Weekly Updates 4/18-4/22

NEWS/EVENTS

• This Friday is Family Friday! Our theme is countries around the world in reading and writing! Please look out for an email from me this evening about this event!
• Next week is April Vacation!
• The spring gala is Monday May 16th!

HOMEWORK

Word Sorts:

Humble: Sort 10

Determined: Sort 34

Ambitious: Sort 32

Monday: Finish Folk Tale Project For Ms. Wurman.

Tuesday: Read and Jot for 30 minutes, write words from sort into categories in word study notebooks, Math Group HW

Wednesday: Read and Jot for 30 minutes, Math Group HW

Thursday: Read and Jot for 30 minutes, glue word sorts into categories in purple workbook, study for spelling test, Math Group HW

Over break: TBD, email soon to follow (it will be minimal)

CURRICULUM

Reading: This week we are starting bend two of our "Reading in a Content Area" unit. This time around students will research a second country with their groups using everything they know to create meaningful jots and teach others about new ideas.

Writing: This week we are launching our next writing unit- Informational Writing in a Content Area, specifically focusing on a country from around the world. Students will collect research about a country of their choice and paraphrase notes into their own words. They will then start to develop a table of contents and plan a book focusing on many unique aspects of their chosen countries.

Math: This week we are launching our next math unit- The Data Collection Process and Graphing. In this unit students will develop questions, conduct surveys, display collected data, summarize it, and draw conclusions. We will conduct three cycles of this around bar graphs, picture graphs, and line plots.

Social Studies: As we learn more about specific countries researched, we will read folk tales from these countries to learn about the culture.

Weekly Updates 4/11- 4/15

Hi Everyone,

One set of exams down, one to go! 3-509 has been working hard, and is ready to take the State Math Exams this Wednesday-Friday (April 13th-15th). Like last week, please encourage the kids to get to bed at a good hour, eat a great breakfast, and arrive with enough time so sprinting up to the 5th floor is not needed. We will start each day at 9:00 am.

This week I am not assigning homework once again. I want the kids to feel rested and refreshed for the end of the week. If the weather is nice, fresh air is the best medicine!

I AM SO PROUD of the work our kids have been doing. Their grit and resilience is truly inspiring, and last week I saw students truly giving 100%. They were calm, prepared, and confident, and I can't thank you enough for reinforcing this mentality at home. Let's do it one more time!

NEWS/EVENTS

• The Spring Gala Fundraiser is coming up on Monday May 16th at the Hudson Terrace.
• Family Friday will take place April 22nd.
• The Math State exams are this week, Wednesday April 13th- Friday April 15th.
• Spring break is around the corner! We are on vacation the week of April 25th-29th.

CURRICULUM

Reading: This week we are launching our next reading unit- Learning Through Reading, Countries Around the World! We are thrilled to dive back into nonfiction. This week we are revisiting how jot and take notes about a country, and explore various text features to help us do so. Students will also continue to work on their independent projects. All independent project work will be completed in class, and we will share our work on April 22nd.

Writing: Next week we will launch our next writing unit- Information Writing, Reading, Research and Writing in a Content Area. For this unit students will develop books about one of the countries they have chosen to focus on.

Math: We are finishing up our marathon training to prepare for this week's exams. Next week we are launching our Data and Graphing Unit.

Have a great week!

Ms. Bouchard

Weekly Updates 4/4-4/8

Hi Families of 3-509,

The time has finally come. This week we are taking the State ELA exam on Tuesday April 5th, Wednesday April 6th, and Thursday April 7th. This kids have worked so hard this year, and I couldn't be prouder.

This week there will be no homework. I told the kids this morning that I want them to get a good night's sleep, have a good breakfast, and plan to arrive to school a little earlier than usual (because nothing is worse than frantically trying to get to the 5th floor). I will start to let students come in to calmly unpack, relax, meditate, and use the bathroom around 8:40. We plan to start promptly at 9:00 each day.

Here are some tips for tonight- make a pump up play list! I told the class that before any race or marathon I run I make a play list of my favorite "pick me up" songs that inspire me and make me feel good (ahem- eye of the tiger, we are the champions, one moment in time). They are ready.

Thank you for all of your support, and as always email me with any questions and concerns. 

Ms. B

NEWS/EVENTS

• The State ELA Exams will take place April 5th-7th (Tues- Thursday, this week)
• The State Math Exams will take place April 13th-15th (Wed- Fri, next week)
• Family Friday will take place on April 22nd

CURRICULUM

Reading and Writing: NY State Exams. Students will have time for independent reading after the exams, so please make sure they bring all just right books back to school. We are also spending time working on independent projects each day once the tests are done!

Math: Throughout the week we are reviewing strategies for showing our work and solving multistep problems. On Friday we will take the preassessment for our next Math unit- Data, Measurement and Graphing This will start Monday April 18th).

Weekly Updates 3/28- 4/1

NEWS/EVENTS

• Next week our marathoners are taking the ELA exams on Tuesday April 5th, Wednesday April 6th, and Thursday April 7th! Our philosophy is to go into testing days feeling cool, calm, prepared, and confident. Please support students by making sure they arrive to school on time, well rested, and having a good breakfast.
• There will be no assigned homework during the exams (except for getting rest!).
• The following week students will take the math state exams on Wednesday April 13th, Thursday April 14th, and Friday April 15th.

HOMEWORK

Monday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the short response question for "Exotic Animals Are not Pets" (this was distributed separately from the packet), fraction homework

Tuesday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the short response questions for "Following the Stars" (this was distributed separately from the packet), Mass/Volume Math Marathon homework

Wednesday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the short response questions for "Sleep and the Brain" (this was distributed separately from the packet), Mass/Volume Math Marathon homework

Thursday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the short response questions for "First in Flight" (this was distributed separately from the packet), Fraction Post Assessment takes place tomorrow (4/1)

Friday: Read for 30 minutes each day, Read and answer the short response question for "The Gift of Light" (this was distributed separately from the packet)

CURRICULUM

Reading- This week students will spend the majority of their time visiting centers based on highlighted areas where practice is needed. We will also revisit a few other genres such as poetry and narrative nonfiction, and look at features of these texts. On Friday we will have our last big reading marathon- sweats and track clothes are encouraged!

We are also launching some independent reading projects. Students are taking a close look at an area within their lives they would like to learn more about (dance, WWII, origami, ANYTHING) and will create a plan for collecting research and information. This enrichment project is meant to be fun, and will take place in school.

Writing- This week we will continue to explore extended response questions and will practice devising and rehearsing a plan, tying ideas together with strong evidence, and ranking and prioritizing the best details. Students will do this work in partnerships and independently.

Math- This is our last week in our fractions unit. All groups are reviewing content, and the post assessment will take place on Friday.

Social Studies- We are continuing to immerse ourselves in different folktales, and are noticing the differences between myths, legends, fables, and tall tales.

Weekly Updates 3/21-3/24

NEWS/EVENTS

• "Art to Remember" Forms are due no later than Wednesday
• There is no school Friday in observance of Good Friday

HOMEWORK:

Monday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and use the blue informational bookmark to mark up "Patriotic Pizza," and answer only the short response question attached, Fractions math HW

Tuesday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and use the blue informational bookmark to mark up "Living in the Clouds," and answer only the short response question attached, 

Wednesday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and use the blue informational bookmark to mark up "How Benny West Learned to be a Painter" answer only the short response questions attached, Fraction Group HW.

Thursday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and use the blue informational bookmark to mark up "Sea Turtles" and answer only the short response question attached (DO NOT DO THE EXTENDED), Fraction Group HW, Elapsed Time Marathon Practice HW.

CURRICULUM

Reading- This week we are exploring texts with unique structures from across a variety of different genres. We are exploring texts that are set up sequentially, showing a cause/effect relationship, as well as compare contrast. We are examining how one part of a text build on another. Students are continuing to mark up and annotate the text using the blue card stock bookmark in their training folders as they read, and use these annotations when revisiting parts of the text later on.

Writing- This week we are learning how to construct an extended response using a checklist to guide our planning. Today we did an inquiry, and explored previous students' examples to find out, "What makes a powerful extended response?" As the week progresses we will practice planning our work and then will shift into writing full responses.

Math- This week math students are exploring strategies to create equivalent fractions, and we are also learning about fractions of a set (as well as other fraction based word problems).

Social Studies: This week as we visit Folk Tale Centers we are learning about the differences between a fable, myth, legend, and fairytale.

Weekly Updates 3/14-3/18

NEWS/EVENTS

• Enrichment groups start meeting 7th period this Thursday, 3/17! Students will find out their placements tomorrow.
• This week we are launching Math Marathon Training in addition to what we have started with ELA.
• The 2016 ELA and Math Exams are coming up. The ELA will take place April 5th-7th, and the Math will take place April 13th-15th. If you missed the Curriculum Connection regarding the tests at the beginning of the month, you can find out more information at http://ps11chelsea.org/curriculum-connections/
• Our attitude towards the test is that the work we have done all year has prepared us, and that will be confident, calm, and ready!

HOMEWORK

*Starting this week we will alternate between fraction group homework and marathon math homework each night

*A note on Marathon Homework- if you want to review work with students, please encourage them to lead the review- let them show you their process. For short response work, encourage students to take out the short response checklist to self assess their work.

Monday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the questions for "Copycat Elephant," Fraction Group Homework

Tuesday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the questions for "Teeny Tiny Tardigrades," Marathon Graphing Homework p. 3-5

Wednesday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the questions for "Crazy Critters," Fraction Group HW

Thursday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the questions for "Horses Helping Others," Marathon Graphing Homework p. 6-9

Friday: Read for 30 minutes, Read and answer the questions for "Sand Castle," Fraction Group HW

CURRICULUM

Reading- This week our focus has shifted to informational reading passages. This week we will explore how to determine the main idea, reflect on the author's purpose, use text features, study context clues, and compare different text structures (compare/contrast, cause/effect, sequential)

Writing- This week we are visiting centers to practice short response questions and will have opportunities to receive feedback from our peers and Ms. Bouchard. On Thursday we will start to look at extended response style questions.

Math- This week in addition to rotating to our fractions groups, we are adding an additional period of marathon math training to the school day. Marathon math whole group instruction focuses on trends Ms. Bouchard has found in student data that students would benefit from practice in. This week our marathon focus is on creating and interpreting picture and bar graphs.

Social Studies- Students are visiting centers to explore different Folk Tales from around the world.

Weekly Updates 3/7-3/11

NEWS/UPDATES

• It was lovely meeting with you over the past week to discuss the progress of our students!
• Please read below for important information pertaining to our "Marathon Training" for the upcoming NY State ELA and Math exams.
• The deadline for permission slips highlighting students interested in participating in a track and field meet are due to Mr. Nichols by Wednesday March 9th. Slips were sent home a week and a half ago. Not all students will be selected in this lottery.
• Family Friday is this Friday- our theme is poetry! More information to come.

Homework

During our "marathon training" for state exams, I am giving students a break from nightly jotting and word study. In it's place, I am asking students to complete some practice homework to support strategies learned during the day. Students are still asked to read for 30 minutes each night to build stamina. Please follow the schedule below for this week's homework, and do not have students complete passages/problems beyond what is assigned. Students must return yellow marathon training folders to school each day. Many thanks!

Monday: Read for 30 minutes (no jotting required), Read "The Old Man and His Grandson" and answer the supporting short response question

Tuesday: Read for 30 minutes (no jotting required), Read "Secrets are Hard to Keep" and answer the supporting questions, Fraction Group HW

Wednesday: Read for 30 minutes (no jotting required), Read "Go Fish" and answer the supporting questions, Fraction Group HW

Thursday: Read for 30 minutes (no jotting required), Read "Sulka Saves the Savannah" and answer the supporting questions, Fraction Group HW

Friday: Read for 30 minutes (no jotting required), Read "Campfire Song" and answer the supporting questions, Fraction Group HW

CURRICULUM

Reading: Today we launched our "Marathon Training" for the ELA by reviewing strategies and skills tied to Narrative Passages (Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Fables, Folk Tales, Myths). Our week started with a shared experience as a class, and over the course of each day we move towards greater independence.

Writing: This week we are focusing on using all we know about writing to answer short response questions. Students will use a series of checklists and student examples to understand the components of a short response, and will work as a whole class, in partnerships, and independently for practice.

Math: This week we are continuing to explore fractions on a number line, and will study how to use number lines to compare unlike fractions. Later in the week we will review different ways to identify equivalent fractions.

Social Studies: We are continuing to explore Folk Tales, and are looking closely at the differences between myths, fairy tales, and legends.

Many thanks for all of your support!

Ms. Bouchard