Tragedy has a way of changing us...

This photo is to ease some of your pain and worry...

Sometimes, words are not enough to describe how we feel or what we want to say.  I am posting this photo in hopes that you are reassured and more optimistic about what the future holds. --Ms. Brandt

I am THANKFUL for AMAZING PARENTS!

I can't thank you enough!  This has been a very busy school year, and as the holiday season has begun, it seems to be getting busier.  I just want to take this time to thank all the parents and families of the students in my class.  They are always willing to help and show their support.  I haven't updated the blog lately simply for lack of time, but I do want the students, parents, and other viewers to know that we have been very busy here at school.

Here are just a few of the things we have been doing:

THANKFUL TREES: I can't believe I didn't get a picture of our wonderful thankful trees, but they were nothing short of amazing.  For each school day during the month of November up until Thanksgiving, each student wrote one thing he/she was thankful for on a leaf and placed it on his/her tree.  We started with bare trees, and by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, our trees were FULL of leaves.  While it was all cutesy and fun, there was also a very heart-warming part of this project.  The students went above and beyond my expectations, expressing thanks for not only their toys and fun gadgets but also family members and teachers.  On the last school day before Thanksgiving the students took the trees home to (hopefully) share with their families. :)

VETERAN'S DAY: For Veteran's Day, I wanted the students to understand exactly who a Veteran is and why we honor them.  I thought the best way to do this would be to discover who Veterans are in our own families.  Therefore, (and here's the part that especially deserves a "thanks" to the parents) for homework, the students were sent home with a template of a soldier's body.  Each student was to talk with his/her family about Veterans--who they are and if they knew any veterans.  The students were to make the soldiers using the template and write 1 or 2 sentences to share about the Veteran with the class.  It was a HUGE success.  The students loved sharing their Veteran with our class, and it proved to be a great way to honor the Veterans in our own classroom.  The pictures below show a little more about what each soldier looked like, as well as the "end result" with all of the Veterans our class brought in.

Thanks again to all of the parents that play such an important part in their child's education!  The quote above is the honest truth--YOU are the KEY to a teacher's success! 

THANK YOU, 

Ms. Brandt

The class has spoken...

We held our own Presidential Election in our classroom today, and Mitt Romney won our election!  The students are very excited to see if the rest of America feels the same way!  :)

Our Visitors Recently....

We have had a couple visitors recently...

On October 26, Dr. Doering came to visit the first grade to discuss how to take care of our pets, as well as how to stay safe around strange or unfamiliar pets and animals.  

On November 1, Clifford stopped by our classroom and dropped off books for our class courtesy of Scholastic, Inc.  We are very grateful to have such amazing supporters in our education! (Sorry, I didn't get any pictures to share our awesome experience!)

I am THANKFUL for the Fall Skating Party!

Every day we should be thankful, but it seems that this month, we spend a little extra time thinking about all the things for which we are thankful.  One of the things I am thankful for is our fall skating party.  It seems that now-a-days field trips are rare, and with the high focus on academics, kids are being challenged to "grow up" sooner than they did back in the "good ol' days." :)  The fall skating party is so much fun for the kids, but also for the teachers!  I enjoy skating with the kids and enjoying good old-fashioned fun because it gives me a chance to connect with the kids outside of school.  We had a great time...here are just a few "glimpses" into our wonderful, fun-filled afternoon.
(Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures.  Hmmm...might be a good reason to upgrade to a new phone! ;) )

These are a few pictures of the bus ride to the skating party. 

...And finally, we hit the floor! :) 

These next two pictures didn't turn out that great, but it was a priceless moment that I just had to share! One student's grandpa skated with him and his friend for most of the afternoon!  It was so sweet.  They just skated so fast I could never get a good picture! ;)

Hope you are having a relaxing Sunday afternoon!  

--Ms. Brandt

FUN RUN!

On Friday, we had our annual FUN RUN to kick off the PTO Fundraiser, Harvest Stampede 5K, scheduled for Saturday!  The students had a great time running and cheering for their reading buddies in 4th grade!  When the students were finished, they were awarded with a Fun Run Tag for their Brag Tags!  

Students cheering with their letters: "GO North Mustangs 4th Grade."  They also made megaphones out of construction paper.  

Here come our first runners!....

After the run, we were a little "huffy puffy," but we had a great time!! 

Whoa! Weather!

We had a local celebrity join us on Friday--Mr. Zac Evans from KRCG!  He taught us all about weather and storms, and he answered lots of our really difficult questions about weather!  Then, the students made their own surface maps, showcasing high and low pressure areas across the U.S.  They did a very nice job, and they learned so much from Mr. Evan's presentation!  Thanks again, Zac!  We really appreciate it!

--Ms. Brandt

Daily 5

What's all this talk about Daily 5?!

I know I have talked a lot about Daily 5, but I haven't given a very good explanation of what that means.  First of all, Daily 5 "is more than a management system or a curriculum framework – it is a structure that will help students develop the daily habits of reading, writing and working with peers that will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy"--that taken right from the words of the experts! (To learn more about Daily 5 click here). In our classroom, students are engaged Daily 5 while I am working with students in small reading groups. We have four rounds of Daily 5 each day; therefore, students are picking 3 or 4 out of the 5 choices of Daily 5 each day.

There are 5 components, or choices, of the Daily 5. The first component that the students learn is Read to Self. In Read to Self, students find a place to sit or lay in the room and read books they have selected from our classroom library. Students are taught to pick books that are a good fit for them. In teaching this, we use the acronym I PICK. See the picture below to learn what each of the letters stands for.

Students are also taught to read a book in 3 ways: 

1. Read the pictures. 

2. Read the words. 

3. Retell the story (if it is a familiar story or one that they have heard before). 

This ensures that the students are engaged in the text and reading--they are paying attention to meaning of the pictures and the print.  When students choose Read to Self, they are expected to get started right away, read to themselves the whole time (each round is about 15 minutes), stay in the one spot they picked, and read silently or whisper read using their reading phones.  Here are a few photos of students engaged in Read to Self. 

Work on Writing is the second component of Daily 5 the students are taught.  In this component, students engage in independent writing about what meets their purpose.  For example, if they want to write a letter to someone, they can choose that type of writing.  If students want to make a card for a friend, they have that option as well.  The primary purpose in Work on Writing is helping students see the importance and purpose in writing--to communicate to others and writing so others can read.  If students see why writing is important and find it useful, they are more engaged in the activity because it is relevant to their every day lives.  The expectations in the classroom are similar to Read to Self: 

• Get started right away
• Writing the whole time
• No talking
• Stay in one spot

I will upload some pictures of Work on Writing soon!

Read to Someone is the third component of Daily 5, and perhaps one of the favorites!  Not only is this very enjoyable for the students, it also is very educational!  Students are given the opportunity to learn from one another through coaching their partners during the reading.  They also check for understanding with one another to make sure they are comprehending what their partners are reading.  Again, the expectations are similar to other components of Daily 5: 

• Get started right away
• Reading the whole time
• Reading quietly
• Stay in one spot
• Check for understanding
• Sit EEKK (elbow to elbow, knee to knee, book in the middle so we both see)

Here are pictures of students engaged in Read to Someone. 

Word Work is the fourth choice in Daily 5.  This component emphasizes spelling words correctly.  During this choice, students create commonly seen words (sight words) using a variety of tools (Play-Doh, pipe cleaners, etc).  During this component, students can also work on puzzles, word searches, and a variety of other resources in making words.  As the year progresses, Word Work materials will change to meet the needs of the students.  The expectations are similar to others, but "using all materials for their purpose (AMP)" is especially emphasized in this component.

Here are some pictures of students building words during Word Work. 

The last component of Daily 5 is Listen to Reading.  During this component, students pick books with audio to listen and follow along while the story is being read to them.  This helps students not only learn new words, but also listen for fluency and reading expression.  The expectations for Listen to Reading include:

• Get started right away
• Listening to reading the whole time
• No talking
• Stay in one spot
• Use all materials for their purpose (AMP)

Pictures of Listen to Reading will be uploaded soon! :)

Daily 5 is an AMAZING literacy program that truly instills a love for reading and writing within the students.  The awesome thing--You can even have your child do it at home!!! Encourage them to pick something they want to do each night--read to someone, write a note, practice spelling words with Play-doh, etc.  They love it, and I'm sure you will too! :) 

--Ms. Brandt