www.gilliankessler.edublogs.org

Hello Everyone,

I hope all of you mamas enjoyed the books that the children created last week.  I was so touched to watch how much effort, attention to detail and time they put into each page.  They clearly love and appreciate their moms immensely.

This week we will begin gratitude journals.  MIS mom and book maker extraordinaire, Shelly Lambros, hand made beautiful journals for each child.  The goal is to write every day for the rest of the school year.  The rules of the gratitude journal are to write down five things that we are thankful for daily.  We may not repeat entries, so each day must find new details to appreciate.  The focus, of course, is to help us realize how many gifts are in our every day.  This could be something that parents tried to do at home as well!

We will continue talking about the book, Listen to the Wind, and the story of Greg Mortenson and the schools he built in the middle east.

Remember, I have completed all of the DRA reading assessments.  If you are curious about how your child is progressing, please set up an appointment with me.  I am very proud of the test results and love celebrating the progress of every child.

Enjoy this gorgeous weather!  There is much to be grateful for.

Warmly,

Gillian

3rd Grade spelling list #28:  Words that end with -ed and -ing

begin

began

beginning

grin

grinned

grinning

swim

swam

swimming

step

stepped

stepping

trip

tripped

tripping

Review:

-won’t

-drive

-done

Challenge:

baby-sitting

window-shopping

commitment

committed

committing

2nd Grade:  Spelling List #28

what

when

where

who

whale

wheel

whole

while

white

whose

Reveiw:

-always

-new

-why

Challenge:

whisper

whistle

whistling

whatever

whereabouts

which

wholesome

Dear Families,

Spring is in full effect and we are trying to enjoy ourselves to the fullest!  I have finally completed all of the DRA reading assessments and am almost finished with the Burns-Roe Reading Inventory tests.  Both tests chart a child’s reading progress over the course of the year.  I am very pleased with how much growth all of the children have made.  You will be able to read more about these test results in your child’s narrative report card at the end of the year.  If you would have specific questions about your child, please let me know and we can set up a time to talk.

This week will find us deep into a “surprise” creative project.  Clue: we really, really love celebrating our mamas!  Due to the IWFF field trip on Friday, I will be administering spelling tests this Thursday.   I will be sure that the children are clear on this.

Enjoy the blossoms and sunshine, the blues and the greens!

Warmly,

Gillian

upon

into

inside

outside

without

everyone

anyone

anyway

sometimes

Review:

Wednesday

-true

-way

Challenge:

*summertime

*wintertime

*sailboat

*sunburn

*butterflies

*jellybeans

*headphone

*heartbeat

*applesauce

*headstand

*airfield

*kindhearted

*kneecap

*outstanding

can’t

didn’t

don’t

won’t

here’s

there’s

it’s

what’s

I’ll

we’ll

I’m

you’re

they’re

I’ve

you’ve

Review:

-almost

-plant

-whose

Challenge: More compound word fun J

*applesauce

*headstand

*airfield

*kindhearted

*kneecap

*outstanding

*stingray

*starlight

*jellybean

Hello Families,

This week we spent time reflecting on all of our accomplishments this year.  The children planned, drafted and revised paragraphs about their favorite English class memories.  I also began the lengthy process of administering the DRA reading assessment.  This is a fairly detailed, comprehensive test and the students are meeting the challenge with focus and determination.  I am very proud of how much they have grown as readers over the course of the year.  Thank you for all the time you’ve spent at home listening to your child read!

While I will not be at the student-lead conferences next week, I will be available to meet one-on-one if you have specific questions about the progress of your child.   Please let me know and we can set something up.

Because there is no school next Friday, 4/27, next week’s spelling test will be administered on Thursday, 4/26.

I hope to see you all this Saturday for our Earth Day celebration.  The day is supposed to be gorgeous!

Warmly,

Gillian

out

shout

loud

mouth

how

now

down

town

brown

our

Review:

-two (2)

-told

-should

Challenge:

*howl

*playground

*downtown

*brownie

*however

*knowledge

*knowledgeable

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

month

monthly

year

Review:

-bother

-noon

-weekend

Challenge:

*calendar

*annual (Do you know what this means?)

*organize

*organization

*knowledge

*knowledgeable

Welcome back, everyone!  We began our week by writing and sharing stories about our spring break adventures.  We then spent some more time reading and reflecting on Earth Day, enjoying the Robert Graves’ story, Two Wise Children in our Junior Great Book series and reviewing contractions.  We also began writing persuasive letters to Mayor John Engan about our recycling program in Missoula.  We will continue to edit and revise our letters so that they are in tip-top shape when they arrive in the mayor’s office!

Warmly,

Gillian

too (as in, “I want to go to the party, too!”)

food

boot

room

broom

moon

soon

pool

school

two (as in the number two)

Review:

-would

-boat

-to (as in, “I will give this to you.”)

Challenge:

*schoolyard

*bathroom

*moonlight

*broomstick

*sooner

thick

thunder

throat

truth

bath

bother

father

feather

gather

together

rather

other

mother

another

nothing

Review:

-straight

-porch

-these

Challenge:

*author

*theatrical

*bothersome

*truthfully

*otherwise

*nothingness

*thoughtful

*theory

Happy sunshine, everyone.  The children continue to develop appreciation for the earth through their writing.  Last week we crafted descriptive paragraphs of a place in nature where we feel wholly at peace.  This place could be real or imaginary and was to be created in both picture and word images.  We spent time talking about the difference between “one cent” and “fifty cent” words (“bad” versus “atrocious”, say).  We poured over lists of adjectives to find words that make our writing come alive.  The childrens’ creations are on display in the hallway.

This week we will continue to use nature as an inspiration for writing.  We will read the book, Mother Earth, by Nancy Luenn and then talk about how she personifies the earth mother figure (birds are her songs, animals her fingers, etc.) The students will then use the metaphors in the book to write a letter from Mother Nature (or Father Nature as many of the boys will insist), to the children of the world, urging them to help save her from the destruction that she is enduring.   We will also spend some time writing outdoors and tap into our senses to celebrate quiet appreciation in nature.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, rejuvenating spring break.

Warmly,

Gillian

dew

few

new (as in, “I have a new coat.”)

chew

blew

flew

drew

grew

threw (as in, “I threw the ball.”)

sew

Review:

shoes

write (as in, “I will write a letter.”)

so

Challenge:

*newspaper

*view

*through (as in, “We walked through the maze.”)

*knew (as in, “Gillian knew the answer.”)

*fewest

*sewing machine

Dear Families,

What a fascinating morning we spent at the landfill today.  The students (and parents and teachers) were full of questions and certainly showed themselves to be inquirers.  When we returned to school we reflected on what we learned and the children wrote thank you notes to our tour guide.  Here are some fun quotes from their letters:

“My favorite part was when I go to see the black smoke and orange flames…I will always remember standing on a steep hill of trash.” -Elizabeth

“I learned that people in Washington need to recycle 35% of their garbage.  I will always remember the massive piles of our garbage…” -Miko

“I also learned that in one day Missoula produces 900 tons of garbage!” -Avery

“I will remember the bulldozer driving over a sofa!” -Jack

“Tonight I am going to tell my mom and grandpa that each day about 9 tons of trash gets flung into the dump!” -Benjamin

Thank you to our parent chaperones, Dick Richardson, Sandra Richardson, Jeannie Osellame, Zeina Jaffar and David Brooks.  Also a big thanks to Sandra Richardson and Emily Musco for joining us during English literacy last week.

This week we will conclude our Lorax studies and begin exploring The Wump World, Bill Peet’s fictional book about pollution.  Next week we will begin writing persuasive letters in an attempt to help improve the recycling system in Missoula.

Warmly,

Gillian

Happy March, everyone!  Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some spring sunshine soon!

This week has found the second and third graders bustling with energy and enthusiasm.  We’ve delved into our Seuss studies in anticipation of next weeks study of The Lorax.   Thank you to Amber Sherrill and Elizabeth Dove for their guest reading appearances.  Also a giant gracias to all the families who temporarily loaned their beautiful books to our classroom libraries.   Children seem the very most fascinated in books owned by their buddies.  There’s this magical thing that happens when we share our own things, as suddenly their importance seems to skyrocket.

In addition to exploring rhyme and other writing traits of Dr. Seuss, this week has found us drafting multiple paragraph essays, exploring spelling rules, buddy reading and discussing sustainable transportation.  Don’t forget that the children will be walking downtown tomorrow to learn more about the non-profit, Missoula In Motion and the Mountain Line bus center.  Be sure that they are dressed for these frigid temperatures and have a healthy snack on hand.

I will be giving the children their spelling tests on list #18 on Monday, as we spent all of our time together preparing for tomorrow’s trip.  Be on the look out for the children’s posters about sustainable transportation around the school.  Tomorrow’s trip should be an excellent lead in to our pollution studies that will begin next week.

Take Care,

Gillian

old

cold

gold

hold

fold

told

bold

sold

scold

roll

Review:

-most

-dream

-hope

Challenge:

*troll

*stroll

*stroller

*golden

*oldest

*coldest

*scolding

*folded

cool

fool

roof

noon

balloon

cocoon

goose

moose

loose

lose

choose

flute

rude

mule

music

Review:

-four (4)

-fudge

-glue

Challenge:

*shampoo

*kangaroo

*foolish

*musical

*pollute

*pollution

Hello Families,

We’ve had a very satisfying few weeks in English literacy.  Thank you to everyone who sent enthusiastic kiddos to school on Valentine’s Day, dressed in PJ’s with favorite books in hand!  There is nothing more satisfying than watching a room full of children cuddled up under blankets, heads cozy on pillows, lost in their favorite books.  It was so fun us all to share out our favorites and get a chance to share them with our schoolmates.   Also a big thanks to Ian Smith for coming in to read with Lynn’s class.

As, “I Love To Read!” month comes to a close, I have to say that I am extremely proud of all of our second and third graders and their commitment to reading.  Our literature studies have taken us in many directions these past few weeks.  We enjoyed many stories in our Junior Great Book series, had lengthy conversations about plot, characters, connections and what makes a good summary.  I also completed Stuart Little with Lynn’s group and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane with Sherri’s group.  Reading books together gives us many opportunities to deepen our understanding of good literature.  I am always so impressed with the comments and thoughts the children bring to our discussions.

Next week we will be preparing for our in depth study of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, part of our upcoming unit on pollution, by getting excited about all things Dr. Seuss.  Our studies coincide with the birthday of Theodore Geisel, so we’ll be celebrating his life and unique ways with words.  I will be heading to the library this weekend to check out all the Seuss books I can get my hands on but would love to have multiple copies, as kids love to buddy read.  Please send in any Dr. Seuss books you have that you’d like to temporarily share with us, to school with your child.  Be sure to put his or her name in the inside cover so that we can be sure they are returned safely.  Also, if you’d like to be a guest Seussian reader, just let me know!

Our children are not just thriving as readers, but they are growing into excellent writers as well.  This week their writer’s workshop projects have included five paragraph essays and journey stories.  We have also written summaries of Junior Great Book stories and responded to journal prompts in our draft books.  The focus in writer’s workshop this month is on the writing process with an emphasis on editing and revision.  We also continue to work on “10 point” sentences and perfect paragraphs.  It’s a journey with these young writer’s, but they continue to make improvements daily.

It truly is a joy to spend my days with your creative, bright, inquisitive and thoughtful children.

Warmly,

Gillian

boat

coat

goat

float

road (as in the, “The car drove down the road.”)

toad

soak

soap

toast

most

Review:

-eight

-today

-rode (as in, “I rode my bike.”)

Challenge:

*koala

*roller coaster

*mostly

*toaster

*floating

*sailboat

*soapy

for (as in, “This card is for you.”)

four (as in the number 4)

before

forest

born

corner

morning

storm

porch

orange

door

floor

more

store

wore

Review:

Were

Guard

Story

Challenge:

*orchestra

*chorus

*forever

*stormy

*foursome

*weren’t

*aren’t

Hello Families,

We are very excited about literacy centers these days!  The last few weeks centers have included a literature letter, a letter of appreciation to a parent, Valentine’s riddles, transportation paragraphs, literature circles and perfect sentence writing practice.  I can always use volunteers at the reading center to help listen to children read.  Come in and join us if you can!

Also a huge thank you to some parent volunteers!  Sandra Richardson has come in countless times to help with reading, editing and whatever other random tasks need to be accomplished on any given day.  Thank you!  Lisa Baumes has been leading a reading investigation of Caledcott winning books.  Awesome!  Christi Richardson enjoyed a reading session with us on Monday.  Also a huge thank you to MIS parent, Sneed Collard for his presentation on the rainforest.  Sneed talked to the children about how they can turn their own, real-life adventures into a piece of creative, non-fiction.  We are lucky to have so much talent in our MIS community!

Next Tuesday is Valentine’s Day.  In conjunction with, “I Love To Read!” month, the 2nd and 3rd grade classes will be hosting pajama parties.  We encourage kids to come to school in cozy jammies and bring in a pillow, blanket, a special stuffed toy and some of their favorite books!  In English we will get comfy on the carpet and have a reading marathon!  I’d love to have parent volunteers in to listen to children read.  Please let me know if you’d like to join us.

Warmly,

Gillian

This week’s spelling words are listed below:

all

ball

call

fall

hall

tall

wall

talk

walk

shall

Review:

push

much

will

Challenge:

*chalkboard

*beanstalk

*always

*basketball

*hallway

*tallest

*talking

*falling

Hi Families,

Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for our Marine Ecosystems presentation.  The Tacky plays were a blast and the children rose to the occasion with their reading!  I was very proud of their hard work.  The book share was also a great way for you to get a sense of how we spend our days.

Next week we will begin our unit on Transportation.  In English, the children will be working on creative non-fiction pieces about a journey that they have taken.  Please talk to them at home about what travel experience they would like to write about.  I would LOVE it if they could bring in some photographs from that trip.  The pictures will serve as writing prompts.  I told the kids that their journey story does not have to be about some major vacation.  It can be a journey around Missoula on a summer day, a ski adventure at Discovery or a weekend at a cabin.  Please help them brainstorm ideas!  Generally more recent trips work better for this project, as the details are still fresh in their memories.

Also, because many children are having trouble remembering to bring home their spelling lists, I will now include them in this blog post.  I’m sorry it’s taken my busy brain so long to make this simple addition!

Warmly,

Gillian

any

many

very

every

pretty

funny

sorry

story

money

happy

Review:

-great

-shop

-my

Challenge:

*fantasy

*mystery

*everything

*happiness

*funniest

*happily