Language Arts Updates

I hope this finds everyone enjoying the last day of January! I cannot believe how rapidly this month zipped by us, and without much snow. Please read the information below on all things language arts and my upcoming medical leave.

WRITING----We have been working hard on building our writing skills. We've been focusing on APPLYING what we already know about organization and conventions to create pieces with voice, strong word choice, and interesting details. The students are wrapping up a writing piece they are submitting to the Daily Journal for their "Junior Journal" writing contest. I believe that ALL the stories will be published, but only a few will be awarded prizes. We are competing against the schools in Johnson County. I'll keep families posted if I hear any news of one of our kiddos winning. I will be displaying their writing in the hallway by my classroom for everyone to see, but students can also show you at home, if you have access to the internet and they log on to their Google Drive.

DATA BINDERS----These are updated weekly. Please remind your child to show you their binder and sign the parent page, adding comments if necessary. Several students are not meeting their weekly Reading Counts goals and we will write notes about their progress on their reports. Please let us know if you have any questions.

VOCABULARY/WORD STUDY---- This past Friday, we took our Chapter 6 vocab/word study assessment. These have been graded and added to their data binders. I allowed them to use their study guides if they had them in their yellow folders since we hadn't had much time to review the words in class. I passed out Chapter 7 study guides and packets today. Their study guides will be in the outside, back, clear pocket of their yellow folders. They can take them out to study at night, but need to bring them back to school each day. The picture below is of the roots and words. I spilled water on it last night and it dried wrinkled. ;)

ISTEP----As ISTEP is approaching (the window for round one testing is February 27-March 17th), we need to make sure students are ready to apply what they already know. We often see them zipping through passages, writing prompts, and questions and missing key details. We KNOW they are more skilled than what they sometimes show on assessments and in class throughout the day. If you could give your child a pep talk about really bringing a positive attitude and their very best effort to school each day, that would help them navigate their day and find more success.

MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE----I sent home a letter today and an email out, as well, announcing that I would be off work for three weeks. I will be having surgery on Tuesday, February 7th, and will not be released for work until at least February 28th. My sub will be Katie Hammaker. She has subbed for several long and short-term leaves in our district since the start of the school year. She comes highly recommended and I have confidence the kiddos will be in great hands.

Happy rest of your week and please contact me with any questions or concerns. Thanks!

January Updates for Language Arts (and class general info)

We were so happy to see all of our kiddos breeze back through the door on Monday morning. We missed them so much over break! We hit the ground running this week, with many (small) changes to our daily schedule and a few new faces in our building. Hopefully your child shared information about our new PE teacher, Mr. Hartman, and our special Japanese visitors this week.

I wanted to post a few pieces of information and will list them below to make it easier to refer to, if you need to revisit.

• Freedom Train Field Trip-- We are going to watch the play, "Freedom Train", on Thursday, January 26th, at Clowes Hall at Butler University. Permission slips were sent home on Monday. The cost is $8.00 per child. We will be back to Webb by lunchtime, so sack lunches will not be necessary. Permission slips and money are due by Friday, January 20th. Please send those in asap. To prepare for this field trip, we've been learning about Harriet Tubman and other abolitionists that had a major impact in the fight against slavery. 
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Field Trip-- On Wednesday, February 15th, we will be attending the play, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", at Franklin Community High School. There is no charge for this play and permission forms are not needed. Again, we will be back to Webb by lunchtime and do not need to pack sack lunches. 
• Report Cards-- Report cards were sent home yesterday (Thursday, January 12th) and were placed in your child's data binder, along with updated NWEA test scores and goal pages. We are working on setting goals with your kiddos here at school, but would love for you to discuss those goals (and add some, if need be) at home.
• Vocabulary-- I am sending home a new list today. I will attach a snapshot of the words below, but your child is also bringing home their list, with definitions and examples, today. The test will on January 27th. I am also challenging students to learn how to accurately spell 150 "no excuses" words that they should know how to spell fluently by 4th grade. That list has been in their yellow folder since Monday and will stay in there until they pass, with 100% accuracy, all 150 words.