Summarizing using a Story Map

Currently in SFA we are working on the skill of summarizing. We have moved out of clarifying (although we still do this on a daily basis) and the focus in on how to get the students to identify what is most important about what they've read. If you've ever asked your child what a movie was about, you probably get the extended version! They want to tell you every detail (because it all seems great!) but what they don't know is they're losing their audience. In SFA, we have 3 steps to summarizing. The first is to retell the important events or ideas. This includes using the main characters, the setting, story problem, important events, and the solution and ending. The second step is to leave out less-important information.  The third step is to keep it short.  I'm sending home today a couple story maps with each student in my SFA class for you to copy and use at home. If your child isn't in my class, feel free to ask his or her teacher for a story map. We all have them and teachers are happy to share! Use these story maps as your child reads a book. The events should always connect to the problem.  It's a great way to prepare to write a summary and of course, great preparation for the OAA! Here is a a couple links to similar story maps that we use in class:

Story Map

Story Map Organization  You will have to save this one to your computer before printing it

Happy Mapping!

Practicing for the OAA's

As you know, the OAA's will be here before you know it! If you have a 4th grader in my SFA class, just ask them how many times I mention the OAA in class. It's more than they would like to hear but everything we're doing is helping them prepare for this assessment! Many parents ask how they can support their child's preparation at home.  If you click here you will be brought to the Ohio Department of Education's website and you will find practice tests for your child's grade level. If you click here you will be brought to the released test materials page where there are actual tests from past years. You may see these examples come home with your child on a practice sheet but it's nice for you to know where they are in case you want extra practice for your child.  Another great way to prepare for the OAA is completing assignments on Study Island. These questions are set up like OAA questions so they give the students a real feel for what the test will be like.  If you have any questions about the resources listed in this post, feel free to contact me at djoseph@princetonschools.net or 864-1216. 

Reminders!!!!

Tonight is the last night of parent teacher conferences. They are from 4-8pm here at school.

My SFA class has their book project due tomorrow.  If a student does not turn in a project, he/she will relinquish his/her recess until it's finished. The students have been informed they will work during their recess time if they do not turn in a project.  They've known about this project since December so they all should be turned in tomorrow!  Please contact me with any questions: 864-1216 or djoseph@princetonschools.net

Parent Resources

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day! January flew by with much fanfare due to all the delays and snow days and put us right in February without a thought! Before we know it, April will be here and the kids will be taking the OAA. I'll talk more about OAA preparation later!

I receive the NEA magazine and this month's issue included 10 free websites for teachers. I wanted to share this website with you because it has a parent section.  The website is Read, Write, Think and it has interactive materials to help kids with writing.  The skills range from organizing and summarizing, to writing poetry to learning about language.  There is a great parent section that I think you should explore and your kids can take advantage of, especially on a snow day!

I was perusing the NEA website and saw this article on the top 10 tech trends students say change education.  With all the technology utilized during a school day, it's interesting to get a kid's perspective, along with other school personnel, as to what is assisting them in education. Check it out and let me know what you think!

February Calendar

Thursday, February 13      Parent Teacher Conferences 4:00-8:00

Friday, February 14           Valentine Celebration 2:55-3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 25        PreK & Kindergarten Registration Night

Friday, February 28           Princeton Gala

Happy New Year

It's 2014! I'm not used to writing that quite yet and more than once have had to use White-out to fix my mistake! I hope you had an enjoyable break, especially with the extended 2 days. I traveled over break and it was lovely.  I saw family and while it was great eating out at yummy restaurants and being in a hotel, I was ready to come back to the comfort of my home!

 I've posted many items about writing and thought I'd continue the trend. I have a visual like this hanging on my front wall in the classroom. I have the students refer to it when they say they are finished writing. As you know, writing is a process and can be a difficult one at that.  When the kids know what to expect and how to follow through, the process is made that much easier.  Use this graphic when your child is writing at home. It's important for them to know the difference between revising and editing and how to do each of these tasks.  

Calendar of Events for January

Wednesday, January 15    First Day of Third Quarter

Thursday, January 16       Reading Fair/ Literacy Night 6:30-7:30 pm

Monday, January 20          No School- Dr. King Day

Friday, January 24             Primary Awards Ceremony 1:30-2:30

                                                Intermediate Awards 2:30-3:30

                                                All- Star Academic Luncheon

Making learning fun!

As break quickly arrives, you may be thinking, "I have 2 weeks with my kiddo at home. What can I do to keep him learning even though he is on break?" An easy solution is turning regular games into educational games. I have put a few of my favorites here on my blog to show you how it easy it is and you will have fun in the process!

Math Jenga

Turn an old Jenga came into a math facts game quickly with strips of paper and a marker! You write out math facts of any kind and glue or tape them onto the Jenga blocks. As you or your child pulls a block, a problem has to be solved!

HedBanz

You can make a version of this game with anything- states and capitals, geography, science, the possibilities are endless! You don't necessarily need a headband. You can make cards and have the person hold it up against their head and ask questions in order to guess while the other person gives a yes or no response. 

Checkers or Connect-4

Using the checker pieces, glue/tape pieces of paper with math facts or questions pertaining to a certain topic and the player has to answer a question before he uses his piece. 

These treats aren't board games but can be educational with measuring and mixing: 

Holiday Cupcakes

Reindeer cupcakes

Double chocolate mousse

Sparkling mandarin orange dessert 

I hope everyone has a joyful break full of family, downtime and fun times making memories!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was in Macy's this past weekend and you'll never believe what I heard......If you said Christmas music, you're right! How is that possible? Thanksgiving hasn't even come yet and the stores are filtering in the holiday music. My ears weren't ready! I love holiday music but can't warm up to it until I've filled myself with turkey and stuffing! That being said, I hope you have your families have a wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter and a good pie or two! I have just a couple things for you:

1. If your child has me for SFA, I gave them Read and Respond papers they can use for extra credit. If they fill these out for tonight through Friday, I will give them 1 point per day extra for their team celebration points. It's not mandatory but I would love for them to continue reading over break.

2. I've been on this writing kick and today in SFA we did a snowball writing activity. This is where each student starts with the same writing prompt and writes for about 2 minutes. Then they pass their paper along to the next student where the story is picked up. We wrote for 12 minutes so approximately 6 students wrote on a page. These stories turn into funny stories and wind up ending differently than the person who started it may have intended! The prompt had a turkey holding a blank sign and said, " It is Thanksgiving Day and Tom the Turkey is in the farmyard holding a sign that says...." This would be fun to do as a family and then read the finished product at dinner! The younger kids could decorate the pages with pictures or attach their own. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

3. I saw this simple dessert on Kraft you can make with your kids. They're little turkey cupcakes and I think they're adorable! I hope you enjoy the holiday cooking and baking with your loved ones!

Remember: Thanksgiving Break is Wednesday, November 27-November 29th. We will see you back at school on Monday, December 2nd.