Mrs. Shelton's Blog

Short U sound
rough
grudge
stunt
thumb
once
another
does
trouble
cousin
began
oxygen
copy
very 
until
umpier
sudden
which
city
furious
infamous
glorious
humorous
precious
serious

Tuesday is Picture Retakes!  If you would like your child to do retakes or if they haven’t yet taken their school pictures this will be the last chance.  Please remember that uniforms must be worn.

We will be having our first of 4 class parties on October 28th for Halloween!  I am in need of some parent volunteers to organize and put it together.  We have 24 students in our class and will be having the party from 10:30-11:45.  Treats are allowed for this party as long as I know at least a week in advance what exactly will be offered so i can inform parents.  If you are interested in helping, please contact me via email or comment below.  

Who knew that so much thought, math and science needed to go into flipping a bottle?

Tonight’s homework is:

Read 20 minutes
Do Wednesday’s Sort word homework online
Do lesson 45 on Frontrowed (It should be under assignments in math)

We started division today!  I know there are many ways of doing math these days but I introduced division using the old fashioned algorithm today.  Most of the students were starting to get it but tonights homework will continue practice on that skill.  
The kids were absolutely AMAZING today and it made for a very relaxing teaching and learning experience for all!

ur/er/ir
urgent
Thursday
purpose
thirsty
camera
wonder
smuggler
remember
surprise
earth
certain
person
dollar
color
collar
early
mayor
doctor

I know that a lot of parents and students were worried about the fact that they could not get their homework done last night due to the power outages and the blog being down.  Please don’t worry about it.  I gave all students credit for it and gave extra credit to the ones that did it on paper despite the challenging circumstances. 🙂  
I did however, have a stern talk with my class about the importance of doing their math assignments at home.  I usually give them time in class to work on their problems but yesterday they were excessively talkative.  I had previously  warned them that if this were the case they would not get class time to work on it so as they kept talking, I revoked the privilege of working on it in class and made it strictly homework.  I had a total of 9 kids out of 24 that actually completed the assignment.  I don’t think the others even took it home.  I was frustrated because it is a concept that they are struggling with and we are scheduled to test on it next week.  I told them that I am willing to explain it and help them with it but they also have to put in some effort to practice it at home because that is the only way to master it.  
I introduced them to three different ways of doing double and triple digit multiplication by double digit multiplication. I also had them take notes on the step by step instructions for each method to accompany the assignment in their math journals.  It is a struggle every year and I get it, but if they continue to practice they will get it.  However, they must practice on their own.  Frontrowed.com has a current assignment that works on this skill if you would like your child to practice it over the weekend to help prepare them for the test on Monday.  I did not assign it for homework, as I am not allowed to assign homework over the weekend.  I told the students that did not have the math assignment done that they could work on it and turn it in next week for full credit but some “rushed through” and turned it in anyway.  I still kept the students in from Fun Friday if they did not complete the worksheet from the night before to stress the importance of doing the independent practice.  
Next week we will work on division of multi digit numbers which again will bring frustration I’m sure so brace yourselves. 😉
Have a BeUTEful Weekend!

I had a parent that wanted some clarifications on homework expectations so I thought I would share them with everyone so as to avoid any confusion.
–I expect the kids to read 20 minutes every night and write it on their reading calendar which is then signed off at the end of the week by you. This is then turned in at the end of the month for reading minute credit.
–Math homework is also assigned nightly, BUT I almost always give them time to work on it in class, so the majority of them get it completed then. If it is not completed in class I expect it to be turned in the following day.
–As a class we are struggling on our multiplication facts and although we work on them in class daily it would be beneficial to have your child work on math fluency (frontrowed.com) nightly to facilitate comprehension of more complex math tasks. This is NOT part of their grade but it highly recommended.
–In addition, I expect them to do their weekly word work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the test on Friday. *If they are unable to complete it online they are welcome to submit it on paper.

I would ideally love to assign digital homework for math but have been unable to find a site that includes all of the standards we are working on in class. If I do find one, I will make that change because it makes my grading and tracking so much easier but I haven’t as of yet. Other than that, unless we are working on a specific assignment that needs to be completed outside of class, there is nothing. I may add a current event homework element but it won’t be until after second quarter. I’m sorry for any confusion. I tell the kids repeatedly that the math is due the next day and the word work is due by Thursday night. (Although technically they won’t receive a zero until the assignment is one week late) The reading calendars are due the end of the month but bringing the folder to and from school daily allows for a means of taking home and returning papers. I hope that helps clarify things and I am sorry if there was any confusion.

We have been talking in class about what good writers and readers do, in order to prepare for our upcoming writing assignment.  We have read many personal narratives as a class and will continue to explore them and use them as a model as we being writing, but it would be beneficial if you would discuss with your child some possible writing ideas.  They should be moments that have been experienced personally by your child but can involve other family members or friends.  The writing topic should contain a lot of emotion but not necessarily be a long and engaging story or event.  I will obviously go over the characteristics of a personal narrative as we begin our writing but I just wanted your help in generating ideas and brainstorming with your child.  Thanks so much for your help!

Features of…

Personal Narrative
It begins with a topic sentence
It tells a true story about the writer’s own experiences.
It is written in the first person, using words such as I, me, and my.

It develops the characters, plot, and setting.
It follows a logical sequence of events.
It focuses on the development of a single event.
It describes how the author felt about the experience.