Merry Christmas everyone! Happy holidays to all! What a special time of the year for spending time with friends and family. May we all have a happy, healthy, holiday season!!!
This week we are going to focus all our ELA activities around this special time of the year. Since the students are so excited about the season, we are going to use that energy for our lessons.
This week's spelling words are all holiday words!
elf, elves, snowman, reindeer, Santa Claus, Christmas, celebrating, mistletoe, sleigh, sledding, turkey, present, chimney, sweater, coal, ornaments, star, caroling, Grinch, snowflake, wreath, icicle, December, twenty-fifth, holiday
We will be reading "T'was the Night Before Christmas" this week and writing letters to Santa.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!! Happy New Year!!! to all.....
Mrs. Carr
Monday, December 16, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
December is here!
Excitement
is definitely in the air. There is an energy that is that is certainly electric!
It's
beginning to look a lot like .......red, green, laughing, smiles, presents,
snow, Santa, elves, turkey, stockings, anticipation. What do these
words tell you? We call these "loaded" words. They are
packed full of clues as to what we want our readers to connect to....
English
Language Arts class has been very busy. Students have been working on
recognizing the difference that word choice makes in their writing. We
have been identifying nouns, pronouns, verbs and adjectives. We are
learning how to write sentences that are bursting with descriptive
details. Recent writing prompts have been "Why You Should Come to My
House for Thanksgiving", and a persuasive letter to Santa- asking for
that perfect gift.
Our
class has just finished reading the “Cricket in Times Square” and currently is
reading "A Big-City Dream". Don't forget... December book
projects are due the last day of the school month (December 20th).
Spelling
Wordlist: thought, something, school,
there, need, could, hand, important, don’t, far, your, high, again, once, they,
year, than, enough, people, appear, celebrate, impressed
Enjoy this wonderful
holiday season with your family!!!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
November Notes #2
We have been very busy here at OCS this week! It was good to see so many parents here visiting for American Education Week! The upcoming week continues to be packed full of lots to do and lots to learn!
The 4th/5th grade ELA resource room words of the week are:
head, also, four, show, been, around, began, above, long, took, air, there, were, large, might, weather, building, kind, use, often, use, worker.
We are continuing to read the adventures of Nicky Fifth on his "Garden State Adventure". T-bone, Nicky, and his family have been to High Point, Stokes State Forest, Trenton- the Old Barracks, State House, Planetarium, William Trent House and DeLorenzo's. Tomorrow's adventure takes them to Island Beach State Park. The class is tracking the trip and taking notes along the way. You never know when you may go on your own Garden State Adventure!
The 4th/5th grade ELA resource room words of the week are:
head, also, four, show, been, around, began, above, long, took, air, there, were, large, might, weather, building, kind, use, often, use, worker.
We are continuing to read the adventures of Nicky Fifth on his "Garden State Adventure". T-bone, Nicky, and his family have been to High Point, Stokes State Forest, Trenton- the Old Barracks, State House, Planetarium, William Trent House and DeLorenzo's. Tomorrow's adventure takes them to Island Beach State Park. The class is tracking the trip and taking notes along the way. You never know when you may go on your own Garden State Adventure!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
November Notes
November seems to be such a short month with Teachers' Convention and our Thanksgiving holiday. The brisk air brings with it a sense of excitement for things to come!
Teachers' Convention certainly made a trip to Atlantic City exciting with all the workshops, key note speakers, and trade show happenings. I attended fantastic workshops and came home with lots of new ideas:)
Having attended the CEP Character Education Conference in October, it was certainly validating to attend the Create Classroom Climates where All Students Thrive and HIB Withers session in AC facilitated by Rutgers professor Dr. Maurice Elias. Dr. Elias spoke of the challenges we face in education today as educators, students, administrators and parents. He provided evidence that the higher expectations of academic achievement (CCSS) can only be reached if students are focused and ready to learn. Students with strong character values are ready to learn and ready to achieve. Our CORRECT values reflect Dr. Elias's research!
Another session I attended was led by Lisa Funari Willever, a well-known NJ author that once was here at OCS for an "author visit". Currently, our class is reading her 2nd book- Garden State Adventure". Mrs. Willever has written seven books about adventures in NJ. Here characters Nicky Fifth and T-Bone have been presented before the legislature in Trenton to be made state ambassadors. Mrs. Willever's books present NJ's history, resources, beaches, state parks, etc. in a way that captures the attention of the reader. Recently Mrs. Willever has partnered with the NJ State Forestry Services (DEP) to bring awareness to NJ's environment and our great outdoors. Our class hopes to be able to read all of her books by the end of the year. They are fun, entertaining, and teach us much about the great state we live in- New Jersey.
Last week we had the first Level 3 Core Word Spelling Challenge (60 words). Congratulations to Z. Neves for achieving 100% and being placed on our class Wall of Fame.
Spelling Words this week include: life, little, left, without, thought, there, enough, know, something, these, another, house, took, animal, find and once. This week we will be adding a "sentence dictation" section to our spelling assessment. It is important to be able to apply correct spelling to our everyday writing!
Teachers' Convention certainly made a trip to Atlantic City exciting with all the workshops, key note speakers, and trade show happenings. I attended fantastic workshops and came home with lots of new ideas:)
Having attended the CEP Character Education Conference in October, it was certainly validating to attend the Create Classroom Climates where All Students Thrive and HIB Withers session in AC facilitated by Rutgers professor Dr. Maurice Elias. Dr. Elias spoke of the challenges we face in education today as educators, students, administrators and parents. He provided evidence that the higher expectations of academic achievement (CCSS) can only be reached if students are focused and ready to learn. Students with strong character values are ready to learn and ready to achieve. Our CORRECT values reflect Dr. Elias's research!
Another session I attended was led by Lisa Funari Willever, a well-known NJ author that once was here at OCS for an "author visit". Currently, our class is reading her 2nd book- Garden State Adventure". Mrs. Willever has written seven books about adventures in NJ. Here characters Nicky Fifth and T-Bone have been presented before the legislature in Trenton to be made state ambassadors. Mrs. Willever's books present NJ's history, resources, beaches, state parks, etc. in a way that captures the attention of the reader. Recently Mrs. Willever has partnered with the NJ State Forestry Services (DEP) to bring awareness to NJ's environment and our great outdoors. Our class hopes to be able to read all of her books by the end of the year. They are fun, entertaining, and teach us much about the great state we live in- New Jersey.
Last week we had the first Level 3 Core Word Spelling Challenge (60 words). Congratulations to Z. Neves for achieving 100% and being placed on our class Wall of Fame.
Spelling Words this week include: life, little, left, without, thought, there, enough, know, something, these, another, house, took, animal, find and once. This week we will be adding a "sentence dictation" section to our spelling assessment. It is important to be able to apply correct spelling to our everyday writing!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Happy Halloween!
What an exciting parade we just had! Goblins, ghosts, princesses, and even another Mr. Magnuson complete with his IPAD and walkie-talkie were marching around the school with anxious anticipation of the evening's Trick or Treating! Everyone looked fantastic.
It's hard to believe October is coming to a close. My class turned in their first book projects today! We have book covers, movie posters, and even a board game. I'm looking forward to the presentations! Please remember that all projects need to include four parts.
1. Book project (from the project list that was signed by parents) 30%
2. 5-4-3-2-1 graphic organizer with details about the book 30%
3. Book summary 30%
4. In-class presentation 10%
This is the first of our projects that will be due on the last school day of each month throughout the year.
We have just finished reading "The History of Yum". The class and I enjoyed reading about the history of Hershey's chocolate. Sounds like it is one of the class's favorite things!
We are continuing Garden State Adventure and can't wait to see where Nicky Fifth and his family are heading next.
This week's spelling words: could, been, around, too, boys, their, home, different, feet, without, side, its, land, from, large, form, excellent, guarantee, museum, directions
Just a reminder as COURAGE and Anti-Bullying month come to a close....
We need to have COURAGE everyday to become better students and better persons.
We need COURAGE to stand up as UPSTANDERS and say NO to bullying!!!
CORRECT COUNTS!
What an exciting parade we just had! Goblins, ghosts, princesses, and even another Mr. Magnuson complete with his IPAD and walkie-talkie were marching around the school with anxious anticipation of the evening's Trick or Treating! Everyone looked fantastic.
It's hard to believe October is coming to a close. My class turned in their first book projects today! We have book covers, movie posters, and even a board game. I'm looking forward to the presentations! Please remember that all projects need to include four parts.
1. Book project (from the project list that was signed by parents) 30%
2. 5-4-3-2-1 graphic organizer with details about the book 30%
3. Book summary 30%
4. In-class presentation 10%
This is the first of our projects that will be due on the last school day of each month throughout the year.
We have just finished reading "The History of Yum". The class and I enjoyed reading about the history of Hershey's chocolate. Sounds like it is one of the class's favorite things!
We are continuing Garden State Adventure and can't wait to see where Nicky Fifth and his family are heading next.
This week's spelling words: could, been, around, too, boys, their, home, different, feet, without, side, its, land, from, large, form, excellent, guarantee, museum, directions
Just a reminder as COURAGE and Anti-Bullying month come to a close....
We need to have COURAGE everyday to become better students and better persons.
We need COURAGE to stand up as UPSTANDERS and say NO to bullying!!!
CORRECT COUNTS!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
October Happenings....
Mrs. Carr's ELA class is working on the writing prompt a "Schoolbus to Somewhere". Students have picked different locations of where they would like to travel on that special bus ride. We are working on developing that special introduction that is sure to "grab" the readers' attention.
October is also the month that we have begun our monthly book projects. Students have been provided with a list of 25+ projects they may complete for this assignment. It is important to remember we need to read, Read, READ, in order to achieve! Each month students are to choose a different book and a different project. They are to have the book and project approved by Mrs. Carr, read the book, complete the 5-4-3-2-1 organizer, complete the project, and present it to the class. Projects are due on October 31, 2013. Presentations begin on November 1, 2013.
Weekly spelling (week of 10/14/13)
what, asked, always, want, world, help, school, each, going, show, right, important, around, there, they're, their, write, another
Mrs. Carr's ELA class is working on the writing prompt a "Schoolbus to Somewhere". Students have picked different locations of where they would like to travel on that special bus ride. We are working on developing that special introduction that is sure to "grab" the readers' attention.
October is also the month that we have begun our monthly book projects. Students have been provided with a list of 25+ projects they may complete for this assignment. It is important to remember we need to read, Read, READ, in order to achieve! Each month students are to choose a different book and a different project. They are to have the book and project approved by Mrs. Carr, read the book, complete the 5-4-3-2-1 organizer, complete the project, and present it to the class. Projects are due on October 31, 2013. Presentations begin on November 1, 2013.
Weekly spelling (week of 10/14/13)
what, asked, always, want, world, help, school, each, going, show, right, important, around, there, they're, their, write, another
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
October is Here!
What a busy month October promises to be here at OCS!
Clubs and activities have begun!
Our CORRECT program is off to a great start! October is COURAGE month. Captain Courage, formerly Kid Courageous (recently promoted) kicked off the program introducing his new sidekick- Quentin, the Crusader Apprentice. During the morning announcements we learned that Quentin was sent to Oxford Central School to learn how to be CORRECT. Captain Courage invited all the students to share ideas with our new apprentice on how COURAGE is important for each of us to learn and apply to our everyday life. Each month students will be sharing what they know about Courage, Optimism, Respect, Responsibility, Empathy, Citizenship, and Trustworthiness. By learning how to be CORRECT, Quentin hopes to achieve his dream of becoming a CORRECT Crusader. We'll all have to wait and see what happens... Ask me about CORRECT anyone?
Don't forget to show COURAGE in October and throughout the entire school year! Remember it takes COURAGE to learn new things. It also takes COURAGE to be an upstander... and say NO to bullying!!!
ELA news- Mrs. Carr's ELA class continues to work on our word study by recognizing suffixes, prefixes, root words, and homophones. We have improved in both fluency and accuracy with our "Word Ladders" activity. This week we are writing on a "School Bus Ride to Somewhere." Students are also addressing the importance of understanding "sequence" and "author's purpose."
Spelling words for the week include- family, feet, food, first, front, great, ground, group, many, together, over, our, think, there, their, and they're. We will be responsible to carry our spelling words over to our writing.
Monthly book projects have also been introduced. Please check your project list. Students will be expected to read a book, complete a 5-4-3-2-1 organizer, complete a project (from the list), and present their book/project to the class. Book projects will be due each month on the last school day of each month. Book projects count twice in the grading process. To familiarize students with the process, they may complete their book project for October on a book they have previously read. They may even use their summer reading book! See me to approve your book and project!
Clubs and activities have begun!
Our CORRECT program is off to a great start! October is COURAGE month. Captain Courage, formerly Kid Courageous (recently promoted) kicked off the program introducing his new sidekick- Quentin, the Crusader Apprentice. During the morning announcements we learned that Quentin was sent to Oxford Central School to learn how to be CORRECT. Captain Courage invited all the students to share ideas with our new apprentice on how COURAGE is important for each of us to learn and apply to our everyday life. Each month students will be sharing what they know about Courage, Optimism, Respect, Responsibility, Empathy, Citizenship, and Trustworthiness. By learning how to be CORRECT, Quentin hopes to achieve his dream of becoming a CORRECT Crusader. We'll all have to wait and see what happens... Ask me about CORRECT anyone?
Don't forget to show COURAGE in October and throughout the entire school year! Remember it takes COURAGE to learn new things. It also takes COURAGE to be an upstander... and say NO to bullying!!!
ELA news- Mrs. Carr's ELA class continues to work on our word study by recognizing suffixes, prefixes, root words, and homophones. We have improved in both fluency and accuracy with our "Word Ladders" activity. This week we are writing on a "School Bus Ride to Somewhere." Students are also addressing the importance of understanding "sequence" and "author's purpose."
Spelling words for the week include- family, feet, food, first, front, great, ground, group, many, together, over, our, think, there, their, and they're. We will be responsible to carry our spelling words over to our writing.
Monthly book projects have also been introduced. Please check your project list. Students will be expected to read a book, complete a 5-4-3-2-1 organizer, complete a project (from the list), and present their book/project to the class. Book projects will be due each month on the last school day of each month. Book projects count twice in the grading process. To familiarize students with the process, they may complete their book project for October on a book they have previously read. They may even use their summer reading book! See me to approve your book and project!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Fall is Officially Here!
The temperature may have turned cooler, but things are certainly heating up at OCS. Clubs and activities have begun! It promises to be an exciting year.
Thank you to all the parents that attended Back-to-School nights. It was good to see familiar and new faces. Please remember I welcome your emails and phone calls. We need to keep the lines of communication open. I will respond asap. Please let me know if you have any questions about any material we are covering or questions about homework.
In ELA we are working with homophones. Students are recognizing how challenging word choice can be.
We've learned that homophones....
We will have a homophone quiz on Friday. We will also have a spelling test of review words.
This week will find us continuing homophones (to, too, two, they're, their, there).
Thank you to all the parents that attended Back-to-School nights. It was good to see familiar and new faces. Please remember I welcome your emails and phone calls. We need to keep the lines of communication open. I will respond asap. Please let me know if you have any questions about any material we are covering or questions about homework.
In ELA we are working with homophones. Students are recognizing how challenging word choice can be.
We've learned that homophones....
- are words that sound the same
- are words that sound the same and are spelled differently
- are words that sound the same but have different meanings
We will have a homophone quiz on Friday. We will also have a spelling test of review words.
This week will find us continuing homophones (to, too, two, they're, their, there).
Thursday, September 19, 2013
September Continues!
As the weather gets colder, things are heating up at the Oxford Central School!
This week in ELA we are reading the selection "A Visit to Grandpa" and exploring supporting details and main idea. Everyone is enjoying this story. We are learning about African American cowboys. As Justin, our main character, visits his grandfather he learns by example some valuable life-lessons.
Along with our reading selection, we discussed the reasons that authors write. A good way to remember how to identify author's purpose is to think about the letters in the word PIE....
P= to persuade
I= to inform
E= to entertain
Grammar lessons have included reviewing sentence types and writing complete sentences. Don't forget each sentence type has its own punctuation!
Our spelling preview showed our class what good spellers they really are. We previewed the Rebecca Sitton "B" list and added some additional words to practice. Each student brought home the entire list with words highlighted that they found challenging. We will continue to practice with our new gel boards and our round-robin spelling.
Our "test" will be Monday.
List #2 words include: because, before, being, better, between, brought, by, but, be, began, body, black, below, began, body, change, children, city, called, could, first, from, right, said, something, saw, there, their, and thought.
Hope to see the 5th grade parents at Back-to-School night!
It was great to see the 4th grade parents this week!
Friday, September 13, 2013
September is Sparkling with Lots of Excitement!
The 2013-14 School Year Has Begun!
Welcome back everyone! Welcome September, welcome Fall, and welcome to another wonderful year of learning at the Oxford Central School.
Mrs. Carr's English Language Arts Class has begun the year with many "Getting to Know You" activities. Our class promises to work hard, do our best, and always to remember to be CORRECT in all that we do at OCS.
Focus activity of the week: Spelling
This year we will be taking a new approach to our spelling. We will be focusing on everyday core words that we use with our writing. We will not just work from a spelling list, but through dictation and recognizing word structure. These research-based strategies are sure to help us with both our reading and writing. We need to be able to carry-over our spelling into our writing.
Week #1 = also, almost, always, along, any, add, away, around, again, against, asked, another, animal, answer, American, while, small, with, because, would, sound, been, next, great, might
Bonus homophones (know when to use them:)) one, there,
Welcome back everyone! Welcome September, welcome Fall, and welcome to another wonderful year of learning at the Oxford Central School.
Mrs. Carr's English Language Arts Class has begun the year with many "Getting to Know You" activities. Our class promises to work hard, do our best, and always to remember to be CORRECT in all that we do at OCS.
Focus activity of the week: Spelling
This year we will be taking a new approach to our spelling. We will be focusing on everyday core words that we use with our writing. We will not just work from a spelling list, but through dictation and recognizing word structure. These research-based strategies are sure to help us with both our reading and writing. We need to be able to carry-over our spelling into our writing.
Week #1 = also, almost, always, along, any, add, away, around, again, against, asked, another, animal, answer, American, while, small, with, because, would, sound, been, next, great, might
Bonus homophones (know when to use them:)) one, there,
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