Upcoming Events
Wednesday, Sept. 19th: Out & About to the Forest Grove Police Station: Taking a closer look at community resources. 10:30 am - 11:20 am
Chaperones are welcome-
If you would like to join us, please email Ginny: [email protected]
Tuesday, Sept. 25th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Wednesday, Sept. 26th: Out & About @ Rogers Park 12:30pm-3 pm
Chaperones NEEDED!
If you would like to join us, please email Ginny: [email protected]
Wednesday, October 3rd: ALL DAY Out & About to Metro Transfer Station: taking a look at the path of garbage and recycling. 9 am- 2 pm
Chaperones NEEDED!
If you would like to join us, please email Ginny: [email protected]
Note: Students must wear comfortable, closed toe shoes (PE shoes work great)
Friday, October 5th: NO SCHOOL for students
Professional Development/Grading Day
Friday, October 12th: NO SCHOOL for students
Statewide Teacher Inservice Day
Thursday, October 18th: NO SCHOOL for students
Goal-Setting Student Conferences
Friday, October 19th: NO SCHOOL for students
Goal-Setting Student Conferences
Scholastic Book Club
Plover teacher Laura will be overseeing all level 2 book orders this year, for those who are interested in participating. We sent home the first Scholastic Book Club flyers this past Monday. You can also view this month's selections and submit your order online at https://orders.scholastic.com/L79X9. When you place your order online, you'll help earn FREE books for level 2 students!
First Time Ordering Online?
- Go to scholastic.com/bookclubs
- Enter our one-time Class Activation Code: L79X9
- Shop and submit your child's book order.
- As soon as your order is delivered to our classroom, it will be sent home with your child.
Scholastic Book Clubs
Class Code: L79X9
Order Due Date: 9/25/18
Let's Get That Homework Going!
Suggested Weekly Homework:
Reading Homework
Spend at least 20 minutes reading (outside of school) every day.
Reading is on the "honor system" and we ask that you help your kiddo to develop a daily reading routine with good-fit books and a well-lit, comfy reading spot away from distractions. We will talk more about how to encourage and track reading at our "Goal-Setting" conferences in October.
Typing Homework
Level 2 students have typing homework to develop and support important keyboarding skills. Please practice at least 20 minutes per week on: Typing.com
Passwords were sent home at family visits. Please email Ginny if you need help getting into your child's account.
Math homework
It is strongly recommended that your student practice math skills at least 30 minutes (or more) per week.
Our Dreambox math program for homework has started. Passwords and account information were sent home with your kiddo this week.
If you are interested in exploring other ways to practice math at home, take a look at these ideas:
Ideas for math practice:
- 4th graders can get valuable math practice with Khan Academy. Current 4th grade math topics to explore: Addition/Subtraction & Place Value/Rounding
- Online Math Game Sites: ZapZap Math or Prodigy- create your own account!
- Multiplication Facts Practice with a simple dice game. How to Play: Each player takes turns rolling 3 dice. First to break 200 (or 500, etc.) wins. On your turn, you get to choose two dice to add together, then you multiply the sum by the final die. That’s your score for that turn.
- Facts Practice with Free Math Apps: Sushi Monster & Math Hero
- Facts Practice with Purchased Math Apps: Operation Math & Math Vs. Zombies
Upcoming Project Work and Out & Abouts
This week, Readers Workshop swung into action with an O&A trip to the public library. In the classroom, we got our workshop notebooks going and focused on building our reading stamina. Students are challenged to make reading the BEST it can be by treating books like gold, choosing a quiet/comfy spot and by selecting "good fit " books (ask your kiddo what that means to them).
Level 2 students engage in two "Storypath" units of study each year.
What is Storypath?
Storypath is an instructional strategy for developing and organizing social studies units which incorporate science, math, reading and writing. It uses a narrative structure to give a sense of context and connection to the information that is being taught. Students are engaged with investigations framed as stories in which characters experience certain events and are affected by them.
Each Storypath unit is comprised of the following episodes:
- Creating the Setting
- Creating Characters
- Context Building
- Critical Incidents
- Concluding Event
This fall, students will work with partners to develop their own businesses and solve real-world problems that business communities face.
During our investigation, we will focus on these big questions:
- Community jobs: Who takes care of our community’s resources?
- What are some of the responsibilities of the people who work in local businesses?
- What skills do workers need? How are these workers alike and different?
- Producers & Consumers: Where does the "stuff" we use everyday come from?
- Where does our trash go? How does the way we live affect the Earth?
- What are ways we can conserve energy and natural resources?
On September 19th, we will walk to the Forest Grove Police Station to support our investigation of community resources and to learn about the skills different workers need for their jobs.
On September 28th, we will O&A to Metro Central Transfer Station in Portland as we investigate the path of goods which become garbage & recycling.