Fall Festival!!

Saturday is the Fall Festival.  We hope you can come and possibly bid on many of our amazing auction items.  We will also be having a dunking booth, haunted house, bouncies, games, and FOOD!  Our class created a beautiful rocking chair based on Dr. Suess' book If I Ran The Zoo.  We hope you can come bid on it and help us raise money for Centerfield.

 

Biding Time

Mrs.K's class is working on a rocking chair. We created monstersthat go on our rocking chair. It comes with a booklet it tells were they are from,what they eat or something about them. you can bid on it at the centerfield fall festivalthis friday.
Love,
     hallie

What We Are Doing In School

In math we are learning about,latice box and doubling and halfing. In writing we are working on our realistic fiction pieces we are on the step of drafting,and revising some of us are on editing.In reading we are working on a system in the body after we are done researching we write a S.A.
That is what we are working on in school!
 Love,
          Hallie

See Whats On the Blog and Edmodo

        Hi parents/ gurdian it's me yuor blogger that keeps you updated. Oh you remeber, well then lets get on with the updating.......
      Lets talk about what we've been doing on Edmodo. If you heard your kids say '' we                                                                                                                            
stared read across kentucky",well our teacher saw that kids were puting the same thing on their reading log. So she decide to start Read Across KY.  Now kids can read different types of books and write different types of books reflections on Edmodo or on paper. That's what we've been doing on Read Acroos KY.

     Now all I got to say is keep checking the blog. I put a lot of effort in this post ;}

Tezja

Great Reading Website

We will be using this website in the classroom to help us read a variety of books to go along with Read Across America.  Go to tumblebookcloud.com, our school username is Centerfield and the password is login.  Students can find many interesting ebooks here that I will accept toward thier 25 books.

Can I understand it?

           In math reflections we've been working on explaining and being more clear so the teacher can read it and understand what you mean.We stared adding math vocab words to our word wall so if you need to no how to spell a word go grab it off of our word wall.

           In writing we work on adding more and tryingto reveal the main characters desire and struggles. As a writing activity we got with a partner and worked on showing them the story not telling them.(just so they could get an idea of what the story's about)

          On indpendent reading time we work on being a 4,3,2,1 but a 4 is the one we all want. If we get a 4 then we get the prize of knowing the Mrs.Kapfhammer is proud of you;).If we don't get it we write about how we can be a 4 next time.


Sorry I'm just now blogging hopes this make up for it. :) :)  :) :) :) :) Tezja

Reflections

Students are starting to turn in reflections on some of their books that they have completed for Read Across KY.  If possible, I would like reflections to be typed on Edmodo, but I will except written copies if need be.  Below are three great reflection examples turned in by two students.  The first on is an example of the Interview a Character Reflection.  The other two are Book Recommendation Reflections.  These students did a great job.  Remember reflections are to be 3 paragraphs.  I sent home examples a few weeks ago, but can do it again if you didn't get the copy.

Homework?????

I know that many of you have questions about the weekly homework log.  Students need to fill this out as they read or write a reflection during the week.  Some nights they may just be reading, some nights just working on a reflection.  It is really up to your child and what stage they are at with a book.  They should use a highlighter to highlight the genre of the book they are reading and tools used while reading.  Below is an example of a good weekly homework log.  Also, students should be filling in their Read Across KY reading log, as they finish a book and submit a reflection for that book.  I will collect them periodically as well.  See example below. 

      Wednesday we worked on looking at things in other views. Our science experiment about matter we had to observe what we herd and saw. Looking at things in a scientist way.

     In writing we had to treasure all the small moments in our life and try to think of a story that you wish had exist just coming from that small moment.


      That's all for today. Thanks for reading Tezja's blog:)
 

Check for Page Updates

Just a reminder to check the blog often for page updates. 

Bring Your Own Device

Dear Parents/Guardians:

 We want to explore how handheld electronics can be used in the classroom by students to increase engagement, motivation, and learning.  Countless nationwide surveys and studies show that student knowledge improves when coupled with technology, and handheld electronics are an essential part of 21st century learning.  We would like to utilize the handheld electronics that students already own and know how to work (i.e., non-serviced iPhones without sim card, iPods, iPads, Nook, etc).   Please note we are not requiring or requesting you to buy any devices!

The use of these handheld devices will not be daily, or always extensive.  There are times they will only make up a few minutes out of a day; it will depend upon the teacher’s instruction and the curriculum being covered.   Here are some planned uses:

 

1)  Use of a variety of apps for instructional purposes

2)   Communicating with peers on Blogs and Edmodo website

  (Note: responses are usually filtered, and user names or numbers are never displayed.)

3)  Creating multimedia projects where pictures, video, or audio may be captured.

4)  Special (free) access to our school's wi-fi network.  Students might use safe, kid-friendly search engines to research or connect to the internet for other specific purposes.

 

We will have some handheld electronic devices to supplement students that do not own a device. All devices will be kept in the classroom in a locked file cabinet when they are not being used.  Your child will be the only child using their device, therefore they will be responsible for it and any damages will not be covered by Centerfield Elementary. When beginning this process I will send a parent email and Edmodo reminder to bring devices to school the following day. We may eventually move into bringing devices every day once we get more familiarized and comfortable with the use and management of having devices coming from home. 

 

A paper copy of this letter will be coming home today.  Make sure to sign and return the back page to me. 

 

Bcomeing a communtiy

       Dear Parents/guardian      
         
          This month our class has been working on building up a community.To do that we have practiced on good sportsmanship and teamwork.

       In P.E we played chicken baseball, so we could test our teamwork. Most of us worked together while others came up with strategy. We all did different things, but we did good job.

       Sportsmanship was a good subject for us. We all did great using kind words and cheering on the other team in the class.


 Tezja(:

 

Confidentiality Training Online

If you are interested in helping out in the classroom this year in any way you need to do confidentiality training.  This year we are offering it online.  Please visit our school's website to access this at http://oldham.kyschools.us/centerfield/. 

The First Days of School

We've been hard at work getting to know each other, establishing our classroom routines, and community.  I am so excited to have such a wonderful class, full of kind and loving students.  Yesterday we learned a lot about our classroom.  I also shared about myself and we worked together to brainstorm our class promise.  Which we decided to read using fake accents, thanks to Ms. Lokits. Today we went to activity for the first time, had our first class meeting, did a team table challenge, and we conducted our first science experiment using Diet Coke and Mentos.  I can't wait to learn more about my students through their Nutshell bags!!! Don't forget to send in school paperwork and bring in a picture for our classroom and materials to decorate writer's notebooks. We are off to a great start.

Read Across Kentucky

This school year fourth graders will be participating in a program called Read Across Kentucky, which is a spin off the program Read Across America used in 5th grade at Centerfield. Every student will be required to read 35 books this school year and complete a reflection. Ten of the books and reflections will be completed in class, but the other 25 must be completed at home. Students will have some time in the classroom to work on their 25 books and reflections during their quiet reading time, but the bulk of it needs to be completed at home. I will be modeling how to write the reflections in class the first few weeks of school and I will be providing a reflection example in the future. Reflections must be submitted on Edmodo (more information to come) or can be hand written and submitted in person.
Three reasons Read Across Kentucky is AWESOME:
 1. Setting BIG goals pushes us to work hard and achieve!
 2. This opportunity will allow you to enjoy different genres that you may not have read before.
 3. Practice makes progress! Read everyday. 
To help stay on track use this schedule to help you make your goal.
    
November 1st - 8 books read and submitted independently
    February 14th - 16 books read and submitted independently
    May 23rd - 25 books read and submitted independently 
Below are the required genres:

6 Fiction:
     2-Realistic Fiction
     1-Historical Fiction
     1-Science Fiction
     1-Fantasy
     1-Mystery
6 Informational (Must include at least one science, one math, one history, and one biography.)
5  Current Events
3  Poetry Books
5  Chapter Book Choice
10 School Assignments

Check Out Our Podcasts!!!! New Link!

We spent the last few weeks planning, organizing, drafting, revising, and editing our personal narratives.  For publishing in we decided to use a fantastic digital tool called podcasting.  Check out the link below and listen to some excellent personal narratives written by my students.http://centerfieldelementary.podomatic.com
 

What's Going On In The Classroom?

We are really starting to hit our stride her in 2nd grade.  Students are really participating in more deep thinking and discussions about the serious topic of slavery in our current ELA unit.  We have been learning all about their journey, as well as, American history.  Some topics we have discussed are using our inferring skills, the author's purpose for writing these stories, author's message, biography vs. autobiography, whose point of view is the story told from, how would telling it from another point of view change the story, verbs and verb tenses, and antonyms. 

In writing we are currently moving through the stages of the writing process to complete a personal narrative.  We have been reading and listening to other narrative examples as writer's.  We have learned many new writing tools to include in our narratives like using thought shots, dialogue, onomatopoeia, sensory details, and how to explode the moment.  When we are finished drafting we are going to digitally publish them by podcasting.

In math we are have just wrapped up addition of 2, 3, and 4 digit numbers using regrouping.  We are now working on subtracting 2,3,and 4, digit numbers using regrouping.  We hope to move into telling time and money by the end of the month.  We also have a great field trip planned to Gatti Land to help us build our schema before working with fractions in April.

In Social Studies we just finished wrapping up a culture unit.  Now we are moving into force in science.  We just completed a science experiment called the balloon traveler and will soon be doing more.

Teacher vs. Student Basketball Game

We had a great time to day playing our 4th and 5th graders in our annual Teacher vs. Student basketball game.  This year the teachers brought our A game and the poor 4th and 5th graders didn't know what hit them.  The students fought hard, but the teachers came away with an eight point victory this year.  So now the overall record is 1-1.  I loved having my class cheer me on as the 5th grade boys tried to put a beating on me! Like they could stop me.

What a Wonderful World

We having been learning about traditions and cultures of our families, our schools, and our commuminty.  Ms. Whitley taught the students sign language to the song What a Wonderful World.  We used this song to discuss what a wonderful place our world is. 

Building Bridges

For our last English Langauge Arts unit our theme was "Building bridges between unlikely friendships".  We read many books about unlikely friendships including Owen and Mzee, Henry and Mudge, and Charlotte's Web.  We discussed the plot of these stories as well as really looking at character traits of each person in the book.  As part of this unit we discussed figurative langauge like idioms and synonyms for adjectives and verbs.  We also discussed how building bridges was a metaphor about making friends with people you may not normally be friends with and not putting up walls.  To end our unit, students brought in household items abd we investigated different types of bridges.  They put their engineering skills to the test and worked in groups to build their own bridges.  It was fantastic!

Hard at Work

We have had many interesting things going on here at school.  First we have had the pleasure of having a student teacher from Spalding in out classroom for about a month.  Her name is Sara Whitley and the students have loved getting to know her.

Middle School Visit

We had about 15 visitors from North Oldham Middle School come in and help us while reading Tall Tales.  The students really enjoyed working with the older kids who gave them some great ideas for how to be a good story teller.

Reading Buddies

All year we have been reading with our third grade reading buddies on Thursday afternoons. This is a great way to meet new friends while practicing our reading fluency and comprehension. The third graders are also introducing us to some new websites that we have never used before.

Can Food Drive

Thanks for all who donated to our Can Food Drive.  Our class collected over 150 cans for the needy.  I am so impressed by our generosity and willingness to do things for others.

A Fantasea Christmas

Holiday Fun

We had lots of fun before the Christmas break with holiday activities.  First, the second grade did a fabulous job performing in our 2nd grade musical "A Fantasea Christmas".  We also had lots of fun at our holiday party turning some of our classmates into real life snowmen.

Learning About a Democracy

Today we learned about what a democratic government is and observed our right to cast a vote about our class ribbon design.  Students waited in line just like in a real life voting booth, cast their vote by paper ballot, and then celebrated the results.  We learned the concept of majority rules and students had a great time seeing what won.

Waiting in line to cast our votes

Making our selection

 

Book Character Dress Up Day

I love this picture!  All the kids were acting like the character from their books!  Thanks for participating.

Awesome Apostrophes!

We have been learning all about the jobs of the apostrophe.  Students have learned that we use an apostrophe to show that a noun owns something and that we use it with pronouns to make contractions.  They got a firsthand experience being a doctor in class.  After getting prepared for surgery, students took two words and created contractions.  They used their mighty surgical tools; scissors, band aids, and their brains to do this.

 

Fall Festival

This weekend is our Fall Festival from 4:00-7:00 on the 13th.  We will be having an informal open house that day as well from 3:30-4:00.  Please feel free to come by the classroom and look at your child's work.  Our class worked hard to create our class project this year.  I hope that you come by and put in a bid.

What is going on in ELA?

We have been hard at work with our second English Language Arts Unit: A Season of Chapters.  Our guiding question is how do the parts contribute to the whole?  In writing we started small and learned what makes a complete sentence.  From there we learned what are the three parts of a paragraph; topic sentence, the body, and the closing sentence.  Right now we are focusing on each of those parts and becoming experts in paragraph writing.  In reading we learned to look at a story and answer the 5Ws and How.  We learned that these questions help us to figure out 4 very important story elements; the setting, characters, problem, and the solution.  We also learned that fiction stories are written in a very organized way; the beginning, action in the middle, and the ending.  We also looked at nonfiction writing and text features that author's use to organize their writing.  Next week we are going to start looking more closely at poetry and some literary devices like rhythm, rhyme, simile, and metaphor.

Friday is our celebration for reaching our school goal of $12,000.00 dollars for our Walkathon.  The kids will be watching the movie Dolphin Tale.  Make sure to send in the PG movie permission slip.  They will also be celebrating by having a water day in activity.  They will get the opportunity to dunk some teachers and have a Popsicle reward.  I am so proud of our class for setting a $500 dollar goal and surpassing it.  We raised $750 as a class!!!!! Thank you so much for helping your child get their pledges in and supporting our school.

Early Release Day

Tomorrow is our first Early Release Day. Make sure your child knows how they are getting home or where they are going after school.

Mrs. K

In Full Swing

We have finally gotten things going in full swing this year.  After a very rushed and crazy two day move in, our classroom is finally starting to look like itself again.  Students have been working very hard to learn the routines and procedures of 2nd grade.  With the help of music and some furry quiet critters, they are really starting to get the hang of things.  We have been discussing what community means and setting up our classroom community. As part of this, students have been bringing in pictures of themselves to keep in OUR classroom the rest of the year.  We have also discussed what it means to be a Wildcat, how we can be Bucket Fillers this year, what qualities a good citizen in our classroom would have, and the rights and responsibilities of students in our rooms.  

In reading we have worked on Daily Five activities, reviewed metacognition, and practiced the workshop routines.  We are trying to become deeper thinkers this year by really being aware of our thinking while reading.  In writing we have been working on setting up our writer's workshop.  Students have used many activities to get ideas for writing and have been practicing extending these ideas by writing long.  Math has been really fun because we start with a crowd pleaser, measurement.  We have been investigating different tools that we use for measuring like the ruler, measuring tape, yard stick, and meter stick. Students have also been learning how to organize data using tally charts and line plots. Last, but not least, we have been learning the Phonics Dance. Ask your child to show you how to do it.

Mrs. K

PTA One-call Emails

The school and PTA are now using one-call emails to communicate info home to
families instead of the one-call phone calls. If you are not receiving one-call emails from the PTA, please let Centerfield know.

Six Traits of Writing

We have started looking at books like writer's and talking about The Six Traits of Writing. We have been focusing on Word Choice. We've discovered that words can be powerful and can form strong mental images in our reader's mind. It is really important that we use words correctly and sometimes we say things that when visualized seem silly. These are some posters that the kids created using either puns, homophones, or homonyms.