Welcome Back to Miss Calderone's class!

Our day flew by! We started right away with music and P.E. When we came back we finished our D.L.P and our journals. We corrected the sentences and shared our journals. We then listened to the story "Tops and Bottoms". We had a great discussion. After that we learned the new chunks for this week: -eer and -ear (both make "ear" sound). We listed some words with the chunks on the board and then found them in a poem together. We took our spelling pretest and went over the answers. We then finished the morning talking about an informational paragraph. We began brainstorming some ideas and will begin our rough drafts tomorrow. After lunch we went straight into our MAPs tests. We worked very hard for an hour so when we came back we went outside to get our wiggles out! When we came back we had math. We learned the difference between A.M. and P.M. We completed some math book pages together and then it was time to go home!

The homework for today is to complete math 10-1, draw a picture of something you do in the A.M. and P.M., and read Johnny Appleseed. Some students may need to finish their brainstorming as well.

Friday--Miss Calderone's class

When we walked into the classroom we began writing in our November journals about whatever we wanted. After sharing I read an article that a student brought in about water being on the moon! It was a very interesting read. We then went back to our desks to read a small packet about the Mayflower. Mrs. Bognetti's class came in and we watched a Peanuts movie about the Mayflower. It was funny, but explained a lot of facts. We then went outside for celebration day. When we came back we read a Time For Kids article and then finished the day moving desks!

The homework for the long break is to finish the Thanksgiving packet and read Johnny Appleseed. Also please make sure your child is reading 20 minutes or more every day! Have a terrific Thanksgiving!

Thursday in Mrs.Bognetti's Room

Sorry for the long gap here on the Blogspot...things are slowly going back to "normal" here in Mrs. Bognetti's room! This morning we took a Pretest in Literacy. I explained to the children that "pre" means "before" and that I am giving them this "test" to see what they already know before I actually teach information to them. Then, I will compare the results to the Posttest at the end of the unit to measure their growth. They worked hard! Because they were exhausted, we took some time to watch It's Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown! After that, we worked on our Landform Models. Hopefully they will be finished tomorrow so that you can see them on Monday when you come for conferences! We also had Book Buddies today. After lunch, we read Harry Potter and then switched classes for math. Miss Calderone's class made turkeys and put coins on the feathers adding up to an amount on the belly. My class played Time Bingo and then watched a few short BrainPop videos on telling time. It was fun. In Science, we reviewed for our Test that we will take on Habitats tomorrow. We re-read all 5 lessons and reviewed the vocabulary. You should do the same with your child tonight. Thanks for your help!

Thursday--Miss Calderone's class

Our day started by writing in our journals. We wrote about whether we thought a pilgrim's life was hard or easy and then supported our answers. After sharing we did a turkey art project that your student will be bringing home today! We then reviewed landforms and watched a short movie about different types of landforms. It was a very interesting movie! We then took our theme 3 pretest. Our day ended watching a Charlie Brown movie about Thanksgiving. After lunch we read a Thanksgiving story and then started math. In my math class we reviewed coins and picked an amount. We then cut out coins and glued them onto turkey feathers! They look awesome. After math we had science. We took our chapter 3 test; everybody did a great job. Our day ended with P.E.

The homework for tonight is to read and practice telling time. Also please sign and return the math and science test AND please read your child's report card! After you have read and talked about it with your child, please sign the report card envelope and return it to school.

***Please remember that we have a half day tomorrow. Students get out at 12:00. I will see some of you at conferences tomorrow afternoon!

Wednesday--Miss Calderone's class

Today we walked in, got settled, and immediately began writing in our November journal. We shared our favorite Thanksgiving memories and then began writing instructions on how to cook a turkey! Your child may be able to help you with Thanksgiving dinner! Mr. Langman came and visited us to explain about the new wild cat cash system. We are really excited about it! We then went into Mrs. Bognetti's room to watch a movie about the first pilgrims. When we came back we finished our 'How to cook a Turkey' and then our J.A. teachers came and taught us about working alone and in groups. We pretended to be workers in a donut store and worked to finish preparing the most donuts. They bought us donuts and we got to eat them toward the end of the lesson! Our day ended coloring a Mayflower illustration. After lunch we worked on our Mayflower sheet a bit more before math. In math, we reviewed telling time and then took our Chapter 9 test. We went to library after that and then came back and spent the rest of the day with our book buddies.

The homework for tonight is to study for the science test tomorrow!!!

***I hope to see many of you tonight at our Fall Family Night!

Tuesday--Miss Calderone's class

Today we got into our seats and began writing in our November journal about what we thought the meaning of Thanksgiving is. It turned out that most of the students did not know so we watched a short video about it and discussed the holiday. After that, we used our winter brainstorming sheet to write a poem rough draft. As students finished, I went around to help edit and then the students typed their own poems AND added a clip art! The entire morning was dedicated to typing our poems, working on an illustration, and completing an "I am thankful for..." packet. We got a lot done! After lunch we jumped right into math. We reviewed telling time and then cut digital/analog clock to match correct times. Our time was cut short because we had to go to art. After art we had science. We worked a bit more on our habitat drawings and finally finished them for good this time! I showed the class each habitat and we discussed them to prepare for the test. Our day ended reading a bit of Harry Potter.

The homework for tonight is a math sheet (if you didn't finish it in class) and study for the science test on Thursday!

Monday--Miss Calderone's class

Today we started our day right away with music and P.E. When we came back we wrote in our November journal about what we did over the weekend. This week we will not be reading a story or having a spelling list so there is no D.L.P. Instead, we'll be focusing on writing and doing some Thanksgiving activities. After sharing our journals we began brainstorming for our fall feeling poem. We thought about fall and listed what we smell, see, feel, hear, and taste in fall. Together, we wrote a poem. This was to model their winter poem that they will be writing. We worked for a bit of time brainstorming for our winter poems. We then finished our morning completing our Theme Test. After lunch we got our Thanksgiving themed center packet and our new guided reading books. We did not have any centers today, so we will begin them tomorrow. We then had math. We warmed up by reading some times on the clock. We then completed a sheet independently and with a partner. We correct those both together. We also took a quick assessment. I put a time on the large clock and the students wrote the time. This was to tell me if there's anything we need to work on. We also had a fire drill in the middle of math and the students did an excellent job lining up quietly and following directions. In science we finished our habitat drawings! The look awesome! Our day ended with media center. We learned how to capitalize letters on the computer and even got to type paragraphs! This will help us when we type our winter poems!

The homework for tonight is to get your reading test signed, finish your winter brainstorming, and study for the science test (a note will go out tomorrow). Also, if you are in my math class, you have a sheet of homework.

Friday--Miss Calderone's class

We started our day today with correcting our DLP and writing in our journals. After sharing we did some phonics and then jumped right into centers. We completed 3 centers and then regrouped to take our spelling test. We played pictionary to review for the reading test and then finished literacy by taking the Lemonade for Sale test. Our morning ended with social studies. We learned about a river and a lake and finished the last two landforms in our packet. After lunch our mystery reader came in and read us two really great stories! The class did an excellent job of listening. We had math after that and we reviewed telling time. The time word "quarter" was introduced today and their homework will reflect our discussion. It's important for you to know that I am most concerned with them knowing how to read the clock; this is what we are focusing on. If they are having a rough time with the homework, allow them to skip questions they do not understand. I am, however, asking that each student writes the correct time next to each clock. We completed some math book pages together and finished math playing a telling time game on the internet. We then headed to music and finished our day with celebration day! We finished our art center while eating little donuts and drinking lemonade!

The homework for the weekend is to finish the landform packet and complete math 9-4.

Wednesday--Miss Calderone's class

Today we started as usual with our DLP and journal. After sharing our journals we continued to work on our rough drafts. We used our quick words to find the spelling of words that we knew we spelled incorrectly. We then had to start centers. We completed 3 centers and talked briefly about the importance of Veterans Day. Today was our first day of Junior Achievement so two teachers came in and taught us about our community! We finished our morning watching a movie about Veterans Day. After lunch we read Harry Potter for a bit and then began math. We reviewed what we learned about telling time and then moved on to learn about telling time to the 5's. We practiced skip counting and putting the hands on the correct numbers using mini clocks that we each got to use. We completed some workbook pages in our math book and then switched back to normal classes. We then went to library, came back, and finished the day with our book buddies. I have an all-day meeting tomorrow so there will be no "scoop" tomorrow.

The homework for tonight is to read Lemonade for Sale, complete math 9-2, and get your math test signed. Please continue practicing counting money to get a firm grasp on the concept. :)

Tuesday in Mrs. Bognetti's Class

We were busy today! This morning we wrote some words with -ar, -arm, and -ark in our Quick Words. We also completed a workbook page, practice making our spelling words, and started a worksheet in class. The students need to finish their spelling worksheet for homework. Then, we discussed our vocabulary words for this week and watched a Power Point presentation. After, we talked about comparing and contrasting things in stories. Comparing tells how things are alike, contrasting tells how they are different. Then, we read Lemonade for Sale. As we read, we drew pictures of different things that were happening in the story, including making a graph. Afterwards, we completed our DLP and learned how to write an invitation. The students have to finish a workbook page on proper nouns for homework. We completed one center today. In Social Studies, we started talking about a Landform project that we are going to do in groups. Hopefully they'll be done in time for you to see them on Conference Day! In math today, we started learning about the concept of telling time. We reviewed the hour and half-hour. We used our bodies to become a "human clock". Mrs. Bognetti's Class has one page of homework. Miss Calderone's does not. Ask your child whose math class he/she is currently in. At the end of the day, we went to art class.

Tuesday--Miss Calderone's class

Our day started writing in our November journal and correcting our DLP. We shared our journals and then learned about the new vocabulary words for the story, Lemonade for Sale. We then listened to/discussed the story and made a bar graph on the board to go along with the story. The students caught on very quickly and we had a lot of fun listening to the story! We then began the process of writing a paragraph about what we're thankful for. We made a brainstorming web first, and then wrote a paragraph together. After we talked about what a good paragraph looks like, we began writing on our own. The students were also instructed to circle any words they think are misspelled so that later on we can correct them. We spent a little time writing and then moved on to centers. We completed 3 centers and ended the morning with just a bit of social studies. We learned what an ocean is and drew a picture. After lunch we headed straight for math! We switched classrooms today and began learning about time. We identified the hour and minute hand and learned how to tell time to the hour. We began learning about telling time to the half hour, but had to go to art. We did not finish the lesson so there is no math homework for those that are in my class for math. After math we went to art, came back, and had science. We continued working on our habitat drawings.

The homework for tonight is to read Lemonade for Sale, finish rough draft, and some have math 9-1 for homework.

Monday--Miss Calderone's class

Today our day started with music followed by P.E. As soon as we got back we finished the first two sentences in our DLP and wrote in our journal. After sharing our journals we worked on some phonics. We then learned the new chunk for this week; -ar. We read a poem together and identified all of the words that have the chunk in them. We had our spelling pretest, corrected the words together, and then learned the new centers for this week. The time went by so quickly that we only had time for one center! After lunch we read Harry Potter for a bit and then had math. We reviewed for the test and then had our chapter 8 test. The students in Mrs. Bognetti's room also did a math turkey activity (some may have to finish it for homework). When we came back we reviewed the habitats we learned about and then broke into groups to illustrate the habitats and reinforce the ideas. We only had a bit of time to work, but they look great already! Our day ended in media center learning about Hawaii and doing some Internet activities.

The homework for tonight is to read Lemonade for Sale, get your reading test signed, and then some have the turkey math sheet.

Friday--Miss Calderone's class

Our day began completing the rest of our DLP and writing in our November journal. We used the vocabulary words from Hedgehog Bakes a Cake to write a paragraph. I then projected a paragraph, we read it together, and we found the vocabulary words. We then had centers and we finished our last 3 centers. We moved on to our spelling test and then played pictionary to review the vocabulary words. Our morning ended with our reading test and a very special activity; baking a yellow cake! We got to eat it for celebration day! After lunch, our mystery reader came in and read a very funny story. We had a great time laughing and listening! After that was math. We reviewed making change for the entire time because it is a tough concept. I asked the students to write down helpful hints on the back of their homework to help them over the weekend. Our day ended with music and celebration day! We ate our cake and went outside to play for a bit.

The homework over the weekend for some is math pg. 8-5. Also, please make sure you are reading, practicing counting money, and going over math facts. Have a great weekend!

Friday in Mrs. Bognetti's Room

Today was an interesting day. We started by reviewing abbreviations. We completed a workbook page. Then, we took our spelling test. Because we read Hedgehog Bakes a Cake this week, today we made a cake! Cracking the eggs was a little scary, but other than that, the cake turned out great! Even better, we got to eat it! We completed two centers and then took our reading test. In science today, we finished up rain forests. The students do have one page of homework to complete over the weekend. In math, we reviewed adding up the values of coins again. The children had to put coins in a pot and count them up. Then, we completed a problem solving worksheet together. There was no homework for my class. In Miss Calderone's math class, they practiced making change and have one page of homework. At the end of the day, the students went to gym class. Have a great weekend!

Thursday--Miss Calderone's class

Today we started our day completing a couple sentences in our DLP and writing in our journal. We used the word wall words for this week to write a paragraph. After sharing, we reviewed vowels and consonants. We identified the VCCV patterns in words and worked to split them into syllables. We completed a sheet with a partner and corrected it together. We then began our centers. We completed two, but took a break to work on proper nouns. While we ate snack we completed a grammar sheet about proper nouns. After correcting it together, we finished our last center. We ended the morning learning about synonyms. After lunch we read Harry Potter for a bit and then had math. We reviewed the coins that we learned and today started learning about making change!!!! This is a tough concept so we spent the entire time using play money to make change. Together we completed some math workbook pages. Science was next. We corrected our science homework from the other day and then reviewed the habitats we've learned so far. I gave the class clues and they had to identify "what habitat I am in". It was a lot of fun. Our day ended with P.E.

The homework for tonight is to read Hedgehog Bakes a Cake and study for the test, finish your spelling packet and study, and also complete the math sheet that was given to you for homework depending on what math class you're in. Please remember to return the orange slips stating whether your family will attend the Fall Family Night on November 18th.

Thursday in Mrs.Bognetti's Room

Today we reviewed words with the -our pattern. Together, we highlighted words that had the -our pattern in a decodable book. We put them in our book boxes to re-read during centers time. Then, we started our spelling homework in class, but need to finish tonight. The children were excited to have a word search. Then, we talked about synonyms (words that have almost the same meanings). I showed the class how to write an acrostic poem using a Thanksgiving topic. One of the centers this week is to write an acrostic poems using one of their vocabulary words. We did a worksheet on proper nouns that I collected in class. We completed the DLP and one center and then we read with our Book Buddies. This afternoon, in my math class, we practiced using money to buy goods from a store. One child got to "buy" something, the other was the cashier. Please continue to practice using coins with your child. Let them buy something small at the store and come up with the money to purchase the item. We also played Money Bingo. The students have one page of math homework. In Miss Calderone's math class, they began to make change, using the strategy counting up. They, too, have one page of homework. In Social Studies, we worked on our Landform Booklets. All students had the definitions written in class, but they need to finish drawing pictures of each landform for homework tonight. They should have added details to their pictures! At the end of the day, they went to music.

Wednesday--Miss Calderone's class

Today our day started with correcting our DLP and writing in our November journals. After sharing, we learned about quotation marks. We learned that they are used around something somebody says, or around the title of a story, song, or poem. We did some examples together and then independently completed a worksheet. We corrected it together and then reviewed proper nouns. With a partner we worked to finish a worksheet and corrected it together. We then did 3 centers. Our morning finished with social studies. We went over the landforms that we know and learned about a peninsula and island. We worked a little more in our landform packets. After lunch we read Harry Potter for a bit and then had math. After our spiral review, we counted combinations of dollar and coins and then learned how to compare amounts. With a partner we did a challenge sheet and then corrected it together. Everybody did a great job! We then finished some math book pages together that taught us a little more about comparing money. After math we had library and we ended our day with our book buddies.

The homework for tonight is to read "Hedgehog Bakes a Cake" and complete math 8-3. Also, make sure to turn in your Parent/Teacher conference and Fall Family Night forms.

Wednesday in Mrs. Bognetti's Class

This morning we reviewed words with -our. I dictated a couple of sentences orally that the students need to write. Then, I showed them the correct way to write them and they corrected their work. The students worked on their spelling homework in class, but need to finish tonight. We reviewed the vocabulary words for this week. The students need to complete a scavenger hunt worksheet for homework. We made a web to describe cake batter. After, we re-read Hedgehog Bakes a Cake in small groups. We finished our DLP and completed a worksheet on proper nouns in class. We completed three centers today. In Science, we reviewed the woodland forest by taking notes on the bulletin board. We drew pictures of animals and glued them into the woodland forest pictures we drew the other day. Then, we completed a worksheet together. After that, we took notes on the rain forest. The students need to put some creatures in the rain forest for homework. This afternoon in math, we compared money amounts. We needed to find whether or not we had enough money to buy certain items. We used words like "greater than" and "less than". The students have one page of homework. At the end of the day, we went to the library.

Tuesday--Miss Calderone's class

Today we began our day completing a couple sentences in our DLP and writing in our November journal. After sharing, we reviewed nouns and learned about a proper noun. We finished an activity that where we had to separate nouns and not nouns into the correct categories. We then learned the vocabulary for the new story and listened to/discussed Hedgehog Bakes a Cake! To reinforce the vocabulary we independently finished a workbook page and corrected it together. We completed 3 centers and then our morning ended with social studies. We read about another landform, a valley, and began drawing a picture of it. After lunch we switched for math right away. We reviewed by counting money that included dollar bills. On our own we completed some math workbook pages and corrected them together. We had to stop math early because it was time to go to art! After art we came back and described the three habitats we've learned about so far. We then were introduced to the Arctic and watched a video about it.

The homework for tonight is to read Hedgehog Bakes a Cake, math 8-2, and science 89/90. Remember to keep logging in those books!!! The first trimester is almost over!

Tuesday in Mrs. Bognetti's Class

This morning we reviewed words with -our. We highlighted words in a poem, completed a workbook page, and then started our spelling homework. The students need to finish it tonight. We made a web together about cooking (things we need, where we can cook, and things to remember when we cook). Then, we introduced the vocabulary words for this week's story. We practiced our words with a Power Point presentation. The students need to draw pictures to go with each vocabulary word for homework. We talked about synonyms (words that mean almost the same thing). We want to use exciting words when we write. We then talked about inferencing. While we read the story Hedgehog Bakes a Cake, we practiced inferencing and making predictions. The children had a good time reading the story. After, we completed our DLP. Then, we talked about proper nouns and people's names. We remember that we must use capital letters. The students have a workbook page to complete for homework. We completed one center today. Then, Ms. Zagone, our student teacher, taught the students about the rain forest. She did an explore activity on leaf bats with the students, showing them that a leaf can act as a shelter to keep the bats dry. They read the lesson and began drawing a picture of a rain forest. They need to finish drawing and glue in four given animals for homework. They have a lesson outline as well. This afternoon in math, we practiced adding on to a dollar. We talked about the dollar sign and decimal point. Most everyone completed their homework in class. Some students have a few corrections to make on their papers for tonight. At the end of the day, the students went to art class.

Monday--Miss Calderone's class

I hope you didn’t eat too much candy this weekend! Our day started with completing part of our DLP and writing in our new November journal. We had to quickly go to Music followed by P.E. When we got back, we corrected our DLP and shared our journals. We then listened to The Little Red Hen and discussed the importance of the lesson from the story. After that we learned our new chunk for this week; -our (makes the or sound). We took our spelling pretest and corrected it together. We finished our morning discussing the new centers, getting our new reading books for the week, and completing one center. Monday mornings go so fast! When we got back from lunch we finished a workbook page and corrected it together. We switched for math and reviewed the coins we’ve learned so far. We also learned about a new coin; the dollar coin! We practiced counting using all the coins we learned and then completed a workbook page together. We got together with partners to complete a challenge page, and then corrected that together as well. We finished math completing one more workbook page. In science we reviewed the woodland forest and rainforest habitats and together, completed a bar graph about amount of rain over a three month period. We finished science learning about a desert habitat. We had a couple minutes to begin working on our homework so your child may have a few answers filled out. Our day ended with media center. We used Kidspiration to complete an outline of our home, neighborhood, city, and state.

The homework for tonight is to read Hedgehog Bakes a Cake, complete math 8-1 and science 81/82, and get your reading test signed.