Learning Updates 11.18.11

Dear Families,

Happy Friday. Here's a quick overview of what we've been up to this week. But first...a reminder that report cards will come home with your child on Wednesday 11/23. Also, in your child's Friday Folder today are a number of graded assignments I'd been holding on to for report cards.

Math

• Finished Unit 4 and took the test
• We've now moved in to Unit 5, focused on big numbers, estimation and computation. Today we learned about extended multiplication facts, which help us solve problems like 40*80=? Ask your student how.
• Bonus--have your student write "pH test" on a note and give to me by Monday for 10 Grizzly Bucks. It's easy.

Science

• We ventured further in to EiE, doing some real environmental engineering
• We read "Tehya's Story," which set the stage for our work. Ask your student about the story
• Today we simulated working as environmental engineers hired by a fictitious town of Greenville, which has been experiencing pollution problems. Each small group of students performed pH tests on various water samples taken from around the town. We'll do more with this next week.

Reading

• Focused on high interest non-fiction articles in Time for Kids, and took a quiz
• Learned about and examined figurative language
• Took a mock MSP reading test, which I can show you at parent conferences

Writing

• Worked more on the components of effective leads
• Looked at adding scenes that are flashbacks of the past or flash-forwards of the future
• Examined mentor texts for how to bring more of the internal (thoughts, feelings, questions in our head) part of the story to our pieces

Examining the pH strips during EiE (Engineering is Elementary: A Slick Solution)

Taking a sample

Matching up against the pH chart. This sample from the Greenville car factory is somewhat acidic. We may have some pollution!

Learning Update 11.13.11

Dear Families,


What a short week we had, but still had a lot of things going on!  I hope you enjoyed the three-day weekend as we celebrated Veteran's Day. Here's the latest...


Science

• Students designed and began pollution experiments on either acid rain, fertilizer or road salt in our special plants-only experimental eco-columns
• Took an ecosystems quiz
• This week we'll put ecosystems on the back burner as the pollution experiments play out over the next few weeks. In the meantime we'll start a related unit called EiE (Engineering is Elementary--A Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill--Ecosystems & Environmental Engineering for Elementary Students. More on this soon!

Math

• Continued working with decimals, using base 10 blocks to represent values in to the thousandths place, played fishing for digits game, reviewed the metric system and practiced measuring objects in the classroom
• We'll take the Unit 4 test later this week

Reading

• We continued our focus on schema (activating background knowledge) as students read about the role of decomposers in an ecosystems. Prior to reading we charted what they know & want to know, and afterward, what they learned
• Finished our read aloud--The Gollywhopper Games and started a new read aloud Listening for Lions, a past Global Reading Challenge book. 

Writing

• Moving toward a seed story idea--ask your child what their story idea is. It's helpful to have them orally tell you the story ("air write" the story for you)
• Discussed balancing internal/external details, stretching/zooming in on the heart of our stories and not unimportant parts, asking ourselves what we're really trying to say, and looking at mentor texts for ideas--especially for ways to write leads
• Fun Bonus--your child can earn 10 Grizzly Bucks if you have them write and bring in to Mr. Herzberg the word "EiE" on a note.

Learning Updates 11.4.11

Here's the latest from our classroom

Last Friday we had an Art Docent Lesson. Thank you to Lisa Purdon and Christina Elin, Jolene Strait, Debbie Spoto, and Kim Foster.

Students learned about Rousseau and created oil pastel ecosystem drawings on black construction paper.

Mr. Ciraulo worked with students on problem solving. We examined and critiqued a student example, learning from it. Students will redo the problem, this time using much of what we learned.

Math

• Continued working with decimals--using base 10 blocks to model ones/tenths/hundreths, practicing correct notation, comparing/ordering decimals, estimating with decimals, adding/subtracting decimals, and working with decimals in money

Reading

• Continued our focus on main idea, using a picture book, Brave Irene, and continued our schema (background knowledge) focus by listening to a short book on tape. We'll follow up next week by revising our schema when students can actually see the pictures in the book.
• Read with our second grade reading buddies in Miss Evanger's class 

 Writing

• Learned about making revisions sooner this time than in our first unit--using what we know now about great personal narrative writing. Also talked about setting a balance between external (things you can see and hear) and internal factors (thoughts, feelings, emotions inside you) in our stories
• Completed our fourth grade personal narrative fall writing prompt--a chance for us to see growth in students' writing
• Bonus. Have your student write "pollution" on a sticky note or paper and give it to me by Monday 11/7 for 10 Grizzly bucks!

Science

• We've read about terrestrial animals, how seeds germinate, and three common sources of pollution in ecosystems--acid rain, road salt, and fertilizer.
• Students began designing their group's pollution experiment on either salt, vinegar (acid rain), or fertilizer
• SOAR (in-class field trip) brought a couple birds of prey and talked with students about food webs. It was a high interest, great tie in with our ecosystems studies. Thank you for funding this!

SOAR presentation right before the birds came out!

Learning Updates 10.28.11

Here's a quick update of our week together:

Math

• Took the Unit 3 assessment, coming home in Friday Folders
• Started Unit 4. Worked with decimal place value, notation, representing using base 10 blocks

Reading

• Focused on determining main idea by examining Van Gogh's Starry Night and looking at a shared reading on the printing press. We pulled important details & used them to come up with a main idea.
• Mrs. McGraw did a focus lesson on schema (background knowledge) related to a poem about popcorn on a stove.

Writing

• Began our second writing unit, again on Personal Narratives, but we'll go much deeper this time
• Learned new strategies for generating writing ideas, i.e. thinking of turning points such as first or last times, of times when strong emotions were involved, or of classic family stories

Science

• Continued to observe our aquaria and terraria
• Added our crickets and isopods to the terraria, and assembled the eco column!
• Fun bonus--ask your child to write "isopod" on a sticky note and get it to me by Friday 11/4 for 10 Grizzly Bucks.

Dependent vs. Independent Relationships. Our class generated this during a discussion. Click to view larger and ask your student to explain this to you.

Mayhem! Two crickets on the loose and half the class on the hunt. The story ends happily with both fugitives apprehended and happily enjoying the confines of their new terrarium.

Learning Updates 10.21.11

Happy Friday,

We've been pretty busy lately. Here's the latest:

Social Studies

• We finished our Regions of Washington Unit

Science

• Started our ecosystems unit. Thanks for all your help in gathering 2 liter bottles! Also, big thanks to Christa Elin for cutting all those bottles
• Had an in class field trip from Science to Go on Food Webs
• Students built aquariums and terrariums and have been observing them in their science notebooks
• Animals arrived (mosquito fish, snails, crickets and isopods--pill bugs) and we'll put them in the aquariums and terrariums next week

Researching water plants in their small group, and preparing for their presentation.

Math

• We've practiced multiplication facts, looked at the multiplication/division connection, calculated airline route distances, practiced problem solving procedures, worked with parentheses in number sentences, and worked with open sentences--solving variables like in algebra
• We'll both review and take the math test on Monday. Students have the sheet in their math tab and can do some work at home, but there will be in-class time to work on the review as well

Writing

Author's chair. Cheers to finishing our first writing unit! Be sure to view students' writing pieces here!

• We had an author's chair celebration for our first unit of writing--Personal Narratives
• Students wrote some fabulous pieces. Please check them out digitally here!
• Brainstormed and wrote some haunted house stories
• We'll begin a new personal narrative writing unit next week, where we'll delve much deeper in to the elements of effective story writing. Personal Narratives are a great topic to use while we're learning these skills because students are knowledgeable experts on the events of their lives

Reading

• Ask your student what's been happening in our read aloud book, Gollywhopper Games. In the story, the main character, Gil, is faced with a dilemma. Should he accept a "wheelbarrow of cash" in return for quitting the games now that he's in the final five, or should he continue on. Ask your child what they would choose in his place and why. Also, why was he the only finalist offered all this cash?
• Made inferences by looking only at pictures and only at text clues in a PowerPoint presentation. Students then practiced in their own books
• Looked at the strategy of visualizing when we read
• Students worked in small groups to become experts on a piece of our science reading on elodea, duckweed, and algae. Students practiced finding evidence for a particular statement. They then presented their section and their learning to the class.
• If you're reading this part, here's a fun bonus: ask your student to write the word "ecosystem" on a sticky note or piece of paper. Have them bring it to Mr. Herzberg before Friday next week for 10 Grizzly Bucks! :)

Presenting their group's information on producers and consumers.

More presentations--this one on Elodea, the plant on the screen behind them and also in our aquaria.

Putting water plants in their aquaria--elodea, duckweed and algae.

Gathering duckweed

Live animals have arrived. The crickets are so interesting to watch!

More live animals. This was the place to be before school started on Thursday!

Learning Update 10.7.11

Here's a taste of what we've been doing this week:

Experts taught their groups everything they'd learned about their region. Then we played the process grid game.

Students put heads together to learn from their expert.

Rain Shadow Effect Demonstration. Ask your student all about this and how the effect works in Washington.

Class Sort. Students took turns sorting words on the Activboard.

Mr. Ciraulo came to our class to talk about problem solving. He will join us monthly to help us apply a four step problem solving method.

Students gave student council representative speeches. Then we voted for two representatives.

Student Council Speeches. Each fourth and fifth grade class will elect two representatives.

 Math

• Took Unit 2 assessment and open response Monday
• Started Unit 3 on multiplication & division, number sentences & algebra
• Please print & hang on to the Unit 3 Family letter (attached to my email)
• Reviewed what’s my rule problems, strategies for solving multiplication facts, & the 50s facts test routine

Reading

• Started reading buddies with Miss Evanger’s 2^nd grade class
• Began a new set of word sort words & did some sorts
• Read John Henry and talked about hyperbole, features of tall tales, and similes
• Class discussed “what we know to be true about reading” and then students began their reading response journals with their own thoughts about this
• Started a new read aloud—The Gollywhopper Games (A Sasquatch Award Winning Book this year)

 Writing

• Looked deeper at zooming in on the heart of stories
• Students wrote and revised clean copies of the story they will publish
• Students began revising conferences with me and with student coaches

Social Studies

• Finished expert groups
• Experts taught their group about their region, then we played the process grid game
• Students filled in their process grids
• Conducted a rain shadow simulation

School News 10.7.11

Parent-Teacher Conferences, November 30th-December 1^st—SIGN-UP

Dear Parents,

This year we are using VolunteerSpot to schedule our Parent-Teacher Conferences. To schedule a Parent-Teacher Conference for either November 30th or December 1st, click here. VolunteerSpot will ask you for your email address. This address will only be used to contact you with a confirmation of your appointment as well as with a reminder two days before your conference. Email addresses are not used in any other way.

Process:

        1.  Parents click to sign up for a conference between now and November 23rd.

        2.  Teachers check VolunteerSpot to verify scheduled conferences.

        3.  Parents will receive a reminder email two days before the conference.

Any changes needed to be made after November 23rd need to be done through the classroom teacher and not VolunteerSpot.

For detailed directions, click here.

If you have any trouble accessing the site, please contact Leslie Lederman at ledermanl@issaquah.wednet.edu.

Thank you,
The Grand Ridge Staff

For the Men of Grand Ridge!

Are you ready for some football? Come kick off the school year and meet other Grand Ridge dads and men, all while watching Monday Night Football at Zeeks. There'll be great prices and great fun just for us. Note which date corresponds to the age(s) of your child(ren), and attend that night's festivities. If football's not your thing, don't despair! We have more plans up our sleeves for the upcoming weeks; but to start off with pizza and football was too obvious to pass up. We look forward to seeing you there. Times will be 6:30-8:30 pm each night.  Hosted by MEN of Grand Ridge PTSA. Questions? Contact Tim Ryan at tryteo@comcast.net.

Monday, Oct. 10, Kindergarten-1st grade

Monday, Oct. 17, 2-3rd grade

Monday, Oct. 24, 4-5th grade

The Grand Ridge Book Swap
October 13th^th from 5-8PM
With special guest Charlie Williams as… The Noise Guy!
*Students are required to be accompanied by a chaperone to attend this event. 
Thank you!*

Coffee with Christy

October 25th 9:30 - 10:30

Grand Ridge Commons

Grand Ridge’s 1st Auction is on February 11, 2012 - NOW ACCEPTING SPONSORSHIPS.     Are you seeking to promote products and services to the Grand Ridge Community?  The Auction is the perfect venue to not only market your business, but to contribute to our children's future at the same time. For more information contact Auction Sponsorship Lead,  Dan Wilson, 425-577-1170.