We had an amazing Tuesday News day article that our students thought they would like to share with their families. Andrew M. found a News Channel 13 story about the NYS Museum re-discovering an original recording of Martin Luther King Jr. giving a speech. He picked it so we could all really think about the reason we have MLK Jr. Day off. :) I've linked the news report which also has a link to the entire speech. Enjoy!!
MLK speech
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
NYS book project
Tomorrow we will kick off our NYS setting book project! In your students backpack you'll find a NYS mapped they traced, a planning guide and explanation of the project and the book we'll be reading; Rip Van Winkle. All reading will be done in school but students are encouraged to re-read or read ahead to help in comprehension. The poster part will be done completely at home. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Can't wait to see the finished products!!
January Newsletter
ELA
Reading:
Ø We will be learning how to
participate in literature circles with the mentor text Rip Van Winkle in
class. This book is set in the Catskill Mts. & in Dutch Colonial life so
it’s a perfect tie into our socials studies concepts and our NYS settings book
project.
Writing:
Ø The focus will be on dialogue
within stories. We’ll explore how word
choice can make all the difference and how to use quotation marks. .
Grammar:
Ø Run-on vs. fragment sentences and
quotations.
Spelling
Patterns: All tests are Thursdays!!!
Ø List 13 – possessive nouns using
apostrophes
Ø List 14- commonly misspelled
words
Ø List 15 – words with ei, ie, and
eight
Math
Concepts:
Factors, Multiples & Patterns
o
How can you
find factors?
o
How are
factors and multiples related?
o
How can you
tell if a number is prime or composite?
o
How can you
make and describe patterns?
Concepts: Fraction
Equivalence & Comparison
o
How can
models show equal fractions?
o
How can you
use multiplication to find equivalent fractions?
o
How can you
find simplest form and common factor?
o
How can you
use benchmarks to compare fractions?
o
How can you
order fractions?
Assessments:
o
1/14/14 & TBD
Social
Studies
Concepts:
We’ll be taking
an in-depth looking into both how Europeans explored what is now NYS and how
the Dutch settled this area. It’s amazing how much history is in our how
backyard!
While we study we’ll pair our
text book with both fiction and non-fiction sources of information.
There will
be homework, quizzes and tests along with this unit so make sure to check your
student’s agenda each day.
Reminders
ü 1-20 Martin
Luther King Jr. Day – No School
ü 1-22 i-ready
test for reading
ü 1-28 i-ready
test for math
ü 1-31 Half
day dismissal at 11:00
ü 1-31 Book
orders due – don’t forget to use your holiday coupon!!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Math re-test
Today I'm sending home the division math re-test with your student. Most students improved and were able to have extra practice time which increased their score. Other students' scores dropped : ( I took which ever score was higher to input in my gradebook. Make sure to keep practicing long division at home. It's a very tricky concept and one that can get forgotten easily
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Library Media Center's Information
We've been spending time looking at all the resources Shatekon has to offer our students. One under-used resource is the Library Media Center link off of the Shatekon Homepage. Per the students request, I'm listing the usernames and passwords so you can access the links at home. :)
Shatekon Media Center
2.
Click on Shatekon (at top right)
3.
Click on Library Media Center
4.
Click on Databases
BookFlix
Username: shencsd
Password: bookflix
Brain
POP!
Username: shatekon
Password: Albany
Culturegrams
Username: 63-79594
Password: bigchalk
Exploring
Nature
Username: capital13
Password: capital13
GALE
Username: empirelink
Password: empirelink
Grolier
Username: shatekon
Password: shatekon
NoodleBIB
Username: capreg
Password: boces
Teachingbooks.net
Password: capregionboces
World
Book Online Gold
Username: shatekon
Password: shatekon
Chapter 4 - Math Re-test
Yesterday,
our class took a Chapter 4 Math Test.
Because many children struggled with the directions and/or concepts on
this assessment, I feel it is best to give the children a second opportunity
for this test. Not all students are required to take the test; it is an option.
The higher of the two scores will be taken as the grade.
To prepare
for the re-test, please go over the test with your student and discuss where
the errors were. Also, feel free to use any questions from Chapter 4 in either
the colored book or the black and white. The Re-Test will be Friday, December
20, 2013.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
I'm coming back :)
It is with great enthusiasm that I write
this letter to you! I am very happy to be coming back to Shatekon and working
with your students. I have heard wonderful things about our classroom and have
seen it this week while I’ve been meeting with each student and observing the
classroom routine already in place.
Starting
Monday, I’ll be back full swing, picking right up where Mrs. Brimhall will have
left off. We have worked closely this week to ensure the transition is
smooth. Our goal is for the students to
feel calm and comfortable as we move forward in the school year. While I’m
going to do my best to keep things the same, there will be some changes simply
as a result of different teaching and management styles.
I
look forward to meeting all of you and encourage you to email (cushkati@shenet.org),
call or write if you have any questions or simply to say hello. You can expect
a newsletter the first Friday of each month. My blog is accessible through the
Shatekon homepage. I often add links for extra practice and pictures of
classroom events. I’m very quick to
respond to email and of course we always have the student’s agendas.
I
very much look forward to working together for the rest of the school year. J
Respectfully,
Mrs.
Katie Cushman
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