Hello 206 families and friends,

Our attendance cards are already filling up one side of the room, and we’ll soon need to come up with a plan for where to keep them—they’re really fun to look at!

In reading, we practiced visualizing during a read-aloud by drawing scenes in our reading sketchbooks. We also continued reading more illustrated books and adding to our theme wall. We read Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends by Mike Reiss, where students made thoughtful connections to our previous read-alouds, discussing friendship and how differences can actually enhance relationships—otherwise, it would be boring if everyone were the same! They reflected on how the turtle and tortoise missed out on so many years of friendship, even calculating that they lost 46 years together!

In honor of Rock, Paper, Scissors Day, which was on August 27, we read The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors by Drew Daywalt and discussed how it’s not fun to always win—challenges keep things interesting!

Additionally, we read Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, which the students loved. They shared some interesting thoughts about the overall message, noticing how a small problem (a kite stuck in a tree) can escalate into a much bigger one. Ask your student to explain what got caught in the tree and how Floyd handled it! We also discussed how teamwork might have helped Floyd solve his problem. Students noticed that the book was not written by an American author due to the phrases used in the dialogue—very observant! In fact, Jeffers is an Australian-Irish author, and he used phrases like “hullo.” We also enjoyed our “friendship donuts” in celebration of Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague. We then drew ourselves into a circle – ask your student how it worked out!

In Social Studies, we explored identity and the various factors that define and are important to us. This tied in well with the illustrated books we’ve been reading. While we share many commonalities, we also have unique traits and interests that enrich our relationships and strengthen our classroom community. Next week, we’ll create portraits that capture these ideas.

In writing workshop, we finished our writing notebook covers, and they all turned out amazing. I’ll include pictures in the next blog—thank you for sending all the wonderful photos! We continued practicing our Dream Writes this week, and the students are getting much better at writing freely without overthinking to get into the flow of writing. We also wrote a descriptive entry on our favorite food, focusing on using as much sensory detail as possible.

In math, we focused on place value and regrouping with multi-digit addition and subtraction using place value charts and expanded notation. Student partnerships then played “Rolling Numbers,” where they rolled three dice to create a number, wrote it in expanded form, and made a sketch of the place value blocks. We also talked about how a number isn’t just a number but can represent so many things. Each student selected a number between 1 and 10 and created posters about their numbers, including not only equations but also fun facts, such as how the Big Dipper has seven stars in the constellation or how Jupiter is the fifth planet in our solar system. Ask your student what number they chose and some of the fun facts they came up with! These posters are now hanging in the classroom for reference.

Our mindfulness breathing exercises this week included butterfly breathing and bird breathing.

In science, we read about “The Amazing Eraser: Then and Now.” We talked about the original eraser – bread – and why it was used. We discussed different types of erasers and found several kinds in the classroom. We broke into science groups, and students selected three erasers to test. Next week, we’ll write our hypotheses and plan our experiment.

Check out the photos from the week below, and have a wonderful long holiday weekend!

Ms. Beth

Hello, 206 families and friends!

This was an incredibly busy two days! We spent part of each day building our learning community and getting to know each other. The students come to class each day enthusiastic and ready to learn. I am so impressed with how they get along with each other and are eager to participate!

We start each day with our attendance card—ask your student to tell you all about it! After that, we gather for our sharing circle, where we use a special sharing stone as a talking piece.

In math, we explored the many ways we use math in our daily lives and how numbers are everywhere. The students came up with a wide range of examples, from grocery shopping and cooking to telling time and noticing the temperature each day. They then completed a math survey and answered a list of math-related questions about themselves. We also began organizing our math journals. To practice addition skills, student partnerships played the dice game “Beware.” Additionally, we practiced mental math using individual student whiteboards.

In reading, I had the opportunity to meet with each student individually to discuss what they’re currently reading and listen to them read, ensuring they’re choosing a “just right” book. Now, every student has a book at school to enjoy.

This week, we read a different picture book each day and explored the themes and messages they conveyed. On Monday, we read The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, which centers on finding the courage to connect with others, even when you feel scared and alone. The book emphasizes celebrating differences and discovering ways to create friendships. On Tuesday, we read Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague, a story about expanding our circles of community and connection as we grow. My favorite line from the book is, “So let us create bigger circles / all around us for the rest of our days. / Let our caring ripple out / in a million little ways.” The students noticed many similarities between the messages of both books, leading to a rich discussion about celebrating differences, finding common ground to connect, and reaching out to build relationships. They shared how including others is not only kind but also brings happiness and helps you make more friends.

In writing workshop, students were introduced to “Dream Writes,” a fun one to two minute exercise designed to help them write freely without worrying about grammar or spelling—just getting their thoughts down on paper. During a Dream Write, students jot down whatever comes to mind, often surprising themselves with how quickly they can get their ideas flowing without stopping to think. They come up with funny phrases and random thoughts that just pop into their heads. It’s a great way to avoid writer’s block! We plan to do a Dream Write or two before each writing workshop. Students had fun sharing some of the things they wrote. Next week, we’ll begin creating our writing notebook covers, which will be a collage of pictures of themselves and their families. So, please make sure your student brings in “cuttable” pictures to school.

We’re also incorporating mindfulness activities into our daily routine to help us stay calm and focused during transitions. So far, we’ve practiced Cheetah breathing and Flamingo breathing—ask your student to show you how they work!

Finally, the upstairs classrooms came together for a human scavenger hunt as a team-building activity. It was a fantastic way for everyone to connect and get to know each other!

Below, check out the photos from the last 2 days and have a wonderful weekend, 

Ms. Beth