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Below you will find our weekly newsletters. - November 7, 2012
- November 14, 2012
- November 28, 2012
- Brainwork Goals
- Snack Request
- December 12, 2012
- December 19, 2012
- January 2, 2013
- January 23, 2013
- February 6, 2013
- FYI
- February 27, 2013
- March 6, 2013
- March 27, 2013
- April 10, 2013
- April 17, 2013
- April 24, 2013
- May 8, 2013
- May 15, 2013
- Woohoo!
November 7, 2012 Hello parents,
We started today by rotating through three of our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, Scrapbooks, and WOW Words.
Brainwork is PALS homework. Each student set a goal number of brainwork pieces to complete before the end of January. The minimum number is 9; one for each time we meet for PALS. Students are not expected to get all the right answers or even to have an answer for every problem. As long as students have done their best, challenged themselves, and learned something new, they have been successful.
Brain Activities are games, puzzles, and activities, some of which are played in pairs or groups, and some that are done individually. Each month we teach new games to add to this station.
Scrapbooks are books of photos from the students’ time in PALS. We took a photo of each new student today on their first day in PALS. Throughout the year we will photograph activities and projects, and each student will write descriptions of the pictures in their scrapbooks. At the end of fifth grade, the kids all have great records of their time together.
Each week we have a new word of the week. Today’s WOW word is gallivant. One boy said he likes to gallivant when sleeping. (Does anyone have a sleepwalker out there?) Students write three sentences using this new word. Each chooses his/her best sentence to share on a sign in the hallway. Sheridan students are then able to read their sentences and see if they can guess the meaning of the word.
Mrs. Slack took the kids on a tour of the school, and introduced them to our classroom routines.
We then went outside for an affective activity. We stood in a circle, each on a marked spot. One person started in the center, without a spot, saying his/her name loudly and clearly, followed by a statement that is true about him/her. For example, “My name is Mrs. Smith, and I like sushi.” Everyone who also loves sushi then had to move from their spots and find different spots, quickly and carefully, while Mrs. Smith tried to get a spot for herself. The one who was left without a spot was then in the center. This activity helps kids practice being assertive, keeping each other physically safe while having fun, learn each other’s names, and get to know each other a little better.
Everyone seemed to be enjoy their morning, and to be comfortable with each other. I think we’re going to have a great year together :-).
Kathy & Jen
*We have completed PALS paperwork turned in for everyone in this group. Thank you, parents!
November 14, 2012 Hello parents,
We started today by rotating through three of our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, Scrapbooks, and WOW Words. Today’s WOW word is pule. It is common to see a toddler pule near the checkout counter at the grocery store.
We introduced our next all-class project, the “Yak’s Corner” Favorite Book Character Contest for the Detroit Free Press. Each child will draw his/her favorite character from a book s/he’s read. Each student will also write two paragraphs describing what makes this character special to him/her. We will work on these for a few weeks, striving to do our best art work. Each year we have several children win prizes in this contest, which is wonderful, considering it draws hundreds of entries from across the state.
Mrs. Slack guided students through writing their own classroom example of two good paragraphs describing a familiar book character from a story she read to the class. They began with a planning page listing three adjectives that describe the character, and then an example from the book demonstrating this adjective. The students also gave examples of how they, themselves, are sometimes similar to the characters they chose. Those who finished their planning began work on their rough drafts for their character drawings. Mrs. Smith taught them the basic proportions of a human face, and gave them some tips on specific facial features.
We then had fun with an affective activity. Each student was given a small paper turkey cut-out and a straw. The object was to hold the turkey onto the end of the straw by inhaling and keeping it suctioned to the straw’s end—all while walking as fast as possible to the finish line! It was a hoot. This is a fun, safe activity to help kids become comfortable with not being successful at something immediately. (Often PALS kids have trouble with that.) We did two “time trials”, trying to improve our own times, rather than “beating” someone else.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our next session will be Wednesday, November 28.
Kathy & Jen
November 28, 2012 Hello parents,
We hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
We started today by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, Scrapbooks, and WOW Words. Today’s word was biddable. May your children all be biddable when you ask them to do their chores :-) .
Next, we walked down to the salmon tank. The eggs have hatched. They are now at the sac-fry stage, meaning they are tiny fish with large portions of their egg sacs still attached to their abdomens. This portable food will slowly be digested, and the abdomens will “button up”.
Our affective activity today was a name-learning game. We sat in a circle, and the first person said his/her own name followed by the name of a food starting with the same letter, such as “Slack spaghetti”. The next person says his/her own name and a food, and the name and food of the person before him/her. The next person has to recite the two that have come before him/her, and add his/her own, and on and on. Obviously, it gets more challenging as the list grows! It is a fun way to make sure we know our classmates’ names.
Mrs. Slack then modeled writing two good paragraphs for the Favorite Book Character Contest. Once students finished their paragraphs, they continued working on the rough drafts of their drawings. A few students are now working on their final drawings.
Have a great week!
Kathy & Jen
*There is no PALS next week. Mrs. Slack will be visiting all elementary buildings working with small groups. Our next session will be on Wednesday, December 12.
Brainwork Goals Hi parents,
We have discovered that several students were under the impression that their brainwork goals need to be met before the holiday break. Please don’t panic! Brainwork goals are due at our mid-year of PALS, which is the end of January.
Mrs. Slack will be going over each student’s goal with him/her next week. The kids will then collect and take home the number of brainwork pieces still needed to meet their goals. That way they can work on brainwork over the holidays if needed, and know that when the brainwork in their folders is done, they have achieved their goals.
Enjoy this busy season!
Please email or call if you have any questions.
Kathy & Jen
Snack Request Hi parents,
We are running low on snacks for this group. Thank you to our parent(s) who have already donated! If you have not yet had the chance to donate a snack for the group, please consider doing so. The kids love 10:00 snack time. It really helps them get through the morning happily and productively.
Thanks!
Jen & Kathy
December 12, 2012 Hello parents,
We started today by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, Scrapbooks, and WOW Words. Today’s word was gargantuan. Rumor has it that Santa has a gargantuan belly.
We have only one more session of PALS before we need to send in our Favorite Book Character Contest entries. We currently have a couple of completed entries, and it looks like the rest will be able to finish their drawings next Wednesday in PALS.
To finish the morning, Mrs. Slack taught the kids a new type of brainwork—“Mini Fill-Ins”. These are structured like crossword puzzles, but the words are already given. Students must write the words into the proper places within the puzzle, using the number of letters and letter placement to fit them in correctly.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Kathy & Jen
December 19, 2012 Hello parents,
We started today by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, Scrapbooks, and WOW Words. Today’s word was vociferous. The children in the hallway seem to become more vociferous as the Holiday Break approaches. Sometimes we need to close our door in order to concentrate.
Today was the last day to complete our entries for the Favorite Book Character Contest. Everyone finished their pictures! Great job! Results from the judging take what seems like forever. We usually receive the results in the early spring.
Mrs. Slack met with each student today to see how s/he is working toward his/her brainwork goal. Then the kids collected the number of new pieces of brainwork to be completed before the end of January. (These are now in their PALS folders.) Holiday Break is a great time to get a good chunk of these done.
Many students are now working on their next writing projects—“Beyond this Fence”, “Spin a Story”, etc. These use different methods of starting a story to keep students excited about writing, and each will include a unique art project to illustrate the story.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season with your families!
Sincerely,
Kathy & Jen
*Our next session will be the day we return to school, January 2nd.
January 2, 2013 Hello parents,
Welcome back! We hope you had a relaxing and fun break, and that you weren’t without power for 3 days like Mrs. Smith! :-)
We started today by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, Scrapbooks, and WOW Words. Today’s word was frowsy. I looked rather frowsy after three days without running water for a shower and laundry!
Students then continued working on “Cruise into a Story”, where they use a spinner to randomly choose story elements upon which to expand. Next week, Mrs. Smith will instruct them on a new art project to illustrate these stories when the writing is finished.
When finished writing that story, students will begin their Animal Flip Books. These are books with many pages, each with an animal, chosen and drawn by the student. Each animal is divided into three equal sections of the page (by cutting). Each section of the page also has a part of a sentence: a subject, a verb, and a “because” section. When many animal pages are stacked, the reader can flip the pages to combine different heads, middles, and tails to make funny new animals. The words also get mixed up to form silly new sentences. We will work on this project for a portion of each session for many weeks. That way we can work on other projects as well to add variety to the day.
Sincerely,
Kathy & Jen
*Brainwork goals for this group are due to be met on Wednesday, January 30. Please check in with your child as that day approaches to see how s/he is progressing toward his/her goal.
January 23, 2013 Hello parents,
We started today by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, Scrapbooks, and WOW Words. Today’s word was forlorn. The boy was forlorn after his puppy ran away.
We then divided into two groups for our affective activity. Each group was given 20 sheets of scrap paper. They were given two minutes to discuss strategies, and then attempted to make the highest free-standing tower they could. We stopped after ten minutes to talk about what was working, and what had not. The kids then had ten more minutes to work. That second ten minutes was very successful! The two groups tied, each with twenty-three inch towers! It was a great exercise in trying lots of ideas (and abandoning many), cooperating, and listening to all members of the group.
The kids then studied a bit about the history of cotton candy. They first wrote down what they already knew about the delicious concoction. Then we read an informative article, writing down facts we were learning as we read. We finished the morning by observing how cotton candy is made in our small cotton candy machine. We were able to see the centrifugal force created by the spinning of the drum to spin the caramelized sugar into floss. Ask your child what s/he learned about cotton candy today!
Sincerely,
Kathy & Jen
*Brainwork goals for this group are due to be met next week on Wednesday, January 30. Please help your child remember his/her folder for PALS next week.
February 6, 2013 Hello parents,
We started today by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, and, instead of WOW Words, students worked on the February "Sketch and Tell".
We took time this morning to watch Sheridan's annual student talent show. It was quite impressive! Mrs. Slack and Mrs. Smith got to see lots of our PALS students perform, and several students from today's morning PALS group knew some of the performers as well.
Mrs. Slack conferenced briefly with each student to see how s/he did in meeting his/her brainwork goal for the first half of the year. Almost all of the kids in this morning's group met or exceeded their goals. One objective of having students set their own goals is to find out what a challenging, yet doable, goal is. It is a learning process. We are confident everyone in this group made a good, honest effort on their brainwork, even if this first goal wasn't met. “Great job”, kids! New goals were set today for the end of May. The minimum number is 10 pieces completed.
We spent the remainder of the morning doing research for Historical Fiction projects in the computer lab.
While all this was happening, the kids also took turns using our new cotton candy machine to make themselves a little treat!
We finished our session by continuing work on our Animal Flip Books.
We received the results of the Detroit News "Yak's Corner" Favorite Book Character Contest today. We again have a handful of winners from PALS in this state-wide competition. Unfortunately, none of our award recipients this year are second graders. We are very proud of the effort and time all our students put into their artwork for this contest! We are certain they all improved their drawing skills in the process.
Sincerely,
Kathy & Jen
There is no PALS next week. Mrs. Slack will be working with small groups in all elementary buildings. Our next session will be Wednesday, February 20.
FYI Hi parents,
During an upcoming PALS session (dates below), we will be taking a walking field trip to NCMC property to take winter photography. We do this project every year along with poetry, and the results are always wonderful!
2nd. Grade: February 20
3rd. Grade: Feb. 25
4th. Grade: Feb 22
5th. Grade: Feb 21
It is not necessary for children to bring their own cameras; we have classroom cameras that we share for this activity. If s/he would like to bring a camera, that is fine, but we cannot be responsible for any accidents that might occur. Please make sure your child has a coat, gloves, snow pants, and boots that day. It looks like this will be the first time in several years that we will be able to snowshoe to the college! (We have a school set of snowshoes for kids to use. If your child has his/her own snowshoes and would like to bring them, that is fine, too.)
Please feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.
Jen & Kathy
Kathy Slack
Elementary Enrichment Coordinator/Teacher
Sheridan Elementary School
348-2226
February 27, 2013 Hi parents,
Today, we corrected and got new brainwork, bypassing our other stations so that we would have more time with our winter photography.
Before heading out, we shared with the kids that 3 students in this group were award winners in the "Yak's Corner" Favorite Book Character Contest!
Congratulations to our winners, and great job to all of our PALS kids for all of their hard work and for giving their best effort on their entries.
All of the pictures are special and represent the students' artistic growth!
Next, we looked at examples of some good winter photographs and some not-so-good. We talked about the importance of a discernible focal point, getting to the level of the subject, lighting, focus, etc.
We then distributed snowshoes and went over how to put them on.
We walked to the college trail, and the kids got their snowshoes on. Each student took three photographs from which to choose two to describe via poetry.
Have a great week!
Kathy & Jen
March 6, 2013 Hi parents,
We started today by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, and Scrapbooks If students do not have scrapbook photos to write about, they are working on the monthly Sketch and Tell, which includes changing reflection and illustration pieces.
Next, the kids chose two photographs from the three they had taken last week to use with poetry writing. Although we do winter poetry with each Word Wizard grade level, the poem forms change and become more complex with each year. The two poems for this grade level are Lanturne and Tanka. Lanturne is a five-line verse shaped like a Japanese lantern with a a syllabic pattern of one, two, three, four, one. Tanka is a classic form of Japanese poetry related to the haiku. It has five unrhymed lines of five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables.
Today the kids were able to begin with either poem. We will continue working on these next week, and the students will type them for display with their photographs when finished writing.
Have a great week!
Kathy & Jen
**There is no PALS next week. Mrs. Slack is traveling to all elementaries for small groups. Our next session will be Wednesday, March 20.
**Mrs. Slack will be available on a drop-in basis for PALS conferences at Sheridan on Tuesday, March 12, and Thursday, March 14, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. If you would prefer to speak with Mrs. Slack via email or over the phone, that is fine as well. Be assured that she will always contact you if there are concerns that need attention.
March 27, 2013 Hi parents,
We only had a couple of students with us this morning, due to field trips, Music Informances, and vacation-goers.
We started Monday by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, and Scrapbooks. If students do not have new scrapbook photos to write about, they are working on the monthly Sketch and Tell.
Throughout the morning, Mrs. Slack met with students individually to see how they are coming along on their brainwork goals. All students should now have in their PALS folders the number of brainwork pieces needed to meet their spring goals. Spring Break is a great time to get some of these done!
At 10:00, our one remaining student :-) drew his own new species of fish and wrote and typed a creative writing piece to go with it.
Have a wonderful and relaxing Spring Break!
Kathy & Jen
April 10, 2013 Hi parents,
We started Wednesday by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, and Scrapbooks. If students do not have new scrapbook photos to write about, they are working on the monthly Sketch and Tell.
Next, students continued work on their Animal Flip Books. Their drawing is really improving, and the sentences they are writing are very cute and funny :-) .
Your child was sent home with a small packet of information on our field trip to Empire on May 1. We are very excited about this new trip! If you have questions after reading through the paperwork, or would like to drive and/or chaperone, please give us a call or an email.
Kathy & Jen
April 17, 2013 Hi parents,
We started Wednesday by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, and Scrapbooks. If students do not have new scrapbook photos to write about, they are working on the monthly Sketch and Tell.
Next, we did some bird study. We began by looking through a variety of bird guide books, each child choosing a bird to share which they thought had interesting features. We focused on the beaks and feet, and what they could tell us about the bird's diet and where they might live. For example, a bird with a short, sturdy beak might be able to crack open seeds, while a bird with a sharp, hooked beak might be adapted to tear meat, etc. A bird who has long, skinny, bare legs might be adapted for walking in water, while a bird with thick, long talons, is likely to catch prey to eat.
We then did a neat activity to demonstrate how different beaks are adapted to eat different food. Each student was given a "stomach" (plastic cup), and a beak (a spoon, tweezers, or a chopstick). The kids were given thirty seconds to try and "eat" each type of food (marbles, pennies, toothpicks, and marshmallows). Students recorded their results, and then we graphed our total results as a class. We found that our tweezer beaks were the most versatile--they were good at eating all the types of food, while the chopstick beak was only effective at eating the marshmallows. We discussed how our results reflect real birds: for instance, a hummingbird's straw-like beak is only good for sipping nectar, while a a Blue Jay's sturdy, pointed, more versatile beak can be used to crack nuts, eat fruit, insects, and even eggs or nestlings.
We also have a new addition to our classroom. The second-graders are going to be studying birds, so we will be incubating both Ringneck Pheasant and Bobwhite Quail eggs! The kids got a chance to see the pheasant eggs today, which will be going into the incubator this afternoon. This set of eggs should hatch between 23 and 28 days. The quail eggs have not yet arrived. When the chicks are old enough, they will be going to the nice farm home of an Ottawa teacher.
We have received a few permission slips for our May 1 field trip to Empire. This is coming up quick! Please send in these completed forms and money as soon as possible.
April 24, 2013 Hi parents,
We started Wednesday by rotating through our PALS stations—Brainwork, Brain Activities, and Scrapbooks. If students do not have new scrapbook photos to write about, they are working on the monthly Sketch and Tell.
Next, we reviewed what we learned last week about bird adaptations--how their bodies, specifically their feet, beaks, and feathers, are equipped to fit their particular habitats and diets. We then read some interesting information on the Piping Plover, whom we hope to see at Sleeping Bear Dunes next week. One fact that was surprising to me is that there are currently fewer than 5000 individuals of this species left in the world!
We looked through the beginner bird guide books we will be using on our field trip, so that we would know how they work, as well as to help us with today's project, "Invent a Bird". Each student was given a bird body to cut out, along with a selection of heads, beaks, legs and feet, and tails. S/he was able to select different body parts to make his/her own bird species. Once the bird was glued on a poster, the student had to draw a background habitat and food source that would fit their chosen adaptations. They did a great job, and really seemed to "get" it!
If finished with their birds, kids then began work on their Junior Ranger packets for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. They will work on these during our car ride to Empire next week, and we will finish the eight required activities at the park. Once these are completed, the kids will be sworn in as Junior Rangers at the park, and will receive a patch or badge, plus a certificate!
We plan on making the trip next week, rain or shine. Please be sure your child has layers of warm clothing, rain gear, and appropriate footwear for the weather. Also, if s/he would like to bring binoculars and/or a camera (and you trust him/her with it :-) , that is fine. We will take our own photos for scrapbooks as well, and will have enough binoculars for partners to share.
Kathy & Jen
May 8, 2013 Hi parents,
What a great trip we had last Wednesday! Thank you to all the generous parents who came along and/or drove. We were so fortunate to have such knowledgeable people spend time with us to teach us a little of what they know--Ms. Lessard at Wings of Wonder bird rescue, as well as the biologists who guided us to Piping Plovers at Sleeping Bear Dunes. What a treat to see both a male and female bird! We hope you enjoyed the birds and scenery as much as we did. If you were unable to join us, both places are well worth a summer drive!
Today, we began the morning rotating through stations. Next, the kids created a cover for their Animal Flip Books. They also made get-well cards for Betsy Jorgensen, who is out with pneumonia and slowly recovering. We miss you, Betsy!
Our next activity was digging through the owl pellets (vomit containing the hair and bones of the prey eaten by the owl) given to us at Wings of Wonder. Using a detailed chart of a rodent skeleton, students dissected the pellet, uncovering the bones within, and attempting to reassemble them. Most skeletons were incomplete, due to broken bones or the bird not eating the entire animal. If that was the case, the student assembled the skeleton of an imaginary animal of his/her choice, glued it to a black sheet of paper, and gave the "new species" a name.
Brainwork goals are due to be met next week. Please help your child remember his/her PALS folder.
Many of our eggs have hatched! Mrs. Smith came to check on the eggs Sunday night, knowing they were getting close. She came in to one pheasant already hatched (These were supposed to hatch after the quail, not before!). She then rushed to Meijer to buy light bulbs to heat the brooders (where the tiny chicks will spend some time growing). When she returned, she got to watch another pheasant hatch, and noticed several more eggs, including some of the quail, moving! By 1:00 am, she was tired of waiting, and just plain tired, and went home. Monday morning Mrs. Smith came in to find seven baby quail and five baby pheasant! Another pheasant and quail hatched Monday morning with the kids watching. Several more quail and pheasant have hatched since. What fun! There are still six eggs unhatched. We will give these one more day in the incubator, and then they will be considered duds and discarded. At the end of class today, each child got to hold one of the baby quail :-)
Kathy & Jen
*If your child did not finish his/her Junior Ranger packet (8 activities needed to be completed.), we have the badges and certificates in our classroom. If s/he would like these awards, s/he may bring in the completed packet (which was sent home last week following our field trip) to PALS next week, and we will happily bestow their spoils.
**Next week is our last PALS session of the year. We would like to celebrate a great year by sharing some yummy food to graze on while we work.
I have attached a document with one item for each child to bring. If the item chosen really doesn't work for you, please feel free to substitute another healthy food item.
***News of our annual PALS Spring Open House will be sent to you soon.
May 15, 2013 Hi parents,
We spent Wednesday wrapping up various projects we have worked on throughout the year. This is the last week of PALS for this school year :-( We enjoyed some yummy snacks (Thank you, kids and parents!) while we worked.
Our chicks have gone to their new home on the farm. They all had feathers growing on their wings, and the pheasants, especially, were trying to get out of their enclosures. Mrs. Smith came in to clean their houses on Saturday to find the light on in the room. (It turns on by motion sensor.) After much crawling around and peeping from the little escapee, s/he was found shivering behind the toilet in the class bathroom. The little chick was fine, and the window of the brooder was taped shut :-)
Information will be coming soon about our annual PALS Open House. We had chosen a day, but we have a group who will be gone on an overnight field trip that day, so we are rescheduling. We'll email invitations as soon as possible.
Thanks for sharing your kiddos with us this year. They are amazing!
Kathy & Jen
Kathy Slack
Elementary Enrichment Coordinator/Teacher
Sheridan Elementary School
348-2226
Woohoo! Hi again parents,
We forgot to add, the second-graders nearly all met or exceeded their Brainwork goals this time. Great job, kids!
Jen & Kathy
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