Friday, January 20, 2012

Arthur Unit

Arthur stories by Marc Brown are a class favorite. They are also a wonderful teaching tool. We've been using this Arthur unit to:

  • Use appropriate comprehension skills and strategies
  • Interpret and respond to literature
  • Write a variety of types of texts
  • Communicate effectively
Throughout this unit, we are focusing on Making Connections, Visualizing and Summarizing. The kids are responding well and as the unit has progressed, the kids have been able to make more Text-to-Text connections. Unsure what that is? Ask your child! :)
Visualizing how the characters were feeling

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Welcome 2012

Happy New Year!
We welcomed the new year with writing our own resolutions. The kids had great ideas of things they could work on in the new year. "Being nice," "Helping Mommy with the dishes," and "Read more books," were just a few of the things the kids came up with.
Miss Cuenca's resolution? Getting the classroom organized and keeping it CLEAN. ;)
Hope all your resolutions last longer than mine inevitably will!
:)
Getting organized at Target. Thanks N.L for the gift card from the beginning of the year! It went to great use! (Finally!)

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Gingerbread Houses!

On Wednesday we made gingerbread houses! The kids became masterful architects as they "gingerly" placed gummy bears, spice drops, jelly beans, Skittles, M&M's, peppermints, marshmallows, pretzels, red licorice and other various goodies on top. SO much thanks to those who made this possible. We appreciate all of the things you brought and to those parents who helped assemble. The kids had a wonderful time!

Friday, November 4, 2011

aMAIZEing Corn


Today we made our very own Maize or Indian Corn. We used red, orange, yellow and brown paper for the kernels. Once we created our corn, we graphed the colors that were used. It was a fun project and the kids were very excited that Mrs. Gates had real Indian Corn that we were able to pass around. 

Boo!

Happy Halloween!
We've been busy at work reading spooky stories and making some fun Halloween art projects! Here's a few examples of projects we've created over the last few weeks:


Pumpkin Life Cycle
Story: Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell and Pumpkin Day and Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
We learned the various stages of the life cycle of a pumpkin from seed to orange pumpkin. Question: Is a pumpkin a:
a) vegetable 
b) toy
c) berry


Bats and Nocturnal Animals
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Bats: Night Fliers by Betsy Maestro and Giulio Maestro
We made a few different books on bats and made owls and cats


Halloween
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
We all designed our very own broomsticks!



Hope you had a Spooktacular Halloween!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch!

Last Thursday, we had a fun and soggy trip to Prusch Farms. Here are some highlights that the kids shared out following our trip:


  • Seeing the peacocks
  • Going on the hay ride
  • Picking out our pumpkins
  • Feeding the goats
  • Riding on the school bus
  • When we saw the animlas
  • Being the our moms and dads (Volunteers)
  • Petting the black bunny-Midnight
  • Walking in the mud
  • When the sheep kissed my hand
  • When the rain fell on us
  • When I saw the scarecrow
  • When we ate our snack

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Common Core State Standards

Dear Parents,
Over the next few years, California will be implementing the Common Core State Standards. What are the Common Core State Standards?
Here is the mission statement:
"The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy."

To put it simply, most American schools are all adopting the same standards so we will all be on the same page. There will be both major and minor changes. I encourage you to begin educating yourself on what these standards are and how they will impact your children. Here is a link to some videos that will help begin this process.

http://www.americaschoice.org/commoncorestandardsresources