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    10/24

    Hi there,

     
    I hope you all were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather over the long weekend.  Here is what we are learning and some upcoming announcements.  
     
    Reading:
    We just started a new novel study with the book Esperanza Rising.  This is a beautiful historical fiction text that takes place in Mexico and California during The Great Depression.  This week we are working to build background on the time period and getting acquainted with the characters and setting.
    We have also started in-class reading groups.  Students were grouped based on their STAR reading data.  They will be doing a historical fiction novel study paired with working on various goals such as comprehension, fluency, inferencing, and structuring a strong RACE response. (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain)
     
    Writing:
    Last week students finalized their personal narrative masterpieces.  They all have worked so hard and every single student showed huge improvements from the prewrite that they wrote in September.  I will have a hard copy for you to read at conferences, but you can also access their writing via Google Classroom.
      
    Math:
    This week we are working on reviewing content to take our end-of-unit assessment.  Students should be reviewing finding the volume of both regular and irregular figures, multi-digit multiplication, and division.  I will be sending home some practice pages and we will be taking our assessment on Friday.  
     
    Social Studies:
    We are just starting a new Social Studies unit.  We are starting with learning about people settling in the Americas and focusing on the indigenous perspectives and the people that were there before the European settlers.  
    Students will be able to:

    -create, organize, and present geographic information to show settlement patterns in the United States, including impacts on tribal lands

    -interpret data presented in timelines

    -understand the inter-relationship of chronological historical events 

    -identify roles of individuals and groups and their impact on United States and tribal historical events 

    -understand the unique historical perspectives of American Indians 

    SEL:

    PurposeFull Pursuit:

    We have all demonstrated Responsibility in our lives. Many of us have seen people practice Responsibility in ways that have inspired us. Stories are powerful tools for connecting as a family. Protect time this week to share stories about Responsibility with each other (you can use the story prompts to get started). At the end of the conversation, think of 1 way you can practice Responsibility this week.

    Story Prompts:

    • A time I (or someone else) showed Responsibility was _____.
    • An act of Responsibility that changed/challenged me was _____.
     
    Halloween:
    We will be having an in-class Halloween celebration on Tuesday 10/31.  Students can bring their costumes to school to change into.  Please do not send them to school wearing them.  Here are some reminders about Rattlesnake's costume policy.  If you would like to provide a snack for the Halloween celebration will you message me?
    Expectations for Halloween Costumes at school:

    • Costumes must conform to the Rattlesnake School Dress Code.

    • Costumes may not be demeaning to any ethnic group, race, religion, nationality, disabilities, gender, or individual (staff or student) at the school.

    • Costumes may not cause a disruption or distraction to the school program.

    • No weapons, toy weapons, or props replicating weapons (sorry no light sabers either!) are to be brought to school.

    • No costumes are allowed that would completely hide the identity of the student, i.e. Hazmat suit, gorilla suit, "Scream" character. Face paint shouldn’t cover more than 50% of the face (again we want to know who you are).

    • No full face masks are permitted (they may not be worn OR carried)

    Conferences:
    This Thursday I will be sending out a sign-up genius to sign-up for fall conferences.  Be on the lookout for that and if any of the time slots don't work for you let me know ASAP.
     
    Upcoming:
    10/24: Picture Day
    10/26: Conference sign-up sent out
    10/31: Halloween 
    11/8-11/10: Conferences
    11/22-11/26: Thanksgiving Break
     
    Thank you all so much for your wonderful communication and support.  I appreciate you all and your student SO much. Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or celebrations.
     
    -Harmony Johnson 

     

    10/9

    Hi there,

    I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and were able to get outside and enjoy the beautiful autumn sunshine.  Here is a look into our next couple of weeks.
     
    Reading:
    Last week we completed both our novel study book Night of the Spadefoot Toads and our whole class read-aloud, Hoot.  This week we are working to pick out the themes and character reactions to problems within the texts.  Students will be working to compare and contrast the actions of the main characters in both Hoot and Night of the Spadefoot Toads.
     
    Writing:
    Students are still working hard on crafting their personal narrative masterpieces.  This week we are focusing on using the "Show, don't tell" strategy, adding in good transitional words and phrases, adding in paragraphs when appropriate, and finally, peer editing.  We will have our final masterpieces ready to share with you soon!
     
    Math:
    We just wrapped up our unit on multiplying multi-digit numbers.  Please keep practicing this with your student.  Even a couple of quick problems help them keep their strategies and facts straight.
     
    This week we will be starting our unit on dividing multi-digit numbers.  Students will be able to find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division.   Attached below is a video outlining the partial quotient strategy.  
     
    Science:
    We are continuing our unit on Ecosystems and Energy.  Students will be able to use models to describe that energy in animals' food was once energy from the sun.  Students will be able to develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
     
    SEL:
    This month we are talking about Responsibility. One way to define Responsibility is “taking action and understanding the impact of our choices.” Taking action can mean doing the right thing or completing the tasks you have been assigned. Understanding the impact of our choices means that our actions matter. Positive and responsible actions can help people and irresponsible actions can hurt others.  
     
    Field Trips/ Snacks:
    Thank you so much to all of our field trip chaperones.  You all made the field trips so much more enjoyable and smooth.  I appreciate you!  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated snacks to our hungry kiddos, their brains and bellies are full and happy!
     
    Halloween: 
    We will be having an in-class Halloween celebration on Tuesday 10/31.  Students can bring their costumes to school to change into.  Please do not send them to school wearing them.  Here are some reminders about Rattlesnake's costume policy.

    Expectations for Halloween Costumes at school:

    • Costumes must conform to the Rattlesnake School Dress Code.

    • Costumes may not be demeaning to any ethnic group, race, religion, nationality, disabilities, gender, or individual (staff or student) at the school.

    • Costumes may not cause a disruption or distraction to the school program.

    • No weapons, toy weapons, or props replicating weapons (sorry no light sabers either!) are to be brought to school.

    • No costumes are allowed that would completely hide the identity of the student, i.e. Hazmat suit, gorilla suit, "Scream" character. Face paint shouldn’t cover more than 50% of the face (again we want to know who you are).

    •  No full face masks are permitted (they may not be worn OR carried)

     
    Upcoming:
    10/19-10/20: No School
    10/24: Picture day
    11/9-11/10: Conferences
    11/22-11/24: Thanksgiving Break
     

    Hello all,

     
    Happy Thursday!  How are you all feeling about the new year?  Do you have any questions about our routines or expectations?  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our new classroom community and we are already learning so many wonderful things together!  Here is a quick outline of upcoming events and what we'll be learning for the next couple of weeks.  
     
    Reading:
    We are in the middle of our first novel study.  We are reading Night of the Spadefoot Toads.  Students are working on the R.A.C.E. (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) strategy when answering comprehension questions.  Students are using context clues to find the meaning of unknown words that we find in the text.  Students are working to determine the theme of the book by paying attention to how the characters respond to challenges in the text.
    *Don't forget to have your student do their daily reading minutes.  Reading logs are due at the beginning of each week.*
     
    Writing:
    The first piece of writing we will be working on is a personal narrative.  Students have been working on picking one "big moment" to write about.  Within their personal narratives students are working on having a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Students are working on using correct conventions in their writing: capitals, punctuation, spelling, grammar etc. 
     
    Math:
    We just wrapped up our first lesson on volume and will continue to add and expand on that knowledge in the coming weeks.  Students will be able to recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measure.  Students will be able to measure volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, and improvised units.  Students will be able to relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and solve real-world and mathematical problems involving volume.
    *Be on the lookout for a weekly math homework page*
     
    Science:
    Next week we will begin our first science unit on Ecosystems and Energy.  Students will be able to use models to describe that energy in animals' food was once energy from the sun.  Students will be able to develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
     
    Character Strong:
    This month’s focus is Respect. One way to think about Respect is “seeing value in all people and things & treating them with care.” Many people feel respected in different ways and we hope this month inspires discussions with your family about what respect means to you and how you can practice it together!  
     
    Band/Orchestra:
    Students have been so excited to learn and experience their new instruments.  Thank you for your patience while they ease into the new schedule.  For the next few weeks, this will be the band and orchestra schedule.
    Monday/Tuesday: Violin, Viola, Woodwinds, Percussion
    Wednesday/Friday: Cello, Bass, Brass, Percussion
     
    Home Resource Field Trip:
    We will be heading to Home Resource 9/28.  We will leave the school around 8:45 and return around 11:15.  If you are interested in joining us, please let me know and fill out a volunteer request form beforehand.  I sent home some papers with more information about the field trip today.  
     
    Upcoming Events:
    9/19: ZWAP in-class lesson
    9/22: Garden lesson (harvesting carrots)
    9/28: Home Resource field trip
    10/4: Missoula Art Museum & Missoula Public Library field trip
    10/19-10/20: No School
    10/24: Picture day
     
    Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or celebrations.  I appreciate you all.
     
    -Harmony Johnson