May 20- May 24

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Homework packets are due tomorrow!  Our last homework packet for the year will be filled out on May 28th and returned on June 4th.  So, including the homework packet that is due tomorrow, there are only 3 more packets for Team Blowey!  The end of the year is quickly approaching!

To all of Team Blowey's classroom volunteers:  Next week (May 28-31) will be the last week that we will have volunteers in the classroom.  Thank you all so much for continuing to spend your time with us!  So much of what we would do would not be possible without you!

CALLING ALL SHOE BOXES!  Each member of Team Blowey will need to send in a shoe box by Friday, May 24!  We will be working on our animal dioramas starting on Tuesday, May 28.  Extra shoe boxes are welcome to be sent in!  If you are unable to send in a shoe box, please let me know as soon as possible so I can find one for your child!  If you have any questions, please let me know!

We are also looking for modeling clay donations for our animal projects!  If you are willing and able to send in some clay, it would be greatly appreciated!

This week in...

Phonics:  We are working with /er/, /eer/, /ere/, and /ear/.  Here are our words for the week:  near, dear, ear, deer, steer, queer, verb, perch, here, and where.  

Vocabulary:  Our new words are impossible, treasures, watch, talent, and pleasant.  We will figure out what these words mean and then build connections to them.  Then, we will search for them in two short stories called Frozen Art and Elephant Artists.  

Comprehension:  This week, we will be working on making judgements.  That means we are thinking about the information that an author presents to us and then form an opinion on the topic.  We'll be doing this while we read Music of the Stone Age.  Our focus question of the week will be:  How do you know that people made music thousands of years ago?  

Writing:  This week we will be finishing up our animal reports!  We're looking for Team Blowey to be able to present all of the information needed (i.e. interesting facts, what it looks like, what it eats, and where it lives) in an organized way.  Students will also need to pay attention to conventions.  That means, they will need to have upper and lower case letters where they belong, figure spaces between words, and correct ending punctuation.  As always, neat handwriting and good spelling are on our wanted list!

Grammar:  We will be working with adjectives that compare two nouns.  When we use adjectives to compare, we can add -er to the end of the word.  For example, we could say that my picture is bigger than her picture or we could say that this paintbrush is longer than that one.

Math:  Students will be finishing up some assessments both on our word problem unit and our extensions.   Students will also be working on a standards check-in to give me more information as to where I need to review with them or extend their knowledge before the end of the year.  My hope is that we'll get the chance to unpack our last unit... measurement!  It is going to be so much fun!

Social Studies:  As students are getting closer and closer to becoming third graders, a greater focus is going to be put on being a leader.  This week, students will have the chance to brainstorm some of the qualities they believe a leader should have.  We'll be looking for these qualities in some pictures books in hopes that it will spark some good conversation.

I'll also be tying in Seven Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey.  Sean Covey wrote the book and identified some of the habits of some of the most successful people.  With Team Blowey, I'm hoping to identify these habits with them and encourage them to show these qualities.  In doing so, students will be acting like leaders!

Here are the habits we'll be working on:

1.  Be proactive!  You are in charge of you!  Leaders are responsible, take initiative, and do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is looking.

2.  Begin with the end in mind!  In other words, have a plan!  Leaders plan ahead and set goals.  they look for ways to be a good citizen.  They do things that have meaning and make a difference.

3.  Put first things first!  Also known as, work first, then play.  Leaders spend their time on things that are the most important.  They set priorities, make a schedule, and follow their plan.  They are disciplined and organized.

4.  Think win-win!  I win, you win, we win!  Leaders balance courage for getting what they want with consideration for what others want.  They fill others' buckets!  They are problem solvers.

5.  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  Another way of saying this is to listen before you talk.  Leaders are confident in voicing their ideas.  They look people in the eyes when they are talking.  They listen to people's ideas and feelings without interrupting.  Leaders also try to see things from other viewpoints.

6.  Synergize!  We work together!  Leaders value the strengths of others and learn from them.  They get along with others, even if they are different from them.  They work well in groups.  They are humble.

7.  Sharpen the saw!  Basically this means that leaders know what a healthy balance is.  Leaders take care of themselves by eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep.  They find meaningful ways to help others.  They spend time with their family and their friends.  And last but not least, they learn in lots of ways and places,  not just at school.

Be on the lookout for some leadership notes being sent home!  

Also, I'm loving this song that I heard on Sesame Street with Will I Am!  The lyrics are so powerful!  I'll be sharing it with Team Blowey so don't be surprised if you start hearing it at home too!