Spring is Here!

Great news...the butterfly kits have arrived!  I cannot wait for the students to experience the metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly firsthand! 

What's Going On This Week...

March 27 (Wednesday)

Progress Reports sent home

March 28 (Thursday)

Parent Coffee

7:30–8:15 a.m.

March 28 (Thursday)

Award Assembly

8:15 a.m., playroom

March 29 (Friday)

Break

no school

What Time Is It??!

Hi Everyone!
     Welcome Back! I hope that you all enjoyed your Spring Break!! It is hard to believe that we have already reached the fourth quarter. I am looking forward to all of the fun and learning the students will experience in the weeks to come...
     This week students will be learning concepts related to time and temperature. They will be telling time to the nearest half hour, quarter hour, and minute, as well as measuring elapsed time. Students will also learn to use a thermometer to measure temperatures using degrees Fahrenheit and degrees Celsius. Here are two activities that will increase your child’s measuring skills in time and temperature.

What Time Is It?

• Ask your child what time it is right now. Repeat throughout 

the day. Vary the questions by asking what time it will be in 

30 minutes, in 45 minutes, or in 1 hour.

• Help your child write and follow a schedule for eating 

dinner, doing homework, and getting ready for bed.

Discuss the length of each activity.

Estimating Temperature

Materials: Thermometer (optional), paper and

pencil, old magazines, scissors, glue

Step 1 Have your child copy and draw a thermometer.

Have him or her mark the following on its scale:

Water freezes 32˚F or 0˚C, Room temperature

68˚F or 20˚C, and Normal body temperature 98.6˚F or 37˚C.

Step 2 Have your child find and cut out photos in

old magazines that illustrate different temperatures.

Ask him or her to identify the temperature as hot,

warm, cool, or cold.

Step 3 Have your child glue the pictures at or

around the appropriate temperatures on his or

her thermometer.

Scholastic Book Fair

 The Scholastic Book Fair  is February 25th through March 1st. We will need volunteers to assist the students while they shop, manage the book shelves and run the register. If you have 1 hour or 5 hours, we need you!

Signing up is easy! Review the dates and times on the wiki: http://cspnvolunteers.wikispaces.com/Book+Fair

Find a slot (or slots) you would like to work. Click the "EDIT" button. Type your name and e-mail address in the slot (or slots) you want. Click "SAVE". Then all you have to do is come on the day(s) you selected! If you are unable to work the book fair in some way, consider signing up for one of the food items listed on the wiki, instead.

If you have any questions or problems signing up, please contact Leigh Robinson at lwrobinson@bellsouth.net or (901) 262-3141 (voicemail only please, no text messages).

Upcoming Events:

February 25–March 1

Scholastic Book Fair

Playroom

March 4–8

Spring Intersession

March 4–15

Spring Break

no school

March 7 (Thursday)

Lenny’s Spirit Night

@ Lenny’s on Highland

March 21 (Thursday)

Domino’s Dough Night

Call your local Domino’s

Dominos_Form.jpg

March 27 (Wednesday)

Progress Reports sent home

March 28 (Thursday)

Parent Coffee

7:30–8:15 a.m.

March 28 (Thursday)

Award Assembly

8:15 a.m., playroom

March 29 (Friday)

Break

no school

Jump Rope for Heart, Class Picture Day, and More!

It's time for Jump Rope for Heart! We will be jumping on Friday, February 22 from 10:15am - 11:30 at the Roane Field House. Come out and join us!

Remember, Class Picture Day is Thursday, February 21. Look for more information to come home in your child's Communication Folder this week.

More Upcoming Events:

 

February 21 (Thursday)

Domino’s Dough Night

Call your local Domino’s

Dominos_Form.jpg

February 22 (Friday)

Skate Night

Cordova Skate Center

February 25–March 5

Scholastic Book Fair

Playroom

 

Black History Month Projects

During the month of February, our students will be participating in a school wide celebration of Black History Month. This year’s focus is on African American authors and book characters. Our goal is to emphasize the characteristics, personality traits, and behaviors that allowed African Americans to make significant strides in American History, through the creation of Character Body Book Reports. This project is to be completed for Homefun, and as a result, there will be NO OTHER HOMEFUN ASSIGNED THIS WEEK! You will find detailed instructions below, as well as recommended authors and book characters. Feel free to use a book or character of your child’s choice. Below are some pictures of finished products from years past... 

Directions

·       Students will choose a book written by an African-American author, or a fiction or non-fiction book based on African American figures (suggested books / characters below).

·       Create a paragraph of 5-7 sentences that describes your author or character. *Remember, the goal is to emphasize the characteristics, personality traits, and behaviors that allowed African Americans to make significant strides in American History.

·       Character Body Book:

1.     Use the lined strip of paper (Piece 5) to write your paragraph. Write in pencil first.

2.     Go over pencil marks with a black flair.

3.     Erase your pencil marks.

4.     Glue the head, feet, and arms (Pieces 2, 3, and 4) to the back of your construction paper.

5.     If your character is a male, cut out a triangle in the bottom of the body (Piece 1), so that it looks like pants. If your character is female, trim the outside of the bottom of the body, so that it looks like a skirt.

6.    Use your personal best artistic ability to create your character! You may use whatever materials you like for the clothing, such as colored pencils, markers, construction paper, or fabric. You may also use yarn for your character’s hair.

7.    Glue the lined strip of paper (Piece 5) to the inside of the upper body section of Piece 1. The idea is to be able to open and close the arms of the character like a book.

Book Ideas:

• Dream of Trains, by Johnson, Angela
• The Moon Over Star, by Aston, Dianna Hutts
• Let It Shine, by Bryan, Ashley
• Before John Was a Jazz Giant, by Weatherford, Carole Boston
• I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Myers, Walter Dean
• Papa’s Mark, by Lavert, Gwendolyn
• In the Land of Words: New and Selected Poems, by Gilchrist, Jan Spivey
• Almost to Freedom, by Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux
• Thunder Rose, by Nolen, Jerdine
• Visiting Langston, by Collier, Bryan
• Freedom River, by Rappaport, Doreen
• In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers, by Schroeder, Alan
• Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry, by Bryan, Ashley
• Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman, by Schroeder, Alan
• Running the Road to ABC, by Lauture, Denize
• Neeny Coming, Neeny Going, by English, Karen
• Little Eight John, by Wahl, Jan
• All Night, all Day: A Child’s First Book of African American Spirituals, by Bryan, Ashley
• When I Am Old With You, by Johnson, Angela
• The Patchwork Quilt, by Flournoy, Valerie
• Bright Eyes, Brown Skin, by Hudson, Cheryl & Ford, Bernette
• Something Beautiful, by Wyeth, Sharon
• The Quilt, by Jonas, Ann
• Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Ridin Cowboy, by Pinkney, Andrea & Pinkney, Brian
• Drylongso, by Hamilton, Virginia
• I Am Rosa Parks, by Parks, Rosa Parks & Haskins, James
• Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Rappaport, Doreen
• Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Hopkinson, Deborah
• The Dream Keeper and Other Poems, by Hughes, Langston & Pinkney, Brian
• The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children, by Christie, Gregorie
• The Invisible Hunters: A Legend from the Miskito Indians of Nicaragua, by Rohmer, Harriet et al
• Africa Dream, by Greenfield, Eloise
• Mary McLeod Bethune, by Greenfield, Eloise
• Ray Charles, by Mathis, Sharon Bell
• Jazzy Miz Mozetta, by Roberts, Brenda C.
• Family Plays Music, by Cox, Judy
• The Moon Ring, by DuBurke, Randy
• Freedom Summer, by Wiles, Deb
• The Piano Man, by Chocolate, Debbie
• Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters, by McKissack, Patricia C. illustrated by Carrilho, Andre
• Beautiful Blackbird, by Bryan, Ashley
• Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George, by Cline-Ransome, Lesa
• Moses, by Weatherford, Carole
• My Brother Martin, by Farris, Christine King
• We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, by Nelson, Kadir
• Rosa, by Giovanni, Nickki
• Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky, by Ringgold, Faith
• Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves - Deputy U.S. Marshal, by Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux
• My People, by Hughes, Langston
• Molly Bannaky, by Soentpiet, Chris K. and McGill, Alice
• Dear Benjamin Banneker, by Pinkney, Andrea Davis and Pinkney, Brian
• Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, by van Wyk, Chris and Bouma, Paddy
• Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, by Krull, Kathleen and Diaz, David
• What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors, by Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem, Obstfeld, Raymond, and Boos, Ben 
•  Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, by Pinkney, Andrea

Upcoming Events

February 18 (Monday)

In-service day

February 21 (Thursday)

Spring Picture Day

February 21 (Thursday)

Domino’s Dough Night

Call your local Domino’s

Dominos_Form.jpg

February 22 (Friday)

Skate Night

Cordova Skate Center

February 25–March 5

Scholastic Book Fair

Playroom

Upcoming Events

January 21 (Monday)

MLK, Jr. Day

No School

January 22 (Tuesday)

Citizens Who Made the Difference Project Due

January 24 (Thursday)

Family Fun Night

5:45–7:45 p.m.

January 24 (Thursday)

Domino’s Dough Night

Call your local Domino’s

Dominos_Form.jpg

February 18 (Monday)

In-service day

February 21 (Thursday)

Spring Picture Day

February 21 (Thursday)

Domino’s Dough Night

Call your local Domino’s

Dominos_Form.jpg

February 22 (Friday)

Skate Night

Cordova Skate Center

February 25–March 5

Scholastic Book Fair

Playroom

Citizens Make the Difference!

As part of our Unit Study on Civics & Government: Citizens Who Make a Difference, students will be responsible to construct a project at home that demonstrates their knowledge of an American citizen who has made a difference to the world. Students will draw or find a portrait of their historical figure and attach it to a hanger, in order to create a mobile. The students will then research and attach at least six details about their historical figure. These details should be both illustrated and written – please encourage your child to be creative!! Step by step instructions and a project rubric will be attached to a letter coming home on Monday, January 14, as well as the materials needed to help construct the mobile. The final project will be due on Tuesday, January 22. Every student will be given the opportunity to present what they have learned to the class, which will make up the oral presentation component of the project.

Citizens Who Made the Difference

Due: January 22, 2013

Directions:

1) Choose one famous American citizen who has made a difference in the world.

2) On the long rectangular piece of card stock, write your chosen person’s name. Make sure that your name is somewhere small on this piece.

3) On the large circular piece of card stock (with lines) write a paragraph about your person’s life.  Include if available: place of birth, information about childhood, information about their education, and information about their death.  Remember that your paragraph should begin with a topic sentence and end with a concluding sentence.  The paragraph should be at least 7 sentences long.

4) On the large circular piece of card stock (without lines) draw a picture of your chosen person.

5) On the small circular piece of card stock write “Life” on both sides.

6) On the large square piece of card stock (with lines) write about the contribution(s) that your person has made for America or the world.  This does not have to be in paragraph form; however, they must be complete sentences.

7) On the large square piece of card stock (without lines) illustrate one of the contributions your person has made for America or the world.

8) On the small square piece of card stock write “Contributions” on both sides.

9) On the large triangular piece of card stock (with lines) write at least 5 interesting facts you have found about your famous American citizen.  This does not have to be in paragraph form; however, they must be in complete sentences.

10) On the large triangular piece of card stock (without lines) illustrate one of the interesting facts.

11) On the small triangular piece of card stock write “Facts” on both sides.

12) Glue the large circular pieces back to back, the large square pieces back to back, and the large triangular pieces back to back.

13) Attach the mobile with yarn, string, or ribbon.

Citizens Who Made the Difference

Project Rubric

1) The construction of the mobile follows the guidelines listed on the direction page.  The overall look of the mobile is creative and neat.  It is written in ink or flair and the writing is your best handwriting.

10      9      8      7      6      5      4      3      2      1      0

2) The name of your chosen American citizen is written in large letters and with creative, neat lettering. 

5      4      3      2      1      0

3) The paragraph about your person’s life is clearly written and well developed.  The paragraph has at least 7 sentences and an opening and closing sentence.

10      9      8      7      6      5      4      3      2      1      0

4) The contribution(s) your person has made to America are written in interesting, complete sentences. 

10      9     8      7      6      5      4      3      2      1      0

5) The interesting facts about your person’s life are written in complete, well developed sentences.  There are at least 5 facts about your person.

10      9     8      7      6      5      4      3      2      1      0

6) The illustrations are drawn neatly and with detail.  The illustrations are colored.

 10      9     8      7      6      5      4      3      2      1      0

7) Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct.

10      9     8      7      6      5      4      3      2      1      0

8) Oral Component: During the oral presentation, facial expressions and body language generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.

5      4      3      2      1      0

9) Oral Component: Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions posed by classmates about the topic.

5      4      3      2      1      0

Total Points: __________ out of 75

Thank you for your support!