Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Happy Holidays and Have a Wonderful Winter Vacation

It's been a crazy month! December always moves so quickly and then it will be 2015!!
We have been busy bees in Room 206 working on subtracting, writing about our homes in December and learning about different holidays. The students did an excellent job with the Secret Pal event!
They had so much fun exchanging compliments and gifts! It was a really fun thing to do and they truly came up with some creative gifts for one another! Thank you for all of your help!
I hope you have a terrific vacation time with your family and friends. Thank you for all your gifts.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Reminder- Field Trip slips and money will be due on Tuesday, Jan. 6th! Thank you to all of you who already turned it in! :)

Here are some photos of our time together and one of me and my son Asher. He's getting so big!


Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Love, Mrs. Farrand and Asher
Caroling for our Parents!

Secret Pal Exchange


PJs are so fun!


Silly One!






Friday, December 12, 2014

Peek At The Week

We had a great week and a fantastic time at The Discovery Museum. Ask your child to tell you about the cool water challenge they had to do in a group. It was not easy!

Here are some of the things we have been working on:
In Math:
  • Students added using the hundred chart
  • Students mentally added a two digit number to multiples of ten
  • Students looked for patterns in tables and questions to solve
  • Took our Topic 6 test
  • Practiced facts on Reflex
In Fundations:
  • Began Unit 7 on open syllables
  • Learned vocabulary word -shy
  • Practiced dictation with sounds and words
  • Played Desk Pop to practice spelling
  • Learned how “y” can have the sounds of e or i at the end of 2 syllable words
In Reading:
  • Working on DRAs to determine students new reading levels and new groupings

In Science:
  • Read All About Snakes and make a long snake filled with information
  • Made a 6 super snakes booklet
  • Learned the 5 Burlington Reptiles and made a booklet
  • Presented our reptile reports to the class (They did a great job!

*A study guide went home yesterday for your child’s reptile test on Tuesday, Dec. 16th. Please help your child study!

Also, be on the lookout for more information regarding our Secret Pal activity. I can’t wait to see what they can create!

Have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand :)

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Peek At The Week

I can’t believe it’s December! I can feel the energy in the air! It was so great to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress. I am proud to be their teacher! Thank you for your continued support and partnership. I couldn't do it without you!


Here are some of the things we have been working on:


In Math:
  • Students mentally added 10 to two digit numbers
  • New vocabulary: mental math, tens digit, next ten
  • Students mentally added a two digit number to a one digit number
  • Students mentally added a two digit number to another two digit number
  • Reviewed place value for tens and ones
  • Used tens rods, counters, and tens frames to help us
In Fundations:
  • Learned the exception rule for a v-e syllable, -ive for give and also the suffix -ive
  • Learned vocabulary word -adjective
  • Practiced dictation with sounds and words
  • Played Desk Pop to practice spelling
  • Took our Unit 6 test
In Reading:

  • Read about Shortcut by Donald Crews
  • Practiced a Hokey Pokey song about summarizing
  • Worked on summarizing a story together using a flip chart and then writing a paragraph

In Science:
  • Read about lizards
  • Compared lizards and salamanders using a Venn Diagram
  • Read about alligators and crocodiles
  • Compared alligators and crocodiles using a Venn Diagram

In Writing:
  • Read a book called Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
  • Wrote a book review to convince others why they should read the book too! It was fun!
  • Students chose a book and wrote their own book reviews

****Reminder****

Reptile reports and pictures are due on Monday! Please help your child finalize their facts and pictures.

Have a great weekend!
-Mrs. Farrand :)

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!


Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday!

Reminders:
  • Field Trip money is due on Monday, December 1st
  • Book Fair: Tuesday, December 2nd at 9:30 a.m.
  • Parent conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd and Thursday, December 4th.
  • Reptile Reports were assigned and are due on Dec. 8th!
I look forward to seeing you soon! :)

-Mrs. Farrand

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Peek At The Week

Sorry this was a little late! We had another great week of learning! I’ll be emailing you for your parent conference appointment reminder too! :)

Here are some of the things we have been working on:

In Math:
  • Students compared two-digit numbers using symbols
  • New vocabulary: > (greater than) < (less than), and = (equal to)
  • Identified and wrote numbers that are one before and one after given numbers
  • Students counted on and counted back to identify missing numbers to 100
  • Students identified and wrote numbers that are 10 more and 10 less than given numbers
  • Learned to identify even and odd numbers
In Fundations:
  • Reviewed the second syllable type v-e (vowel-consonant-e)
  • Practiced trick words on gel boards
  • Learned that "S" can say /z/ when it is between two vowels, as in the words, nose, rose, and wise
  • Learned vocabulary word -rise
  • Played Desk Pop to practice spelling

In Reading:
  • Read about The First Thanksgiving
  • Learned about Squanto and Pocahontas
  • Worked on asking and answering questions
  • Will compare and contrast the stories next week
In Science:
  •   Read about and sorted different reptiles into 4 groups
  • Learned about turtles
  • Highlighted a poem about different turtle types
  • Read One Tiny Turtle  about Sea Turtles
  • Showed pictures and my family and I in Grand Cayman where they have a sea turtle sanctuary (They loved this!)
  • Made a sea turtle life cycle
  • Read Baby Alligator and “Growing up Gator” in a Scholastic Magazine. We answered questions together

In Writing:
  •   Read a book called Giving Thanks
  • Each child a piece of paper out of a cup such as paper, crayons, mittens etc. and they had to write about why we should be thankful for it and give reasons why it is important! They loved it and it was fun to hear their great ideas! Ask your child what they wrote about. They will be displayed for a bit and then I’ll send them home for you!

We have a short week next week with a half day on Wednesday.

Have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand :)

Friday, November 14, 2014

Peek At The Week

Snow already? I'm not ready! I hope you had a nice start to the week with your son or daughter! We tried to pack in as much learning as possible in three days!

Here are some of the things we have been working on:

In Math:
·        Took an addition fluency test (The reflex in helping!)
·        Learned about place value to break apart tens and ones
·        Learned number words and practiced writing them correctly
·        Practiced our math facts

In Fundations and Reading
·        Practiced written dictation
·        Learned 2 new vocabulary words: kindness and handful
·        Took our Unit 5 test

·        My groups finished reading Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears and Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon.  We practiced writing the beginning, middle, and end for one chapter. We also used a Venn Diagram to compare both stories.
In Science:

·        Began our new unit on reptiles
·        Read aloud Miles and Miles of Reptiles
·        Created a folder with the 4 types of reptiles- turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians
·        Learned special characteristics and discussed what we knew already
·        Watched a short video called All About Reptiles

In Writing:

We read the story The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and had a great discussion.
We created a class book about 4 things that make us happy. They did a great job!

We also wrote a narrative piece called “My Best Friend.”  The students described their best friends, what they do together, and why they are best friends.

Have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand :)

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Peek At The Week

It’s November? How is that even possible? It feels like we just started!

Here are some of the things we have been working on:

In Math:
·         Drew pictures to help us solve problems with repeated addition
·        Took our Topic 4 test
·        Took our Benchmark Test for Topics 1-4
·        Began Unit 5 on Place Value using tens and ones by playing a partner game
·        Read a math story and colored tens and ones

In Fundations and Reading
·        Practiced trick words for Unit 5 using gel boards
·        Learned the -ic rule for multisyllabic words
·        Learned 7 new suffix endings and practiced them
·        Learned a new vocabulary word mimic
·        Played Desk Pop to practice multisyllable words

·        My groups are reading Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears and Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon.  They are both by Cynthia Rylant. We are practicing TTQA (Turning the Question Around) to answer written questions in our reading response journals. We are also working on making connections.
In Science and Writing:

·        Created a tree book in Book Creator with the help of Mrs. Weldon of the 3 types of trees we find in Burlington around our school. (Maple, Oak, and Pine)
·        Read aloud Me and My Family Tree
·        Wrote answers to a family tree scavenger hunt
·        Played Tree Jeopardy to review for the test
·        Took our tree test to complete our tree unit

We had a nice Veteran’s Day Assembly this morning too! We sang a song called, “We Love Our Flag.” They did a nice job! :)

It was a fast week and we have a short week again next week too!
Teachers have PD on Monday and then Veteran’s Day is Tuesday, so I won’t see the students again until Wednesday, November 12th.
Have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand :)

Friday, October 31, 2014

Peek At The Week

Happy Halloween! We had a great week! I hope everyone has a fun and safe night!

Here are some of the things we have been working on:

In Math:
·         Began Topic 4 on working with equal groups
·        Learned repeated addition (ex:4+4+4=12)
·        Learned about arrays to make equal rows and columns
·        Solved word problems using repeated addition
·        Halloween math with adding and skip counting

In Fundations and Reading

·        Practiced trick words using gel boards
·        Finished Unit 4
·        Learned 5 syllable rules to break words apart in Unit 5
·        Learned a new vocabulary word disrupt
·        Used Drawing Pad to make words on the iPad and mark the words
·        My groups read A Halloween Rhyme and we looked for rhyming words, nouns, verbs, and adjectives. We even wrote our own group Halloween poem. It was fun!
In Science:

·        Read and completed a tree booklet and read Are Trees Alive?
·        Read Tess’s Tree and Maple Trees before observing and sketching 3 types of leaves and seeds we find in Burlington. (Maple, Oak, and Pine)
·        Read aloud A Tree is Nice and made a list of why trees are great!
·        Went for a tree walk with Miss P and our iPads to examine and take pictures of parts. We’ll make an electronic book next week with the pictures!
·        Went over the study guide for next Friday’s tree test. Please help your child study!

In Writing:

We wrote creative spooky stories about a haunted house! They were good!

It’s been a busy week! We had fun showing our adjective pumpkins for the Vocbulary Parade today!
Have a great weekend!

-Mrs. Farrand :)