward: an administrative division of a city or borough that typically elects and is represented by a council

Vocab game link: http://www.classtools.net/mob/quiz_85/Communities_SpellingVocab_test_October_17_M66N5.htm

Spelling game link:
http://www.spellingcity.com/view-spelling-list.html?listId=14774169

Reading/SS: We are continuing to learn about the past and present of Kansas and Shawnee. We will continue to work on making inferences and comparing/contrasting. Students will begin their project-based learning research answering the following driving question? How does Shawnee's past play a part in Shawnee today?

Have a fantastic week!

Max, Team Leggett MVP September 30-October 4

Max was our Team Leggett MVP from September 30-October 4. He always adds a lot of enthusiam and energy to our classroom. Congrats, Max!

Pay it Forward - Thank You Shawnee Police Department and Firemen

We kicked off our class Pay it Forward Project by writing thank you letters to the Shawnee Police Department and Firemen. We also sent USA flag magnets. To work on the true meaning of civic responsibility,our class will complete at least two random acts of kindness a month without looking for anything in return.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Curriculum Update October 7-11

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It definitely feels like fall has arrived!

This week is Take a Stand against bullying at school. It is important that the students realize the importance of not being a bully and what actions they can take if someone is bullying them. A picture form will be coming home. Pictures are Thursday, October 17. Also, this a reminder there is no school On October 18 or October 21. Writing: The students are working on descriptive writing this week. They are partnering with a class in New Mexico with a monster writing project.

Grammar: We will continue to focus on verbs and adverbs in writing. They students are going to use them in their free writes about different communities they watch live on web cams.

Math: The students are learning how to estimate with subtraction, subtract across zeroes and use problem-solving methods. The topic 3 test will be this week.

Writing: We will beginning a descriptive writing project with a class in New Mexico this week. The students will be creating their own monsters, writing detailed descriptions of them, then exhanging them with this class to draw. Our partner class will be doing the same thing. We will also write our California pen pals back this week.

Spelling/Vocab: The tests will be on Thursday, October 17 next week. Here are the new words:
Johnson: a county in Kansas
Prairie Ridge: elementary school in Shawnee
Monticello Trail: middle school in Shawnee
Grey Oaks: neighborhood in Shawnee
Mill Valley: high school in Shawnee
Woodsonia: neighborhood in Shawnee
Crystal Park: neighborhood in Shawnee
Oakmont: neighborhood in Shawnee
Shawnee: city in Kansas
Kansas: state in the Midwest region of the United States
mayor: highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or large urban city
ordinance: laws of the city
council: a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate or make decisions
representative: a person chosen or appointed to act or speak for another or others
ward: an administrative division of a city or borough that typically elects and is represented by a council

Vocab game link: http://www.classtools.net/mob/quiz_85/Communities_SpellingVocab_test_October_17_M66N5.htm

Spelling game link:
http://www.spellingcity.com/view-spelling-list.html?listId=14774169

Reading/SS: We are continuing to learn about the past and present of Kansas and Shawnee. We are working on making inferences and comparing/contrasting. Students will use this information to write an opinion piece next week.

Have a fantastic week!

Dream Birthday Party Videos

Natural Disaster Narrative Stories

The students recently completed their natural disaster narrative writing. They wrote some very creative stories.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Meteorologist, Gary Lezak Surprises Students!

Thank you to Action 41 News Meteorologist, Gary Lezak, and his weather team for judging the students natural disaster weather forecasts. The students were shocked when Gary Lezak decided to come in person to announce the winner!