Hi Families!
Quick notes to know:
- Thank you to everyone for voting for Prairie Crossing Charter School for the BBQ’D Productions contest! The teachers and staff are so excited to have won a delicious meal!
- Schedule and ZOOM Links Easy to read page
- 8/28 – Materials Pick-Up – More Details to come.
- 1:00-2 pm Kindergarten
- 3:00-4 pm 1st through 8
- 9/4 – Early Release
- 9/7- No School- Labor Day
- 9/11 Next Scheduled Materials Pick-Up
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NEXT TWO WEEKS:
Overall, we are continuing to get to know each other and will be building rapport, as well as, establishing rules and procedures for the classroom. The students have done an AMAZING job at getting back into the routine at school and adjusting to the virtual classroom. I am proud of their efforts! Way to go!
There has been a slight adjustment to our schedule, which is reflected on all of the schedule links (in the live documents). As I work with the students in the virtual classroom, I can see what is more efficient or what works best, and may need to make slight adjustments as we go. The main changes to the schedule are; I have placed an official snack/break time each day at 9:15-9:30 a.m. Also, I have changed Friday’s solo spot/phenology times to the end of the day (during the phase we will be in the virtual classrooms). Students will need to leave the zoom classroom in order to complete the solo spot or phenology, so during the virtual classroom time it is more efficient to have the students do so at the end of the day. Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we work the “kinks” out in our systems and routines.
Your student will write down any daily homework in their student planner ( I often call it their “agenda” or “assignment notebook”). Mrs. Trage and I walk them through exactly what assignments to write each day as homework (at the end of the day). This becomes part of our daily routine and is a part of developing responsibility as a third grader. In the event, you need to know what the homework assignments are, I will update the homework calendar at the end of each day. Please feel free to add this homework calendar to your calendar.
I wanted to mention that the zoom recording links and passwords of lessons are listed on a live document in the google classroom, as a class material. The zoom lesson recordings will be live until the Sunday of each week. On Sunday, they will be automatically removed and the links will no longer be working, in order to clear space in our cloud to allow for new recordings of the new week.
In Writing, we will be learning more about how to focus during writing time, and how to build our skills to grow as writers. Students will be given writing prompts in response to stories read to help build their writing stamina and get back into the “groove” of school. We will continue to use typing.com and our handwriting books.
In Reading, we will practice one more time the “Read to Self” guidelines to ensure students are getting the most out of their read to self experiences. Then over the next two weeks we will roll out, practice, model and evaluate the daily 5 topics of “Work on Writing,” “Read to Someone,” “Listen to Reading,” and “Word Work.” Each section will be introduced and practiced separately. They are each very important components of our English Language Arts classes. It is really important to develop a good understanding of the guidelines of each segment in the start of the year, to help students get the most out of successful independent practice. These lessons also help develop routine and expectations for English Language Arts class. Following this, we will focus on comprehension strategies. In the next material pick up, there will be some interactive notebook materials included for reading lessons.
In Math, we are starting Unit 1 of bridges. In the next two weeks, we will be working on Modules 1 and 2. Below is a description of what skills and activities will be featured in each module:
Module 1 Community Building & Addition Facts to Twenty
Module 1 focuses on building a community of learners,
setting the tone for the rest of the year. Students build
People Glyphs to share with classmates their preferred
learning styles in math. In Session 3, they take the Unit 1 Pre-
Assessment. In Sessions 4 and 5, they complete an addition
table to review basic addition facts and discuss patterns
among them.
Module 2 Subtraction Facts to Twenty
Students use a subtraction table to identify types of facts
and to learn and revisit efficient strategies. They make
generalizations about the number relationships in groups
of related facts and also develop algebraic thinking as they
look for patterns and relationships, determine unknown
quantities on both sides of the equal sign in an equation,
and make generalizations about mathematics. The teacher will
work with students on the routines they will use all year
including problem strings, activities, and a
checkpoint assessment.
For Science/Social Studies, we are currently working on science and are in the unit of Illinois ecosystems. We will be finishing the prairie lessons this week and possibly part of next week as well. Then, we will be starting the woodland ecosystem unit. This week and next, students will be researching and writing down facts about prairie plants and animals, as well as drawing them. Students will play a game learning about common prairie plants. We will also watch Ms. Naomi demonstrate a prairie sweep on Friday to discover what variety of insects we can find in a prairie.
We will be participating in phenology and solo spots, alternating each week on Friday afternoons. Your student may complete these by going outside in your own yard, or, if this is not possible, by looking out a window at nature.
We will also be introducing the IXL program which is utilized in 3rd and 4th grades in a variety of manners- identifying gaps in skills, supporting core instruction, and as repetition and additional practice of concepts. Your student has been emailed to their school email, their IXL login information. During the next two weeks, I will be utilizing IXL diagnostics during enrichment activities. Once the diagnostics are complete, I will instruct students on which specific skills to interact within IXL.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
