Spelling List for April 29 - May 3

Spelling Unit  29

Test Thursday, May 2^nd

haul

claw

cause

paw

saw

dawn

caught

fault

taught

Review Words

cool

soon

High Frequency Words

air

enough

Mr. Moreland's Memos for April 29-May 3

By the end of this week we will officially be in May.  I cannot believe that we only have 18 more days of school.  Just remember that we are still in school and we want to finish on a strong note.  That way we are even more prepared for second grade.  We have been working hard on becoming proactive, using synergy, and thinking win-win.  We want everyone to succeed and use their 7 healthy habits.

Reading/Phonics/Spelling- This week in reading we are going to make many connections and review what it means to use our schema.  It will be easy to make connections this week as all of our stories are about how animal babies grow up.  We will make connections with how we grow up and if that is the same or different.  We will be reading “A Bear Cub” p 244, “A Tiger Cub Grows Up” p 246, and “The Tiger” p 272.  We will also be reading other stories in class throughout the week to help tie in our growing up theme.  Our vocabulary words for the week are: cub, eyes, learn, enough, air, wild, across.  We will also be studying how the au and aw make the aww sound.  We will talk about how it is the same sound you make when you go to the doctor’s office and open your mouth and say aww.  Our spelling list, which can also be found on our blog, has words with the aw and au sounds as well.

Math- This week in math we will begin to take our addition skills one step further.  I know some of us will be experts at this by the end of the unit.  We are going to begin really focusing on adding three and four numbers.  We will also be talking about two very important properties of math.  We will be talking about finding the commutative property of addition (4+3=3+4) and the associative property of addition,  (2+3)+4=2+(3+4).  Also, keep studying for the timed math tests.  Everyone has been working hard!  These tests are meant to help memorize the addition facts in order to make second grade a lot easier.

Grammar/Writing-This week in grammar we will be discussing when to use ME and I in sentences.  There is a general rule that we will learn.  If you take out the other person in the sentence, then you read the sentence and see which makes sense, the I or ME?  Sometimes this skill is pretty easy to do because you can just read the sentence and see which one makes sense.  Other times you will have to apply the rule.  In our writing this week we will be talking a lot about things we did when we were little and things we can do now.  This will help us tie in our theme of growing up.  We will also be talking about things we want to be able to do when we get older as well.

Science- This week in science we will continue our investigations in liquids and solids.  We will be talking more and more about the liquids.  At the end of the week are going to chart the properties of both solids and liquids and really focus on what makes them different.  We will also be talking and reading a little about how the molecules differ in each state of matter.

Related Arts Rotations for 4/29-5/3

Group A- Art, Computer, Gym, Music, Art

Group B- Gym, Music, Art, Computer, Gym

Group C- Computer, Gym, Music, Art, Computer

Group D- Music, Art, Computer, Gym, Music

Just a reminder that Monday is a library day.    Please return your books on Monday.  Remember to bring those library books back if they are at home.  We will be going to the library to check out new books.  Please remember them as it will be a long break!

Be sure to send in those box tops.  Every Thursday I send down our bag of box tops to the office.  If you have any box tops or food labels that can be redeemed for money please send them in and I will get them turned in.

Field Trip- On Tuesday evening there was a field trip form sent home.  We are going to take a field trip to Wesselman Woods.  Please be sure to return the form ASAP with the $8.  This field trip is a great one for parents to attend as well.  If you would like to attend the best way is either to follow us in the morning when we leave from school or meet us there.  If you do plan on attending the only thing we ask is that you make sure you have filled out the EVSC volunteer form.  It is just a formality that we all must go through.  If you are not sure let me know and I can check the list for you as well as get you a form.  I am looking forward to seeing some animals and a nature walk!  This week we will talk a lot about animals and then we will get to see them come to life.

Girls Little Husky Softball- When: April 30^th. Please arrive between 6 and 6:15 pm

Varsity Game will begin at 6:30 - 7 pm.  All Girls from U8 to U14 are welcome to come out.  The girls will get the opportunity to walk onto the field with a Varsity player and stand next to them during the announcements and National Anthem.  Also each girl will get a raffle ticket for an opportunity to win prizes.  Please come out and be recognized as our Little Huskies and future of North Softball.

Enjoy your weekend!

 Thanks,

Robert Moreland

Robert.Moreland@evsc.k12.in.us

Working on Pronouns

On Tuesday we worked a lot with Pronouns after lunch.  I wanted the students to be able to know that a pronoun takes place of a noun.  It makes things sound so much smoother.  We made some flowers with the pronouns in the middle.  The petals of the flowers are the nouns that the pronoun could take the place of.  I think they turned out great!

Here is another timeless classic about pronouns.  The kiddos enjoyed this classic from schoolhouse rock on pronouns.

Mr. Moreland's Memos for April 22-26

Another week down and roughly 5 weeks left.  I can’t believe our first grade year is almost over (small tear).  As the weather warms up the kiddos are getting more and more anxious to head out and play, needless to say that the natives are restless in the classroom.  If you could also remind them that it is important to stay focused these last few weeks.  Just because school is drawing to an end is no reason for a decline in behavior.  I know this won’t be a problem if everyone is being proactive and putting first things first.  If we do that we will finish the year on a fantastic note.

Reading/Phonics/Spelling- This week we will be reading stories that are all focused on different kinds of jobs that people have.  We will be discussing many jobs and brainstorming some of the skills it takes to perform these jobs.  We will relate how math is needed to be a banker or a cashier for example.  The stories we will be reading out of our reading books are, “A Job For You” p 228, “Cool Jobs” p 230, and “Jobs at School” p 238.  As we read these stories we will be reviewing some of the reading strategies we have.  We will be talking about making some connections with the jobs parents have or grandparents, asking some questions to comprehend and using our senses to get a better image in our minds.  We will also be comparing jobs.  We will be talking about comparing and contrasting.  The high frequency words that you need to study this week are: ever, interesting, only, laugh, goes, ordinary.  As we read these words will appear numerous times, as well as words that have the oo sound as in spoon.  Our spelling words this week also have focus on the oo words.

Math- This week in math we will be continuing to discuss addition problems and subtraction problems and how to check and see if each side is equal.  We will be learning a new math word as well.  We will be talking about the commutative property of addition.  This property says that we can take 4 + 6 and make it 6 + 4.  As long as we do not change the result we can flip the numbers.  We will also be continuing our timed math tests.  Be studying those addition problems.  We will also be working on what numbers come next as well as missing numbers.  We will begin the end of the year assessment shortly and these topics are on the assessment.  Also, keep practicing counting as fast as you can in one minute.  Make it a goal to reach 110.

Grammar/Writing- This week in grammar we will be introduced to pronouns.  We will be able to say that pronouns take place of a proper noun.  We will be making some pronoun flowers since it is spring time and we will work on sorting pronouns with other nouns.  It will be a busy grammar filled period.  In our writing we will work with the pronouns and be writing about jobs we would like to have and what we think someone does in that profession.

Science- We are going to continue to discuss and investigate the properties of solids, liquids, and gases.  This week we will be focusing more on liquids.

Related Arts Rotations for 4/22-4/26

Group A- Music. Art, Computer, Gym, Music

Group B- Computer, Gym, Music, Art, Computer

Group C- Art, Computer, Gym, Music, Art

Group D- Gym, Music, Art, Computer, Gym

**Please note that this is a skating week and to dress accordingly for gym class, long socks would be great!**

Just a reminder that Monday is a library day.    Please return your books on Monday.  Remember to bring those library books back if they are at home.  We will be going to the library to check out new books.  Please remember them as it will be a long break!

Be sure to send in those box tops.  Every Thursday I send down our bag of box tops to the office.  If you have any box tops or food labels that can be redeemed for money please send them in and I will get them turned in.

Husky Spirit Wear! Order forms were sent home last week for the spring spirit wear order.  If you need another order form let me know via email and I can email you an extra form.  If you would like to order a shirt or sweatshirt please fill out the form and return it by April 22 this coming Monday.  If you write a check please make it out to North High School.  The shirts will then be brought back to school and distributed at a later date.  Please consider ordering a shirt as the North High School Business Professionals are selling them as a fundraiser to take an educational field trip.

Kleenex Needed- As the seasons change it seems as if some of our allergies are beginning to get to us, as well as the common cold that seems to be going around.  We are at the time of the year where we have also used almost all of our supplies.  We are running particularly low on Kleenexes.  If you would like to donate just a box of Kleenex it would be greatly appreciated. 

Enjoy your three day weekend!

 Thanks,

Robert Moreland

Robert.Moreland@evsc.k12.in.us

Spelling List for April 22-26

Spelling Unit  28

Test Thursday, April 25^th

broom

room

pool

cool

soon

moon

scoop

spoon

boot

Review Words

hood

took

High Frequency Words

laugh

ever

Busy day in room #6

Today we sure did manage to keep busy.  We have been working hard all week on words with the OO sound as you hear in the words cook and hood.  Today we got a chance to make these words using some different kinds of O's.  We got a chance to use some Froot Loops!  They turned out very nice.

Today we also did an investigation into the properties of solids.  We also talked about how each object was used and how engineers have to know about the properties of solids in order to build us safe structures.  We found out that when you are building a tower that a strong base is good and that a cloth square does not make for a very good building tool.  Here are some of our brains hard at work!

Timed Math Tests

Today we began working on timed tests for addition.  We will be taking timed tests every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  We started with +1 and will be working all the way up to +9.  Once your student has mastered the basics to +9 we will be working on combining +2 and +3 all the way to +8 and +9.  The test is 5 minutes to answer 100 questions.  Everyone’s goal is to get at least 94% correct or 94 out of 100.  If your child meets that goal they move onto the next test. Check your student’s take home binders or folders to see how they performed.  Please work on practicing with your student daily in order to help master basic addition.  Making flash cards together is a great way to practice and time each other.  If you have any questions let me know!

Mr. Moreland's Memos for April 15-18

Another week down, and now there’s only a handful more to go. With the end of school comes the changing of the seasons.  As it gets warmer I just wanted to remind everyone about the dress code.  At Oak Hill we do not permit flip flops.  If your student wears shorts they need to be at least fingertip length if they were to put their hands at their sides.  All shirts must have sleeves.  This means no tank tops, spaghetti straps, or sleeveless dresses.  If a shirt had no sleeves you may have a light jacket or sweater to keep them covered.  A light jacket or sweater is also permitted in the classroom.  We have done a great job following the dress code this year and I know we will continue to do so.  Another reminder is that there is no school this Friday (4/19).  It was also supposed to be a make-up snow day.  We ended up not needing it, so we are going to be off on Friday.

Reading/Phonics/Spelling- This week in reading we will be reading stories that all pertain to outer space.  The stories in our reader this week that we will be reading are, “A good Trip into Space” p 198, “Little Bear Goes to the Moon” p 200, and “Meet Ellen Ochoa” p 218.  As we read these stories we are going to discussing making predictions in order to understand our stories.   We will be also reading more about space with some books that I have in my personal library.  As we read these books we will continue to discuss what it is like to use our senses in order to paint a picture in our minds.  We will also be talking about how it makes you feel like you are a part of the story.  We will be talking about the following words this week as well; bear, helmet, birds, Earth, space, table, guess, fooling.  These will be our high frequency words and vocabulary words for the week.  Please make sure you study these words as well.  Our phonics and spelling words will all have the short u sound with oo.  Our spelling list, which is also on our blog, has words with these sounds as well.

Math- This week in math we will be becoming more familiar with addition and subtraction.  We will be discussing what addition and subtraction signs mean and look like.  I know this is a review but it is going to propel us into making sure we can find some missing addends and make sure each side of an equation is equal.  (Here is a quick example; Does 4 + 3 = 7 – 1?)

Grammar/Writing- In grammar this week we will be talking about the other half of a sentence, the predicate.  Last week we got the hang of what a subject of a sentence is all about.  This week we will be discussing what the subject in the sentence does.  The action is the predicate.  We will also do a quick review of verbs because you need to know verbs show action in order to find the action.  As we write this week we will be relating back to our stories about space and be discussing the importance of proof reading.

Science- This week in science we will be talking more on the properties of solids and be introducing the properties of liquids.  We will be doing a lot of hands on experiments and observations.

Related Arts Rotations for 4/15-4/18

Group A- Gym, Music. Art, Computer

Group B- Art, Computer, Gym, Music

Group C- Music, Art, Computer, Gym

Group D- Computer, Gym, Music, Art

  

Just a reminder that Monday is a library day.    Please return your books on Monday.  Remember to bring those library books back if they are at home.  We will be going to the library to check out new books.  Please remember them as it will be a long break!

Be sure to send in those box tops.  Every Thursday I send down our bag of box tops to the office.  If you have any box tops or food labels that can be redeemed for money please send them in and I will get them turned in.

Pictures- Picture day has been set for April 15^th.  Please be sure to send the form back with your student to indicate what background you would like.  The pictures will be sent home and if you approve and would like to purchase them you may send back the money to do so.  I have some that have already been turned into me.

Husky Spirit Wear! Order forms were sent home today for the spring spirit wear order.  If you would like to order s shirt or sweatshirt please fill out the form and return it by April 22.  If you write a check please make it out to North High School.  The shirts will then be brought back to school and distributed at a later date.  Please consider ordering a shirt as the North High School Business Professionals are selling them as a fundraiser to take an educational field trip.

Enjoy your three day weekend!

 Thanks,

Robert Moreland

Robert.Moreland@evsc.k12.in.us

Spelling List #27 for April 15-18

Spelling Unit  27

Test Thursday, April 18^th

book

took

look

hood

cook

wood

foot

shook

stood

Review Words

town

mouth

High Frequency Words

Earth

bear

Subjects of a Sentence

We are going to be studying subjects of a sentence this week.  Here is the video we watched today in order to help us better understand the subject of a sentence.  It seemed to be a big hit!  We learned that the subject of a sentence is a noun that tells who or what the sentence is about.

Mr. Moreland's Memos April 8-11

What a week!  I will have to admit after a week off it was hard to get back into the routine of things.  I think everyone has adjusted well and we are ready to finish off the year.  I just wanted to remind everyone that the seasons are changing and the weather can be unpredictable.  If you would like to send a light jacket with your student you are more than welcome to do so in order for us to stay warm, especially in the morning hours.  This Friday there will be no school as it was meant to be a snow make up day if we needed it. 

Reading/Phonics/Spelling- This week in reading all of our stories will be centered around bugs.  We will be discussing them as we read and be reading some additional stories throughout the week to enhance our learning. Our stories that we will be reading in class, and are good for reading at home are “Where has Freddy Gone Now?” p 160, “Dot and Jabber” p 162, and “The World of Insects” p 190.  The vocabulary words that go along with these stories this week are; been, gone, searching, other, clues, invisible.  If you could please practice these words with your student at home to ensure they know them in their reading that would be great.  As we read this week we will be working on our skills of using the pictures to help us better understand the story as well as continue our study of using our senses to better relate to the story.  Our phonics and spelling will go hand in hand as they are both about the –ou and –ow sounds.  The spelling words can be found on our classroom blog as well. 

Math- This week in math we will be continuing our discussion on fractions.  We will be sharpening our skills on dividing rectangles, circles and squares into fourths or quarters and halves.  On Thursday we will have a short assessment over our fractions skills.

Grammar/Writing- This week in grammar we are going to introduce a topic that can be a little on the hard side to understand.  We will be talking about finding the subject of a sentence.  I am going to stress that the subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about.  We will be making sentences and seeing if we can find them in order to do some hands on learning to help grasp the concept.  In our writing this week we will be reviewing our synonyms from last week in order to make our writing much stringer.  We will talk about how we can retire the words good and fun and use stronger words such as fantastic and exciting. 

Science- We will be experimenting more with liquids and solids.  We will be making a list of words that can describe each state of matter.  We will also be making a chart of what we know, what we want to know and then as we answer some questions we will be going back to the chart and checking them off as we learn.

  

Related Arts Rotations for 4/8-4/11

Group A- Art, Computer, Gym, Music

Group B- Gym, Music. Art, Computer

Group C- Computer, Gym, Music, Art

Group D- Music, Art, Computer, Gym

  

Just a reminder that Monday is a library day.    Please return your books on Monday.  Remember to bring those library books back if they are at home.  We will be going to the library to check out new books.  Please remember them as it will be a long break!

Be sure to send in those box tops.  Every Thursday I send down our bag of box tops to the office.  If you have any box tops or food labels that can be redeemed for money please send them in and I will get them turned in.

Pictures- Picture forms were sent home on Wednesday night.  Picture day has been set for April 15^th.  Please be sure to send the form back with your student to indicate what background you would like.  The pictures will be sent home and if you approve and would like to purchase them you may send back the money to do so.  If you need another form let me know.

 Host Family- We are looking for 10-12 families that would like to corresond with like families in China.  This would consist of Skype, e-mail & letters on a consistent basis.  If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Mary Stricker at: mary.stricker@evsc.k12.in.us.

Today, April 5^th is the last family engagement event.  It is called the Pajama Jam.  It will begin at 6pm and go until 8 pm.  There will be face painting, hair coloring and pizza and drinks.  The popcorn will be free!  If you are a PTA member the event is free and for non-PTA members it is just $5.  Don’t miss out, this is the last one of the year!

Enjoy your weekend!

 Thanks,

Robert Moreland

Robert.Moreland@evsc.k12.in.us

Spelling Unit #26

Spelling Unit  26

Test Thursday, April 11^th

cow

how

town

out

mouse

mouth

crowd

down

round

Review Words

her

burn

High Frequency Words

gone

been

Junie B. Jones field trip

Hello everyone!  My name is Junie B. Jones.  The B stands for Beatrice, 'cept I don't like Beatrice, just B that's all.  That's how our play started today, just like the books we have been reading in the classroom after lunch.  The three books we saw performed today were, First Grader at Last!, Boss of Lunch, and One Man Band.  They were a hoot.  It sure was neat to see some of the characters come to life and sing and dance.  For me, they cast Junie B. perfectly.  She was just how I imagined her in the book.  The kids made some other connections too.  They were talking about how the books have things in them that we did not see in the play.  I looked down the row and at one point everyone was dancing in their seats.  I am still not too sure if they enjoyed it as much as I did!

This is the journal that Junie B. writes all of her thoughts in and was the interchangeable background for the entire play.  I tried to get some other photos but I could not get any as the lights on the stage made it impossible.

 

Here is a picture I found on the internet of what Junie B. looked like on stage.  I also found a picture of Mrs. Gutzman on stage.  She is the lunch lady that Junie B. befriends in the Boss of Lunch story.  She she was my favorite.

Here are the three books we saw today!

Spelling for April 1-5

Spelling Unit  25

Test Thursday, April 4^th

her

fern

bird

dirt

fur

burn

turn

dirt

germ

Review Words

fork

corn

High Frequency Words

from

beautiful

Mr. Moreland's Memos April 1-5

I forgot to post this before we left for break.  I hope everyone had a nice relaxing break!

Reading/Phonics/Spelling- This week in reading, once we get back from break, we will be reading stories that all have a theme of “How Does It Grow?”  This week we will be making all kinds of connections to how plants and animals grow and how we grow.  We will be reading the following stories out of our reader; “Beautiful Plants” p 130, “A Fruit Is a Suitcase for Seeds” p 132, “Flowers at Night” p 150.  As we read these stories we will be continuing to discuss how we can use our senses to make connections and feel like we are participants in the story.  This will be helpful as we will be reading about different kinds of fruits.  We will also be using our comparing and contrasting skills as we compare how humans grow to plants and animals.  Our vocabulary words for the week are; places, tiny, ground, crowded, part, animals, from, beautiful.  It is important to know these words, as they not only appear in the stories but they will appear in other things we are doing this week.  Our phonics will be centered around R controlled vowels.  These sounds are the ir, er, and ur sounds.  Our spelling words, which are also on our classroom blog, are centered around the same R controlled vowels.

Math- This week in math we will be discussing fractions.  We are just skimming the surface when it comes to fractions.  We are going to be working with halves and fourths this week.  We will be talking about the top number being the numerator and the bottom number being the denominator and what they stand for.  We will be dividing circles and rectangles.  By the end of the week we will be able to write our fractions and draw and shade shapes. 

Grammar/Writing- This week in grammar we are going to introduce the concepts of synonyms and antonyms.  They are easy to confuse but easy to remember once you get the hang of it.  We will be matching and sorting them throughout the week in order to make sure everyone has a good understanding of them.  In writing we will be practicing our organization when we write.  We will be relating our writing to the books we will be reading.  We are going to try to work to keep our thoughts in order and not jump from one thing to another as we write.

Science- We are back to science after break.  We will be studying all about solids and liquids.  We will be doing all kinds of experiments with sinking and floating and be talking about density.

Related Arts Rotations for 4/1-4/5

Group A- Music, Art, Computer, Gym, Music

Group B- Computer, Gym, Music. Art, Computer

Group C- Art, Computer, Gym, Music, Art

Group D- Gym, Music, Art, Computer, Gym

Just a reminder that Monday is a library day.    Please return your books on Monday.  Remember to bring those library books back if they are at home.  We will be going to the library to check out new books.  Please remember them as it will be a long break!

Be sure to send in those box tops.  Every Thursday I send down our bag of box tops to the office.  If you have any box tops or food labels that can be redeemed for money please send them in and I will get them turned in.

Pictures- Be on the lookout for more information regarding spring pictures.  Right now I know for sure that the date has been set for April 15^th.  I should have some more information in the near future. 

Host Family- We are looking for 10-12 families that would like to correspond with like families in China.  This would consist of Skype, e-mail & letters on a consistent basis.  If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Mary Stricker at: mary.stricker@evsc.k12.in.us.

North District 5K-  The race will be at North High School at 3pm on April 6^th, with the family fun beginning at 1pm.  Early registration is $25 for an individual and $40 for a family after that it will be $30 and $50.  Please come out and join us!

Thursday- Be extra sure to be at school on time as we are going to see Junie B. Jones the play on Thursday.  We will be leaving in the morning right after announcements and lunch count.  We have been reading her stories all year.  Now we get to see them come to life! 

Enjoy your weekend!

 Thanks,

Robert Moreland

Robert.Moreland@evsc.k12.in.us