Today we re-read Cat's Colors about a cat whose favorite color is orange because that's the color of his mother. We reviewed punctuation, especially the question mark and how to read a sentence that ends with one. We also read a non-fiction book about real objects and what color they are. When we saw the picture of the blackberries, it was fun to hear from the students who had personal experiences picking berries and being scratched by the bushes.

Yesterday, the class earned enough compliments for a popcorn party, but we waited to have it today so Anna could join us. We watched a Magic School Bus outerspace movie while we ate popcorn. Just as the movie ended, the bus driver arrived for our bus safety presentation and ride. We learned the safety rules for riding and then we went for a ride to Rose Park. There, we pretended to have a bus emergency and evacuated out the back of the bus. We rode back to school and had recess. Your child should have brought home a bus safety coloring book.

With all the special events, we missed afternoon centers. The change in routine mildly upset them. They will miss afternoon centers again tomorrow as we have a 6th grade class coming to share with us some stories they have written.

Tomorrow is the last day to purchase caramel apples from the 6th graders. There is a table set up just outside the lunchroom from 8 to 8:15am and just after school. I think they are selling them after our dismissal time (2:20) and at intermediate dismissal (3:10). The cost is $3 per apple. They will be delivered during school on Friday Oct. 30.

Tomorrow morning is a vision screening. Your child should have brought home a note informing you that we get out at noon next Wednesday and that there is no school next Thursday or Friday due to teacher convention.

Despite the wet weather, we had a great time on our field trip to the fire station. A special thanks to Mrs. Ross, Mrs. Dwyer, and Mrs. Swan for accompanying us. When we arrived at the station, the truck was not there--they had gotten a call earlier. However, after being there for about 10 minutes, the truck returned. We watched a fireman put on his turnout gear, including his air mask. We got to climb inside the truck and look around. Students were encouraged to talk to their families about designating a special meeting place in case of a house fire, such as the swingset or the mailbox.

We came back to school and continued with business as usual. At center time, some students had the opportunity to use the interactive whiteboard to practice writing their name. Don't worry--everyone will get a turn! We're working on writing like big kids now--not in all uppercase letters anymore.

Mrs. Swan worked with students on creating and extending patterns and on identifying which part of the pattern repeats. The more they practiced, the better they got. The students are getting really good at sounding out words on their own. It's so fun for me and so rewarding for them when they begin to put their own thoughts onto paper.

Sorry for such a late post tonight. Tomorrow, as you know, is our field trip to the fire station. Please dress your child warmly as we will be walking, no matter what the weather is. The book order was placed. Thanks for your orders! That's all for tonight. I'm going to bed now...

Thanks for dressing your child for the weather! We went out for morning and lunch recess, but the kids were so wet that we stayed in for afternoon recess and watched the movie "The Snowy Day."

In your Monday envelope there was a scarecrow picture. Please decorate it with items found around the house and return it to school so we can hang them in the hall as a decoration. For example, if you have a few spare buttons, you could glue them on for the eyes. Yarn could become hair. Use your imagination and have fun with it. It's great fun to see all the different ideas.

I updated the calendar on the class web site to include some of the upcoming events that were in the school newsletter. We worked on rhyming today, so for writer's workshop, students drew pictures of two things that rhyme and they sounded out the spelling of those two things. I will save this as a form of assessment that I will show you at conference time. Another informal assessment I did today was to have students draw a repeating pattern in their math journals and circle the part that repeats. Most were successful.

Tomorrow is library day. Please return library books tomorrow. There have been painters in the library for several days, so students may or may not be able to check out books. I know Mrs. Waples will do what she can to accommodate our class. If you have a book order, please return it tomorrow, also. Have a great evening!

Happy birthday, Mary!

Happy Friday! Mrs. Swan was here this morning and she read My Amazing Body to the students. We learned how our bodies are amazing machines and that all the different parts work together. We learned the characteristics of non-fiction books (has an index, can read it in any order, is about real things) and we remember that term by calling it "not fake."

Check your child's backpack for an amazing writing project they did today. They copied the sentence starter "I scared away the" off the board, then had to sound out the last word. They imagined that they were scarecrows and that they scared away one thing that they previously feared. For example, one student wrote, "I scared away the monster." Keep in mind that spelling isn't the main goal--listening for letter sounds is much more important at this point. I gushed about how smart they are and what wonderful writers they are.

In math, we reviewed repeating patterns and made AB pattern necklaces (or bracelets). I thought they were very patient about stringing their beads and dealt well with the frustration of the yarn coming apart.

Monday is gym day so don't forget to send your child to school in sneakers. Have a great weekend!

Students did a writing project today in which they colored a scarecrow and then labeled it by writing the color of each piece of it's clothing. Ex. "red shirt." It's so helpful that they know their letter sounds now so that they can successfully sound out words. This is a very important step!

Last night I wrote a Q2 One Class at a Time grant to get a microscope and some slides to use at centers, so wish me luck! Tonight I'm in class, thus the reason for such a short blog. Back on track tomorrow.