Kidblog Notices Coming Home Today

In Math Workshop, students took their Unit 3 Pre-assessment.  Pre-assessments are intended to assess what students already know and may not know yet about upcoming mathematical concepts, strategies, etc.  Pre-assessments guide my instruction to meet all students' needs as well as document growth.

In Writers' Workshop we will be in the lab all week publishing our personal narratives.  We are aiming to have all personal narratives completed and graded by Friday.

In Read Aloud, students used our productive talk moves to bounce off and build on each others' ideas regarding characters, relationships, and plot.

In Readers' Workshop, we identified and used effective evidence to prove character claims in writing.

Students went to Math Beaver Block today.

In Social Studies, students finished up their Christopher Columbus visible thinking projects.  Ask your child what their headline is and what point of view the are using.  Students will participate in a gallery walk on Wednesday to view and notice and note qualities of each others' projects and thinking.

Coming home today in students' Beaver Folders are Kidblog notices.  I have attached the letter below, as well.  Please review this notice and feel free to email me with any questions!

Homework:

• Read 20 minutes 

Reminders:

• Conference Request Forms due.
• Conferences are Monday, November 3.
• Muffins-for-Moms:
• Monday, October 27: Last names A-K
• Tuesday, October 28: Last names L-Z
• "Art to Remember" due tomorrow.

Classroom Supplies:

• Sticky Notes

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

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October 27, 2014

Dear Parents & Guardians,

This week, students will be creating and starting their own blogs. I am using “Kidblog” which is a private website that does not allow anyone aside from students in our class to view/ comment on student blogs. I am the "Administrator" of all blogs, and can edit, view, etc. all student blogs.  As a class, we will discuss appropriate and inappropriate ways to use these blogs to write and communicate with each other.  I expect students to be respectful and responsible in their use of their blogs.  Students will only be blogging in the classroom, on Fridays.  I have used this website before, and it has been very successful in its purpose.

The purpose of these blogs is to provide students with an authentic audience for their writing as well as a space to publish their thinking. In addition, when blogging, I will teach students basic keyboarding and computer skills. Furthermore, the majority of the writing published on student blogs will be regarding the books students are currently reading.  Again, blogs are a space for students to document their thinking and collaborate with their peers using productive talk moves. Specifically, blogs allow students to comment on and build ideas off of each others' thinking.  

Please contact me via email if you have any questions or concerns about blogging.  

Thank you, 

Hadley Smith

Hadley.Smith@hcps.org

http://Room13classblog.blogspot.com