Math - The yellow group is learning to add and subtract numbers up to ten both horizontally and vertically.  The green group is working on adding tens and ones, as well as subtracting tens and ones, to numbers up to 100.  The red group is working on telling time.  The blue group is learning about shapes and they are learning about equal parts.  They are starting to learn about fractions.

Reading - This week our word work focus is synonyms.  The kids are doing a great job in their centers!  While the students are in the daily 5 centers, guided reading groups are working on reading stories at their level. 

Phonics - We have learned a few more suffixes.  We are now working with suffix s, suffix ed, and suffix ing.  We learned the difference between suffix ing and glued sound ing.  We are working the hardest of all the vowel teams - ou, oo, ew, and ue.  They are so tricky because they have multiple sounds. 

Writing - April is National Poetry Month.  We are going to learn about a few different types of poems.  Today we worked on acrostic poems.  Pictures to come soon.  :)

Science - Our seeds are starting to grow!  We have roots and a few sprouts.  We are waiting on our live organisms shipment of water plants and land plants.  Our next project will be planting woodland plants in our terrariums.

Social Studies - We are up to 39 states and capitals! 

Religion - We finished up our Safe Environment curriculum.  The students brought home their packets.  We are also practicing for our mass on April 19th.  Tomorrow we will read our Promise Paper to learn about Sunday's Gospel reading.

Stanley - We have received a few more Stanleys!  The kids LOVE getting their Stanleys back in the mail and reading about his adventures!  We have had so much fun finding where he went on our Stanley map and learning about where he has traveled!

David sent his Stanley to Massachusetts.  His Stanley arrived in Massachusetts- and then also traveled to North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, and Connecticut!

Gabriella's Stanley went to Texas.

Canon's Stanley went to Florida.  

 Lizzie's Stanley went to Texas.

Weekly Spelling Lists -

Phonetic List - Vowel Teams ou, oo, ue, ew
house
group
tool
cook
school
glue
cue
true
flew
stew

High-Frequency List - Trick Words - Words 121-130
another
came
come
work
three
must
because
does
part
even

Math - The yellow group is working on subtracting numbers up to 10.  The green group is working on adding and subtracting groups of tens using the hundreds chart.  The red group is working on story problems using comparison bars.  The blue group just finished up their time unit.  Today they started working on learning about shapes.

Reading - This week our word work focus is synonyms - words that mean the same thing. 

Mason worked on work on writing in Daily 5.  He found some state stickers to make a sticker story about North Dakota and South Dakota!  What a creative idea!

Social Studies - We are now up to 30 states and capitals!   20 more states to learn!  See if your child can remember the words to "Fifty Nifty".

Religion - This week we are working on Safe Environment during our Religion time.  So far we have talked about things / people that keep us safe.  (fire alarms, stop signs, police officers, etc.)  

This week we also picked parts for our next mass coming up on April 19th.  I'll get mass parts copied and to the students hopefully tomorrow.  Parts chosen this time are as follows -

Greeters - Emma, Guadalupe, Gabriella, Johanna

Introduction - David

First Reading - Lizzie, Aaron

Petitions - Elliot, Canon, Will, Alex, Dylan, Samuel, Mia, Aiden

Thanksgiving Prayer - Lucy, Valeria

Leader of the Pack Reader - Mason

Leader of the Pack Basket - Joah

Bread - Lillian

Wine - Madison

Song Readers - Suzi, Jake, Brady

Science - We started our new Einstein Kit - organisms.  Organisms are living things.  So far we have brainstormed lists of organisms, drew an organism and wrote what it needs to survive, and we discussed how plants and animals are alike and different.  Tuesday we planted seeds.  We planted sunflowers, kidney beans, peas, and pumpkins.  We have a planting journal - we are waiting a few days to watch them start and then we'll be drawing in our journals.  Hopefully they start growing soon!

Writing - Today we worked on the letter Kk.  The lowercase is a little tricky.  :)  We are always working on forming the letters the correct way and getting the letters on the correct lines.  This week in writer's workshop the students worked in their notebooks on their stories.  Next week we're going to work on some poetry - as April is National Poetry Month.

Stanley - We are starting to get some more Stanleys in.  The kids are loving the pictures and reading the letters of Stanley's adventures.  We have a Stanley map where we keep track of where our Stanleys have traveled to.

Read-Aloud - We are continuing to hear about Stanley's adventures.  We are currently reading Stanley and the Magic Lamp.

*Reminder - Next week Thursday, April 12th, we are going to the Weidner Center.  We still have a few students who have not returned their permission slips.  Please return permission slips ASAP.

Players from the Green Bay Blizzard came to school.  They read us some of their favorite stories.  This weekend - Saturday - is the Father Allouez night at the Green Bay Blizzard game.

Phonics - This week we continue to work on vowel teams.  The long o vowel teams are oa - boat, oe - toe, and ow - snow.  Ow is tricky, because it also says ow - plow.  Today we were introduced to our newest vowel teams - ou and oo.  They each have two key word sounds also.  ou - soup and trout.  oo - book and school.

Math - The yellow group is working on adding numbers up to 10 by using the bigger number first and then counting on.  The green group is working on looking at a story problem and figuring out what the question is and where the missing number is.  The red group is making graphs and using data to figure out more / fewer, and other questions.  The blue group is working on telling time on an analog clock.  Each group goes through four rotations every day.  M- Meet with teacher, A-All by myself, T-Technology, H-Hands on.  I bought and made new centers over spring break.  They have been a hit this week!

Reading - We have six different reading groups - reading stories and learning things all at their reading levels!  In April and May we will have one more round of running records - testing reading levels.  Boy have they come a long way since September.  This week our word work focus is homophones - words that sound alike, but are spelled different and mean different thing.  (Ex.  hear, here)  The students have 6 different centers that they can choose from in word work.  The homophone centers have been pretty popular!

Matching homophone word puzzles

Matching homophone words on plastic eggs

The kids LOVE the work on writing center in Daily 5.  A current favorite is story cubes.  There are three cubes.  They have a who, a what, and a where on them.  The students roll them and come up with silly sentences.  They love it!

Brady made a book during work on writing.  Johanna used story cubes.  Look at all those words!

They love to share their writing work and word work after we clean up from daily 5 guided reading groups and centers!

Religion - We have our own Stations of the Cross books.  We have been reading through the 15 Stations and coloring our books.  This week we also learned about Jesus' twelve apostles.  Friday we will read out of our Promise Paper and learn about the Gospel for this weekend - Palm Sunday.

Social Studies - We are learning about the 50 states and their capitals.  Each day that we have social studies we learn three states and capitals in ABC order.  We have a puzzle map on the SMART Board that we fill in as we learn the state and capital.  We also have a book where we learn facts about each state.  So far we are up to 12 states - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, and Idaho.  We are learning the song "Fifty Nifty".

Flat Stanley - We have had three Stanleys come back to us!  We have LOVED getting mail and reading about Stanley's adventures!  Where have the three Stanley's gone?

Green Bay, Wi.

Illinois

Minnesota

Lucy's grandma even made clothes for Stanley.  :)

*Please remember to return report card envelopes.

*Markers - Many of the markers are drying up.  Your student would love if you'd be able to get them some new markers.  :)

Weekly Spelling Lists -

Phonetic List - Vowel Teams - oa, oe, ow
goat
road
croak
foe
toe
flow
crow
now
how
cow

High Frequency List - Trick Words - Words 111-120
man
too
any
day
same
right
look
think
also
around

Today the kids wrote their Flat Stanley letters.  They wrote addresses on their envelopes.  It was a big project...and they tackled it!  The class is so excited to send out their letters and to let their Stanleys begin their journeys!

First we learned about addressing letters.  We learned where to write on the envelope.  We learned that street names, states, and capitals have capital letters.  We learned that there is a comma between the city and the state.  We learned about zip codes.  We learned what the return address is and where we put it on the envelope.

The next step was to address the envelopes and to write the letters to our recipients.

When the letters were finished we needed to fold them and put them into the envelope.  We also had to fold Stanley - we gave him a little hug and then put him in the envelope too.

Here is everyone's Stanley - before Stanley begins his journey.

Joah was on vacation last week.  We had to wait a little longer for his Stanley to get laminated.  :)

Here they are!  All addressed and ready to be mailed!  We can't wait to find out all of Stanley's adventures!

Flat Stanley - This weekend please think about where you would like to send Flat Stanley.  On Monday please send to school the person and address.  Please also send a stamped letter size envelope.  (It's important that the envelope is letter sized.  We will be sending a letter and a laminated Stanley in the envelope.  The students will also be writing addresses - and they tend to write bigger.)  I'd like to address the letters and get them sent off before spring break.  Thank you for your help on this awesome project!

Green Bay Blizzard - Green Bay Blizzard players will be coming to school on Monday.  They will be reading to our K-4 students.  They will sign autographs.  If your child has something they would like autographed they may bring it on Monday.

Dr. Seuss Day - Enjoy a few photos from our day -

Have a great weekend!