Thorough Thursday!

WELCOME!!!

We are now finished reviewing all the LifeSkills and Lifelong Guidelines.  Each day I'm putting a mystery one up to see if they can figure it out.  By reading the Welcome Message plus our quote of the day, they are to decide and write their answer on their white board.  I gave green slips this week, to those who answered correctly.  They really enjoyed doing this especially those who guessed correctly!

Some of the quotes we discussed this week:

• Winners never quit, quitters never win. (perseverance)
• Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. (No Put Downs)
• We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. (Problem Solving)

Tuesday was an early dismissal day and a field trip day for second grade, so I only met with my first, second and fourth grade LA once this week.

You may have remembered that we started off this year with a new LA HA curriculum from the Indiana Department of Education.  It has been just awesome to use!  We began by pre-testing grades 1-4 on upcoming lessons.  Well, as the year comes to a close . . . we will begin the post-assessments.  We will not take several solid weeks to complete these, yet will work them in a day here and there.  Plus with how our program is set up with only seeing LA or Math twice a week, I'm noticing that we did not get to all of the material pre-tested.  Obviously we will not post-assess if we did not cover it, but there's also still time to teach.  I'm anxious to see how they improved and I'm sure they will too!

Kindergarten Math:

This is such an enthusiastic group that looks forward to coming to HA.  They were all very helpful to a student who was out last week.  They wanted me to repeat everything from last week because they learned a lot about our procedures.  We gave the edited version and got right to work.  We started off by doing our Math Masters.  Congratulations to Isabel for writing her numbers 1-100 in ten minutes!  Also, kudos to Bayle and Camren for passing their +1's.  It's a sharp group!  We continued our work with interpreting a graph.  We do this together using the doc cam.  We've just started to set up our next assignment of gathering data on favorite colors!

Fourth Grade LA:

Going over our morning message, the fourth graders pointed out to me that we would not meet due to the early dismissal.  I always forget that about their crazy schedule on early dismissal!  Someone pointed out that they'd have to wait another week to read more of the Brixton Brothers.  After making them wait over Spring Break, I just couldn't do that to them again.  I adjusted our lessons to let them read independently around the room.  Their paces vary greatly, so we will come back together where they've all read up to.  I just love to hear them laugh out loud as they dig into this good book.  It's wonderful!  They also made time to write in their journals making predictions. 

Fourth Grade Math:

I would love for you to watch how this group operates!  They have such a respect and understanding for each other, that we can get so much accomplished.  We finished up our last week of PEMDAS (order of operations), so I had one who was out last week that I needed to catch up.  They all work at their own pace working diligently at solving the equations.  I have them come up to me to touch base and see if they are correct before moving on.  Some were on yesterday's page while others devoured their new challenge.  I obviously can't clone myself, so I put two in charge to help "quick check" their answers while I helped others.  I even had one come up and say he'd come back because I was busy with several others.  OUTSTANDING!!!  Congratulations to Matt for passing 100 division facts, Josh L. for passing division with remainders and Riley for passing his improper fraction test!

Second Grade LA:

We continued our study of metaphors.  I was excited for this week's lesson because I have such a deep thinking bunch!  We started off by reading an excerpt from a writing together.  They were to analyze the sentence using bulleted points first, before connecting it to Edward.  I then moved them to work with a partner using "button buddies".  We've only just touched on the partner activity, so we will continue next week.  The higher order thinking skills required for this activity are essential and they are doing a spectacular job at it!  My goal is to have them do this independently by the lesson's end.

Second Grade Math:

Our latest sequencing of numbers is magic hexagons and squares.  It's a puzzle of addition where the sum needs to equal a certain number using a set of consecutive numbers.  They are a hard working group who take their job very seriously.  They love the challenge!  All have figured out a plan of action and get right to it plugging in numbers until they find the correct combination. We touched on Latin Squares and will move onto Sudoku next week.  I've never been good at these . . . we'll see how it goes, lol.

Third Grade LA:

We listened to chapter ten in our book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  We discussed the book and also took time to write down our thoughts about the author . . . .his style of writing . . . and the story.  I gave them time to work on their word search towards the end of the book.  We are trying to pace ourselves to finish the book, do our post-assessments and also watch the movie before the year comes to a close.  Luckily this group met twice this week.  You can see them doing their push ups after reading the morning message, "Do ten push ups if you keep going even when things get tough."  Lol, they wanted picture approval and had me take the picture again so they were all down on their push ups.  They crack me up!

Third Grade Math:

Third grade finished the week doing their Kagen Showdown with decimals.  It truly was a challenge, but got easier as the week wound down.  One even commented that it was easy now!  The teams kept getting the answers correct and little coaching was needed.  Congratulations to Logan for passing his 11's, Brandon and Caysen for passing their 100 division facts and Jack for passing his division with remainders!

First Grade LA:
After solving our final REBUS puzzles (where it has a picture minus or plus a letter), we brought their homework assignment back to light.  We discussed what a dime store was and shared their interviews with family/friends.  I then shared a neat book called, The Fantastic 5 & 10 Cent Store.  I began by reading to them then had them join in.  They had to follow the REBUS pattern in order to read.  It was a challenge and not fluent, but fun!   

First Grade Math:

I introduced measuring capacity through a neat video on YouTube.  It was a short cartoon set in the wild west in Capa City, lol.  We then labeled a picture of gallon man which shows them how many quarts, pints and cups are in a gallon.  We answered an overall measuring worksheet together.  Congratulations to Trevor for passing 70 subtraction facts and Cal for passing 80 subtraction facts!

Yours in education,

Mrs. Koedyker

Thoroughly Truthful Thursday!

Happy Spring!!!

This week we talked about the Lifelong Guideline of Truthfulness.  They gave each other high fives to let them know they could trust them and drew pictures of four people they could trust.  Our quotes sparked SEVERAL great conversations which I just love.

• If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it. (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
• Be honest with yourself, so you will be honest with others. (Bernard Baruch)
• Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.  (Thomas Jefferson)

Invitations to participate in the High Ability Summer School program will go home in their report card folders on Friday.  This really is a wonderful opportunity and I encourage you to take advantage of it.  It's offered to identified students in Grades 1-3.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! 

We had our third "Green Slip Drawing" where my second grade LA class chose the winners.  I added another winner since a student (GO Klaire) had won once before.  I didn't want to count her out, yet wanted to make sure we got four NEW winners.  The colored pens seemed to be the hot item this time around! 

• Garrett B.-4th-responsibility
• Kelli F.-4th-initiative
• Kaden R.-4th-perseverance
• Aybriel S.-2nd-responsibility
• Klaire T.-4th-initiative

Kindergarten Math:

For sure, we got the most out of our two days together.  We took our time going over the procedures, finding out what HA is all about, I introduced myself and shared a PowerPoint with them.  Then we played a fun Name Game where they said their name and put an action word of something they like to do.  You can see by the picture that they had a lot of fun doing this.  We started them off right away with Math Masters.  For kindergarten, they are expected to write their numbers (1-100) in ten minutes.  Congratulations to Bayle, Sam, Camren, Attix, and Hannah for passing on their first time!  They have their name on our Math Masters Wall plus each got a Smartie.  

Next week, I'll break down the addition facts. (2's, 3's, etc) They also figured the Problem of the Day (POD) for first grade.  They were nervous when I announced what grade it was until one pointed out that they were almost first graders!  Love that!  Finally, we just began on a graphing worksheet where they are asked to interpret the graph.  They were eager and anxious to calculate their answers.  We'll continue next week.

Fourth Grade LA:

My students anxiously returned to our book, The Brixton Brother's:  The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity.  We made a few predictions in our journals before diving back into the book.  They have such insight into the book as I read their journals and comment back to them.  I even snagged a reader who wasn't a big "mystery book" fan . . .AWESOME!!!

Fourth Grade Math:

I'm really pushing them in here.  I explained the Order of Operations and a couple ways to remember them.  We watched a quick YouTube video with a PEMDAS rap on the second day and it helped it click for many.  My class is split on this . . . more half were anxious to get out of the gate and do it on their own . . . the others were just not ready to leave the next just yet.  They are ALL getting it at their own pace and enjoying the challenge.  THEY MUST SLOW DOWN AND TAKE THEIR TIME!!!  Rushing through will be disastrous on multistep problems like these.  It will be taught and used repeatedly as they continue on their educational journey.  This group welcomes the challenge!  Congratulations to Riley H. for passing his timed test of changing an improper fraction into a mixed number.  He will move onto reversing the process next week.  Also, congrats to Aerianna for passing multiplication; her perseverance paid off!  

Second Grade LA:

I could eat this group up with how deep and involved they are with our discussions.  I introduced them to a metaphor.  Kate DiCamillo, author of Edward Tulane, started out her story with a this poem.  We had a wonderful debate about what it meant and why did she start the book that way. 

The heart breaks and breaks
and lives by breaking.
It is necessary to go
through dark and deeper dark
and not to turn.
-from "The Testing-Tree," by Stanley Kunitz

One student gives a great idea and then another takes it even a step farther.  We also diagrammed a sentence finding the different parts of speech plus the complete subject and complete predicate.  Finally, we began analyzing the metaphor.  You may have seen the paper come home, but they had to answer higher level thinking questions pertaining to the poem.  We'll do more of this next week!

Second Grade Math:

We continue to work with yet another number sequence.  I believe the Fibonacci's are still their favorite, either that or they just like to say the word, lol.  This week we did Pascal's Triangles and Magic Triangles.  They CRACK me up!  They are breathing hard from mentally straining, talking about how frustrated they are, but all keep at it and really seem to enjoy these tough problems.  It's great to watch.  

Third Grade LA:

We did not journal this week, but did listen and discuss several chapters from Alice.  They follow along responsibly and chuckle and giggle at the crazy writings of Lewis Carroll.  I'm trying to time it just right so we can finish the book and compare it to the movie.  Those who've seen it before notice big chunks that were not included in the movie.  We also made a little time for an Alice maze and a crossword puzzle.  They are chipping away at them a little each day.

Third Grade Math:

We reviewed our decimals with task cards using Kagen Showdown.  We've done it in the past and it's a great strategy especially for math!  All are engaged and active, yet they have time to solve the problem on their own with support in the end if they need it.  We reviewed the place value keeping our handy-dandy reference sheet close at hand.  They needed to add or subtract decimals making sure to line them up.  It was definitely a challenge.  A few were getting it by the end, but we need a few more days next week.  This group is always excited to get to work and are shocked when I tell them it's time to clean up.  

First Grade LA:

The HA curriculum for first is just outstanding.  We continue to work on different ciphers.  This week it was a matrix type one where they had to transfer letters into a chart correctly before deciphering the message vertically.  It's funny how they must move to separate tables to tackle it privately.  I introduced them to REBUS puzzles which is where pictures plus or minus letters comes out to be a word or phrase.  We'll continue with those next week as well as tie in their homework about a Dime Store.  

First Grade Math

This group also did a Kagen structure to review measurement.  We did a Showdown using a Showdown captain to flip over the task cards.  Ask your child to explain this, they really enjoyed it!  We started off with support in that the cards had choices.  It showed a ruled and they had to write down the correct measurement.  A few struggled with the 1/2, but their teammates coached them to the correct answer.  It's a bonus for all!  I love to walk around during this time and see how they coach (explain) the correct answer to their group.  It's priceless!  As the game progressed, I cut off the answer choices.  They stepped up to the challenge and had fun while learning.  You can see how engaged they are from their body language and smiles!  Congratulations to Braxton for passing 70 subtraction and Trevor for passing 60!

Have a great weekend!

Yours in education,

~Mrs. Koedyker

Thoroughly Trustworthy Thursday!

Welcome!

We had a very productive week before leaving for Spring Break.  Our Lifelong Guideline was trustworthiness.  They gave high fives to those in the class who were trustworthy and had many good conversations about what it means to them.

A few quotes shared:

• Trust takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair.
• Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated.  Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.
• Trust:  The "us" is the most important part of trust.
• Never waste your feelings on people who don't value them.

Time is going just too fast!  When we return from Spring Break we will have about six weeks left in High Ability.  We will start up with our kindergarten groups the Monday we return.  I'm excited about that!  We will finish the year strong!  Those last couple of weeks, all the High Ability Instructors are stationed at Liberty Elementary recording data and finalizing our groups for next school year.  Don't blink because it will be here before we know it, wow!  

I recently re-supplied our treasure chest for the upcoming Green Slip Drawing at the end of the month.  We have so many to choose from!  This week I used them as exit passes one time for each LA/Math.  They were to tell me what Lifeskill or Lifelong Guideline they used while in class today.  It was pretty interesting. . . .some had to think a while on it.

I also have to share a funny story with you about what I now call my "green slip groupies".  They are students who, at the end of class, linger doing helpful tasks.  They will set up the attendance cards for the next class, organize our supply bins, sharpen pencils, and so on . . . just hoping for an extra green slip to increase their chances of being picked.  It's all very helpful to me and I do appreciate it, but I eventually have to kick them out, lol.

Fourth Grade LA:

Following up our long biography unit, we launched into reading a great mystery novel by Mac Barnett called The Brixton Brother's:  The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity.  With limited time left, we will spend time reading the book and focusing on the story elements.  I really want to get all the way through the book.  Last year, they had to finish the book on their own time which I've heard many did.  I'm determined this year to finish during class.  The way this book is being well received, I'm not worried in the least.  This is the first of currently five books in the series, so if they enjoy it . . . there's great summer reading ideas!  I've included a link with more information about the books.  We are also journaling along the way.

http://www.brixtonbrothers.com/brixton-brothers--1.html

Fourth Grade Math:
We got back in the habit of doing our problem of the day.  They buckle right down and get excited when it's up.  We also did our Math Masters timed tests.  They are all doing so well improving each and every time.  Having the chart to keep track helps them see that.  Congratulations to Cole for passing his multiplication facts, James for passing 90 division facts, Garrett for passing 100 division facts.  All have great attitudes and even when they miss just one they persevere.  We then returned to our multi-step problem solving worksheet.

Second Grade LA:




They worked very hard finishing up their word clouds and it sure did pay off!  They were given LOTS of multi-stepped directions in the computer lab to get this accomplished.  At first they were quick to ask for help when they were unsure.  There just wasn't enough of me to go around.  We re-grouped, I walked them through the steps again, then told them to "ask three before me."  I could see them gain confidence as they helped a neighbor and also practice patience and problem solving until I was able to help.  I'm going to make sure I have them laminated before sending them home.  They will be proud to see them displayed in our hallway.

Second Grade Math:
After solving the problem of the day, we went right into their timed tests.  I have two that are very close to passing their subtraction tests and then two who are onto multiplication!  They were very excited to learn this new skill.  It's hard to switch gears, but they are getting it.  All are working very hard!  I introduced another sequence of numbers to them.  We moved from Fibonacci to a Binary Sequence.  It didn't take them long to figure out the pattern.  They then had to put it into words and a Venn Diagram.  Even as they add larger numbers, I see that they are going back to the regrouping.  They are spot on! 

Third Grade LA:

This is quite the chatty bunch!  They easily launch into stories that somehow relate to our topic, lol, but I have to steer them back on track.  I really do enjoy them.  We all agree that Lewis Carroll can be quite confusing and have chosen to continue to listen to it on audible.com (instead of reading it on their own)  Hearing the voices do help keep the characters straight!  We continue to journal and will get into more activities when we return from break.  Love reading their journals.  It's great once we get the conversation going back and forth.
  

Third Grade Math:
This group was very anxious to start.  It's been two weeks since we've met, so they were ready to get back to business.  They didn't forget their facts because I had many pass.  Congratulations to Logan for passing his 8's and Caysen, Brandon and Jai for passing their 90 division facts. They are putting the pressure on my fourth graders. We've crossed over from fractions to decimals.  They were all given a place value sheet to refer back to.  We talked vocabulary and how to read it.  I like the questions they ask; you can see they really want to understand.  Decimal land doesn't follow the same rules.  Ask them what this means.  We matched up decimals and fractions towards the end of the day.

First Grade LA:
We rotated their stories, so each could use a rubric to grade someone else's persuasive writing.  It was eye opening for them to see it from another point of view.  Things they thought they had written on their final paper, were sometimes left off.  It just brings a nice close to their assignment.  They really do a nice job on these now.  We also tackled another no space cipher and talked about the importance of punctuation.  I read a book Yo? Yes! without expression or end marks.  You should have seen their faces, it was priceless.  They practiced putting in punctuation to a paragraph and reading various riddles.

First Grade Math:
Our problem of the day and math masters ate up most of our first day.  Congratulations to Kennedy on passing 90 subtraction problems.  Ten more and she moves onto multiplication, amazing!  All of my others continue to improve their score.  I switched gears with this bunch.  Instead of charting what they've missed, we are doing the ones right.  It's a more positive message for a big task.  They are doing great!  We've started another measurement packet.  We did a little with temperature and using a ruler to the quarter inch!  Some it didn't come easy to and others caught on right away.  This is a nice group.

Enjoy your break!

Yours in education,

Mrs. Koedyker

First Class Friday!

Hello All and Welcome Kindergarten Parents!

We talked about the Lifelong Guideline of Personal Best this week.  It's a great one to discuss that has all kinds of quotes to go with it.

Some of the quotes shared this week:

• The sky's the limit when your heart is in it.
• To be a winner, all you need to give is all you have.
• If it is to be, it is up to me.
• Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
• If better is possible, good is not enough.

Although we were back to a regular week, I was sick Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday.  I know my first and third grade math groups are chomping at the bit to get back in here since we missed all last week due to testing.  I stopped in today to finish up testing and tie up loose ends and had a first grade math student ask if I was taking them today, awww.  I promised next week!

Thanks for your patience on getting this blog to you.  I know it's usually sooner.

In math, we got back into the routine of doing our problem of the day (POD) and they welcomed that.  We do SO MUCH in the little time that we're in here, that sometimes things just have to give.  I'm happy we're back to it.  It touches on grade level skills just to refresh and sometimes teach a new skill.  It's great!  They love it more when they move up a grade or two.

Kindergarten will start up after spring break.  I'll see them on Wednesdays and Thursdays during their flex time.

Fourth Grade LA:

We finished up our biography presentations and they did SUCH a great job!!!  You could tell they were very proud of all they had accomplished.  I mentioned that I did video tape each of them with my phone and have been working on a way to get them to you.  I believe I'm close!  The file was too big to send directly from my phone and even from my computer, but if I share it through Google docs . . . it should work.  I hope to get them to you soon.  As a mom, I know it's just priceless to have a sneak peek into their world.  

Fourth Grade Math:

We made time this week to work on the Smartboard again and with this large group it's a bit of a juggling act.  I thought it ideal to split them into two groups, so there's less wait time.  One group worked on an independent activity while the other half were on the Smartboard.  They are the perfect group to do this with!  They listen well and get the most out of our class.  When it came to Math Masters this week, we had several move up a level and a bunch VERY close to passing.  Congratulations to Garrett for passing 90 division facts, James and Josh L. for passing 100 division facts, and Riley for passing division with remainder.  Your Smartie will be waiting for you and each will move onto their next challenge.

Second Grade LA:

We aren't quite ready to give up on our Edward just yet.  I first had each write a paragraph of their thoughts of the book, characters, favorite part, favorite characters, etc.  It was a free write of their ideas about the book.  We then went to the computer lab to type these up.  They learned quite a few bonus things about the computer too (right clicking, spell check, save as, save) and they caught right on.  I loved reading them!  We will copy/paste these next week into a word cloud.  I cannot wait to see their finished product!!!!

Second Grade Math:

We only had one day of math this week.  We started off with a problem of the day and Math Masters.  I am so excited for the progress that this whole group is making on their facts.  It's obvious they are working on them at home.  Congratulations to Kaden and Chris for passing their subtraction facts.  They will move onto learning multiplication facts.  I will help them through and have many tricks up my sleeve of how to remember them.  I bet they are excited!  The others are very close behind them.  It won't be long and they'll all be on multiplication, wow!  They also had time on the Smartboard.

Third Grade LA:

They are enjoying the story of Alice in Wonderland, but we often stop to discuss the story, the author, what's going on because it can be quite confusing.  Lewis Carroll has a wild imagination plus it's very different from the movie!  It's good they are making the comparisons and having the rich conversations they're having.  We also keep journaling and looking deeper into the book.

First Grade LA:

We finished up our persuasive paragraphs this week.  They are writing a paragraph to persuade you to buy them a certain gift.  Just wait until you read these.  You may want to post them on your refrigerator to refer back to often, hehehe.  We'll have them use a rubric to grade each others before sending them home.  They also had time on the Smartboard matching up synonyms and antonyms.  I had them go up several levels to challenge them. 

Yours in education,

Mrs. Koedyker 

Fantastic Friday!

Welcome!

Our blog this week will be short and sweet due to second grade testing for HA plus ISTEP in third and fourth.  We've just had to be very flexible in our schedule.  Next week we will finish up testing second grade, but I will see all my classes!  Whooohoooo!

We talked about the Lifelong Guideline of No Put Downs.

• Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins. (Native American Saying) 

As you can see, I saw very few classes this week . . .

Fourth Grade LA:

We began presenting our Google slide Biography Presentations this week.  I only saw my group once this week, so we'll do the others next week.  They did a fantastic job!  I am video taping them with my phone, but it's too big to send from my phone without editing.  I will look into it and try to send it computer to computer.  I'm really looking for them to add more to their presentation than just reading what is on their slides.  They've written their monologues and I've stressed this, so we should be good.

Fourth Grade Math:
The one day we met, we had a little fun with the Smartboard.  It was a welcomed relief with their ISTEP testing.  They just kind of exhaled . . . We didn't even bother with timed tests.  This is my largest group, so to make the most of the Smartboard, I split them into two groups.  One worked on an extreme dot-to-dot while the others used coordinates to complete a mosaic.  They had to choose their colors to match the first half of the picture.  It was a slow go at first, but they got pretty quick about it.

Second Grade LA:
After going over our crossword puzzle of Edward, I had them write a paragraph about Edward Tulane.  I set them free to just write.  What did they think about the book, their favorite part, describe Edward if they wanted, etc. We then went into the computer lab to type them into a Word document.  Our plan is to copy/paste them into a word cloud somewhat like the holiday name Wordles I did for everyone.  I'm so excited to see how these turn out!

Second Grade Math:
We did two days of Gynzy on the Smartboard.  We didn't take a timed test this week to keep pace with everyone else.  On one day we a coordinate picture where they had to match up the colors and recreate the picture.  The second day they figured math word problems.  This was neat because they were able to  actually write on the board their answer.  Fun!

Third Grade LA:
I only saw my third graders once this week.  We listened and journaled about Alice.  If you've never read the book, it's quite interesting and very different from the movie.  Listening and talking about it as we go really helps us follow along with Carroll's crazy ideas.

Third Grade Both:
The days we did not meet, I had my groups come down to help me log my second graders onto the computers for HA testing.  They were SUCH a HUGE help to me and really stepped up to the challenge!  I appreciate their extra hands.  They didn't want to leave and even asked if they could stay during testing, lol.

If you blinked, the blog is over.  Not even any pictures this week . . .darn!  Next week, we'll return to somewhat "normal", so I will see you next time!  Same bat time . . . same bat channel.  

Yours in education,

Mrs. Koedyker

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