Dates

April 28 - All-District Art Show @ Queeny Park (12-4pm)
April 30 - 5th Gr Music Field Trip
April 30-May 10 - MAP State Testing Window for Grades 3-5
May 2 - Kindergarten Field Trip
May 7 - 4th Grade Field Trip
May 8 - Pkwy Board of Ed Mtg at Central Middle (7pm)
May 9 - BOGO Book Fair (4-5pm)
May 9 - Menchie's PTO Fundraiser (4-9pm)
May 10 - 4th Grade Field Trip
May 10 - BOGO Book Fair (4-7pm)
May 10 - SVE Family Fun Run (5:30-7pm)
May 14 - 5th Grade Concert (6:30pm)

Math

This week we are finishing up our Measurement unit. Last week students began learning to tell time to the hour and half hour. We will assess this week. Next week we will begin our final unit for the year - geometry! This is always a very fun unit as students learn how shapes are composed and decomposed. During this unit students will learn to...

-identify shapes based on their defining attributes.
-build shapes with defining attributes.
-draw shapes with defining attributes.
-sort shapes by their defining attributes.
-recognize when an attribute is non-defining.
-use two or more 2-D shapes to create new shapes (e.g., put triangles together to make a rhombus or a hexagon).
-use two or more 3-D shapes to create new shapes (e.g., combine two right triangular prisms to create a right rectangular prism).
-make new shapes from composite shapes.
-recognize what shapes are used to make composite shapes.
-partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares.
-describe equal shares as halves, fourths, or quarters.
-use the phrases half of, fourth of, or quarter of.

Writing

The students are doing an amazing job with their google presentations so far! They have done such great work in finding important facts, organizing those facts, and are now working to type their facts onto slides! This week they will learn how to format slides and add photos. I am hoping to wrap these up by the end of the week so students can begin presenting Monday! I will record the presentations and share on SeeSaw.

Following this presentation, we will do some work with narrative writing and work on using rubrics to improve our work. We also create a class compliment book which will be part of this work.

Dates

April 15 - Project Parkway Meeting at South High (6:30-8pm)
April 16 - Spirit of Excellence Awards at UMSL (6:15 pm)
April 18 - PAMEE Mtg (6-7:30pm) at ISC Building
April 18 - Parent Survey DUE -- SURVEY LINK
April 19 - NO SCHOOL
April 23 - PTO Meeting in the Library at 7pm
April 24 - 2 Hour Late Start Day (school starts at 11:05am)
April 25 - 4th Grade Music & Strings Concert at 6:30pm
April 25 - Parkway Park Tour (Free Event) Creve Coeur Park (5:30-8pm)
April 26 - Spring Walk/Bike to School Day at 8:15am
April 26 - PTO Movie Night 7pm in the Gym (Doors open 6:30pm) NO Drop-Offs
April 27 - Spring School Property Beautification Day (8-11am)
April 27 - All-District Art Show @ Queeny Park (10am-4pm)
April 27 - Parkway STEM Night at Blue Chip Soccer Village (7:30pm)
April 28 - All-District Art Show @ Queeny Park (12-4pm)
April 30 - 5th Gr Music Field Trip
April 30-May 10 - MAP State Testing Window for Grades 3-5

Science

Oh boy the kiddos are EXCITED about our new science unit that focuses on observing the sun, moon, and stars! They've already begun tracking the moon each evening. Yesterday we created sun trackers so we can also track the movement of the sun!

In the previous Light and Sound module, students explored how light and sound travel over distances. The primary source of light on Earth is the Sun. The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system. Students will learn that stars, including the Sun, generate their own light, while objects such as the moon reflect that light.

Throughout the module, students will document patterns as they observe the Sun, moon, and stars. The ability to recognize patterns is an important scientific skill that researchers use to develop explanations of observations in nature.

Finally, students will be challenged with the task of designing, building, and testing a device to protect students from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Students will analyze media to determine the peak times during the day for UV radiation and then design a cover for a playground structure.

Reading

We are starting a fun reading project this week - reader's theater! After our character study unit we always conclude by performing reader's theater. Students enjoy "becoming" characters as they work on fluency, voice level, expression and incorporate details as they create settings (backgrounds) for their performances. The three plays our students are working on are: The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. When we perform these in class they will be posted on SeeSaw. :)

Math

We are assessing this week on our current Addition and Subtraction 2 unit. Next week we will begin our measurement unit which lasts about 5 weeks. This unit focuses on the understanding of length by comparing objects to determine which is the shortest and longest. Students measure the length of objects using nonstandard units, such as pieces of string, cubes, and paper clips.  Students learn that objects can be compared directly or indirectly.  This unit also includes time, under the big idea that time is measurable and can be represented on a clock using hours and minutes.  Students are introduced to telling and writing time to the hour and half hour using both analog and digital clock Additionally, we will do some brief work with basic coin identification during this unit.

Essential questions for this unit:

Why do we measure?
What is important when we measure?

Writing

We finished our persuasive writing unit by writing different types of reviews: toy, game, movie, video game, etc. and then general persuasive books. Students understand that persuasive writing is used to convince others of a belief, want, or need. The kiddos had a great time doing this type of writing!

We are now moving into a non-fiction research project. Students will be working in pairs to select a topic of interest, research for facts, organize facts, and create a google presentation. Students will then present their google slides and take questions as they become the experts of their topics. 

This unit incorporates so many of our valuable skills the students have learned this year: reading for information, organizing writing ideas, capitalization and punctuation, working with a partner, listening and speaking! Presentations will be uploaded on SeeSaw. :)

Social Studies

We are in our Location! Location! Location! unit in Social Studies. Students are staying in our classroom for this unit and the remainder of Social Studies units this year. This is a fun unit! If you have any maps lying around at home that we could borrow during this unit that would be great!

Students will work on their geographic skills as they use maps and globes to locate a place and describe its relative location to the United States and other political and geographic features. Students will be introduced to the compass rose and cardinal directions to assist them in locating and describing the location of places on the map. The students will be able to locate the seven continents and five oceans.

Essential Question:
How can we find and show where places are located in our world?

Reading

We are in our unit - Meeting Characters and Learning Lessons. This is a time and place for amazingly deep first grade conversations around story elements but especially characters! Students are going beyond what is explicitly in the text and draw conclusions about a character based on what they say, how they act, etc.

Essential Questions:

How do readers keep track of the events in a story?
How do partners share their reading adventures?
How do readers study the characters in books?
What important lessons can I learn from the character and their experiences?
How do readers share their opinions about books?

This past week we've been focusing on these skills:

Readers keep track of events in a story and use them to make predictions and retell key details

Readers pay attention to characters when reading

Readers learn important lessons from the books they read 

Readers grow opinions about the books they read and share them

You'll notice that we are incorporating some of what we are learning about OPINIONS from our writing reviews unit we are also currently working in. This is a fun way for the kids to make a cross-curricular connection!

We are diving into characters this week especially. Using various texts as a whole group and in partners and small groups we are working on some fun ways for students to really get into the character's shoes. Students will introduce characters to each other, re-read to sound like a character, act out a character from a part of their book. 

We will also discuss what lessons characters learn throughout this unit.

Dates

March 4 - Spring Book Fair Week (M-W:4-5pm)(Th:4-8pm)
March 4 - Raising Awareness Around Anxiety at Central Middle (6-7:30pm)
March 5 - Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser Night (4-8pm)
March 7 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (4:30-8:30pm)
March 8 - Skate Night @Skateport Plaza (5-7pm)
March 9 - Pancake Breakfast @SVE Cafe' (9-11am)
March 11 - 5th Gr Orchestra Rehearsal Field Trip to Family Arena
March 12 - All District 5th Gr Orchestra Concert at Family Arena (7:30 pm)
March 13 - Board of Education Mtg at Central Middle (7pm)
March 14 - PAMEE Mtg (6-7:30pm) at ISC Building
March 15 - Spring Book Fair ONLINE SALES END
March 15 - Spring Party Day (2:55-3:55pm)
March 18 - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break (3/18-3/22)
March 25 - Talent Show Rehearsals in the Gym (4:30-7pm)
March 26 - Talent Show in the Gym (6-8pm)

Dates

February 18 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day
February 20 - 1st Grade Field Trip
February 20 - Board of Education Meeting - Central Middle (7pm)
February 21 - Elementary Summer School Registration Begins at 10am
February 21 - Parkway Science Fair Registration Deadline
February 21 - Talent Show Auditions (4:30-7:30pm)
February 22 - 5th Gr Field Trip
February 22 - Kids Heart Challenge Envelopes DUE
February 22 - Family BINGO Night in the Gym at 6:30 pm
February 25 - Read Across America / Dr. Seuss Week
February 25 - PTO Penny Wars Fundraiser BEGINS
February 26 - Dr. Seuss Night (6:15-7:45 pm)
February 26 - 1st Gr Dr. Seuss Concert (7:30-7:45pm)
February 27 - 2 Hour Late Start Day (School Starts at 11:05)
February 27 - 2nd Trimester Progress Reports Accessible Online
February 28 - Spirit of Excellence at UMSL (6:15pm)
March 1 - Parkway STEM Fest at Southwest Middle (4-8pm) AND
                Science Fair Project Viewing from 4-6pm
March 2 - Parkway STEM Fest at Southwest Middle (10am-4pm) AND
                Science Fair Project Viewing from 4-6pm

Math

This week we are beginning our Addition and Subtraction II unit. This unit focuses on adding a 2-digit number to a 1-digit or 2-digit number with the sum less than 100, and subtracting multiples of 10 less than 100.  Students will find answers using concrete models, drawings, properties of operations, the relationship between addition and subtraction, and strategies based on place value.  Written methods are related to strategies, with the expectation that students can explain the reasoning used.  We will really be focusing on this explaining skill and also in looking at the work and others and determining how efficiently they solved a problem. . This unit builds upon all the work we've done so far this year, and their foundational knowledge should support these more complex number situations.

Writing - New Unit - Writing Reviews

This unit aims to bring opinion writing to first-graders.  First-graders will learn to appreciate the power and purposes of writing. Students will learn the art of persuasion and the role their writing can play. The unit begins with teaching students that writing can give them a way to make and defend important decisions.  Eventually, children will use their skills at writing to make and defend judgments to write reviews of all sorts- restaurant reviews, movie reviews, book reviews. Our main focus will be book reviews.

Students will record their book reviews (think Reading Rainbow style) and to celebrate the class will view all the reviews!

Nikki Grimes

Our class is studying Ms. Nikki Grimes this month as a celebration of Black History Month. We are enjoying reading her works as well!

Calendar

February 11 - Six Flags "Read to Succeed" Forms DUE
February 11 - Talent Show Registration ENDS
February 11 - Project Parkway Mtg @North High (6:30 pm)
February 14 - End of 2nd Trimester
February 15 - NO SCHOOL - Records Day
February 18 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day
February 20 - 1st Grade Field Trip
February 20 - Board of Education Meeting - Central Middle (7pm)
February 21 - Elementary Summer School Registration Begins at 10am
February 21 - Parkway Science Fair Registration Deadline
February 21 - Talent Show Auditions (4:30-7:30pm)
February 22 - 5th Gr Field Trip
February 22 - Kids Heart Challenge Envelopes DUE
February 22 - Family BINGO Night in the Gym at 6:30 pm
February 25 - Read Across America / Dr. Seuss Week
February 25 - PTO Penny Wars Fundraiser BEGINS
February 26 - Dr. Seuss Night (6:15-7:45 pm)
February 26 - 1st Gr Dr. Seuss Concert

Habit #5 Refresh

All this month we will be doing review of habit #5. We will be doing many fun listening activities and some lessons to reinforce this! Look for a Habit #5 home connection coming home later this month!

Conference Sign Up

It's nearly that time again!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4fa5ae22a4fa7-spring2

What Are We Learning This Week?

Here's a quick look at what we are learning this week!

Writing: We continue to work on poetry! The students' notebooks are filling up with all different kinds of poems and they are having so much fun! This week we are working on color poems, 5 senses poems, comparison poems (learning about similies), and shape poems. We will begin publishing poems next week.... I'm thinking a class book of poems!

Math: Students continue to strengthen their understanding of place value and working with two-digit numbers. We are comparing numbers and using the symbols to describe greater than/less than/equal to (+  -  =). Students will use a number line this week as they work with comparing two-digit numbers. In addition, we are doing some subtraction review and some of us are working on more complex multi-step story problems.

Reading: We are still in our story elements unit. This week we are doing responses in our reading notebook. Students are filling out a variety of story maps but we are also analyzing characters and students are providing their opinion about stories and characters. Last week students created reading "wigs" and they are independently tracking them! They were SO excited to start this and are doing a great job tracking their progress!

----> What is a WIG? A WIG is a "wildly important goal"! Students have set a reading level goal based on their data and movement so far this year. Students have chosen 1 "lead measure" (what they need to do to meet the goal) and are tracking this daily in their leadership notebooks. The Lead Measures they chose from:
1. Practice Sight Words
2. Stay focused during reading time
3. Do something when finished (retell, reread, respond, etc.)
4. Find and define 5 new words in my vocabulary notebook
5. Personalized lead measure based on student's needs

Social Studies: Students continue to learn about American Symbols with Ms. Baum. They are working hard on creating their symbols books.

Calendar

January 28 - Box Tops Drive BEGINS
January 28 - Talent Show Registration BEGINS
January 29 - PTO Meeting in the Library (6:30-7:30 pm)
January 30 - Late Start Day 2-Hour (11:05 am)
February 1 - Yearbook Orders DUE ($13)  -- Order Online  OR Order Form
February 2 - All-District Elementary Choir Concert @Logan Univ. (3pm)
February 4 - Science Project DROP-OFF from 8:30-9am
February 4-7 - Science Project Celebration Week
February 4-8 - National School Counselor Appreciation Week
February 6 - Last Day to Register for GlobalHack 2019
February 7 - Science Project Celebration/Viewing Night (6:30-7:15 pm)
February 8 - 2nd Grade Field Trip
February 8 - Box Tops Drive ENDS
February 8 - Talent Show Registration ENDS
February 9 - All Parkway 4th Gr Strings Day Concert @West High
February 9 - PTO Trivia Night @CBC (6pm)
February 11 - Six Flags "Read to Succeed" Forms DUE
February 11 - Project Parkway Mtg @North High (6:30 pm)
February 14 - End of 2nd Trimester
February 15 - NO SCHOOL - Records Day
February 18 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day