We are working hard on creating a project dealing with main idea and detail using our favorite things. As I work to discover a neat way to present them, it brings to mind many of my favorite things... coffee, Mountain Dew, shopping, but most of all Christmas Music (which is blasting as I type)!
Talk with your child about their favorite things and what they have included in their project. Then, watch closely as they will be debuting soon. :-)
Monday, November 19, 2012
Do I have to READ???
Here are some stats on reading put together by one of our practicum students.
Reading drops significantly after age 8. More than 40% of kids ages 5-8 are high frequency readers, dropping to 20% among kids ages 9-11.
Children of high frequency reading parents are more likely than other youth to regularly engage in reading for fun.
Only 21% of parents are high frequency readers.
Why every day?
Reading is "brain food." The experience of reading activates and exercises many of the areas of the brain.
Reading improves listening skills.
It builds literacy skills.
It builds vocabulary.
Practice makes perfect.
Reading improves academic performance.
Reading with your child everyday builds lifelong relationships.
So the answer is simple... YES, You do have to read (because I will read with you).
Reading drops significantly after age 8. More than 40% of kids ages 5-8 are high frequency readers, dropping to 20% among kids ages 9-11.
Children of high frequency reading parents are more likely than other youth to regularly engage in reading for fun.
Only 21% of parents are high frequency readers.
Why every day?
Reading is "brain food." The experience of reading activates and exercises many of the areas of the brain.
Reading improves listening skills.
It builds literacy skills.
It builds vocabulary.
Practice makes perfect.
Reading improves academic performance.
Reading with your child everyday builds lifelong relationships.
So the answer is simple... YES, You do have to read (because I will read with you).
Friday, November 16, 2012
Turkey Plea Writing
Here are some finished products:
Luke
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
You cannot eat me. I have a very important job. I am the president. I make the laws. I know there will be an election coming up soon. I really want to be around. You know you should not eat the president for Thanksgiving. So… please do not eat me.
Jaxon
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
Please don’t eat me because I’m a video game hero! Who else but Mario can throw fireballs? I can even dodge the fireballs. And I can jump higher than any of you. And who can drive a go cart better than me? And when I put on the brown raccoon costume, I can fly through the air! One thing I know for sure is that I look better standing here in front of you in this red hat than I would cooking in the oven. And this is why you shouldn’t eat Mario for Thanksgiving.
Brooke
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
Dear Townsfolk,
You can’t eat me for Thanksgiving dinner because I have to make kids laugh and I have to be at the circus at 10:00. Also I might taste funny. So my point is if you want to still have “funny jokes” your best choice right now would be NOT TO EAT ME!
Your non-Thanksgiving dinner,
Clown Turkey
Taylor
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
You should not eat this turkey because it has space radiation. Due to its prolonged exposure to solar flares the turkey is tough and dry. You cannot eat me because I will be outside the atmosphere. You will never be able to catch me because I’ll be in a rocket ship. This is not the turkey you’re looking for. You wouldn’t be able to find me because I would be on the dark side of the moon. Good luck trying to catch me going at warp speed! You would not want to eat me because I have worm holes.
Luke
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
You cannot eat me. I have a very important job. I am the president. I make the laws. I know there will be an election coming up soon. I really want to be around. You know you should not eat the president for Thanksgiving. So… please do not eat me.
Jaxon
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
Please don’t eat me because I’m a video game hero! Who else but Mario can throw fireballs? I can even dodge the fireballs. And I can jump higher than any of you. And who can drive a go cart better than me? And when I put on the brown raccoon costume, I can fly through the air! One thing I know for sure is that I look better standing here in front of you in this red hat than I would cooking in the oven. And this is why you shouldn’t eat Mario for Thanksgiving.
Brooke
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
Dear Townsfolk,
You can’t eat me for Thanksgiving dinner because I have to make kids laugh and I have to be at the circus at 10:00. Also I might taste funny. So my point is if you want to still have “funny jokes” your best choice right now would be NOT TO EAT ME!
Your non-Thanksgiving dinner,
Clown Turkey
Taylor
A Turkey’s Last Plea
Imagine you are a turkey. You must convince someone not to cook you for Thanksgiving dinner. What would you say to convince them?
You should not eat this turkey because it has space radiation. Due to its prolonged exposure to solar flares the turkey is tough and dry. You cannot eat me because I will be outside the atmosphere. You will never be able to catch me because I’ll be in a rocket ship. This is not the turkey you’re looking for. You wouldn’t be able to find me because I would be on the dark side of the moon. Good luck trying to catch me going at warp speed! You would not want to eat me because I have worm holes.
Robot Art
We had a fantastic art lesson today where we learned many drawing techniques using shapes and lines. We also learned about cross-hatching and how to use it instead of "coloring" in an area on an art project. We put out skills to the test and created ROBOTS. They are SO fun!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Snow, Gum and Turkey: Oh My!
Can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving! Time is moving way too fast. We have been super busy. Here is our exciting news.
1. We just finished up NDSA testing. It was tough at times, but we powered through. We will get a chance to see our results in the spring.
2. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! With the temperatures dropping and our recent snowfall (although it was a small amount) we are now required to wear snow pants and boots (as well as coats, hat and gloves) every day. Thank you so much for helping your third grader come prepared for the cold weather, every day! If you are unable to get your child any of these items, just let me know and I can get some for you.
3. Gum... we have recently discovered that chewing gum throughout the day can increase a child's time on task and increase their ability to focus. So... we are allowed to bring sugar free gum to chew in our classroom. We have went over our gum rules (it goes in the garbage when done, no sharing, no playing with it, etc.) and have made it through day 1 successfully.
4. Turkey in Disguise... SO CUTE! Pictures to follow. Also, if your third grader has not turned theirs in yet, please help them get it finished. They were due on Tuesday.
5. Fargo Force Reading: Don't forget to read 20-25 minutes Every Night (and record it). We are almost finished with period 1 for our goal. Some kids even met their goal in the first month. Wow! What fabulous readers.
6. Patience and Manners are two big social skills we are working on. We are learning what it means to be patient with a class of 24 students and also what it looks like and sounds like to use our manners. Please help me out by modeling GOOD manners at home. Remember, your child will learn more from watching you versus listening to you. So the next time someone makes you angry, think about the little eyes (and ears) that are watching to see how you handle it.
7. End of Trimester 1 is FRIDAY. Which means, grades are final on Friday. Please go online to check out your child's grade. Ask them first if you have questions and then ask me. Report cards will be sent home on the 30th.
Did I cover everything? Probably not... but this is all I can remember for now. Have a super night.
Until another day...
Mrs. Farkas
** I made myself feel really old today by talking about a VCR. I had a lot of blank stares. Too funny!
1. We just finished up NDSA testing. It was tough at times, but we powered through. We will get a chance to see our results in the spring.
2. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! With the temperatures dropping and our recent snowfall (although it was a small amount) we are now required to wear snow pants and boots (as well as coats, hat and gloves) every day. Thank you so much for helping your third grader come prepared for the cold weather, every day! If you are unable to get your child any of these items, just let me know and I can get some for you.
3. Gum... we have recently discovered that chewing gum throughout the day can increase a child's time on task and increase their ability to focus. So... we are allowed to bring sugar free gum to chew in our classroom. We have went over our gum rules (it goes in the garbage when done, no sharing, no playing with it, etc.) and have made it through day 1 successfully.
4. Turkey in Disguise... SO CUTE! Pictures to follow. Also, if your third grader has not turned theirs in yet, please help them get it finished. They were due on Tuesday.
5. Fargo Force Reading: Don't forget to read 20-25 minutes Every Night (and record it). We are almost finished with period 1 for our goal. Some kids even met their goal in the first month. Wow! What fabulous readers.
6. Patience and Manners are two big social skills we are working on. We are learning what it means to be patient with a class of 24 students and also what it looks like and sounds like to use our manners. Please help me out by modeling GOOD manners at home. Remember, your child will learn more from watching you versus listening to you. So the next time someone makes you angry, think about the little eyes (and ears) that are watching to see how you handle it.
7. End of Trimester 1 is FRIDAY. Which means, grades are final on Friday. Please go online to check out your child's grade. Ask them first if you have questions and then ask me. Report cards will be sent home on the 30th.
Did I cover everything? Probably not... but this is all I can remember for now. Have a super night.
Until another day...
Mrs. Farkas
** I made myself feel really old today by talking about a VCR. I had a lot of blank stares. Too funny!
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