Brummitt's High Ability Blog Spot: Thriving Thursday!!

Spring is upon us here at Brummitt. I see all kinds of signs that spring has arrived this week. The kindergarten classes have their chicks hatching in the classes. I also hear the second graders are waiting on their ducks to hatch.

I hope they hatch next week. Some of the classes have caterpillars working hard to make their cocoons so they can become butterflies. I also see that lots of classes are getting into the spring spirit with awesome art. I really love everything I have seen so far. I know the students have worked hard to create very beautiful designs.

This week the One School One Book note went home for parents to inform you about this excellent program and opportunity to connect with your children through reading. I look forward to learning more about what we will be reading. Make sure to take a look.

Next week April 25^th thru May 6^th will be the ISTEP Testing at Brummitt for 3^rd and 4^th graders. Parents please make sure your children get a good night’s sleep and eat an awesome breakfast to help them be prepared for testing.

April 27^th is Secretaries’ Day. Also, Fridays are the Student Council Spirit Days so be sure to wear those school colors.

High Ability Summer School

Are you searching for educational enrichment this summer? Consider Duneland's High Ability Summer School! With the theme of "Time Travelers in Ancient Egypt," the 13-day program in June will focus on reading strategies and literature comprehension. It is open to current 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade HA students. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

This week we continued learning about our Life Skills with Organization. I think we all can use help with this every day and not just the students. I want them to know that making sure they are organized will help them when they are at school and it will really help them once they get older.

I let them know that they need to be organized in order to be successful. If you aren’t cluttered than it is easier for the brain to work. I want them to know that it can only help to stay prepared.

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant

Idiom of the Week

An Idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements. This week’s was …. He is a barrel of laughs. We all laughed at this one. Some students said they had never really heard it before, but got the gist because of the picture. I let them know it was much more common when I was in school. They all agreed it was pretty funny and cute. I didn’t have any takers on the drawing this week, but I hope someone will next week. Here is the hint: it involves ants and clothing. Good luck and I hope someone decides to draw this one or find a cool illustration online.

Language Arts

Kindergarten:

This week we continued working on connections and Knuffle Bunny A Cautionary Tale by Mo Williams. We took time to discuss the types of connections that were found in the story. We also discussed how Trixie really felt about Knuffle Bunny. We finished the four levels of questioning and we talked about toys or stuffed animals that we might be attached to and why. Next week we will bring in our favorite toy to use for a writing project. We also took a few minutes to talk about some connections in our lives and what categories: intellectual, physical, social, and emotional they could fit into.

First Grade:

This week we continued our journey through ancient Egypt and learning about their life and Hieroglyphs. We finished reading the book Hieroglyphs by Joyce Milton. We took time to discuss what we have learned so far and what our favorite part was and why. We also tried to make connections between the different people, places, things, and lives of Egypt.

We decided that life would have been really hard back then. We also started the next lesson and deciphered the next secret message. It led into what we will be learning about. The message read: Follow your heart, chase your dreams, and never give up! The students really liked this because they said it gives everyone hope that if they work hard enough anything is possible.

We started the next book on Egypt, but not ancient times. It is the story of Jean-Francois Champollion. How he had a dream and did all he could to follow it and succeed. He was the person who translated the Rosetta Stone. We will continue to work on this next week.

Second Grade:

This week we continued with The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. The students were really excited to discuss what they read over the weekend. I started by having them answer this question in their journals: Do you believe in “Happily Ever After?” The students all had great opinions on why and why not. We took time to talk about the book and what we all think of the story.

Then they listened to a few more chapters and really wanted to read some overnight. I let them take home the book and continue two more chapters. On Tuesday the students wrote in their journals and answered a few more questions about the book and comparing Edward to Despereaux. Then they listened to a few more chapters and we discussed what we thought.

They all agreed they wanted to keep reading for next week. So they are reading Chapters 17, 18, and 19 for Monday April 25^th. Next week we will continue to read and they will write their thoughts on the book in their journals. We will also continue to make comparisons between the books.

Third Grade:

This week the students finished with small groups reading and discussing the different versions of Cinderella. We then had discussed as a group about what they thought. They had some great thoughts about the versions and what changes were made. They got to write in their journals both days. Some students really struggle to find their voice and write about what they think. I will be working on it until the end of the year to help them find a voice to feel comfortable writing. One day they had to answer if they believe in “Happily Ever After.” The next day, they had to write about if they could change Cinderella what would they change and why. I know they have so much to say because they show it when we have class discussions, I just need to help them put it down on paper. We finished up Tuesday discussing the different versions of Cinderella from around the world. We talked about different countries and how they changed the book to fit their culture and lives. Next week we will talk about how stories are created and how they have changed through history.

Fourth Grade:

This week we continued our discussion about Art and History. The remaining students got to show us the art they found. Olivia found an interesting painting with George Washington and how his life might have been. She discussed how this was just an artist’s interruption, but it was lovely.

Josey showed us the statues that represented the students who during the civil rights movement went to an all-white school. This was a brilliant piece because each student’s statue looked just like them cast in metal. This art piece showed how those children really looked during that time in their lives. All the students found excellent pieces that showed a piece of history caught in time by an artist and their interpretation of the event. On Tuesday we discussed the author Troy Cummings and his visit. I asked the students if they would like to write a book and they all were very excited to try.

The students got to choose to work alone or with a partner. Then they got to start brain-storming their ideas. We got colored butcher paper and they got to work. I think this is something they are really excited to work on and that makes me really happy. I want to see all the very imaginative and creative ideas they find. Next week they will continue their work writing, creating monsters, and making illustrations. We will also take some time to talk about poetry and history.

Math

Kindergarten:

This week we had so much fun completing some really hard subtraction. The students got to count with me the original amount of jelly beans then we started our subtraction. They loved it. We took the whole class on Wednesday creating problems and solving them. They had a blast.

They did a great job working on counting down and solving double digit subtraction. I am so proud of how great they are doing and how hard they work to figure out the answers. They also rock at team work. On Thursday they got to use the IPads for the first time.

They were bubbling with excitement. I showed them all how to log on to their accounts and they go to work. I let them know that some questions will be really hard and some will be really easy. It is like that for the first 200 questions to establish the student’s knowledge base. They had so much fun talking and figuring out the math problems. Remember they can work on it at home anytime. All they need is the login I sent home. Next week we will continue with subtraction and see where it takes us.

First Grade:

This week we continued the unit on weight and measurement. We reviewed measurement and discussed dividing an inch. We then started to learn about weight with a cool song about ounces, pounds and a ton. This song helps the students remember how many ounces are in one pound.

After we talked about things, we played a game with the balance scale trying to figure out the monster’s weight. They did a great job balancing the scale to find the correct weight. On Thursday they got to have some fun with the IPad. The students got to practice their math facts and have fun while doing it.

They got to play sumdog.com challenging each other. They had a very great day playing and discussing all the games and rules. Next week we will continue with weight and we will read a book about an elephant and we will continue this adventure with weight and scales. We will learn about balance and ways to weigh things.

Second Grade:

This week we continued our Math comics with Divided We Fall. Some of the questions were on track but a few were above the level so we used some help from the calculator. It was so much fun reading the story then solving the problems. On Thursday we finished that up and had time to use the IPads to practice our math facts. We played sumdog.com to see how well we know our facts. It was a great class. Next week we will continue with our comic with the Average Joe, but first we will watch a video about averages to help us learn more about it. I can’t wait to see what crime is ahead of us.

Third and Fourth Grade: Math Vocabulary Comic Relief

This year I am starting something new we will be doing each week on Wednesdays. I have the Math Vocabulary Comic Relief board. Each week when the students come in on Wednesday they will go to look at the board and grab their problem. They will have five minutes to read and solve it. This week was parallel line. In math parallel lines are two lines in the same plane that, no matter how far they extend, do not intersect with each other. Parallel lines are the same distance apart at any given point. The students had to put on their thinking caps to solve this one and they did. All the students took the time to look at the picture on the wall to figure out which lines were parallel. I am proud that they all thought about it before just rushing to an answer. It was a great job by all.

Third Grade:

On Wednesday we continued on the chapter about Percent called Percent Machines. The students are continuing to work in small teams to solve each problem. This is something new for the students so it is taking more time to solve everything. I had a few who finished and started on the next chapter called, How Much Will I Need?

On Thursday they got to take a break and practice their math skills with the IPads. This way they can practice their facts and have fun. I wanted them to have some fun before all their testing starts next week. They had a blast and did a great job working on their math skills. Next week we will finish on the genius level and start: How Much Will I Need?

Fourth Grade:

On Wednesday we only got to meet for a little bit because of ISTEP Prep. On Thursday they got to have some fun before they have all that testing next week. The students used the IPads to practice their math skills. They had so much fun challenging each other to matches on sumdog.com. They used all their skills to compete and see how well they could do. I think they needed this practice using all their skills to be ready for next week’s ISTEP. Next week we will continue with, “How many legs are there?” if we are able to meet. It will depend on testing schedules and time.