Busy week

Although it was only two days long, students in Room 210 were quite busy this week.  We began on Monday morning with a special visitor: Gianna's dad, Jonathan, came in to read a couple of special books in honor of her birthday.  We especially enjoyed the collaborative reading of the Piggy and Elephant book!

Later in the morning we were treated to a presentation by Mr. Steve, who did some science magic (or was it magical science?!?). The students had many theories to explain what they were seeing. Ask your child to tell you about something that "wowed" him/her.

In the afternoon the kids had the chance to make Alexander Calder-inspired mobiles.  We first read about his life and looked at images of his work, both his mobiles and his stabiles.  Some children said they have seen his work at the Porter Square T stop in Cambridge.  Children were able to apply what they have learned about weight and balance to creating their own mobile.  As you may know, the mobiles came home in a baggie and may not have done so in one piece.  I suggested to the kids that they might enjoy re-creating it again with you at home.  If you are able, I would HIGHLY recommend seeing the Calder exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.  It is fantastic! But only there until January 4th.

Today the class enjoyed sharing their fiction stories with each other.  I was impressed at how creative the stories were.  Those students that wrote on the iPad got a kick out of seeing their book up on the screen when we projected it!

All in all, a productive couple of days for the ones leading up to a big vacation!

Finally I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the class gift presented to me today.  It was filled with lovely things, including truffles, a gorgeous plant and several gift cards to local businesses. Thank you to Janet and Kristen for organizing and putting it together!

I would like to wish everyone the happiest of holidays and all the best for the new year!

Arrival in China

On Monday we arrived in Beijing, China, to begin our study of Asia.  We were greeted by our customs agent, Brahim (our terrific maintenance man at Thompson!).  In the afternoon, Avery's grandmother, Alexandra, came to talk to us about several Asian countries that she has visited over the years.  She told us that she loves meeting and making connections with people from all over the world.

Busy week

We had two wonderful visitors this week!  Zoe's mom, Lara, came to tell us about her home country, Croatia.  She taught us a lot about the culture and the language.  She told us that there is a town there with a population of only 17! The students got a kick out of that!

Leo's dad, Hogie, grew up in Germany and shared a slide show including geography, architecture and history of this country.  The kids were especially fascinated by the robots that make cars at the VW plant and the size of the cruise ships that are made near his hometown of Emden.

Many thanks to both parents for sharing with us.

At the end of the day on Friday, we met with our 5th grade buddies.  The students shared their own original small moment stories with each other.

Math-In

Thanks to all of those who could make it to Room 210's first Math-In.  It was a great success!

Belated birthday visitor

Last week we had a special visitor who read and did an art project with the students.  In honor of Brady's birthday, which was on November 1, his mom, Shari, came to read Memoir of a Goldfish to the class.  Then each child got to make his/her own colorful fishbowl.  Some of the children chose to keep their fishbowls here to hang up on the wall. 

November 14

We have been quite busy in Room 210 recently.  The students are excited to have landed in Paris and see the sights!  We will be looking at many of the landmarks in Europe over the next couple of weeks.

We have begun geometry in math.  Ask your child if she/he can tell you what parallel lines are.

As part of the "Zones of Regulation" curriculum, Ms. Chevalier, our school social worker, came today to share some calming breathing techniques.  The students were very focused and eager to try both "balloon breathing" and "lazy 8 breathing."  (You may have seen this paper come home; ask your child to show you how it works.)

SAVE THE DATE: On Thursday, December 4, Room 210 will be hosting its first "Math-In" of the year.  Parents and guardians are invited into the classroom from 8:15-9:00 to play math games with the students.  Personalized invitation to follow!

And finally, please consider donating to the annual holiday food drive if you haven't already.  There are receptacles throughout the school.  Donations will be accepted until this Wednesday, November 19.  Thank you!

Safe Landing

After some technical difficulties on the airplane (not being able to project Google Earth on the screen), we were finally able to make a safe landing in Paris, France on Friday afternoon.  Luckily, we had some helpful flight attendants serving "beverages" on the plane.  We were welcomed by a very kind customs agent, complete with beret!  Please let me know if you would like to share your European experiences with the class.

Birthday Visitors

On Monday we had not one, but two birthdays in Room 210: Nathaniel and Nicolas!  We were lucky to have two guest readers to help celebrate.

November 1

This week we were lucky to have not one, but two parents come to talk to the class about their experiences in African countries.  Sofia's dad, Youssef, shared pictures and traditional items from his native country, Morocco.  Sofia wore traditional, festive dress and acted as his assistant in the presentation.  She helped us learn some Arabic words and phrases.

Eloisa's dad, Omar, showed us photos and maps of Africa, specifically the countries he has visited in his work for Oxfam, Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana.  The students were impressed by a map which showed how the earliest humans migrated from Africa to all other parts of the world.

REMINDER: There is NO SCHOOL next Tuesday, November 4th.  It is a professional day for teachers.  Please don't forget to vote, as it is also Election Day.  If you vote at Thompson, please consider either donating items to or purchasing something at the Bake Sale, which is raising money for Arlington EATS. 

Flying East

You may have heard that the students flew to Africa this week!  On the flight, the passengers viewed images of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Sahara, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Nile River, Lake Victoria and Victoria Falls.  We were greeted in Nairobi, Kenya by Customs Agent Brayfield, who taught us how we would greet one another in Swahili. 

On Friday afternoon we spent time with our Fifth Grade Buddies, reading together.

Reminder: Early Release next week- Tuesday, October 21st.

October 15

On Tuesday we were lucky to have not one, but two special events at school.  In the morning we were treated to a visit from poet X.J. Kennedy, who read some of his poetry and shared a bit of his story becoming a poet.  The students listened attentively and later many of them wrote in their notebooks that they felt calm while listening to him.

In the afternoon the Second Graders had their turn to hear the local fire fighters talk about fire safety.  We were reminded to make sure the batteries in our smoke alarms are changed regularly and to have an outside meeting place if the family needs to get out in an emergency.

Today we began our Balancing and Weighing science unit with a wonderful discussion of what balance means to us.  Many children used the words "weight" and "equal" when talking about this topic.  Each child had the chance to try to make a paper butterfly balance on the tip of an un-sharpened pencil, first with no weight and then with a paper clip attached.  The butterflies came home today- maybe your child asked you if you wanted to try?  

Special Visitors

We were so lucky this week to have not one, but two special visitors to talk about their countries of origin.  Sofia, Nicolas' mom, came to tell us about the climate and the unique animals of Ecuador.  She also had us practicing our Spanish pronunciation of the South American countries.  Eloisa's mom, Carmen, showed us a slide show of the beautiful scenery of El Salvador and Nicaragua.  We were especially impressed by the photos of the volcanoes and how there is a lake to swim in INSIDE the rim of one of them!!  She also brought some flags and other artifacts from Central America.  We liked that she referred to that region as the "belly button" of the Americas! 

Enjoy the long weekend!

October 8

We had a lot of grown-ups in the room today for math- all new Second Grade teachers in the district were invited to watch (and participate in) our math lesson.  They were very impressed with what they saw!

Thompson will be collecting food for two more days for the Arlington Eats program.  Please send granola bars or shelf-stable milk if you'd like.  Thank you!

Flying south

Today the students boarded Thompson Airlines Flight 10114 to Rio de Janiero, passports in hand.  They were greeted by a very friendly customs agent upon arrival!

It was nice to see so many of you at Curriculum Night.  I hope you found it informative.

Reminder: Early Release next Tuesday, October 7; 1PM dismissal.

Curriculum Night

Hello Room 210 families!

I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening here at Thompson.

Mrs. Donato will be speaking in the gym at 6:45pm.  Then you are invited to come up to the classroom to see what has been going on in Room 210.

Friday, September 19

We have had a busy week in Room 210!  The children are really settling in with routines.  We are working on tightening up our transitions throughout the day so that we have more time for learning and playing together.

The children have been playing card games in math that are helping to solidify the combinations to 10.  Next week's homework will be to teach family members at home how to play.

The children have had their first experience browsing and selecting books from our classroom library. I have guided them in their choices so that they have appropriate books for practicing reading during Reader's Workshop.  It is great to see already how much your children love books!

We have also been reading Frog and Toad stories together as a class, enjoying the humor in these wonderful stories and talking a lot about what evidence we read that shows what good friends they are.  The children have been doing some writing in response to these stories as well.

So far the students have been writing short entries in their writers' notebooks.  Next week we begin Writers' Workshop, which allows them to write longer stories with more detail.  The first genre of writing we tackle is narrative; the children have already had a lot experience with this type of writing.

In Open Circle we have discussed non-verbal signals and how useful they can be in a busy classroom. In addition, we practiced giving and receiving compliments.  We talked about how good it feels to receive them as well as give them.  This week our class received several compliments, including lining up well in the lunchroom and having a quiet line in the hallway.  I am very proud!  I hope your child finds opportunities to compliment you over the coming days.  Since I have not yet learned how to attach the Open Circle memo to this blog, I will send it as an attachment in an e-mail.  
Still learning....

Have a wonderful weekend!

Reminders: Library class on Monday- remind your child to pack books to return.
Picture Day- Friday, 9/26  Please send in the forms on Monday or Tuesday.

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