This week's blog is more of a gallery walk of pictures.  It will include many of the fun filled activities that took place during the week.  The excitement on the children's faces is priceless.  As the holiday approaches, I wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas.  I hope all your wishes come true and that the time you spend with family is filled with love and happiness. 

The week started with The Gingerbread Man.  I read this to 4Z and the day after they were treated to gingerbread that I baked for them.  Some of them had never tasted it before.  Once they finished their special treat, they created Adjective Gingerbread Men. They chose words to describe how it tasted, felt, appeared and sounded.  It was a tasty treat they enjoyed as they wrote. 

 Monday started Spirit Week.  The children, as well as the teachers, wore their ugly sweaters.  This was one of my favorites.  Not only are the children excited, but the faculty and staff also showed their spirit. 

Pajama day on Friday was lots of fun.  The  children were dressed so comfy and cozy as they watched a movie. 

 Tuesday was How the Grinch Stole Christmas as our read aloud.  Instead of me reading the entire book to the children, they each took a turn and read a page each.  After that they colored in the Grinch and put him together.  The writing assignment that went along with this was How did the Grinch's heart grow 3 times bigger?

 I love listening to the children read out loud.  Some use various tones as they read the part of the Grinch.  Although many have seen the movie, they have also heard some of the differences between the book and the movie.

We will continue after the holidays with James and the Giant Peach. 

 Our 5th graders took part in festive writing as well.  They expressed how they could spread kindness in the world during the holiday season.  We strung up the "lights" and hung them by the classrooms.  It created a festive, cheery display for all to see.

 The children work cooperatively as they answer comprehension questions and discuss what is going on in the book.  I enjoy seeing them help each other.  The discussions that take off are proof that they are enjoying the book and understanding the themes and story elements. 

 We are still reading Crash and the children seem to be enjoying it.  We should be finishing it up by mid January and they will be working on an in class project to show their understanding of the book.











The 5th graders have many successes to be proud of.
They have been taking content assessments and passing them.  It is time to high light them here.  Look at those happy faces.  This shows that with effort and preparation they can be successful.  We are so proud of their achievements and know that they will continue to strive and grow.

Enjoy the week with family and friends.  Rest  and relax.  Looking forward to what 2019  will bring!!!

It was another productive week with lots of learning going on in 4th and 5th grade.  The children were excited to present their literature circle group projects.  They did a fantastic job with google slides and oral presentations.

 The children were eager to present and share the books that they chose to read with their group members.
















4D students

The creativity the added to the slides were very well executed.  Not only were the graphics great, but the wording also brought these books to life for us.

 Here, the students are continuing to read James and the Giant Peach.  The students seem to be enjoying it and are always engaged in their reading.

4Z:

It is always nice to see the children engaged in their reading.  Some of the children can't take their eyes off of the pages.  They are so absorbed into the reading that they don't want to stop, even after time is up and they need to move on to their next class.

Even Coco, our elf, is enjoying her days in the classroom.  The children know that she is on the look out, so they are trying to do the best they can to make Coco proud of them.







The children continue to answer the question of the day as they enter the classroom.  They look forward to read what it will be. Many of them also share their answers.  Some of these answers, spark some great conversations for the class to participate in.

 During circle time, we talk about our feelings and many times the question of the day, is what our conversations get started on.  The children enjoy talking about an experience, or an emotion, or even an idea that they can relate to. We all listen respectfully and wait for our turn if we have something to share.  The children seem to find ways to solve problems, open up about an experience or even tell silly little stories.  This is a great way to communicate with each other in a structured way and the children feel appreciated.

4Z:

There is a lot of writing going on in ELA class.  The pieces include telling about family customs and traditions during the holidays, the best presents they ever received, and special times they spend with their families.  I love to see their faces light up as the write and share their pieces.

 4Z:

Our #bookaday is growing.  This past week we read books about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and a very special one to me, Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.
The children look forward to this part of the day.  They sit and place all the attention on the words that they hear.  I LOVE reading aloud to them.  Some even sit on the edge of their seats to see how the story ends or what happens to the main character.



Once I read, Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus, the children colored in a Believe meter. Once they finish them up, I will send them home with your child.

The 5th graders continue to read Crash in English class. They seem to be enjoying it and are very engaged in class.

They too are writing pieces about the holidays.  For example, they wrote a piece about how they can fill the world with kindness during the holiday season.  Many of them wrote about how they can help out in the community they live in, visiting an elderly neighbor or even making donations to various charities.  It is wonderful to see how thoughtful they are and are thinking outside of the classroom to spread holiday cheer.

                                                      Great Effort From Students

 4Z:

Coco has arrived and is watching all the boys and girls as they
work together, complete assignments and participate in class
discussions.  Coco arrived on Wednesday and has been observing the students throughout the days.  On Friday she even brought the children Elf Kisses.  It was a special treat due to all their efforts in the class. We look forward to see what she is doing every morning as we enter.












 The week began with presentations from the literature circle groups.  Each group, chose a book, read it together, discussed it and then were told to choose a final project to work on and tell us about the book.

As you can see, the final projects turned out fantastic.




Some of the books were Stone Fox, Tracker, Dear Mr. Henshaw and The Tiger Rising. 

The projects they created were unique and creative.  They each worked in their groups, helping each other and discussing what they read in order to incorporate it into their project.

The 4th graders also presented their Brown Bag Book Project.  Each trimester they are given a project to do, at home, about a book they read.  They have the 3 months to read a book, plan out their project, create it and then bring it in to present to their classmates.  They turned out SUPER!!!  I am always impressed to see the final products.  

4D:  This class is also working on their presentations from their literature group. 


Some book selections in this class include, Smile and Hatchet.

The children have read the books and are now ready to create their final products.  Many are working on Google slides. 

They will be ready to present this upcoming week.  I am looking forward to see them present.

 Fifth Graders are also busy.  Many have presented their History projects as Native Americans and Colonists. 



In English class we are reading the book, Crash, by Jerry Spinelli and seem to be enjoying it.  This book has many themes, such as Friendship and Bullying.  The children seem very interested in the book and are taking part in great discussions about the main character and what he does to the new boy in school and throughout their school years. 

 So, as you can see, we have been very busy in our classes.  Reading, creating, participating, planning.  All skills that the children will use throughout their lifetime.

The weeks ahead leading up to the holidays are sure to be filled with much more activities and events.  I love to see the excitement on their faces and with each other. 

Last Week's Recap

                                                         

I cannot believe that December is here.  As many of you may already know, I was out for 2 weeks due to pneumonia.  I was under doctor's orders to rest and that is exactly what I had to do in order to be able to return to work.  I am so ready to get back into my classroom and back to my SOS family.  Therefore, Monday, I will be back!!!!
Due to being out,  I asked our resource teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, to send me pictures of the children doing various activities.  So, photo credits are going to her. 

It is a busy time and everyone is working hard and putting in lots of effort.  4Z has finished with literature circles and completed their projects.  I am eager to see the final products when I get in on Monday.  Now, they are reading the novel James and the Giant Peach.  There are many activities that will tie in with this novel, both in writing, and reading. 

The children are working on vocabulary words, which they will be introduced to within the book.

They are using dictionary.com to look up the meaning of the words and reviewing these words.

 They will be making flash cards if they haven't already done so.

There is lots of cooperating work taking place and each student is helping each other out.

Our 5th graders have also begun a novel titled, Crash.  They are also becoming familiar with the vocabulary words and are reading this as a whole group.  There will be many discussions and writing that goes along with this novel.  My aim is to get back in and bring these novels to life.  I have many activities planned and the children will do a culminating project, in class, at the end of the novel.

 It seems like the children are enjoying this novel.

 They are very engaged and on task.

 They too are writing vocabulary words and creating flash cards.  This is a skill that they will do all year long.

 They are also working on comprehension questions, and are also helping each other out.  Cooperative learning at it's best.

Finally, 4D is still working in literature circle, discussing the books they chose, writing summaries and will also do a end of the novel project within their groups.  They are very enthusiastic and working with great effort.  

 Many of the children love the novel, Smile. 

 Some of the students are beginning their summaries of the book on their chromebooks.

 Other students chose the book, Hatchet.  They seem pretty pleased with their selections.

Love to see the collaboration and working together to get the book read and planning on the final project, which will be done in class.

So, it's back to the classroom for me on Monday.  The next few weeks will also be filled with many other fun, engaging and learning opportunities.  There are also some special treats and happenings being planned for each class.  I am looking forward to seeing all the students again.  They were very missed.