Thumbs Up Thursday!

WELCOME!!!!

Look how many there are!

With it being the end of the month, we drew our green slips.  I decided to go ahead and pick four from now on.  This time my fourth grade LA class chose from our abundant number of green slips!  It may look suspicious because we did have two fourth graders, but I promise you they did not look.

 Our February winners are Klaire and Riley both in fourth grade and both for effort, Maya in third for effort and finally Chris in second for perseverance.  They each selected something from our treasure chest and were all excited to see their name posted in our window!

We have now covered all of our Lifeskills, so we will move onto our Lifelong Guidelines.  This week it was Active Listening.  They had a few directions on our morning message to do an activity involving Active Listening.  For example, one day they were to come in and listen for two minutes without talking.  We then discussed what we heard.  This is a struggle for some because as I'm going over the morning message they are wanting to jump in and tell me something related.  We also talked about how to be an active listener, you need to focus on the speaker and not what you're about to say in response.  I think we are all guilty of that . . . 

Some of the quotes discussed:

• If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.
• Every good conversation starts with good listening.
• Focus on being interested, not interesting.
• The world is giving you answers each day.  Learn to listen.
• Be All Ears!

It's a busy week coming up and we'll just have to be flexible with our schedules. I will test all of second grade for High Ability.  Also, third and fourth will be taking ISTEP testing.  I did my best to work out a schedule to get everything accomplished, yet some classes will not be seen.  Although, things continue to change, so we just need to be ready to go with the flow!  I've already gone over it with each class, but will remind them next week.

First and third grade for all will not be seen.  Fourth will only be affected Monday (LA) and Thursday (math).  Second is unaffected at this time during flex.  

Math Masters:

I have their squares color coordinated by grade level.  

Red=fourth

Orange=third

Yellow=second

Green=first

You can see by our updated chart that the colors are a bit mixed up which shows that some are above what's expected at grade level when it comes to math facts.  The students love gaining on any grade level above them.  They are even asking to take the timed tests twice a week!  How crazy is that?!?!  Even though many are very competitive, we chart our own progress each week.  Just take it one problem at a time and improve your score from last week.  They see this and get very excited to know that they are making progress.

Fourth Grade LA:

I couldn't be more proud of their Google Slide Presentations!  I'm sure they'll take it to an even higher level when they present next week.  I have quite a few characters in here who will surely get into their role.  I can't wait!  They are encouraged to dress up, bring props and really sell their presentations.  I think we've got most props covered, thanks.  With bathrooms directly across from our room, they can go in for a quick change before presenting.  I will video tape them all using my phone and hope to send your child's presentation to you via email.  Have the conversation this weekend with your child and make sure that they are ready and know what they are bringing.  I've taken care of having them prep their monologue, so they should be ready.  My first group will present Tuesday now since we will not flex on Monday.

Fourth Grade Math:

This group is thirsty for anything new they can get their hands on.  We've been working in small groups or independently on an Average Joe comic.  Last week, I had them divide and write their answer using a remainder.  I gave a brief lesson on how divide where your answer will be a decimal.  Got it!  Then I showed them how to write their answer when it has a repeating number.  Next!  I even showed one student who is a "mental math" learner how to do shorthand division.  He couldn't have been more excited!!!!  Congratulations to James and Josh for passing their 90 division facts.  Also kudos to Klaire and Riley for passing 100 division facts.  

Second Grade LA:

This group and their love for Edward is priceless.  They were given a super tough crossword puzzle which they tackled with enthusiasm.  Most worked in pairs, yet others in small groups.  I loved just listening to the chatter going on and how they discussed and remembered the story.  It was awesome!  Many had a book handy to use as a reference.  A majority of them finished, but we'll go over their answers on Monday.  

Second Grade Math:

This group really caught onto the Fibonacci sequence.  It was challenging for them, but you could see them just dig in and start calculating.  I loved the lesson because they had to decide whether to add or subtract depending on which number was missing.  They are great at regrouping while adding, but just being introduced to subtraction with regrouping.  I love that this group encourages each other on their work or on their timed tests!  They are SO close to passing and really take notice of their improvements.  I can tell they are practicing at home.

Third Grade LA:

Using audible.com, we are listening to several chapters as we journal and discuss.  It was very helpful on one particular chapter because Carroll did not break for paragraphs as the characters changed.  We discussed the organization of the text and how it helps you comprehend the story better when an author does that.  They also made time for journaling.  I look forward to reading these each week.  I can see that they are becoming more aware and deep in their responses.   Those that have seen the movie continue to make comparisons to the book which is wonderful.  They are quite different.

Third Grade Math:

We continue to work with our comic on adding and subtracting fractions.  I've been scaffolding for several days since there are multiple steps needed.  I went ahead and set them free to work in groups on the final two problems.  They worked on it for a bit before asking for a refresher lesson.  Most need to be stepped through the process, but I do have a couple who are catching on quickly.  Moving onto the next challenge in Math Masters is Tyler who passed multiplication and Jack who's onto division with remainders along with my fourth graders!

First Grade LA:
We started our week with our persuasive pre-write.  They, of course, had to sing our hamburger persuasive once again to kick it off.  They had to write a paragraph persuading their parents to buy them a particular gift for their birthday.  I'm noticing that the pre-writing is much easier for them this time.  They are able to list the reasons and write their conclusion quickly.  We spent a little time talking about intro words and how to incorporate them into their writing.  This is such a social group and we laugh about it!  I do love hearing all of their stories, but have to remind them that we have work to do.

First Grade Math:

We introduced measurement this week and found out what they already knew about it.  Many listed inches, feet, meters and yards as ways to measure things.  Then we listened to a fun song about measuring with paper clips.  They had a chance to measure different parts of their body using this non-standard object.  This group is working hard on their subtraction facts!  We continue to work at improving by 10 problem increments, so they can stay motivated.  I do believe seeing our wall of the other grades and how close they are to others, also keeps them in the game.  I have several who are close to passing and will move onto multiplication which they are thrilled about!  Way to go Trevor for passing 50 subtraction problems, Cal and Braxton for passing 60 problems and Kennedy who's next goal is 90 subtraction problems!  They love the CD we listen to often.  If any of you would like a copy of it, please send in a blank CD and I will gladly make you a copy.

Have a great weekend!  Spring's gotta be coming soon . . . right?!?!?!

Yours in education,

Mrs. Koedyker

Thorough Thursday!

Welcome!

Phew, exhale. . . . Kindergarten testing for HA is finished.  Next up, second grade beginning of March!

We talked a lot about the LifeSkill of responsibility this week.  Some talked about many of the responsibilities they have at home.  Others didn't call them chores, but said they do things when asked which is great too!

Quotes shared:

• Do the right thing!
• If it is to be, it is up to me.
• It's easy to dodge responsibility, but you can't dodge the trouble it causes.
• If someone gives you a privilege, you owe them responsibility.
• Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.  (Booker T. Washington)

Fourth Grade LA:

They are beginning to finalize their Google slides.  We took a day to share and collaborate ideas via sticky notes.  I presented their shows up on the big screen, then everyone gave suggestions on a sticky note then attached it to their paper.  They really were thoughtful and even encouraging.  The students found it helpful and were anxious to get to work on their slides the following day.  Just seeing it presented, gave them a different perspective. 

 I'm hoping to start presentations the first week of March, but have to firm up our final 2nd grade testing schedule.  They will dress up as their person while presenting their monologue.  We drafted up a list of things that they were in need of and the only thing so far that we still need is an Abe Lincoln beard.  If anyone has one of those lying around. . . . please send it in, lol.   

Fourth Grade Math:

This group is really taking their timed tests seriously.  They can't wait to get started on their next challenge.  I can also see big improvements on their charts as they document their progress.  Others are slow and steady which is fine too.  The improvement is still there . . . they need to stay in their lane and focus on what they need to do to improve their score.  Kudos to Taylor, Ben and Lia for passing their 100 division facts, Klaire for passing 90 division facts and Josh H. and Troy for passing their multiplication facts.  They will move on next week.  I have several who are VERY close to passing.  We started a fun comic-like worksheet on averages.  I gave them the choice of working independently or in groups of up to three.  We adjusted the answers to show a remainder and not the decimal which we haven't done yet.  Due to the two hour delay, we didn't meet on the second day.  I'll hold their Smarties until then.  

Second Grade LA:

We finally finished the story of our beloved Edward on Tuesday.  Although a majority of them had read through to the end, a few had not.  It's a book you can read over and over.  We all took a deep breath when it was over and talked about what a great story it was.  They just couldn't get over how it ended.  We then worked in small groups on an Edward Tulane themed crossword puzzle.  It's very challenging and checks not only their comprehension of the story, but the small details and facts.  We'll continue next week . . .

Second Grade Math:
This group gets my Most Improved Award for Math Masters.  They made huge gains on their timed tests from last week!  They are very close to passing.  It's going to be another year where I'm teaching my second graders how to multiply and I LOVE it!!!  They are anxious to learn and will be ahead of the game like my current third graders are.  We introduced the Fibonacci sequence of numbers.  They quickly figured out the pattern.  We ended with listing items in nature and will continue next week.  I did Smartboard lessons with all my math classes on the second day.  We haven't done these as much, so I wanted to work them in.  Second grade had to saw a log the correct length to fit across the river. (subtraction) and completed a giant picture of a squid using coordinate points.

Third Grade LA:
Not only are we learning a lot about Alice through our journal topics, but they are learning about themselves.  They reflect on a given topic before going into the day's reading.  For those who've only seen the movie, they are making comparisons which is great.  Next week we will listen to a few chapters on audible.com.  We'll have a chance to listen and enjoy it together while the illustrator reads in different voices.

Third Grade Math:
I've been working hard to build the foundations for fractions before moving them onto a bit tougher lessons.  We started adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.  I first had them try to figure out how I arrived at the answer and they had many good answers.  We worked through a comic-like worksheet adding and subtracting fractions.  It's still new and they are unsure, but we'll get there together.  We'll continue next week. . . Congratulations to Jai and Tyler for passing their 12's, Logan-7's.  Also Jai passed his multiplication facts and Jack passed 90 division facts.  I'm so glad we learned the multiplication facts one number at a time this year! (Sweet Facts)  They are at such an advantage knowing them, so they're ready for division.  We worked quickly with a fraction activity on the Smartboard.  They had to compare fractions.  Then we moved onto a coordinate activity.  
  

First Grade LA:

We're onto learning about Wumbers.  We read a book by the same name which combines letters and numbers to make words. (rel8=relate)  I had them read the book and you could see the wheels turning as they tried to connect it to words they knew.  We revisiting E-Mergency and talked about acryms like ASAP, IV, and EMT.  This is leading up to writing a persuasive paper about a gift that they MUST have.  The girls launched into our song about persuasive writing which I thought was pretty neat.  

First Grade Math:
All are onto their subtraction facts.  They are taking on the challenge and I can see improvement from one week to the next.  I'm very proud of them!  Then, they each made a list of things and activities they like then started on a theme clock.  On the final day we had some fun with the Smartboard.  We started out with a coordinate activity where they had to replicate a smaller version of the picture.  You could really see them thinking this through.  Finally, they did a great activity where they had to subtract to figure out how much more of the bridge they needed to get across the stream.  It was a bit nerve wracking because they were being timed!

Brrrr, stay warm and have a great weekend!

Yours in education,

Mrs. Koedyker

Fascinating Friday!

Thanks for stopping by!

There's so much going on in here, where do I begin?!?!?  We touched on the Lifeskill of curiosity this week.  One group had the message on their morning message to write down all the things they are curious about.  It was neat to see.  

Some of the quotes shared this week were:

• Open the door, let's explore.
• Lief is either a daring adventure of nothing. (Helen Keller)
• Curiosity didn't kill the cat, boredom did.

Fourth Grade LA:

We talked a lot about their presentations and how they need to tell a story.  I pointed out that they are now experts on their topic and they cannot assume we know all the information they've gathered.  They took this to heart and went right to work.  After figuring out a glitch, on my end, I can now make suggestions and communicate with them while they are working on it.  They had this week to work on their presentations knowing that we were going to view them as a class.  It's just a way to touch base and give thoughtful suggestions to their peers midway.  Stay tuned . . .

Fourth Grade Math:

The first thing they did when they walked in was to
look at our Math Masters wall to see who passed!

They were anxious to get another chance at their Math Masters test. . . .if you can imagine that?!?!?  Congratulations to Kaden, Josh L. and Matthew for passing their multiplication timed test!  Also, I had another group pass their next challenge of 90 division facts in five minutes.  Way to go Lia, Ben, Riley, and Taylor.  I think I'm going to go through a lot of Smarties with this group!  


We also worked on division with remainders.  I gave them a chance to move to a different group where they could work together and check as they go.  They really are a great group.  What I like is that I loosened the reigns a bit with the seating arrangement, but they appreciated it and still worked very hard. 






Second Grade LA:
Although most have read through to the end of Edward, we are taking time to finish and discuss the book together.  This week we came to the very sad part of the book with Sarah Ruth.  They are so invested in this book.  I loved it as they talked about how they felt a part of the story. . . .like time stops when they are reading it.  Their teachers have even shared with me that they come back to the room talking up a storm about Edward, the book, how sad it is, what a good book it is and on and on and on.  We then played their favorite game of Edward Jeopardy.  I break the chapters down into categories with different questions that each have different point values.  This week it was The Lost Bunnies vs The Abilene's.  Each time we play the names get better!  I have to share about this group. . . .they are so concerned and into the green slips that they constantly compliment and encourage each other during the game in hopes of getting a green slip.  "Great job!"  "Thanks for cheering me on, that was nice of you"  "It's okay, you'll get 'em next time"  It's over the top and funny to watch.  
   

Second Grade Math:

This bunch is truly excited when they see an activity where they have to add with regrouping.  It was a struggle for most at first, but now they've got it down.  I still had one who wanted to start with the hundreds place and move right, but got right back on track when I explained.  

Although I've yet to have any pass the Math Master's test, they are making major gains as you can see by the chart.  Each week they color in to see their improvement.  It keeps them motivated; they are not at all discouraged.

Third Grade LA:
We started off by having each read their fairy tale in the fun chair.  It was great to hear their stories and each had a chance to share what they liked about it.  We then dove back to reading Alice in Wonderland.  I have a small group of three, so we have a chance to get into deep discussions about the book.  They are also given journal topics relating to the book.  It's always a struggle to get comfortable just writing, but it gets easier.  I encourage them to "just write" their thoughts and if they run out of ideas, they can write to me.  I read their journals and comment as I go.  A dialog gets started as just a new way to communicate.  It's pretty neat.

Third Grade Math:
As a review of what we've learned with fractions so far, we used a Kagan strategy called Mix Freeze Group.  Have them explain this to you in person!  Basically they mix around the room until I say freeze.  I give them a question that has a number in it, then they have to group off in that number.  For example, the GCF of 5 and 20.  Those left out, go to the "Lost and Found".  Well, with my group of six it cannot go very long without restarting.  They were also introduced to mixed and improper fractions.  We'll do more next week.  Congratulations to Jack for passing his multiplication timed test the first time around.  Watch out fourth graders . . . I now have three third graders moving onto their division facts!

First Grade LA:
We finished up our Lipograms.  Together we summarized the book E-mergency with a beginning, middle and end sentence.  Next, each student rolled a die to decide which letter they would not be able to use when they rewrote their sentence.  I stressed that they needed to keep the meaning of the sentence the same by coming up with a similar word(s).  We even used a thesaurus a few times.  We finished with a letter challenge where they used the clues to figure out the answer.  

First Grade Math:

 Way to go Braxton and Caden on passing their addition facts!  They will move onto their subtraction facts.  Also, I'm very proud of Kennedy who passed her subtraction facts.  My second graders are expected to get 100 facts in five minutes, so I've adjusted it for my first graders so they don't get overwhelmed.  They work to pass 50 first then I will increase their goal by ten each time until they pass.  Kennedy already passed 70, whooohooo!!!  



Then we moved onto our unit on time, we played, "I have . . .who has?"  They have to read their analog clock and at the bottom it says, "who has . . . "  When done correctly, they all link together.  We ran out of time on the first day, but had the time for it on the second day.  

Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here in a week!

Yours in education,

~Mrs. Koedyker

Think It Through Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Between the snow day, early dismissal and the testing of kindergarten for HA, it was a bit of a mixed up week.  I saw my LA groups only once (snow day) and my 1st and 4th grade math groups once (early release).  We'll just be flexible and pick up where we left off next week.

The LifeSkill we discussed this week was common sense.  Some had a discussion about the morning message, if they've said or done something they wish they hadn't.  They were honest to admit that they had. . . .haven't we all?

• There's nothing common about common sense.
• Think before doing something just to impress others.
• Fill what's empty.  Empty what's full.  Scratch where it itches.  (Alice Roosevelt-Longworth)

Fourth Grade LA:

They continue to work hard on their Google Slides.  I'm really impressed with how quickly they've caught on.  A few work on it at home and one even shared it with me with a message via email.  That's wonderful!  They are beginning to think about actually presenting it.  They need to go 2-3 minutes, so they are working presenting past just what is showing on their slides.  I plan on working with them so that their slides flow and tell a story instead of just random facts. 

Fourth Grade Math:

Math honestly blew by today!  We started late due to kindergarten testing, but this group really comes in ready to learn.  They follow my lead well and we really do get a lot accomplished.  This was the first time my group took a Math Master timed test.  I started them with 100 multiplication facts in five minutes and had many pass.  Congratulations to Garrett, Klaire, James, Lia, Taylor, Ben, and Riley!!!  (The red squares are fourth grade and the orange are third grade, wow!)  They will receive a Smartie when they return and move onto 90 division facts.  A majority of my group are really close to finishing, but I do have a couple who need to learn their facts.  There are so many apps and websites where they can practice.  I encourage them to do this.

Second Grade LA:

It was time for another review game of Edward Jeopardy.  They get so excited when they see it set up when they walk in.  It's funny because the teams get to come up with their own name, so one team was the Edwards and the other one was the Tulanes.  They cheered each other on and were really good sports.  I keep pulling the theme of the book back in, just to make sure they are getting it.  Ask them why Pelligrina told Edward, "You disappoint me."  

Second Grade Math:

We bridged into adding with regrouping.  It was to reinforce what they learned with adding money.  They still need the practice, but all caught on quickly.  I stressed the importance of keeping their numbers nice and neat when writing, so that they don't accidentally add the wrong numbers.  Some added two digits and others added three digits.  Once they solved their problems they used a code at the bottom to color their design.  My group made big gains on their Math Master timed tests.  Although none have passed their 100 subtraction facts yet, they can see their progress as they chart it on their own graph.  

Third Grade LA:

They all finished up their fairy tale stories which turned out impressively well.  I collected them to save for sharing next week.  I'm excited for them to share with each other.  We then moved right into journaling.  We made the comparison about Lewis Carroll and how he wrote about people he found interesting . . . who in their life would they write about?  We then dove into reading the first chapter of Alice In Wonderland.  Two are experiencing the story through text and one is hearing it for the first time.

Third Grade Math:
We read a comic about the Greatest Comic Hacker!  My group of boys were caught up in trying to figure out the similar references made throughout.  It named a fictional character and they quickly translated it to the one of their era.  What a perfect worksheet!  Their real task was finding out the greatest common factor (GCF) of two numbers.  It's not a quick answer especially when the numbers get higher, but they worked well together.  I even introduced a few divisibility rules to help.  They picked up a few, but didn't want to overwhelm them by all.  It was funny because they didn't even realize they were dividing as they were listing the multiples.  Brandon passed his first Math Master of multiplication, great job!  Logan also moved up another level on his cone.  Finally Jack finished his cone and will now move onto Math Masters.  Congrats!

First Grade LA:

We touched briefly on the book we read previously, E-mergency.  I explained once again how a lipogram is a play on language where you write not using a certain letter.  They had a chance to rewrite the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill.  I stressed how they needed to keep the same meaning when finding a similar word.  They truly got the hang of it and only got caught up on a few words.  We are in the process of summarizing the book E-mergency with a beginning, middle and end.  We'll eventually translate them into our own lipogram.

First Grade Math:

My group continued to work with time.  They had a go at a clock game where they chose a card and had to read the analog time in order to move to the digital time on the game board.  They are still mixing up the hour and minute hands, but get the concept.  I remind them that the minute hand cannot see real well, so he has to get up real close to the numbers.  We also touched on elapsed time.  Congratulations to Kennedy for passing her Math Masters, 50 addition facts in five minutes!

Next week looks to be back to normal. . . at least no early dismissal and hopefully no snow days!  My kids crave the routine just as much as I do.

Yours in education,

Mrs. Koedyker