Student Writing: "The Fish and Snake"

by John Q. Student


Click to enlarge

I'm very pleased by the effort that many students put into this latest writing sample! Above we have a picture of John Q Student's paper, "The Fish and Snake". You can tell he put a lot of effort into this. Sweet. That's what it's all about!

This writing sample was complete as we practiced creative writing for the ISTEP, which is next week.

See also: Helping your Child Practice: Writing.

Zoo Field Trip Permission Slips

Look out for a pink field zoo field trip permission slip coming home in your child's Take Home Folder. They are due Friday, October 9,2009.

If you child has lost the slip, you can view and print a copy of it here.


Zoo Field Trip Details:


Did you know: Polar bears' fur is actually clear? They do not radiate or reflect any heat, so that they do not show up on infrared photographs! ("Polar Bear Fur", PolarBearsInternational.com, accessed 09/23/09)

Objectives/Activities: Your kids will get to explore the zoo to meet State standards 3.5, 6.1, and 4.3 which cover: hands-on activities fostering love of biology, classification of animals, and understanding of how habitat relates to physical characteristics of the animals that live there.

Date: October 18, 2009

Time: Busses leave at 9:30am; Busses return 2:00pm

Grades: 1st and 3rd grades

Location: Indianapolis Zoo

Campbell's Congrats!

We have collected our 1000th Campbells food label!! The kids are super excited, so let's keep them coming.

Here are three tips for remembering to cut the labels!

1. Keep a pair of scissors out on the counter in an old Campbell's can -- with the original label gone, of course! You can even decorate a new label and glue it on with your child.
   
2. Place a thick sandwich- or quart-size Ziplock bag in your child's backpack just for labels. Keep it there, even when there are no labels in it.
3. With your child, draw a label with a big red X over it, and tape it to the lid of the trash can!
   

Helping your Child Practice: Writing

Helping your child practice writing is a great way to build their skills. It also shows your children that you value education, and that rubs off on them. But best of all, working together will help you bond with your child!

There are four steps to basic writing in Mr. Manley's classes:

1. Organize your thoughts. That is, spend some time deciding what needs to be said about a particular topic, then decide what order these things should be said in. Index cards help!... Write down one fact or idea per card, then arrange them logically.
2. Write down a sentence or two for each thought on a piece of paper. Add an intro and a conclusion of about one sentence each. This is your rough draft! Your intro should relate the topic to your audience. For example, an essay about tigers that other classmates might read may start, "Pretty much every fourth-grade boy thinks tigers are awesome, but how much do they know about them?" A conclusion should summarize your info and/or make a conclusion. The tiger essay might end, "Tigers are awesome, and I can't wait to learn more about them by going to the zoo and the library. I just hope I never learn what it's like to be eaten by a tiger!"
   
3. Read it back. Do you need to rearrange your thoughts? Do you need to add or remove thoughts? If so, then update your Index Cards, rewrite your rough draft, and read it again. Repeat, if necessary, or go on to the final step!
   
4. Proof for for spelling and punctuation and clarity one last time.
   

Don't forget to read your child's writing afterward! Praise your child for hard work, show interest in what they have written about, and read the finished product together in a comfy chair! Then play together!

You may wish to proof-read your child's work after each step. If so, tell them in advance -- "Tim, what do we do after picking a topic?" [Come up with about five facts or ideas that we need to learn and write about the topic.] "Right. Get me when you've done that! I'd like to read them!" Then let your child work.

Tips:

• Allow breaks every 5-15 minutes. The break can be for a half hour, or a day -- whatever! Let your child know right away when to expect to resume work, so that he or she will be prepared and less likely to fuss. Praise your child for hard work, if appropriate, and allow your child to watch one TV show, get a drink, chit-chat with you (about things that interest the child, like toys, games, sports, etc. -- anything but school), or have dinner (if the child is pausing that task for the rest of the day). "Great effort. You've been working hard! When you reach a stopping point, let's play catch for ten minutes and then you can make some more progress!"
• When editing: Ask your student to scan for places to add capital letters or periods, and to find misspelled spelling words. Do not over-labor spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Focus only on a few things, such as spelling words from their spelling list and other important, easy words. Say, "I spy a sentence that is missing a final period!" or "Let's fix three words this time. Next time, we'll fix four," or something like that. Over time, as your student becomes faster and more efficient at correcting spelling, he or she can do a more and more thorough job of revision. Foster a fun hunt-like atmosphere around finding and fixing stuff.
• Let your child do the work. Do not write or think or remember for your child.
  
  For example, if your child says, "I don't know what to write," help him or her find a topic; do not pick it. You might say, "Tom, find three toys on the shelf, and bring them here. Now, what are they? Which one would you like to write about?" Or, "You choose: would you like to write about an animal, or what you did today on the playground?" Other categories you might suggest as options are: describing a person, a place he or she would like to go, and something your child likes to do.
  
  For another example, if your child is writing about tigers and there are ideas that are not on an index card that should be written about, you might say, "Hmmm... I know from your cards what tigers eat and what they look like, but what else should I know about them? There must be more to know about tigers..." If your child still struggles, try giving him or her more time, or brainstorm things to say about a similar topic. If all else fails, hint: "Yikes! I wonder if there are tigers in Indianapolis!...?"
• Praising effort is better than praising the quality of the work. Praising effort encourages students to love learning. Praising good results sometimes causes children to give up in the future, for fear of not meeting the same high standards. For example, say, "Wow, John. You have been thinking really hard. I am so proud of you." Or, "Are you happy with what you did?" They will know and feel good about their work in an appropriate way if you praise effort. Do not say, "You are so good at writing" or "Now that's a great piece of writing."
• Mix it up -- do related activities before and after writing time, such as playing word games like 20 Questions or reading some favorite books together.
• Keep it short. Three to five Index Cards, one sentence (or maybe two) for each Index Card, plus the introductory and concluding sentences.
  

Go for it!

Class Rules

1. Do your best
2. Raise your hand
3. Be as nice as you can

Our rules are simple, but they're great. We believe that students deserve a place to learn that is safe, full of encouragement for hard work, and pleasant.

Peaceful rooms foster happy, learning environments.

Ask your students about how to be nice -- even when others aren't. Help them think of ways to defuse situations, say nice things about people, ignore bullies, solve problems on their own (if no one and nothing is going to be hurt), and feel free to ask for help at an appropriate time when an adult is needed.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Kindergarten B weblog, or Blog for short!

Here you will find important announcements about field trips, homework, fun activities, and more!

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Thanks again! Talk to you soon!