• Nov252009
    Safety Tip - No Last Names

    POSTED AT 12:03 PM

    Hi Class!

    Please do not use your last names when making a comment on a post.  We have talked about internet safety at school...and I want to be safe on our blog.  Feel free to make comments, but realize that I can not approve comments that include last names.  Also, be sure that your parents know when you are using the interenet!!  Let them know when you want to leave a comment, and have them check it out first.

    Have a GREAT Thanksgiving!!

    -Mrs. Seablom
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    Nov232009
    Turkeys, Turkeys Everywhere! by Angelina

    POSTED AT 02:22 PM

       This was a great week for Kids Canvas because they did a magnificent Thanksgiving project.  First they made a barn.  The colors were red and white.  Next we traced our hands and made Thanksgiving turkeys.  After that, the girls stapled it on the bulletin board.  I had a lot of fun doing this project. Nice job, girls!

                                                               Happy Thanksgiving!
                                                                                    Love, 
                                                                                 Angelina

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    Nov202009
    Nov. 16 - Nov. 20

    POSTED AT 02:32 PM

    A Fresh Start!
     
    The 1st quarter is behind us, so that means a time for new beginnings. 
     
    ELA:  We have 4 new published authors! 



    As always, these new authors got to do a read aloud for our class, and then bring their books around the school to read them to others!  



    Reading the books aloud several times helps to build fluency, a love of reading, and pride in one's accomplishments.

    In other ELA news, Mrs. Seablom gave each of the kids a GIANT closable bag to go book "shopping" with, on Mondays.
     
     
    The students select 3 books to put in their bag...making sure to get new books when needed.  This system will hopefully avoid lost books, and make it so each child always has something on hand to read.
     
    Because we missed Foamy Friday last week....we had it on Monday! 
     
     
    This week we worked on the lower case 'n', 'm', 'x', and 'y'.

    In reading we worked on text to text connections.  We focused on making 'deep' connections rather than 'surface' connections.  Surface connections are simliarities between names, gender, and appearance.  Deep connections are similarities between experiences, character traits, emotions, and the moral of the story.  First we paired up and came up with connections between members of the class.  Then we read Oliver Button is a Sissy and A Doll for William and came up with all sorts of connections.  Next week we will read When Sophie gets Angry, Really, Really Angry and an article on Anger Management...and then make connections between those.
       
    Math: We started multiplication this week.  The concept was introduced through the construction of arrays.
     
    The kids were paired up and instructed to make arrays with the pattern blocks.
     
     
    Then they had to write an addition sentence and a multiplication sentence that matched their array.
     
     
    The students had fun using the blocks, and it will help them understand the meaning behind multiplying.
     
     
     
    Mrs. Curtain helps our class with math every other day.  She gives the kids additional one-on-one attention.  Thank you, Mrs. Curtain!
     
     
    Science: We continued to learn about static electricity this week.  We watched a great brain pop movie on the smartboard that taught us about static.  Later in the week we watched a Magic School Bus episode that introduced us to current electricity.  We will be making our circuits soon!
     
    Social Studies:  We are still working on the United States.
     
    Other News:
    We had our 2nd monthly centenial assembly on Thursday.  The kids love it because it gives them a chance to speak on stage in front of half the school! 
     
      
     
    Our class was assigned to find 3 people facts about the 30s and the 80s.  Eight kids from our class volunteered to read these facts at the assembly. 
     
     
     I am sure they had to fight off some nerves, but they did a wonderful job.  I wonder who will volunteer next month?
     
    Next week is SUPER short....only 2 days!  We have our feast to look forward to, though.  We can't wait!
     
    -Mrs. S.
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    Nov192009
    A Party to Remember

    POSTED AT 05:35 AM

    Pizza, Snacks, and Bubbles
     
    Ethan is moving. So we had a great pizza party to send him off.  The kids brought in some healthy and some just for fun snacks to go with our pizza. 
    It was delicious!
    After the pizza, we had a special treat....Spongebob Pops!
    After the pops it was time for a little fun...A bubble blowing contest!  Ethan was the judge. The finalists were Leann, Angelina and Mrs. S. (Mrs. Seablom was the winner.  She has had a few more years of bubble practice than the 8 year olds.  Maybe she will sit out next time.)
     
     
     
    We are going to miss you, Ethan!  Good luck at your new school and be sure to stop by for a visit!
     
    -Mrs. S.
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    Nov142009
    Nov. 9 - Nov. 13

    POSTED AT 09:05 AM

    The first quarter has ended! 

    Yes, our first quarter has come to a close.  Report cards will be given to the parents next week at Parent-Teacher conferences.

    ELA:  This week we prepared for and took our first reading and writing benchmark.  We practiced identifying and writing about story elements during our read alouds this week.  We read the books Tops and Bottoms and Sumo Boy.  For the benchmark test we read the book Miss Nelson is Missing.  The children had to write a paragraph that included the title, author, character description, setting description, and plot.  The children concentrated and produced well written paragraphs.  I was very proud of them.

    Math    :  We ended topics 3 and 4 this week with a unit test.  The kids showed that they can subtract with borrowing.  Next week we will start multiplication.  We will work on the factors of 2 and 5.  Plenty of practice and memorization at home will be needed.  Most dollar stores sell flashcards....you may want to pick up a pack.  There are also lots of fun multiplication games on our math site.  Check it out!

    Science:  We have begun our electricity unit!  This week we performed serveral experiments using static electricity.  First we learned what causes static electricity...how friction collects electrons from the atoms of an object, and then how the objects electrons are attracted to protons in other objects, so it is attracted.
      
    We rubbed balloons on our head and figured our how we could use it to move a can...without touching it!

    It took a few minutes for the teams to figure out how to move the can without touching it. 



    But once they did...that can was rolling!



    The kids experiemented with trying to add electrons from a ruler by rubbing it against a wool rag, and then putting it next to the can to see if there was an attraction.  It didn't work as well as the balloon. 



     The kids filled out lab reports with scientific drawing that they will keep in the science section of their binder.

    Then we used the balloon and static electricity to separate salt from pepper.  Luckily no one sneezed during this experiment, but we did end up with very peppery balloons! 



    In our last experiment we saw how the we can bend a stream of water using the power of static.

    Next week we will be making circuits with batteries, wires, and lightbulbs.  I am sure it will be LOTS of fun!

    Social Studies:  We started our new unit by coloring some maps of the United States.  We also visited Google Earth on our smartboard and located our school.  Next week we will be working on a United States map project.  The children will have to label all the major landforms of our country.

    In other news...we had our first meeting to start planning our part of the centennial parade.  Our class has been paired with Mrs. Berry/Mr. Jutt's class to represent the 1990s in the parade.  I am sure we will come up with some great ideas and learn a lot about the 90s.

    Have a great weekend....See you Monday!
     
    -Mrs. Seablom
     
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    Nov082009
    Nov. 2 - Nov. 6

    POSTED AT 06:09 PM

    This week was full of growth!!
     
    ELA: We continued our work on story elements this week.  The kids learned how to take notes while listening to a story.  To help Mrs. Seablom model how to take notes, Joe Mic. and Dominick helped out by reading aloud to the class!   

    Joe read The Hallowiener by Dav Pilkey and....



    Dominick read The Stray Dog by Marc Simont. 

    The boys had great fluency, so Mrs. Seablom was able to take good notes on the board.  Next week the students will be expected to write a full paragraph on the story elements of a read aloud book.  I know that all the students are up for that challenge!

    In other ELA news....we have yet another published author in our class. 



    Angelina got to read her book to the entire class, and then take it around the school to read to others.  Her book had lots of funny parts that kept us laughing.  We'll keep you posted as more authors become published!

    For this week's friday letters, Ryan and Ankush got to lead the class in our brain storm.  We like to get a good list of all the activities from the week, before we start writing.  This is the first step in a writer's process.  After the brain storm, we plan our paragraph in a fun 'pizza' graphic organizer.  Then we write letters to our parents in perfect letter form.



    Math: In math we worked on subtraction with borrowing.  The students remembered a lot from last year.  There will be more borrowing next week.

    Social Studies: We are about to start our new unit: The United States.

    Science:  We ended our Plant Unit this week with a test, but that does not mean we will forget about our class garden!  We still love watching our garden grow and go through all the stages we have learned about!



    Check out how Ronny's lima bean seed germinated!  It was the only one that worked in our class, but I have heard that some lima beans germinated at home.
     
     
     
     
    We are happy to see that our lima bean plants have reached the adult stage.  If they flower, we are going to try to hand pollinate them....a job bees would do if these were outdoor plants. 
     
    Our peas, corn, and hollyhock have already grown into seedlings!  Check out how beautiful:
     
     Hollyhock
     
    Peas
     
    Class Seedlings
     
    We have 2 new signs of growth in our seed garden....
     
    Ankush's pumkin seed sprouted...
     
    as well as Kayleigh's popcorn!
     
     We unfortunately also had a sign of death.  Kate's sunflower somehow lost its leaves.  That means no photosysnthesis, which means starvation.  Maybe she will bring in another sunflower seed, and we can try again.  Dylan brought in and planted a giant Mango seed.  I hope it sprouts!!!!
     
    We are experimenting with some Lima bean plants in our closet.  We want to see what happens to a plant that has soil, water, but no sunlight.
     
     
    Check out how long, skinny, and yellow these plants are.  Notice how they are climbing up the walls....searching for the light.  It almost makes us feel bad for them!
     
    In other news....our f-go representatives, Kate and Ryan, went to their first meeting and gave us an update of what they did.  They asked our class to come up with some new ideas for Fishkill theme days.  The ideas were creative and fun!  Kate and Ryan wrote all the ideas down so they can report back at their next f-go meeting.
     
    See you Monday!
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    Nov022009
    Fish Races

    POSTED AT 11:46 AM

    November's Fish Race Winner is...................... Zoe!!!!  Great Job, Zoe!  Who would have thought her tiny little circle of a fish would make it to the winner's bracket, but it did!  Zoe joins Kate in our new Fish Race Hall of Fame.  Check out the link!
     
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    Oct312009
    Oct. 26 - Oct. 30

    POSTED AT 09:46 PM

    Oct. 26 - Oct. 30

     

    Happy Halloween! 

    ELA: We now have 3 published authors in our class!  Kate, Ryan, and Erika have all completed their first books about their Halloween memories.  Kate and Erika read their memoirs to our class, and Ryan will get his chance on Monday.  Good job, guys!!

     

    We read another Chris VanAllsburg book….this one called ‘The Sweetest Fig’.  We then came up with character traits to describe Bibot (the main character.)  The students thought he was wicked, evil, cruel, careless, and violent.  Not such a nice guy….eh?  The children then read on their own and wrote character traits of characters in their Reader’s Notebooks.
     
    We also had the opportunity to listen to a local author read his published book at a school assembly.  It made us feel even more proud of the books we are creating.
     

     

    On Friday, we listened to not-so-scary stories from the book “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”.  Ask your kids about ‘The Viper,’ ‘The Attic,’ and my personal favorite ‘Bloody Fingers.’  They are all a scream!

    Math: We finished up Topic 2 with a test on Tuesday, and have already moved on to Topic 3.  In this unit we will be working on subtracting with LOTS of borrowing, so the students need to brush up on those facts!!  Be sure to practice at home! 

    Social Studies    : The kids had a Social Studies Quiz on the landforms….you’ll get the results next week!

    Science: The halls are more colorful now that our class has hung up our wonderful flower diagrams.  Each child illustrated a flower and then labeled the part and function with a hidden flap.  They look great!

     

    Our classroom garden is in full bloom!  The lima beans are about 7 inches tall, and the corn, peas, and holly hock have sprouted.  We literally watch them grow throughout the day.  It is fascinating.

     

    We continue to check the lima bean plants that we are keeping in the closet.  They are very tall, but yellow and sickly looking.  We will keep a close watch on them!

     

    The snack garden is slightly disappointing. So far only the sunflower and corn has sprouted, and nothing looks like it is in the works. L  

     
    The kids got to each plant their own seed this week, and most have already sprouted!  The students are responsible for watering these plants themselves.  They had lots of fun naming their plants.  Some names
    are very funny - like a corn plant named Cornelius!
     
     

    Red Ribbon Week:

    We finally met our buddy class!!  We went into Miss Sullivan’s 1st grade class to help decorate our candy bags for the VIP parade.  Our class was great at helping come up with anti-drug slogans.

     

     
    The students wore some great hats on Tuesday! 
     
     
     

    On Wednesday, the students looked very patriotic in Red, White, and Blue.

     

    On Thursday, it was great to see everyone supporting their favorite team.

     

    Friday was VIP day!  One of the most fun days of the year at Fishkill Elementary!  The costumes were creative and fun.  We saw everything from doctors and ninjas to kitties and Mario!  The parade down Main Street was lots of fun.  I was happy to hear lots of pleases and thank yous as we received candy from all the local shops.  After the parade we had a school-wide snack on the black top.  The kids got to have a cupcake and juice with their buddy before returning inside. 
     
    After special, our Room Moms threw us a great party!  There was lots of yummy food…..

    And plenty of fun games….

    And of course…DANCING!
    THANK YOU, MOMS!

     

    What a wonderful week!

    I hope everyone has a super fun and safe Halloween, and REMEMBER TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTER ALL THAT CANDY!!!

     

    -Mrs. Seablom

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    Oct262009
    Pep Rally - by Kate

    POSTED AT 02:27 PM

       "Today we had a pep rally to celebrate the beginning of Red Ribbon Week.  Red Ribbon Week is when we think about not using drugs.  At the pep rally, the 5th grade chorus sangs 2 songs. Angelina read 'Drugs are lame, they'll rot your brain.' into the microphone.  The pep rally was really peppy!"
     
    -by Kate
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    Oct242009
    Oct. 19 - Oct. 23 Blog

    POSTED AT 11:53 AM

    Oct. 19 - Oct. 23
    Blog

    Another week….come…..and GONE! 

    ELA: We are busy, busy, busy typing and printing our Halloween books.  It takes a lot of time, patience, and hard work….but it will all be worth it!  We are learning more about story elements in reading.  We finished up our thinking about setting, and have moved on to Characters.  We read a great book by Chris VanAllsburg called ‘The Stranger.’  As with many VanAllsburg books, this one ended with a twist!  Ask your children about it.

     

    Math: Our topic this week was adding 2 and 3 digit numbers with carrying.  This is the last topic we will cover before the topic 2 test that is scheduled for Tuesday. 

    Social Studies: The children made a great visuals to help remember the different types of landforms.  We displayed them in the halls to show off the great illustrations.

    Science: The kids got to see the inside workings of a flower as they dissected flowers.  They pulled apart lilies to find: pedals, stamens, anthers, pistols, stigmas, and even eggs/seeds!

     

    Our lima beans have sprouted!  We will start measuring their growth next week.  In addition to lima beans, we have planted field corn, hollyhock, and peas. 

     

    So far we have planted the following seeds in our snack garden: apple, plum, cucumber, concord grape, banana, orange, pumpkin, green bean, pomegranate, sunflower, grape, a mystery seed, pear, and even a few others I can’t remember.  We were excited to see that Kate's sunflower has sprouted! I wonder what our garden will look like on Monday?

     

    The extra credit projects came out amazing!  Thank you to all the parents who helped their children gain a bit more passion for our science unit.

     

    Fire Safety: On Friday, the Fishkill Fire Department was generous enough to visit our school with their fire trucks!  The kids went through a fire safety obstacle course….call 911, check the door for heat, crawl through the smoke, go out the available exit…door or window!  It was a lot of fun.  After that, the kids got to try out a real fire hose, and then watch a fireman climb to the top of a HUGE ladder.  THANK YOU FISHKILL FIRE DEPARTMENT!

     

    Next week is Red Ribbon week...when we think about just saying '"NO" to drugs and alcohol.  Remember that each day carries a different theme.

    Mon - Wear Red
    Tues - Hat Day
    Weds. - Red White & Blue
    Thurs. - Team Logo
    Fri. - The VIP parade and our class Halloween party!

    Stay dry this weekend!
    -Mrs. Seablom

     

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