Happenings in Ms. Mary Beth's Crew

The Maker Station....using our imaginations to create.

What could you create with a cap, a cup lid, a spoon and a container?

Your children have started coming home with their "creations".  We've begun this new opportunity during Read/Write/Explore time.  Using common things found around the house and imagining what they could be made into.

Although you might not see it right away, the children are actually using creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking while working at this station.  

The 4C's are an integral part of the 21st Century learners journey towards being a valuable member of the work force.

They are loving it.  Thanks for honoring their creations:)

A peak inside the classroom and upcoming events...

• This week the children finish their self-portraits in Art
• We will go to the 3rd grade musical Wed. morning
• We take the Unit 4 math test on Friday
• Also on Friday, we will host a story teller from the Douglas County Library Spellbinders program 
• We continue working on "thinking strategies" as we listen to Jan Brett stories
• We've begun a new writing genre:  Life Stories

Reminders!

Bring in library books by Tuesday.

Please keep working on retelling stories with your child at home after they read their nightly book with you.  I will be formally assessing their reading level in January and retelling is an integral part of their score.

We're Moving Right Along

What joy this vision was for Aidan's mom as she looked back and saw him so engaged in his reading!

We've caught the reading bug!  Every Monday the children get to pick ten new books from the tubs of just right books for their independent reading time.  They love this!  It's just like going to a bookstore.  Nothing thrills me more than to watch them grow as readers!

Don't forget to think about books as gifts for the holiday this year. The children would love a book by Jan Brett, the illustrator/author of the book below and many more.   

Today we kicked off the study of her books.  Every day this month I'll read one of her books as we continue working on our "thinking strategies".  

This looks like:

Making predictions

Wondering

Questioning

Making connections to ourselves, to other books, and to the world

Inferring (what we might call reading between the lines)

Jan Brett can be found at http://www.janbrett.com/index.html

Her home page includes videos on how to draw the animals in her books which the children would love to see, along with pictures of all of the books she has written.

Happy Reading!

Mary Beth

Joyous Chinese Cultural School 2013

Ms. Mary Beth's Crew Fall Climbing 2013

Each of the children challenged themselves while climbing with Mr. Doug.  They were so proud and I was too!  Enjoy these photos.  Thanks again to all of you who helped belay the crew.

Reading...It's contagious

 I just love this photo...
The boys are so engaged in this animal book and they had a lively conversation about the alligators.  I had the pleasure of sitting back on Friday as the children dug into the crew library. What joy to watch them share books!

Three months into the year it is evident that the students now "feel like readers."  It is a gift that keeps on giving.  Now we are off and running.
Our work is to learn how and why people talk about books and we begin learning the "thinking tools" that good readers use.  I love this part of the year!

What's up this week?

• Belaying in PE. Thanks to all who are able to belay!
• Math test on Thursday.
• Library on Tuesday.  Remember to send in the books.

Have a wonderful week!

Mary Beth

Our Reading Tools

We have learned so much about reading!  We know that we have to have more than one reading tool in our tool belts...not every tool works every time.

Here are the tools we have learned to use.  Please ask me about any of them and encourage your child to use these tools while reading at home.

Looking at the pictures helps us think "what makes sense?"

This is a very powerful tool!  It should be tried every time we get to a tricky word.  It's always followed by "what makes sense?"

To use this tool we put our finger under the word and quickly try all of the sounds we know.
Then we think about "what makes sense".

We are working on this tool.  Word endings like ed, ing, and er are also part of using this tool.  It's always followed by "what makes sense?"

Not all of us are ready for this tool but some of us are.
It's always followed by "what makes sense?"

As you have noticed, this tool must go hand-in-hand with every tool.  The meaning of the story is what reading is all about!

Halloween!

Happy Halloween Crew!
We had such a great day together!  Here are just a few pictures.  I know our crew mom took more with her new camera so more to come!  

What's New in the Crew? October 28, 2013

It's so great to be back together after our two week break.  We were so happy to see each other and we were ready to learn!

This past week we worked on many things.  Soon we will be sharing our learning with you at Student-led Conferences! There are many things to share and celebrate!

Here is a peek into our classroom...

Reading Workshop
1. Each child has been taught multiple reading tools to use while reading.
    Look for explanations of these on my blog posts.  We can also model these    
    for you during conferences.
2. I've re-assessed the crew and they will be in new independent reading books    
    this week. 
3. The next focus for us will be readers as thinkers. 
    We'll continue our work on retelling, predicting, and making connections.
4. Read aloud time has become such fun for us!  I just finished two books     
    about Chinese twin girls named Ling and Ting.  Next I'm starting a series
    of chapter books about a boy named Andy Shane and the very bossy
    girl in his class, Delores Starbuckle!  I will model the thinking strategies
    while reading these to the crew.
Phonics
Our work continues on looking at how we can take words apart by changing the beginning or ending of words. We are  at making sure we look to the end of words as we read with a focus on ed and it's different sounds. The crew is growing in their ability to spell sight words and we keep adding new words.
You can see our lists of words when you come in for conferences!
Math
1.  Getting around the number line and number grid.  Being confident and 
strategic with these tools is the foundation of addition, subtraction, and using larger numbers.
2.  "The friendly" ten.  Using something called a "ten frame" helps us to picture  tens in our head.  Another tool to help in addition, subtraction, and larger numbers.
3. New problems on Math Exchange day challenge our thinking and help us grow as mathematicians.  I'll share these at conferences too!
Expedition: China
1.  We have learned a lot about the life of a child in China and we've compared this to our lives here in America.
2.  We are working on our 21st Century skills this week as we read different articles about the lives of Chinese children in small groups. Each small group will collaborate together on a learning poster and then present them to the crew.
This can be challenging for 1st graders!  But great for their future professions:).
3.  Lots more to come:  Villages compared to city life, food/chopsticks, culture, and homes, to name just a few. 
Writing Workshop
1.  Our new genre is Question and Answer books  Each child will write at least one of these books about something they are "experts" in.  
2.  Together we wrote these Learning Targets for this unit of study:

• Rereading our writing to make sure it looks right, sounds right, and makes sense.
• Using the pattern of question and answer.
• Adding details to each page. 
• Putting periods at the end of our sentences.
• Writing neatly so people (including ourselves) can read our writing!

And of course we are counting the days till Halloween!

Please join us for the parade first thing Thursday morning.

Let me know your thoughts.  I like to hear from you.

Mary Beth

    

Book Walking

Reading Tool #1

Book Walk

Before reading a new book, looking through the pictures carefully for “clues” (details in the pictures), gives the reader many of the actual words or ideas from the story. 

These clues may be facial expressions on the characters that give a reader an idea of how the character is feeling or what they may be thinking. 

 The picture details often shows the reader something that may help them read a difficult word in the text, like the words “squealed” or “whistle” or “hurray”.  

If we teach our children to learn how to LOOK CAREFULLY FOR DETAILS before they read a book, along with reading the title and thinking about what the story could be about, children find reading easier and much more enjoyable!

When they come to a tricky word, they can check the word and the picture,  think what makes sense, and low and behold, the tricky word pops right out of their mouth!

Give this a try at home and see if it doesn’t make reading easier for your child! We’ve been working on this tool at school but your child will need to be reminded to do this without my prompting!

Ms. Mary Beth

Camp Elim part 2!

Camp Elim Fall 2013

Peace among the Storm

My Dear Crew,

After 12 hours of sleep I'm back and as I write to you I find myself amazed by your children.

They were such troopers.  At a very young age they showed all of the character traits that we find so important in life.  Perseverance, beneficience, empathy, stewardship, and of course integrity!  My favorite part of camp is stepping back and watching them bond with one another.  So very beautiful!  So much love shown to each other.  

Thank you for hanging in there yesterday as you waited for information from the school.  My first job in situations like this is to care for your child's heart, mind, and well-being.  I did my best to stay calm so they did not feel the stress I felt inside.  Ms. Dana and I both love your children very much.  They are written on our hearts.  

I plan to put up a slide show of pics on my blog this weekend.  I left my camera chord at school, so thanks for being patient with me until I'm able to retrieve that.  I hope your child built memories for a life time at camp this week. Here are a few pics I had on my camera.

The yert...a new addition to Camp Elim.
Inside we did an activity that led the children to use their  senses.
Ask them about it!

Peaceful times at camp.

Expedition: We Are Family

Our 1st Expedition: Families

It has happened at the end of week four.  We became a family unit.

Like magic, it happens. Nothing is more dear to my heart than to see this unfold every year. It's truly amazing and it changes everything for the rest of the year. Read the questions below and I'll explain my reasons for the project above.

We began looking at the first two questions and as we did the children began learning about their crew mates families and with great joy they found that many of them looked like their own.  We had some very heart-felt conversations about our families and we have learned what a family means.  Ask your child what we have decided a family is.  And as we realized we are different at home but the same family at school, it became apparent to me that this crew needed to feel like they had a day-tiime family that they belonged to. So...we drew ourselves and placed them around the heart.
We ARE a family that can take risks together.  It's the love that makes it so.

Math Assessments

I try very hard to make assessments a positive experience for my children.  I tell them that when they show me what they know it is to make sure that I have taught them what they need to know. If they don't know something it is MY job to make things more clear for them.

We made it through our 1st math assessment today!  WOOT-WOOT!  
The assessment will come home for you to review.  You may keep this copy.  Please feel free to go over it with your child and work on things that may still be tricky for them.

I will not put a grade on this, but you will see the items that are incorrect circled.
Of course I will be reviewing the material with your child until they are solid with the skills.
I really want the children to be explorers of math and to feel like mathematicians vs. children who just know rote math. 

A few notes:
1.  Part A of the test is to be mastered at this time.  Part B of the test is material we have just been exposed to and will be worked on more in following units.  This is not expected to be mastered.  
2.  The Open Response is a fun higher level thinking problem.  The children are encouraged to use any of our math tools to work on this section or any of the assessment sections. 
(number lines, pennies, white boards and markers,  and other math manipulatives)

After we worked on this problem for the assessment, we went over different ways some of us figured it out.  Many of them really enjoyed the challenge of such a problem.  All of the EDM assessments will have an Open Response problem for them to tackle.


Let me know if you have thoughts or questions!
Mary Beth

Readers Talk About Books

The reason we read it to take meaning from text!  Making sure the reading makes sense as we read is the most important part of reading.  Young readers have so much hard work to do.  They are learning that what they read has to look right, sound right AND make sense. 

Learning how to "listen to oneself read" and to be able to retell and talk about books is where we are headed next in our crew.  I have immersed them in high interest books from the public library.  This past week they began checking into the books in our crew library.

Now we are ready to begin taking "just right books" home Monday-Thursday.
These books should NOT BE books that they have to work hard to read.  They are books they should be able to read fairly easily and understand enough so that they can talk with you about their reading.  They should sound "like the characters" and enjoy retelling the books to you.  Please sit next to your child as they read their book each night.  Look for many more posts about reading throughout the year.

This week I'll set up reading buddies within the crew and the children will have the chance to begin learning how to share read and talk about books.  They LOVE doing this!  This is why Oprah Winfrey's book clubs were so successful!  Good readers want to talk about what they read!

I have completed my beginning of the year reading assessments and have a good handle on what each child needs next.  We only have 10 teaching days before our Voyage.
During this time I will begin reading conferences, working 1x1 with students.  After the Voyage I'll begin teaching reading groups.  For now, I'm still getting to know them and their reading habits.  

Let me know if you have questions or thoughts as we journey literacy together!
Ms. Mary Beth

Read to Your Bunny Often

Children love to be read to.

It's a way to build a feeling of LOVE.

Reading to children develops great readers!

Read everywhere you can!

"I'll read one page and you read the other"

And before you know it, there will be no stopping them!

               Reading to your child is so very important! 

First day of homework!

Many of the children have been asking "when do we get homework?".  We have to smile at this.  Bet their older siblings haven't been asking the same!

Today we will start math homework.
You will find three pieces of Everyday Math in their folders. (EDM = Everyday Math going forward)

Two pages are parent letters explaining the material covered in Unit 1.  We will have our first math assessment next Tuesday.

The other page, listed 1.8 on the top, is tonight's homework that is expected to be completed and returned in the morning.

Later in the week we will be adding a book to read in the homework folder.  Please help your child keep track of the books they bring home as we all need to share them and they are costly.

Here are some tips for homework:
1. Set up a regular routine on when you and your child are the most fresh to work on homework together.  Routines keep us on track.
2. Help your child take the green homework folder out of their backpack when you plan to work on it and then remind them to put it right back in their backpack after completion.  This eliminates things like "my mom didn't put it back" or "the dog ate it" or "we just did it in the car and left it there" types of situations!  I will be working hard to teach them independence around homework.

Happy Homework!
Ms. Mary Beth

The Hoola-Hoop Analogy! A way to manage ourselves...

First graders are caring people.  But sometimes we get a bit too caring!  What I mean is sometimes our hands begin caring about other peoples things or bodies.  And sometimes we get a bit too worried about other peoples business!

Thus, the hoola-hoop analogy, which I shared with our crew the first week. It works like a charm.

Here's how it goes.
The space around your body is your hoola-hoop.  Your hands and feet should stay in that space.  The space inside your hoola-hoop is your business and it's all you need to take care of.  We all have our own hoola-hoops and we are to stay out of other people's hoola-hoop unless we are invited in.

Now all I have to say is "are you in your own hoola-hoop?"
Let me know if you try this and how it works for your family.
It's working well for ours.

Hopes and Dreams for First Grade

The first day of school it is fun to ask the children what they might have as a hope or dream for their first grade year.  Enjoy looking at the writing samples and listening to the crew read their thoughts by clicking on the presentation above!

Our School's New Web Page!

Our school has so many unique characteristics.  I've only been a part of this school for three years although I've been a Douglas County Teacher for 20,  and it has  taken a while to realize all of the amazing things we are and how teach and learn.

We are Renaissance Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound School.
No longer will we call ourselves REMS.  We want the community to know who we are.
Please go to the brand new school web page at http://www.wearecrew.org/ to check out the details and to get all of the latest school-wide information.

I have added this link to my blog as well.  You can find it on the right hand side along with the Ms. Deborah's principal blog and a link to Thursday folders.

Ms. Mary Beth

Read/ Write/ Explore

  

One of our favorite times of the day is Read/ Write/ Explore Time.  
During this time the children work in areas of interest or areas of needed growth.

Many of the children get excited about exploring the Crew Library or writing stories and making books.

Many of the children are working in groups on areas important to early readers and writers.  Things like making words with letters, working with upper/lower case letters, alphabet cards and books, and sorting.

Working in these groups also builds children who know how to communicate, collaborate, and use critical thinking skills, all of which we call 21st Century Skills, those skills needed to excel in our world.  

We are getting to know each other as people and learners.  It's an exciting journey!

Author Study!

First we chose authors we wanted to study and then we began reading lots of books by that author.  We worked with a partner.

Next we began noticing similarities and differences between the authors books.

We used a Venn Diagram to compare two of our authors books.

Then we began to research our authors.  We looked at book jackets and covers of books.  We went to our authors websites to read more about our authors.  

Here is a list of the authors we studied:

• Steven Kellog
• Don and Audrey Wood
• Tedd Arnold
• Kevin Henkes
• Nancy Carlson
• Marla Frazee
• Ezra Jack Keets
• Eric Carle
• Mem Fox
• Robert Munch

 Our in-house illustrator Carter took things one step further.  He studied how Eric Carle uses tissue paper to create his drawings and he created this caterpillar at home using the same process.  We are proud of his work!

Spring Climbing 2013

I am always so proud of my crew children as I watch them take on climbing challenges with a new sense of confidence come April.
They make me tear up as they cheer each other on to new heights!
Soon we will take our climbing talents outside on our trip to Castlewood Canyon!

Winter Voyage 2013

Camp Elim in the winter!  What fun...especially the sledding!

Readers are Thinkers...1st Grade Book Clubs!

Check us out...marking the text, taking turns sharing our thoughts,  questions,  and connections.  And having a ball doing it!

This is our first round of book clubs.  Many of us chose rich picture books that I had read to the crew.  Some of us chose to share a chapter book together, like Frog and Toad.  

After watching book clubs done in a fishbowl fashion last month, the children knew what they looked like and how they sounded. 
This really helped them give it a go on their own.  

One day they will be great additions to adult book clubs!

I'm so proud of my readers!