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January 30, 2012

Week of January 31

Important Dates - Mark Your Calendar!

  • 1/27-2/3: Winter Book Fair
  • 2/2: Cosmic Bowling Night, 5:30pm
  • 2/3: No Specials
  • 2/6: Super Specials
    •
  • 2/20: President's Day, No School
  • 2/23: Cultural Celebrations Night

*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? Working on identifying if a book is fiction or nonfiction.  How do literary elements help me comprehend a variety of texts? (title, author, illustrator, title page) We are working identifying if a book if fiction or nonfiction, using the contents page, identifying and using headings, identifying how authors use a table to present information, exploring the role of photographs, deciding what part of a nonfiction book to read, concepts of print (print from top to bottom directionality), phonemic awareness (oral blending), phonics (p, r), vocabulary (science words), guided retelling (applying prior knowledge to nonfiction topics), letters, letter sounds, and sight words. This week we focused on "push" and "pull".

Small and independent groups focused on word work, summarizing/comprehension, nonfiction stories, reading comprehension (beginning/middle/end), making connections, rhyming, tens game, CVC words, blends, syllables, word families, reading and sequencing, handwriting - letters and names, sticker stories, beginning/middle/end, centers, task boards, 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 26: Sorting by ending sounds: t, x.

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. Students are writing to inform about animals they research using PebbleGo online.  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.  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 I identify coins by name and value? (penny, nickel, dime, and quarter) How do I make fair trades? Review....How do we measure time? 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 - How do I identify and explain the national monuments/American symbols? (Lincoln Memorial, White House, Washington Monument)

Things to Work on at Home

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

Posted at 12:48 PM |

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