Reading

We’re starting a new book as a class this week. We’ll be reading James and the Giant Peach. This is a really fun book and it should be enjoyable. We will get into discussion groups a couple times a week to talk about what we have read and work on vocabulary. The students should have the first chapter read by Wednesday. 

Halloween Party!

It’s that time of year again! The trees are changing colors and that can only mean one thing: time for our Halloween Party! The party will be on October 29th starting at 1:30, following our parade (which is at 1). Our class party planning committee (don’t worry, the committee changes for every party, so everyone gets a turn) will plan out what games they want, but we still need help elsewhere. We’ll definitely need some volunteers to help out that afternoon, and if anyone wants to help with treats or decorations, that would be fantastic! If you’re interested in helping just send me an email to let me know. And don’t forget to have your child wear their costume to school. It’s going to be an exciting day! 

Field Trip!

Today we took our field trip to the Adler Planetarium in downtown Chicago. It was a day of fun and discovery as we experienced some of what we’ve been learning for the past few weeks. Our visit included the Shoot for the Moon exhibit, in which we learned about previous space explorations and the Apollo project, as well as the exhibit, Our Solar System, in which we explored the planets, moon, sun and more. Our trip ended with the Night Sky Live! show in which the students took a 3-dimensional tour of the night sky. What a great way to end our astronomy unit! 

   

Introducing: Sarah

Hi! My name is Sarah. I have two younger sisters. I have a cat and two goldfish. My favorite color is green. I play the violin and play basketball. I love being outside and reading. My favorite food is grilled cheese. 

     

Creative Writing Project

To go along with what we’ve been learning in science, this week we are writing creative stories about constellations. Last week we learned about some of the constellations and how ancient peoples would create stories to explain the constellations. We also learned where to locate these constellations in the sky. This week, the students had the chance to pick one of these constellations and write their own creative story explaining the constellation.  We started the stories in the beginning of the week, finished them by Thursday, and peer edited them. Today the students wrote out their final stories and drew a picture of their constellation to attach to their story. If they did not get a chance to finish in class, these will be due Monday, but there shouldn’t be too much to do this weekend. I’m excited to see what stories our class has written! 

This week it’s time to learn some grammar! We’re going to start by reviewing basic grammar (punctuation, capitalization, etc.) and then we’ll start learning about sentence structure. We are going to start dissecting sentences. We’ll learn about the different parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, etc. We will eventually be learning what parts of speech you have to have in a sentence and how you set up sentences. I know this can be a fairly tedious subject but I’m going to do my best to make it interesting. It’s very important to learn. It’s also a little tricky, so if your kids need any help or have questions, don’t hesitate to email me. 

No one makes grammar more fun than School House Rock!

Introducing: Jimmy

Hi, I’m Jimmy. I love sports. My favorite sport is soccer. 

I also love to watch T.V. and ride my bike. My favorite color is red. My favorite food is pizza. 

I have an older brother,  a younger sister and a dog named Murphy. My favorite subject is science. What I’m looking forward to most this year is dissecting an owl pellet. 

Astronomy Unit

This week we started our astronomy unit in science. I’m excited for what we’ll be learning! Over the next few weeks we will be learning about the solar system, the planets, stars, constellations and more. There are a lot of exciting lessons and activities coming up, including a final group project. This is a really neat unit where students will hopefully get a better understanding of the world beyond us. I hope they enjoy it as much as I do! 

Spelling List

Here is our spelling list for the following week. Don’t forget that there will be a quiz on Friday worth 20 points, so make sure your kids are studying the words throughout the week. There will be worksheets every night to help them study. 

1	brand
2	gingerly
3	gram
4	gum
5	pact
6	penguin
7	split
8	sting
9	strap
10	task
11	tread
12	film
13	else
14	pleasure
15	brick
16	broad
17	check
18	crop
19	ditch
20	dread
21	plot
22	past
23	spend
24	lecture
25	twin

Teacher Profile

Every week we will introduce a new student profile on our blog. This gives the students a chance to write about themselves and learn a little more about their classmates.  I decided I would start the year off by letting you know a little bit more about myself. I’m from Glen Ellyn, IL, outside of Chicago. I went to Taylor University, a small private college, where I received my teaching degree. After college I started teaching here at Ben Franklin Elementary School, where I have been ever since! I have taught here for the past two years and I am excited for my third year of teaching. 

As for my life outside of school, I love reading, cooking and knitting. On the weekends I teach Sunday school and spend time with my family. My favorite season is fall, my favorite food is pita and hummus, my favorite color is green, and my favorite book is Pride and Prejudice. I hope that gives you a better picture of me. I can’t wait to hear a little bit more about our class!