Weekly Study Skills - 5.1

Welcome back to school!  I hope you had a nice, restful break.  Thank you for your patience as I get back to real life after my long trip.  I apologize if you saw the old update on here!   (Sometimes it auto-updates from last year so I hope that didn't cause any confusion.)  Mrs. Chang ended up being a week overdue and should be induced today!  Which means I will be taking over the class full time.  Please contact me at cynthia.wahlquist@canyonsdistrict.org if you have any questions! The weekly skills for reading street are listed below.  We will be starting opinion writing, and yesterday we began our math unit on measurement.  The homework packet went home yesterday if you would like the extra practice for your child.  We are excited to be doing Jr. Achievement once a week for the next month as part of our social studies curriculum.  Many thanks to Emily Anderegg for taking the time to teach these fun lessons. We also have our Thanksgiving Point field trip next week on the 18th.  Please return your permission slip ASAP if you haven't already done that.  Students who do not return a slip will not be allowed to attend.  Thanks to everyone who volunteered to chaperone!  I will be in touch once we have our final numbers. And finally, we will have show and tell this Friday.  The theme is an animal or pet (no live animals please - a drawing, picture, stuffed animal, etc.).

Weekly Study Skills - 4.6

Welcome back!  We hope you all enjoyed a nice, restful break with your children.  We are excited to get back to work - we have some fun things coming up!  This week in math we are beginning Topic 12 on measurement.  We did not send homework over spring break, so look for this week's homework to be coming home on Monday the 10th.  The spelling test will be on Friday as usual.  Mrs. Wahlquist will be working for Mrs. Chang on Monday the 10th.  We will have Mrs. Wright as a substitute on Tuesday the 11th and Friday the 14th.  The students are in good hands with her!  As always please call or email us if you have any questions.  Have a good week!

Flat Stanley Project

We will be reading the picture book Flat Stanley in class. Stanley is a young boy who accidentally gets squished "as flat as a pancake" when his bulletin board falls on him during the night. Being flat has its pros and cons, as Stanley soon learns. One of the advantages is that he gets to experience many new and exciting adventures. For instance... being sent to California in an envelop to visit his cousins.

Students in our class are making their own "flat person" in their own likeness on Friday. The objective of this project is to learn about different cultures, geography and famous landmarks through their adventures. Please take the time to read the letter contained in the manila envelope that was sent home. Cut off the bottom portion of the note to keep track of the deadline, and send the top section to a friend or family member living outside of Sandy, Utah. If you would like to help your child write a personalized letter, even better! The manila envelope is provided for your benefit. The cost of postage should only be around $1-2 (for a domestic large 2 oz. envelope; international rates may be higher). Once they return from their trip(s), students will bring their flat person to school along with a poster or booklet your child or their hosts create and we will plot their travels on a world map.

The Flat Stanley Project is a pen pal activity that integrates art, social studies, math and literacy in a fun and meaningful way!

Here are some examples of Flat Mrs. Chang's Adventures in previous years:

Visiting the White House in D.C

Hiking the beautiful mountains of Switzerland

Relaxing on the beach in Dominican Republic

Sight-seeing and shopping at Time Square in New York City

Standing in front of the CNN Center in Atlanta

Hanging out at the gift shop in Disneyland!  

She saw a real giraffe while on safari in South Africa!

Here are some examples of posters and books created by students in the past:

Weekly Study Skills - 4.5

Weekly Study Skills - 4.4

This week we will be exploring a story about ranch hands, cattle and round ups. In math we will finish Topic 10 - adding groups of ten using various strategies.  On Friday we will do a fun St. Patrick's Day-themed math activity.  Tomorrow - March 12 - is spring picture day.  These pictures are optional.  You may order online or with the form your child brought home.  For the school read-a-thon we have been sorted into Slytherin House!  Please encourage your child to read as much as possible every day.  You can also count the minutes when you are reading to your child.  

Weekly Study Skills - 4.3

This week we are celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss!  Our students will rotate to each first grade classroom to hear a story and do an art project to go along with it.  We are fortunate to have Ballet West visiting our school on Wednesday. Watch for your child's report card to come home in their red folder on Thursday! Please contact us if you have any questions about it. On Friday we have an assembly to start the school-wide read-a-thon.  The PTA has some fun things planned this year.  Also don't forget show and tell on Friday - the theme is something green.  In math this week we will continue talking about strategies to add groups of ten.

Weekly Study Skills - 4.2

We have a busy week ahead of us!  On Monday we have some special visitors from a dental office to teach our first graders all about proper dental health!  On Wednesday morning please join us at 7:30 for "Goodies and Grown Ups."  Enjoy a light breakfast with your child then take a look in the book fair.  Each student will be receiving a $5 certificate from the PTA to spend at the book fair.  We look forward to meeting with each of you at conferences, which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday.  We have early dismissal on Thursday at 1:15pm.  There will be no school on Friday, which means the spelling test will be on Thursday.  In Math we are beginning Topic 10: Use Models and Strategies to Add Tens and Ones. We will be studying soil again in science, to prepare the students for a district-wide informative writing project; and we have enjoyed reading stories to celebrate Black History Month.  Ask your child to tell you about Ruby Bridges and Harriet Tubman!