The Week in Review 9-09-09

Here's What's New

in Beacons' World

This Week

We are off and running! After Labor Day's holiday on Monday, the Beacons arrived at school Tuesday ready to work! We've had a very busy week!

Writers' Workshop:

Students were introduced to Writer’s Workshop this week. This workshop is a format we’ll use all year as we learn about and incorporate the “6 Traits of Writing”. The students will be spending time on these traits one at a time at first and eventually they will use all of them in their daily writing. They include: Ideas, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Organization, Voice, and Conventions (spelling, capitalization, punctuation).To start the writing process, the workshop approach is very informal at first, allowing students to get words on the page without fear of “getting it wrong.” As the year progresses students will learn the editing process and apply it to many forms of writing.Reading:Students are currently being assessed for correct placement in reading. They are doing the DRA, or Direct Reading Assessment and informal reading with both Mrs. Ritchie and Mrs. Gellert.

Math:We have completed math assessments and have formed two math groups in our class, both of which are at accelerated pace. The groups will vote on names for themselves next week.

Science:

Beacons were very "egg-cited" this week as they went to our new "Science Lab" and did experiments on the earth's core using hard boiled eggs! If you haven't heard already, you simply must ask your Beacon about the "egg-speriment"!

Social Studies:

Get ready, get set, for we are GOING on a SAFARI !! That's right. On Friday students will receive their official passports to travel to the continent of Africa! We are learning about reading maps, most especially the importance of the compass rose, for we wouldn't want to get lost in the middle of an African jungle, now would we?

Last Friday students worked in teams of 2 and were given different maps. They really had to work hard together to discover what type of map it was and what information one could learn just by "reading" the map.

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.

~Walt Streightiff

Here's to another exciting week with the Beacons!

Betsy and Tamara