Make sure to check Friday Folders this weekend, because in them is some very important information...about our holiday party! We are celebrating a great school year so far and this wonderful time of year. Family members are welcome. It'll be quite the crowded classroom in room 210, but we'll make it work!

Our nonfiction focus continues during reading block. We're onto finding the main idea and supporting details of a nonfiction text. We're learning a variety of strategies, like using the text structure and headings, identifying the topic first, and working backwards from the supporting details. Finding the main idea is a big focus in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade as the texts get more and more complex. Soon we'll transition into writing about nonfiction texts. Speaking of writing, I had Mrs. O'Keefe's homeroom for writing and social studies this week. The kids are really getting the hang of adding details to our sentences with appositives and prepositional phrases. Our next emphasis will be on avoiding run ons...something I'm eager to tackle!

April's mom came in to my homeroom today to share some background on Hanukkah. The kids played dreidel and enjoyed some tasty chocolate gelt. Mrs. O'Keefe's homeroom also had a fun afternoon playing bingo.

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Jessica and Mckayla. Both ladies are working super hard during our nonfiction unit. They both are really improving in terms of finding the main idea. Most importantly though, Jessica and Mckayla are both kind, considerate, and positive students, and they are definitely deserving of the Bucket Filler title.

I hope everyone survived our first snow fall of the year! It blows my mind that we're just a few weeks away from holiday break. Our nonfiction unit is going well. We've talked about fun facts versus important information, and how to use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words. On Friday we began exploring some of the different nonfiction text structures, and how we can use the organization of a text to help us figure out the main idea. In writing, we have moved onto an expository writing unit. After evaluating the students' personal narratives, I noticed we're having a hard time on sentence structure and sentence variety. As a result, I'm working with the ELA coach Mrs. George to develop a series of lessons that teach into the basics of a complete sentence (subject and verb) and how to write more sophisticated sentences (the inclusion of appositives and prepositional phrases). We also began a new social studies unit that centers around the geography of the United States and important national landmarks. The unit has us working on a multi-step project that incorporates research, creative writing, and important vocabulary. Students will be designing a road trip across the United States and will be writing fictional journal entries for the six states they choose to "visit". I'm so excited to see the kids get started on this project!

On Wednesday, we had a half day. On half days we always have Second Step and take part in a STEAM activity. This week, the kids were given a challenge of using the engineering and design process to "save" a gummy worm. They could only use paper clips to get a life saver out from underneath a cup and put the worm through the life saver. Most groups were successful! Check out some of the pictures below. 

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Jordyn and Aidan. Jordyn is the queen of extra homework. She is constantly coming up with creative bonus assignments that weave in what we're learning in school. I love the effort she puts into her work! Aidan is such a nice kid. He is always kind to his peers and teachers, and he is always working hard in class and on his homework. Awesome job Aidan!

Our nonfiction unit is underway. We kicked it off on Monday by discussing the differences between fiction and nonfiction. We then began practicing some nonfiction reading strategies, like previewing the text and asking questions before, during, and after we read. A giant difference between nonfiction and fiction is the fact that nonfiction has text features. We spent Wednesday and Thursday exploring various nonfiction books and magazines. We ended up using the magazines to make posters displaying several text features and their definitions. The kids worked in groups and did a fabulous job!

On Wednesday we spent our afternoon playing board games! This was the reward the students voted on for filling the Transition Jar. I put a marble in the Transition Jar every time students transition quietly and calmly in the hallway, as well as positive reports from specialist teachers. I honestly had so much fun playing games with the kids. Some of them joined me in playing one of my favorite games of all time: Scrabble. I may or may not have gotten pretty into it...

Wednesday was also parent/teacher conferences. Although it was quite a long day, all the parents I met with made it fly by. I really enjoyed getting the chance to chat with so many parents and share how the kiddos are doing. If any parents were unable to make conferences that night, feel free to get in touch with me and we can try to schedule a brief meeting before or after school.

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Marco and Andrew. It's crazy that this is only the first time Marco has gotten Bucket Filler this school year; he fills my bucket constantly! He works so hard in class, is kind to his classmates, and always has a smile on his face. Andrew had a great week, particularly on Friday. He did an awesome job on our nonfiction questioning exercise. I have a feeling he's going to rock this unit!