Newsletter 5-3-12

The Green Meadow Gazette

May 3, 2012

Upcoming & Important Events:

·        Friday, May 4^th – Dismissal at 12:30

·        Wednesday, May 9^th – MCAS testing

·        Thursday, May 10^th – MCAS testing

·        Friday, May 11^th – Dismissal at 11:25

·        Friday, May 18^th – Book orders due

Classroom News:

Lindsey: Last week we finished listening to A Series of Unfortunate Events. Violet signed a paper that made her and Count Olaf be married, but Violet is a righty and she signed the paper with her left hand, so it didn’t count. At the end, Count Olaf said to Violet, “I’ll be back.”

James: Last week we put fractions on a number line. We played a game for it, too. We rolled dice, and then we put them on the line and wrote the fractions. For example, if we rolled a 6, we would write the sixths between 0 and 1. I liked it.

Robbi: This week we have an MCAS math packet for homework. We had to finish the packet by Monday. We also had to do this because we have the real MCAS test next week. During the real MCAS, we also get to chew gum. I hope I do good!

Aiden: Last week we started reading the second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. The book is called The Reptile Room. It’s about 3 kids whose mom and dad die. They have to live with an uncle named Dr. Montgomery.  The book is by Lemony Snicket.

Cara: We did poetry this week. Ms. Little brought in new objects to observe with our senses. One of them was a bahama fizz candle. It smelled so good! She also brought in a sea urchin shell. It felt really cool. She also brought in a bowl that I think Ms. Little said she kept her earrings in. Then we wrote our observations in our notebook, and turned our observations into poems. For example, I said the bahama fizz candle smelled like the beach. Did I mention it smelled good? That’s what we did in poetry.

Vinny: Yesterday we went to gym and we played dodgeball. To play dodgeball you throw balls at people to try to get them out. When you get out, you have to do 5 sit ups or 5 jumping jacks to get back in. And then you get back in and keep playing.

Alonso: Last week we read Time for Kids. We learned about sugar. Did you know that sugar is found in a lot of foods?  I think you should check what you’re eating. Try eating good snacks like fruit.

Reese: Yesterday in class we learned about the Boston Tea Party. The two things I learned is that the colonists stopped paying for tea and other items from England because of the taxes. I also learned that when they threw the tea in the water, it did not stay on top of the water. I loved the story.

Kyleigh: Today, Ms. Little’s class received a postcard from Maine. A girl named Ashley sent us the postcard. It was very nice of her. She used to be in Ms. Little’s class last year!

Henry: Lately in Writing Workshop we are starting something new: poetry. In poetry, sometimes you need to have line breaks. Line breaks are when you pause. You have to pretend sort of like there is a whole sentence on the line even if there is only one word. Like this:

I

said

hi.

You would pretend there are words there and don’t say anything, just wait like 3 seconds.

Graham: Last week in Writing Workshop we had to pick a theme for all the poems we make. I picked food because I like food. Then we talked to our partners to tell them which theme we chose.

Dorinda: Yesterday we wrote Cinquain poems. There are five rules for writing a Cinquain. The first rule is you have to write a one word title on the 1^st line. The 2^nd line is 2 words that describe the first word. The 3^rd line is 3 words that are actions. The 4^th line is a feeling phrase. The 5^th line is a one word synonym for the title. When we were done writing our Cinquain, we could make another Cinquain or we could make an acrostic poem. I liked writing Cinquains because it was easy.

Hannah: Lately in Math we have been adding and subtracting fractions. What you do is you get a partner, a white board, and two dice. Either you or your partner goes first by rolling the dice. Then, after you roll the dice, you take the two numbers you rolled and make them into a fraction. After you’re done, your partner goes, but they only roll once dice, and keep the fraction’s number on the bottom the same. Then you add or subtract the fractions, but you only add or subtract the numbers on the top. You leave the bottom number the same. It will probably help later in life to know how to add and subtract fractions.

Samantha: On Monday we went to Art. We started a drawing unit. We drew a lion to practice. Then we started a practice page to warm up our eyes. We used our idea book to sketch a picture. The picture is going to be ironed onto a bag. The bag will hold art supplies.

Kate: In Cursive we learned uppercase letters C and D. On one of the cursive practice sheets there were names. On the D practice page were D names, like Dorinda, David, and Daniel, and on the C page was Cara’s name. I almost finished the whole practice sheet. You had to finish the D page to go out to recess.

David: In Math we learned about mixed numbers. Mixed numbers are a whole number and a fraction. For example, 1 5/8 is a mixed number. We played a game about mixed numbers to practice.

Rory: Yesterday we had writing workshop. We were writing Cinquain poems. When we finished, Ms. Little said we could make an acrostic poem. I made one about New Year. An acrostic poem is when you pick a topic and write down the side of the page, and then you write on the letters. For example:

Nice

Exciting

W

Y

E

A

R

Joseph: Last time we went to Library we read about people that invented things. We read about Ray Croc. He invented McDonalds. I forget the rest of their names but they invented frozen vegetables, jeans that lasted longer, and cars. But best of all, we learned about the person who invented Hershey chocolate.

Thomas: Yesterday we switched seats. Every month we switch seats. If a person in your group is bothering you then they get separated from the group.  This time we could pick who we want to sit with, and it’s ok if you’re with your friends.

Morgan: In school we are doing a biography project. We had to pick a person that made history and find a book about them. We have to pick the right book that’s appropriate for us and read it. Then we have to make a timeline. The timeline will have important things that they did in their lifetime on it. Most of the work is going to be done at our houses. Also, it will be is a wax museum. I am going to be Helen Keller.

Ms. Little:  Information about the Biography Project was sent home with your child last week. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about the project. Also, your child will be taking the math portion of the MCAS next Wednesday and Thursday. Please make sure your child goes to bed at a reasonable time each night, eats a good breakfast each morning, and arrives at school on time each day. The only homework for next week will be to read each night for 20 minutes. Enjoy the weekend!