May 25 - 29

This week I began conducting the end of year phonemic awareness and writing assessments.  Over the next two weeks I will be continuing with the reading and math assessments.  I will try to send home the final report cards on June 15th.  Typically there are not parent-teacher conferences at the end of the year, but I'm happy to discuss your child's report card or any other questions/concerns you have.  Next week I will post a schedule of times during the last two weeks of school that I'll be available to meet with you.

In math we have continued to make and compare fractions using a variety of visuals.  We also practiced reading the minutes on an analog clock and determining the number of minutes between two times.  For the remainder of the year we will be doing a review of the many concepts addressed in the Everyday Math curriculum this year, focusing on explaining and trying out a variety of problem solving strategies.

In writing and reading we've been studying how authors can begin and end their stories.  Students noticed that authors often begin stories by introducing the characters or establishing when the story takes place.  They also noticed that stories often end with characters coming home or at night/bedtime.  We tried using some of these ideas in our stories.

We used the Smartboard a lot this week to play more online interactive math and literacy games.  I've linked the games we're using under Reading Resources and Math Resources in the sidebar of this blog.  I opened the Smartboard as an afternoon choice and I was impressed with how independent the students were with it!

On Friday our field trip to Taughannock Falls State Park with our Kids Discover the Trail partner class from Northeast Elementary School was cancelled due to the threat of rain.  We are in the process of rescheduling it for sometime in mid-June.  I will let you know when we confirm the new date!

Our music concert will be Thursday, June 4th at 10:15 in the Annex gym.  Everyone is invited to stay for lunch (10:45-11:15) in the classroom.  In addition to the songs Ms. Nelson has taught them, our class will be sharing a poem in English, French and Spanish that we've been learning this week.  I'll include a copy of the words to it with the homework so you can help your child practice at home.

Remember the Spring Fair is next Friday, June 5th!  Please email Connie, Karen or Serenity with how you can contribute by volunteering your time and/or donating a strawberry/lemon dessert item.

Here are a few fun shots from choice time this week:

The American Library Association has a list of notable books from 2009 for younger readers that can be a great resource to have with you when you go to the library or book store with your child.  I'm sending home a hard copy of this, too.  It can be tricky to find early chapter books that have content appropriate for 6 and 7 year olds, so feel free to consult our librarian or your local public library staff for assistance in picking out books.