Greetings from Room 10,
Our week began with a
visit from local author, Dr. Dawn Kolakoski who talked with the children about
her novel and her writing process. I
have known Dawn for many years, but I had no idea how much research went into
writing her book. The children enjoyed
her enthusiasm for writing. Aside from
being a talented writer, Dawn has been a teacher at both the elementary and
college level for many, many years. (Her
first teaching job was actually here at Slingerlands!) Her book, Madison
Hart and the Desert Jewel has captured the imaginations of the children and
is proving to be a GREAT read aloud! The children made “Thank You” cards for “Dr.
K” and provided ideas for her sequel!
Speaking of cards, 5B participated in a card
writing campaign for the troops overseas.
On Thursday, the children made beautiful cards with heartfelt
expressions of “Thanks” to the men and women serving our country.
Our respiratory unit is moving along
nicely. We initially focused on
respiratory vocabulary, and now we have completed an in-class project on the
respiratory system pathway. Next week I
will share a Power Point I created which describes the respiratory
process. The children will take notes
that will be valuable when studying for the unit test. I have planned for this unit to culminate in
the middle of January. Next up: WHALES!!!
Our reading skill
lesson for the week was inferring. I
spent about 20 minutes with each small group playing an inference “game.” The children LOVED this lesson and many asked
if they could come back for a second session.
I love having the opportunity to work in small groups with the kids!
Today we played dreidel with our 2nd
grade buddies. I love to watch the
children interact. It’s really neat to
see the 5th graders step-up and take on a leadership role with their
buddies.
Sending
special thanks out to Mrs. Taranto who came to our math class today to teach
problem solving. She is an amazing teacher, and the kids really enjoyed
having her work with them on problem solving.
Our holiday party is next Friday,
December 21 at 1:15pm. Feel free to stop
by during the party. Also the children’s Kidnastics Show is on Friday from 9:45
– 10:45. Hope to see you there!
You should continue to see your
child read nightly. Even when I have not
assigned written homework, reading 30 minutes each night is a standing homework
assignment! On Thursday I conducted a “State of the Class” for Betor’s
Bulls-Eye. At this point, each child
should have read a minimum of 10 books.
Please encourage your child to read nightly. It’s truly the best way to become a better
reader!
Have a nice weekend, Lester B. and class
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