Time Flies…

As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun! We have been honing our skills and exploring new opportunities.

The students were introduced to Zoo-Phonics in April. It was familiar to just a handful. But it only took a couple of days before everyone had caught on to the letter sounds. I have used this program for many years and it never fails to give every student a deeper understanding of the letter and sound relationships. I will try my best to make our own Zoo-Phonics video. In the meantime, check out the one made by a previous class on the Class Video tab.

We have also worked diligently on letter formation. I use a program called Handwriting Without Tears. It is wonderful! With this program I can explicitly teach students how to write every letter. It unlocks the mystery of how to make all though “squiggles” so others can read them. The name says it all! No tears here!

There are many parent resources at lwtears.com.

Blogging with Our Buddies

We have buddied up with Mrs. Ghilain’s third grade class  for some collaborative work. Each small group has discussed the benefits of a favorite activity.  Their assignment is to write a persuasive comment about it and convince our readers about the useful skills learned from each activity.   We invite you to read our comments and respond .

Mrs. P.

Dinosaurs and Fossils

We have been learning about dinosaurs and fossils.  One fact is some dinosaurs walk on 4 feet and 2 feet, like the maiasaura.  We enjoyed researching dinosaurs and studying them.  Another fact is fossils can be found in mud, sand, and ice.  Minerals seep in to make the bones turn into stone.  We made Sponge Bob turn into Fossil Bob.  It was fun to make a fake fossil.  Have you studied dinosaurs and fossils?

Malia, Aidan, Justin, and Cailie

Open House Report

This week we had Open House.  We made volcanoes and amber.  We made the volcano out of Rice Krispy treats and used fruit roll-ups for the lava.  We made the amber out of orange jello and gummy worms or an octopus.  We had to introduced our parents to Mrs. Petuya.  We used Aurasma to do our welcome for our parents.  We also used this app to tell about what we learned.  All in all, Open House was a fun evening for our parents and classmates.  When is your Open House?  And what do you do?

Jaden O, James, Taison, Grace, Samantha, and Alisha

Learning About Rocks and Minerals

We have learned about rocks and minerals. People use minerals everyday.  For example, toothpaste is made out of minerals.  We also learned 3 properties about minerals.  The 3 properties are color, hardness, luster.  Some names of rocks are gabbro, chalk, basalt, ironstone, and obsidian. In conclusion, rocks and minerals are amazing.  Have your ever analyzed rocks, minerals, and gems?  What facts do you know?

Sufian, Meher, Karisse, Jayden V

Moth Observation

Mrs. Petuya found a  dead moth.  While walking, she found a dead moth and brought it to the classroom.  We analyzed and we used a magnifier.  We know that it was a female because it had green eggs that were coming out from the bottom.  The moth was medium size.  Why are moths so hairy?  Did you know that sometimes when moths lay eggs, they die? Why did the moth die?  Are moths mammals?  In conclusion, it was fun learning about the moth.

Zaire, Oscar, Yaseen

Our Trip to FHS

Last week we had a field trip to Franklin High School.  We went to see The Wizard of Oz play. It took us a mile to walk there.  Our favorite part was the Munchkins’ song, “The Wicked Witch is Dead.”  All in all, it was a very fun day.  Have you ever seen a play before?

Isabella, Charles, Jayden J, Sophia