Important Dates - Mark Your Calendar!
- 1/19: Field Trip (reminder notes will go home today regarding lunches and how to dress)
- 1/19: PTA Curriculum Night, 5:30-7:30pm
- 1/20: In House Field Trip Wellstar Smile Power
- 1/27-2/3: Winter Book Fair
- 2/2: Cosmic Bowling Night, 5:30pm
- 2/20: President's Day, No School
*See calendar in the back of your child's Thursday folder for more information! You can also visit our homepage http://www.cobbk12.org/dowell/index.htm and visit Dowell's PTA website: http://dowellpta.org
Highlights from the Classroom
Balanced Literacy - Good Habits-Great Readers (GHGR) Shared Reading EQs (Essential Questions): How do I read to learn? What are some ways you can figure out if a book is fiction or nonfiction? Why is it a good idea to think about what you already know when you read a nonfiction book? What are some ways you can get ready to learn something new in a nonfiction book? How can asking questions as you read a nonfiction book help you learn something new? Why is it good to think about new information you want to learn after reading a nonfiction book? How do literary elements help me comprehend a variety of texts? (title, author, illustrator, title page) We are working identify and using text features, concepts of print (exclamation mark), phonemic awareness (onset and rime blending), phonics (/g/g, /k/k, /kw/qu), vocabulary (onomatopoeia), guided retelling (identifying nonfiction topics), letters, letter sounds, and sight words. This week we focused on "went".
Small and independent groups focused on word work, summarizing/comprehension, nonfiction stories, reading comprehension, word families, rhyming, CVC words, blends, syllables, reading and sequencing, handwriting - letters and names, beginning/middle/end, centers, literacy activities on computer and file folder games, sight words, loft, listening center, and more!
Words Their Way (WTW): How do I learn letters, sounds, and sight words? Sort 24: Sorting by beginning sounds: Jj, Ww, Qq.
Writer's Workshop EQs: How do I write to inform? Students are still practicing writing top to bottom, left-to-right; drawing realistic pictures, labeling pictures, "turtle talking" sentences; phonetically spelling words. Also, they are using the resources in the room to help them spell the words. Students are using graphic organizers to prewrite their informational stories, and then will use their graphic organizers to draft their informational stories. We are also working on having a good beginning, middle, and ending to their stories. Informational writing: involves one topic; uses drawings, letters, and phonetically spelled words to share information; begins to use organizational structures (steps); may include describing words; may include a sense of closure; includes oral or written pre-writing to generate ideas (graphic organizers and pictures); may include a draft developed from pre-writing; may publish a final copy.
Please make sure your child brings their book to school each day as we use them daily. We will have book buddies and story time/check-out on Friday. Just a reminder that if your child checks out a pink dot book from the media center and would like to take an AR quiz on the book to please write us a note and let us know they are ready to take the quiz. Thanks!
Math - How do we use numbers in our daily lives? How do we measure time? Review skills....How do I count objects to 30? How do I write numerals through 20 to label sets? How do I produce number models for number words through ten? How can we compare shapes? (2D and 3D shapes) How do I combine basic figures and decompose basic and complex figures into basic figures? How do I compare two or more sets of objects (1-10) and identify which set is equal, more than, or less than. How do I sequence and identify using ordinal numbers (1st-10th)? How do I identify coins by name and value? (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) How do I write numbers through ten to label sets? How do I make fair trades using combinations involving pennies and nickels? How do I identify, create, and extend patterns? How do I use math words to determine where things are? (positional words - above, below, beside, inside, outside, in front of, behind) How do I collect, organize, and interpret data? (graphing) How do I use objects, pictures, and numbers or words to create, solve, and explain story problems? (problem solving) Students also worked in guided and independent groups focusing on purchasing items using pennies, counting and labeling objects to 10, matching sets, days of the week, ordering and writing numbers, patterns, and were able to work on a computer program called Mega Math. Daily Math RAP including...What are patterns? How can I show the position of objects in my world? (above, below, beside, inside, outside, in front of, behind) What is a number? What does counting tell me? How do I use numbers everyday? How can I show a number? How does a calendar help me measure time? months of the year; days of the week; seasons, penny and nickel; fair trades; ones; yesterday, today, tomorrow; shapes (triangle, square, circle, rectangle, sphere, cube)
Social Studies - Who is MLK, Jr. and why is he important? Students will need to independently identify and describe MLK, Jr. Day.
Things to Work on at Home
- Sight Words: http://www.netrover.com/~crose/dolch/dolch.htm
- Website: http://www.starfall.com/
- Making Words: http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/games/alien/ash.html
- CVC/Picture Match practice: http://www.ictgames.com/machine.html
- Stories online: http://www.storylineonline.net/
- Math, Literacy, and other fun games: http://www.cyberkidzgames.com/
- Writing name (first and last)
- Coins (penny, nickel, fair trades), days of the week and months of the year, patterns, shapes, color, and positional words
- Challenges
- Review skills learned in class
- Read nightly - review concepts of print and ask questions about the book
Contact Information
Email Ms. Discepola: naomi.discepola@cobbk12.org
Blog Address: http://dowell.typepad.com/discepola/
Dowell Elementary: 2121 West Sandtown Road Marietta, GA 30064 Phone: 678.594.8059
Dowell Elementary Website: http://www.cobbk12.org/Dowell/
Cobb County School District Website: http://www.cobbk12.org
CCSD Legal Disclaimer: http://www.cobbk12.org/legal.htm
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