Smarter Balanced (Practice Questions)
Monday, March 3, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Hi All,
I hope you enjoyed our rainy weather.
This week we will continue studying fractions in math. Thanks so much for the support as we explore various homework options that we feel support the new standards. In RTI we will continue the theme of animal habitats, finishing up puffins and moving on to a story set at the beach. We also have several writing projects in various stages of production. Students are typing "Little Red", drafting a district writing about the transcontinental railroad, and researching their Famous Americans. Whoo!
Please support technology practice for your child as much as possible by encouraging him/her to type the LR story on Google Docs. In addition, we are asking that kids try out the Smarter Balanced test questions so as to become familiar with the various navigation tools needed for the state testing. The link is on the Rio Del Mar website. We will be working on these items in the computer lab, but are limited to 45 minutes a week.
Take care, and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer
I hope you enjoyed our rainy weather.
This week we will continue studying fractions in math. Thanks so much for the support as we explore various homework options that we feel support the new standards. In RTI we will continue the theme of animal habitats, finishing up puffins and moving on to a story set at the beach. We also have several writing projects in various stages of production. Students are typing "Little Red", drafting a district writing about the transcontinental railroad, and researching their Famous Americans. Whoo!
Please support technology practice for your child as much as possible by encouraging him/her to type the LR story on Google Docs. In addition, we are asking that kids try out the Smarter Balanced test questions so as to become familiar with the various navigation tools needed for the state testing. The link is on the Rio Del Mar website. We will be working on these items in the computer lab, but are limited to 45 minutes a week.
Take care, and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Hello Families,
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend. Sadly, no more holidays for a while.
This week the kid will continue with the homework packet that we sent last week. Hopefully, they are pacing themselves, as there was plenty to do on the packet. Tomorrow we begin fractions in math. Instead of the HM text we've been using for the last several years, we are going to test curriculum developed in Georgia to meet the Common Core standards. Because of this shift, the nightly math homework will vary from day to day. I will work with the kids daily to make sure they understand what's expected each day, including some days without math homework.
In RTI, we are reading my favorite story in the anthology, Nights of the Pufflings. The skill associated with this story is Fact and Opinion. This week the kids will begin note taking on their Famous Americans, so if you've purchased books, they are welcome to bring them in. Each child will also be working from at least one article found online, which we will print at school. Kids are also bringing home copies of their "Little Red" stories, which they are typing on Google Docs. Whatever support and access you can give your child with this is much appreciated. Common Core places an even greater emphasis on technological know-how for the kids, as the year-end assessments will be done on the computer.
Take care, and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend. Sadly, no more holidays for a while.
This week the kid will continue with the homework packet that we sent last week. Hopefully, they are pacing themselves, as there was plenty to do on the packet. Tomorrow we begin fractions in math. Instead of the HM text we've been using for the last several years, we are going to test curriculum developed in Georgia to meet the Common Core standards. Because of this shift, the nightly math homework will vary from day to day. I will work with the kids daily to make sure they understand what's expected each day, including some days without math homework.
In RTI, we are reading my favorite story in the anthology, Nights of the Pufflings. The skill associated with this story is Fact and Opinion. This week the kids will begin note taking on their Famous Americans, so if you've purchased books, they are welcome to bring them in. Each child will also be working from at least one article found online, which we will print at school. Kids are also bringing home copies of their "Little Red" stories, which they are typing on Google Docs. Whatever support and access you can give your child with this is much appreciated. Common Core places an even greater emphasis on technological know-how for the kids, as the year-end assessments will be done on the computer.
Take care, and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer
Monday, February 17, 2014
Hi All,
I hope you are enjoying the second of our February holiday weekends!
Last week went very quickly, with a very busy Friday. Thanks so much to the parents who came in to help with the Valentine's Day party, especially Amy and Kristin. They have also been busy working on our class Auction Item, as we didn't have a coordinator for this project. Above and beyond!
As well as the party, the kids also recited their poems, which went very well. Almost every child was well-rehearsed, and they now appear much more comfortable speaking in front of the class than the first couple times. They were also a very respectful, patient audience!
As many of you may have noticed, the Homework Packet sent on Friday is for 2 weeks. Because of this, the packet contains 2 Reading Logs, as well as an additional assignment: writing sentences for each of the 20 spelling words. Our purpose in assigning the sentences was twofold: first, to give the kids additional practice with writing strong, complete sentences; and second, to give the kids the opportunity to clearly connect the meaning of each homophone with its spelling. This is an especially hard list for many kids because they must be clear about the meaning associated with each spelling. In addition, please be certain to have your child fill out both Reading Logs completely; they have 2 weeks to do 8 entries.
You may also be wondering what's going on with the Famous American project. The answer: we've been working on finishing up some other writing assignments prior to fully focusing on the biographies. In the mean time, I've noticed many students continuing to read additional biographies of other interesting people, as well as a many other informational books. This is a great way for the kids to practice their reading, and build background knowledge about the world.
I will be having a substitute several times over the next few weeks. With implementation of the Common Core standards, many additional meetings and training sessions have been scheduled for all the teachers. Fortunately, we have some terrific subs at this school, and I'm confident the kids will be flexible and respectful.
Take care,
Carroll Mayer
I hope you are enjoying the second of our February holiday weekends!
Last week went very quickly, with a very busy Friday. Thanks so much to the parents who came in to help with the Valentine's Day party, especially Amy and Kristin. They have also been busy working on our class Auction Item, as we didn't have a coordinator for this project. Above and beyond!
As well as the party, the kids also recited their poems, which went very well. Almost every child was well-rehearsed, and they now appear much more comfortable speaking in front of the class than the first couple times. They were also a very respectful, patient audience!
As many of you may have noticed, the Homework Packet sent on Friday is for 2 weeks. Because of this, the packet contains 2 Reading Logs, as well as an additional assignment: writing sentences for each of the 20 spelling words. Our purpose in assigning the sentences was twofold: first, to give the kids additional practice with writing strong, complete sentences; and second, to give the kids the opportunity to clearly connect the meaning of each homophone with its spelling. This is an especially hard list for many kids because they must be clear about the meaning associated with each spelling. In addition, please be certain to have your child fill out both Reading Logs completely; they have 2 weeks to do 8 entries.
You may also be wondering what's going on with the Famous American project. The answer: we've been working on finishing up some other writing assignments prior to fully focusing on the biographies. In the mean time, I've noticed many students continuing to read additional biographies of other interesting people, as well as a many other informational books. This is a great way for the kids to practice their reading, and build background knowledge about the world.
I will be having a substitute several times over the next few weeks. With implementation of the Common Core standards, many additional meetings and training sessions have been scheduled for all the teachers. Fortunately, we have some terrific subs at this school, and I'm confident the kids will be flexible and respectful.
Take care,
Carroll Mayer
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Hi All,
I hope you're enjoying this rainy day. This week I will be out on Monday at a Common Core training. Mrs. McCraw will be subbing. On Tuesday we will be going on our field trip to the MAH. Drivers, please arrive at the school at 9:25 to leave at 9:30. Kids will eat lunch at school, but should have a good snack as it will be later than usual.
If you would like to order from Scholastic, please send in an order form and check made to Scholastic by Wednesday, or order online.
I have an opening for a Parent volunteer on alternate Fridays, from 8:00-9:00, correcting and checking in Homework Packets. Please let me know if this works for your schedule.
In math we will continue to work on the concept of division. On Friday, the kids will have a multiplication facts quiz, as we have learned all the Rhymes 'n Times rhymes. Students are expected to continue reviewing multiplication facts until they have achieved fluency. In RTI we will continue with the story, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, supplementing it with an informational article about Italy, the story's setting. The kids continue working on their "Little Red"stories, with many approaching final draft. We will be working in the class and computer lab to type them and save them as Google Docs. We are also continuing a Social Studies unit on Government, as further background for many students' Famous American reports.
Take care, and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer
I hope you're enjoying this rainy day. This week I will be out on Monday at a Common Core training. Mrs. McCraw will be subbing. On Tuesday we will be going on our field trip to the MAH. Drivers, please arrive at the school at 9:25 to leave at 9:30. Kids will eat lunch at school, but should have a good snack as it will be later than usual.
If you would like to order from Scholastic, please send in an order form and check made to Scholastic by Wednesday, or order online.
I have an opening for a Parent volunteer on alternate Fridays, from 8:00-9:00, correcting and checking in Homework Packets. Please let me know if this works for your schedule.
In math we will continue to work on the concept of division. On Friday, the kids will have a multiplication facts quiz, as we have learned all the Rhymes 'n Times rhymes. Students are expected to continue reviewing multiplication facts until they have achieved fluency. In RTI we will continue with the story, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, supplementing it with an informational article about Italy, the story's setting. The kids continue working on their "Little Red"stories, with many approaching final draft. We will be working in the class and computer lab to type them and save them as Google Docs. We are also continuing a Social Studies unit on Government, as further background for many students' Famous American reports.
Take care, and have a great week,
Carroll Mayer
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Hi All,
Last night I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Booka thanks to the generous gift certificate I received from the class at Christmas. Thank you all, once again; it was a real pleasure!
This week the class will be learning about government during our Social Studies block. In writing, the kids are working on the text for their "Little Red Ridinghood" pop-ups. The geometry unit in math wraps up on Tuesday, and then we will move on to division.
Many people have been asking about the Famous American projects. At this point, students should be reading the biographies that they were to have selected by the 17th. We will start working on the project in class in a couple of weeks, and will be doing the rest of the research and first drafts at school. I will keep parents and students up-to-date as we set various deadlines, and there will be plenty of notice as they approach.
Finally, the permission slip for our field trip to the MAH was sent home on Tuesday. If you haven't already returned it with your child please do so ASAP. Thank you Sandi Kolassa for coordinating this trip, along with all the others!
Take care, and have a great week.
Carroll Mayer
Last night I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Booka thanks to the generous gift certificate I received from the class at Christmas. Thank you all, once again; it was a real pleasure!
This week the class will be learning about government during our Social Studies block. In writing, the kids are working on the text for their "Little Red Ridinghood" pop-ups. The geometry unit in math wraps up on Tuesday, and then we will move on to division.
Many people have been asking about the Famous American projects. At this point, students should be reading the biographies that they were to have selected by the 17th. We will start working on the project in class in a couple of weeks, and will be doing the rest of the research and first drafts at school. I will keep parents and students up-to-date as we set various deadlines, and there will be plenty of notice as they approach.
Finally, the permission slip for our field trip to the MAH was sent home on Tuesday. If you haven't already returned it with your child please do so ASAP. Thank you Sandi Kolassa for coordinating this trip, along with all the others!
Take care, and have a great week.
Carroll Mayer
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome back! I trust you had a great vacation, and are ready for the second half of the year. Thanks to all of you who sent us off with such a great party in December, especially Kristen and Amy. Thanks, as well, for my fun gifts. I will be enjoying the various gift certificates and the museum membership for all of 2014. Happy New Year!
This week, we will begin Dogzilla, one of the most popular stories in our anthology. We will be studying the ways that authors inject humor into their writing, as well as comparing elements of fantasy and reality. In math, we will review perimeter, and then study area. There will be a test on these concepts later in the week. In Social Studies, we will learn about some of the various individuals who have worked for our freedoms, from the Founding Fathers to Martin Luther King, Jr.
As for homework, students should have a plan as to who they want to read about for their Famous American research project. The homework packets now have an additional page, so that students can practice grammar skills addressed in class.
Finally, we have a field trip coming up in early February, to the Museum of Art and History. Please be on the lookout for the permission slip for this trip on 2/4/14.
Take care,
Carroll
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