Friday, October 1, 2010 - Creepy, Crawly, Oh my GOLLY!

Have you ever heard the expression, "Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits"?  Well, I have always heard that that should be the first words you say on the first day of a new month for good luck and prosperity through the month ahead...so, "RABBITS RABBITS RABBITS" to YOU!!!

We started the morning with a guest: our Creepy Crawly Science guy...and BOY was he COOL!  He talked to us about adaptations of amphibians, reptiles, insects, and birds.  It really was neat.  He had TONS of pictures and even had animals here for us to see as he talked about them.  We even got to touch a snake!!!  Here are some pictures of our morning (sorry that aren't too great quality - they're from my phone):

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This is a reptile in the lizard family.

Ahhhhh....a SNAKE!!!

He's eating her!

I am SOOOOO...scared of snakes, but I am conquering my fear :)

He's SCARY!

There are more pictures to come, and some with better quality, but this is all we have for now.  It really was neat not only hearing about all the animals, but seeing them as well.

After our presenter, we went back to our normal schedule.  We began Reading late, so we turned in our Spelling packets and took our test.  Then, the students were given a chance to work on ORQs on their own while I administered our weekly Fluency assessments to students.  Be looking for these to come home.  I have your student read with me from a leveled card for a timed minute.  At the completion of the minute (when the sand timer runs out), I calculate how many words were read by the student and subtract any mistakes from that number so you can see how many words per minute (WPM) your child reads.  I also check off skills for fluency and ask comprehension questions about what was read to determine understanding.  These are administered weekly and will be sent home.  If your student has less than the full card's WPM, please reread with them at home.  Keep these copies for your record at home.

In Math, we again played our card game that is so much fun!  We also reviewed Chapter 4 and plan on taking our assessment on Monday.  It should be graded and returned to you before Fall Break.

We will have book buddies with Mrs. Hubers' class this afternoon.  Your student is absolutely AMAZING with reading to these Kindergarteners and being good role models and leaders to them.  You would be so proud to see them being positive influences on the younger students!

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!  Only two more school days until Fall Break!

xoxo,

Mrs. Thomas