Day 2 Fun with True Flix

Brief update on our day two experiences with True Flix...

Just wanted to share a couple of short videos of students using True Flix during one of their Daily 5 Rounds today (Read to Self).  Many of our students chose to use this website today, probably since it was new (and did not cooperate with our network yesterday).  As you can see in each short video, some students are watching the "preview" movie (which provides background knowledge), while others are reading the e-book associated with the topic of choice.  Something already very impressive about each e-book, is the amount of content, the read along voice and highlighting, and the provided vocabulary.  An extra feature we found today was post reading "quizzes."  Pretty fun!

Next week, we will begin using True Flix more regularly in response to our upcoming "L.E.A.P." program.  In class students will choose their own topics, and then respond to that selection using the exit slip you see below.

In the near future, we would like to go digital with this exit slip, by offering it on a Google Form.  This way, students would be able to respond to their True Flix reading selections from their provided netbook, another computer lab, at home, or anywhere with internet access.  

Digital Non-Fiction Reading with True Flix

Today, via an early morning meeting with our school LMS, Mrs. Olson and I were introduced to what appears to be a great, new digital tool for our classroom.  Best part, is it is accessible at school and anywhere else where internet is accessible...so YES, it can be used at home!

True Flix:

http://auth.grolier.com/login/tfx/login.php

True Flix is a digital reading format.  It is a subscription service, which our school bought this year for students to use.  That said, it is necessary to use a username and password (which were given to your child today) to use the service.

Once logged in, students choose a "NON-FICTION" category of interest.  Check out all of their choices:

For this example, I chose "Ecosystems."  The following are the choices I would be given with Ecosystems:

If I choose "Tundra," or any of the above (and any category period), I am first given a video to watch, followed by a digital book to read:

While the video provides, perhaps, some needed background knowledge, the book provides tons of content on the chosen topic.  Students can highlight the vocabulary words to get their definitions.  There is a read along feature, where a digital voice reads the story while highlighting each word.  Plus, the table of contents is somewhat interactive.  

In class today we tried to get this interactive website up and running; however, the district's internet was not quite cooperative enough.  In the future, this website will be very beneficial to the "non-fiction" component of Common Core State Standards and our new L.E.A.P. program at school.

Feel free to log in to the website with your child and explore!  Remember, they should have their password in their student agenda.

"The Instructions"

Our current class read aloud is The City of Ember.  Just ask any student in our class, and they will tell you that it has them on the edge of their seats.  Even better, one of our main characters (Lina) has just discovered a very important document, which appears to be some sort of instructions.  Everyone in our class can tell you, these instructions do not seem ordinary.  Each student has been provided with a copy of the instructions, just like the copy to the right.  Many are already, anxiously, trying to crack the code.

If you have some time, encourage your child to "Retell" you what is currently happening in The City of Ember.

Additional information on this book can be found at:

• Info: http://goo.gl/XJYcI
• Audio format:  http://goo.gl/pl5fC
• Amazon: http://goo.gl/90aUh

Paragraphs Made Simple as "123...23...23...4!"

Today we introduced a simple to use paragraph writing structure that will be a regularly used, and referred to, strategy in our class.  It is called a "1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4 Paragraph."  If you are familiar with "Step Up to Writing," and its various color coding, you will find this paragraph structure similar.  The main difference, at least what we think, is that it allows for more depth and growth as a writer.

Check out the included Slide Rocket presentation to learn more about a 12323234 Paragraph:

Our first writing assignment of the school year will be a personal narrative.  Stay tuned for more!

Words Their Way Kickoff!

Today we kicked off "Words Their Way," which is the program we will use to help students become better spellers and word analyzers.  Students are in small groups, based on how they did on our Words Their Way pre-test.  Within our class, we have five small groups.  

"Word Study" Notebook Cover
with attached "Sort" Pocket

Students are responsible for their "Word Study" notebook, which will be used to document what they are working on with words.  On the cover you will notice a pocket.  The pocket is for students to keep their "sorts" in.

At the end of each sort, words will be either recycled or re-used, depending on how proficient students become with that particular sort.

When you open the notebook, you will notice a few items.  On the inside cover is a stapled in place, folded sheet of paper.  This is a general schedule, which could change depending on the week.  Currently, day 1 is Monday, 2 is Tuesday, 3 is Wednesday...and so on.  However, as soon as we have a couple of days off here and there, the Monday to Friday schedule goes out the door.  Students will catch on, since we practice routines on a regular basis.  On the backside of the schedule, you will also notice 9 (quite) small descriptions.  These are descriptions of the activities that students will do with their words.  Students are going to learn all of these activities at school, but we have included them so that if they forget, and an adult or sibling is helping them out and has no idea what a "Meaning Activity" is, they can simply look it up.  

The next thing you might find, especially after day 1's is a sheet of paper with your child's words on it.  We will cut these out on day 2's.  Until then, we begin each sort with a "Meaning Sort."  With this sort, students determine how familiar they are with a particular group of words.

Remember, our only goal with this Word Study program is not just spelling.  Of course we want each student to become fabulous spellers, but we also want them to begin to recognize word patterns and realize how words are formed.  All of those skills combined will make your child a more complete speller, writer, and reader.

Check out the following "Slide Rocket" to get an idea of the various activities we will complete and do this school year with Words Their Way:

NWEA MAP Testing is Just Around the Corner!

It is that time of the fall...NWEA MAP Testing.  The previously mentioned accronym means: Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP).  At Glenbrook our students take this computerized assessment three times during the school year.  Once in the fall, again in the winter, and one last time in the spring.  This assessment is used to monitor student progress and needs across both individually and across a grade level.  Today, our students will view the following "Slide Rocket" in order to learn/review their upcoming tests in both Reading and Math.

**On a side note, our testing days and times are as follows:

• Tuesday, September 18 at 9:00 AM
• Tuesday, September 25 at 9:00 AM

DIVISIBILITY RULES!

In math we are working on learning about factors of products (answer to a multiplication problem).  For example, the number 15 has four factors: 1, 3, 5, & 15.  It's factor pairs are: 1x15, 15x1, 3x5, & 5x3.  Since there are four factor pairs, there will be four factors.

Today, we also discussed that if a number has more than two factors, it is a composite number, such as 15.  However, if a number ONLY HAS TWO factors, it is prime; such as 7 (1x7 and 7x1 - factors are: 1 and 7).

Check out this fun game to practice your prime and composite numbers, called "Fruit Shoot": 

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/numbers/fruit_shoot_prime.htm

All that said, we are also learning how to tell if a number is divisible by either 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, or 10.  The rules are as follows:

• Rule of 1: ALL NUMBERS ARE DIVISIBLE BY 1.
• Rule of 2: Any number which ends in an even number (2, 4, 6, 8, or 0).
• Rule of 3: Add up the digits in the number.  If those digits are divisible by 3, the original number is also divisible by 3.
• Rule of 5: Any number which ends with either 0 or 5.
• Rule of 6: If the number is divisible by both 2 and 3, it is also divisible by 6.
• Rule of 9:  Add up the digits in the number.  If those digits are divisible by 9, the original number is also divisible by 9.
• Rule of 10: Any number which ends with a 0.

To practice these rules, some students made posters to show what they understood.  ALL of the posters turned out great!  The top poster was voted our class' favorite (also happened to be HUGE).

Newest Residence of our Classroom

Check out the newest residence of our classroom:

As seen above, yesterday we built small aquariums for our guppie fish to inhabit.  Along with guppies, each aquarium also contains several snails.  Plant life in the aquarium includes: algae, elodea, and duck weed. In the near future we will be combining our terrariums with our aquariums to create an "Eco-Column."

This activity was definitely a very fun and exciting one for all of our students!  Hopefully our newest residence will survive for a good, long time.

Field Trip to Castillo de San Marcos

Today our class went on a field trip to St. Augustine, Florida and visited Castillo de San Marcos.  It was awesome!

Okay, so we actually went virtually, but with the waves roaring and our imaginations flying, our field trip was very interesting.  On our virtual field trip, we were able to visit Castillo de San Marcos, which prior to that we had only seen a small, aerial view of, in our Social Studies text book.  

The virtual field trip provided a much better example of what living in the 1500's may have been like in New Spain at one of their many presidios.  Check out the website below to re-visit Castillo de San Marcos.

http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/photos/military/marco/marco.htm

Terrariums Are Alive and Well!

In Science we have recently began building our Eco-Columns.  Step one is setting up our terrariums.  Prior to our bugs arriving we have to build a suitable place for them to live.  This past Friday we poured in a layer of gravel (natural filter), some dirt, and planted the following seeds: alfalfa, grass, and mustard.  We will fill in the remaining section with various debris from outside.  In the meantime, check out the progress our plants have made since just Friday!  They are definitely alive and well!

First Knightly Note Ball!!!

Today our class cashed in their first 100 Knightly Notes, in order to get a ball (good towards an entire school incentive).  For every 5 notes handed in, students also received a raffle ticket, good towards either lunch with Mr. Sufka or hanging out in the library with Mrs. Gee.  Needless to say, they were very excited to have contributed the first ball for the entire school.  What a great way to end an awesome first week of school!

10 Minutes of Stamina!

Today we increased our stamina to 10 minutes...up from 3 the past several days.  In our "Read to Self" workshop, we are discussing the importance of increasing stamina (see the 10 Strategies for Building Stamina below), while realizing it only will occur with some simple strategies (which are represented on our "Read to Self" anchor chart):

• Getting started right away
• Staying in one spot
• Checking for understanding
• Reading the whole time
• Using whisper voices (when talking is necessary)

These items are only possible if our students choose "Just Right Books," which will be covered early next week.

The following are some images of students enjoying a good book today at school:

See you next week!

Establishing Routines

Day three of school is in the books!  In a weird way it seems like we are much deeper into September than we are, which might be largely due to how well everyone in our class is following our three simple rules: Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be Safe.

Yesterday and today we have been preparing students for our new, district wide, behavior management program, called "P.B.I.S."  Essentially, teachers are trying to reinforce positive behaviors we see in our classrooms, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and on the playground by giving students "Knightly Notes" (see below).  Students are then able to "cash in" their Knightly Notes for various prizes, which we will determine tomorrow in class.  Overall, today's distribution of Knightly Notes was a success.

Besides our behavior routines, we are also working hard on establishing routines in the classroom, specifically with our independent reading strategies: Daily 5.  It is not only important for us to establish routines, but also talk about the importance of the routines.  In doing so, today we talked about 10 Ways to Improve Stamina.  Take a look at our anchor chart below:

Hopefully we can update you soon with our reading stamina is coming along in the near future.  Currently, we are up to 3 minutes.  While that seems little, it is quite a bit based on what our students are being asked to do.

Until next time...

Xtra Math in the Classroom

This year we will be using XtraMath to practice our math fact skills.  All homeroom students, along with several students who come to our classroom for math will bring home a letter today explaining XtraMath in more detail, along with directions of how to access their XtraMath account from home.  Additionally, each student will be assigned his/her own student login code, which will make their individualized instruction much more private (to only them self, their teacher(s), and their parent(s)).  Please watch the video below for an even more detailed description of XtraMath: