If you have any 206 friends who miss the information in this week’s blog, please feel free to pass the word on via text, email or conversation. Thanks!
Welcome Back
Welcome back from your spring vacation! Its crazy to think how fast this year is going and that we only have a little over 2 months left of this year! Ahhh! Way too fast! We have some great events coming up in the next month. Check out the calendar page to see the events through the end of the year.
- EBS Idol – Friday Evening, April 24th
- Open House – Thursday, May 14th
- Zoo Field Trip – Monday, May 18th
Oh yeah and if you are wondering who the crazy lady with the teal hair is….its your very own Mrs. Miller! I decided to spunk it up a little and try something a little different and fun! I promise its the same me, just making the most of a fantastic year!
Spring Pictures
The kids did great today! There was a very helpful EBS parent there to help our class smooth, wipe, and prep these kiddos for the camera! Your children are beautiful!!!
EBS Idol Tickets
Talk is high about EBS Idol! As its my first year at EBS, I’m a bit in the dark, but from the little I know this is a big school event that is looked forward to with much anticipation! Students have had to plan, choreograph, turn in music and audition to get a part in this show! I was coerced into joining the teachers in the finale and have been practicing a couple times a week with some other EBS staff members! Seems like it’ll be a lot of fun! An initial set of flyers went home (white copies) that had an incorrect date. A corrected, green ticket flyer went home (and is pictured below) The tickets are $5.00 each unless you want the special seating in the front (those can only be purchased online).
- When: Friday, April 24th
- Time: 6:00 – 9:00 pm
- Location: EBS Auditorium
Subtraction and Some New Terminology for “equal”
This month we have focused greatly on the concept of subtraction (taking amounts away from a larger group). During our experiences with the concept of subtraction, we have told many types of stories, where the items/objects get eaten, lost, broken, etc. We have used many types of manipulatives to tell our math stories. Here is an example of a story the students are saying and some different ways to show they understand.
- Math Story – There were 8 birds in the nest. Then 2 of them flew away. How many birds were still in the nest?
- Picture to show understanding – O O O O O O
O O - Number Sentence 8 – 2 = 6 or 6 = 8 -2 (See explanation below to show how students understanding of “equal/= ” needs to be flexible and clear).
- Oral Reading of the Number Sentence: “Eight take away two is the same as 6.”
- Answering the Question: (often forgotten) There were 6 birds in the nest.
Equal = “The Same As”
Many of the students have been exposed to mathematical symbols ( +, – , = ). Though many students have a misconception about the meaning of the “equal” symbol ( = ). It is often misinterpreted to mean “the answer is.” This can limit student’s understanding and can cause them to be inflexible in their understanding. We are trying to get students to see that the relationship between both sides of the “equal/= ” sign are the same (a balance on both sides. In reference to the example (number sentence) above, 8 – 2 birds is the same as 6 birds (just as 6 = 6). This is a very key concept for students to understand in subtraction and addition. To help reinforce this understanding, we use the phrase “the same as,” when working in our math stories and number sentences. We have also reversed our number sentences (like the example above) to help show the equality.
I know when I was in elementary school, the “equal/= ” symbol was used to show the answer was coming. I have had to retrain myself to remember the understanding of the symbol and to then use the words that match the meaning of the number relationships. Try using “the same as” at home, especially when doing the Family Math Problems on the back of our reading logs.
Writing
We have had some writing goals as we progress to the end of the year to help us improve as we prepare for the next year ahead.
- Writing Content Goals – Many of our writers, write one sentence to share their story.
- We are working to add on to our stories.
- Give more details to explain our stories.
- Show what happened through our words.
- Label our pictures to help explain them.
- Language Goals – As young writers, sometimes habits have been picked up that need to be retrained. See the many of the habits we are working to retrain.
- Using a capital letter at the beginning of every sentence.
- Only use capital letters at the beginning of the sentence, the word “I,” or for proper nouns. (many writers have built in habits of writing certain letters in capital letters, regardless of where the letters are being used.
- Reread your writing to check for where the periods should go (end of an idea).
- The writer should reread the writing aloud to make sure it can be reread.
Monday – 4/13
- PE with Coach Blower (don’t forget to wear your tennis shoes)
- Renew Book Borrow Bags (return the bags on Mondays to receive new books) – READ these books 1-3 times each night throughout the week!
Tuesday – 4/14
- Return School Library books – no check out until after spring break
- Character Education Lesson – with Angela Weathers
Wednesday – 4/15
- Library Visit – (TK dismissal at 12:55 in the library)
- Computer Lab with Ms. Martin
Thursday – 4/16
- Minimum Day (dismissal at 12:30)
- Mission Federal Credit Union at School for deposits!
Friday – 4/17
- Homework/Reading Log Due (aim for 20 minutes of reading a session…break in two parts if needed)
- Afternoon Run Club for K Students Only (Wear Tennis Shoes)
