25 September 2011
Store Volunteers
Please consider working in the classroom store! Attached here is the volunteer sign-up sheet. Please sign your name on the document and save! The commitment is relatively small in terms of time, but it's incredibly important to the kids. Thanks for your help!
Parents-
I'm attaching the Spirit Week activity sign up for each day. The document includes what the day's dress-up theme is as well as what students are participating in what activities.
If a student's name is not listed it is because he or she chose not to participate in a lunchtime activity.
I will do my best to keep up with photos during the week!
Mrs. Perrien
I'm attaching the Spirit Week activity sign up for each day. The document includes what the day's dress-up theme is as well as what students are participating in what activities.
If a student's name is not listed it is because he or she chose not to participate in a lunchtime activity.
I will do my best to keep up with photos during the week!
Mrs. Perrien
18 September 2011
Reading Workshop--Week Two
See my reading workshop blog, for updates about week two of our reader's workshop!
Words to Live By!
My cousin, Valentina, is an amazing artist. I am in awe of her talent. She posted a free poster two days ago on her web site. I hope every one of my students prints this poster and displays it prominately in their room!
In Dreams and In Life, Nothing is Impossible!
***I find this saying very inspiring. Sometimes I look around my office and feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities as a mom, a wife, a teacher, a professor, a friend... reminders such as this help keep me grounded! I hope my students feel as inspired as I did reading the poster.
(As I type this I am getting ready to clean said office. It's a scary thought...)
In Dreams and In Life, Nothing is Impossible!
***I find this saying very inspiring. Sometimes I look around my office and feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities as a mom, a wife, a teacher, a professor, a friend... reminders such as this help keep me grounded! I hope my students feel as inspired as I did reading the poster.
(As I type this I am getting ready to clean said office. It's a scary thought...)
15 September 2011
Volunteer Documents
Parents-
Thanks for coming to parent night, 2011! :) Please let me know if you have other questions, or if you weren't able to make it, let me know if you would like to talk about your student.
I'm attaching the five-minute test checker volunteer sheet. There are two dates open in December, if you would like them, you have access to update the document and then resave within Google Docs. (I think...if I did it correctly!)
I'm also looking for volunteers for the following activities:
Thanks for coming to parent night, 2011! :) Please let me know if you have other questions, or if you weren't able to make it, let me know if you would like to talk about your student.
I'm attaching the five-minute test checker volunteer sheet. There are two dates open in December, if you would like them, you have access to update the document and then resave within Google Docs. (I think...if I did it correctly!)
I'm also looking for volunteers for the following activities:
- Helping lead a "making words" lesson in the classroom
- Helping during workplan--either with research or helping students who are working on their math, language, or geometry work.
- Taking a turn running the classroom store
14 September 2011
Powerpoint for Parent Night
Parent Night Powerpoint--We will begin at 6:30 p.m. Plan to finish before 7:30 p.m.
The Five Great Lessons
The work we've been doing in our afternoon science and cultural has involved hearing and discussing the Montessori great lessons. Last week we heard the first great lesson and this week we are doing a short reader's theater, The Drama of the Archeozoic Ocean, as we discuss the evolution of our planet.
Please read the following article, The Five Great Lessons of the Elementary Curriculum. I believe there is some variation in what we Montessorians do as our second great lesson. In my opinion this has a lot to do with our training center's instruction. I usually move from the second great lesson to discussing Earth's early history and from there move to the story of man, of writing, and of math.
When we complete the Great Lessons students will begin our physical science unit, the Properties of Matter. At the same time they will have the opportunity to dig deeper into the Earth's history and research a topic of their choice.
Please read the following article, The Five Great Lessons of the Elementary Curriculum. I believe there is some variation in what we Montessorians do as our second great lesson. In my opinion this has a lot to do with our training center's instruction. I usually move from the second great lesson to discussing Earth's early history and from there move to the story of man, of writing, and of math.
When we complete the Great Lessons students will begin our physical science unit, the Properties of Matter. At the same time they will have the opportunity to dig deeper into the Earth's history and research a topic of their choice.
11 September 2011
Reading Workshop
Parents-
Would you like to know what's going on in our reading workshop this year? I'll be updating the following blog all year about our class' reading workshop lessons: http://perriensworkshop.blogspot.com/.
I've committed to writing at least one a week on the reading workshop blog. Check in weekly and you'll see what we're doing!
Mrs. Perrien
Would you like to know what's going on in our reading workshop this year? I'll be updating the following blog all year about our class' reading workshop lessons: http://perriensworkshop.blogspot.com/.
I've committed to writing at least one a week on the reading workshop blog. Check in weekly and you'll see what we're doing!
Mrs. Perrien
08 September 2011
Math Assessments
This weekend, students are bringing home their first "speedway" assessment pages. They will also bring home their first five minute timed test--either addition or subtraction. How do we do these assessments in our classroom?
The upper Montessori students do a daily, quick math fact assessment. We do a one minute "speedway" assessment and a weekly five-minute timed test. This plan was developed based on a plea from middle and high school math teachers to make sure that students knew their facts! Our math speedway is a three or four day per week one-minute test with 10 problems. It covers basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This year I'm adding in fraction reducing as a 5th section of the speedway. Ideally, students move forward each time they take their speedway test.
The five minute timed test requires students to move through 100 basic math facts with 100% accuracy. Students do addition and subtraction in the beginning of the year each year as a baseline assessment but the main focus is multiplication and division. For those students that pass out of division we have other five-minute challenges! Students compete against their own score each week. The goal is steady progress in memorizing the facts. These assessments can be fun and the students look forward to them (That is also why everyone starts at zero for the addition speedway.) Most importantly, they take very little time each week out of the school day but the results are seen in our daily math lessons as well as simple fact recall.
What do these assessments tell you at home? What math facts students have mastered and where they struggle. If your son or daughter did well on this week's addition five-minute test, that is great! Next week we'll be doing a subtraction or multiplication five-minute assessment. Watch for these to come home to see how students are doing on their facts. Look for speedways that are 100% correct. When a speedway test comes home with errors, this is a fact family to study and practice at home.
The upper Montessori students do a daily, quick math fact assessment. We do a one minute "speedway" assessment and a weekly five-minute timed test. This plan was developed based on a plea from middle and high school math teachers to make sure that students knew their facts! Our math speedway is a three or four day per week one-minute test with 10 problems. It covers basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This year I'm adding in fraction reducing as a 5th section of the speedway. Ideally, students move forward each time they take their speedway test.
The five minute timed test requires students to move through 100 basic math facts with 100% accuracy. Students do addition and subtraction in the beginning of the year each year as a baseline assessment but the main focus is multiplication and division. For those students that pass out of division we have other five-minute challenges! Students compete against their own score each week. The goal is steady progress in memorizing the facts. These assessments can be fun and the students look forward to them (That is also why everyone starts at zero for the addition speedway.) Most importantly, they take very little time each week out of the school day but the results are seen in our daily math lessons as well as simple fact recall.
What do these assessments tell you at home? What math facts students have mastered and where they struggle. If your son or daughter did well on this week's addition five-minute test, that is great! Next week we'll be doing a subtraction or multiplication five-minute assessment. Watch for these to come home to see how students are doing on their facts. Look for speedways that are 100% correct. When a speedway test comes home with errors, this is a fact family to study and practice at home.
The First Week
Parents,
I had a wonderful first week with the children! They were fun, engaging and eager to do their best. However, they are probably very tired!
Our class also spent a great deal of time discussing classroom procedures. In fact, the first week of school is full of procedures--learning and practice. For this reason it can seem like a very long week. But the more we work on procedures now, the smoother our year goes!
During these first weeks we are primarily working in small groups or whole class. We won't be starting workplan for a few weeks. These first weeks are a time of team building; by putting in the time now we find the students handling the rest of the school year much better. I will be testing many of them to determine where to best begin them in the Upper Montessori math curriculum. Other tests (reading, writing) take place these first few weeks. We also began our reading and our writing workshop schedules this week.
Thank you again for making the choice to place your child in the Upper Montessori classroom. I consider it a privilege to be working with your son or daughter this year.
--Mrs. Perrien
I had a wonderful first week with the children! They were fun, engaging and eager to do their best. However, they are probably very tired!
Our class also spent a great deal of time discussing classroom procedures. In fact, the first week of school is full of procedures--learning and practice. For this reason it can seem like a very long week. But the more we work on procedures now, the smoother our year goes!
During these first weeks we are primarily working in small groups or whole class. We won't be starting workplan for a few weeks. These first weeks are a time of team building; by putting in the time now we find the students handling the rest of the school year much better. I will be testing many of them to determine where to best begin them in the Upper Montessori math curriculum. Other tests (reading, writing) take place these first few weeks. We also began our reading and our writing workshop schedules this week.
Thank you again for making the choice to place your child in the Upper Montessori classroom. I consider it a privilege to be working with your son or daughter this year.
--Mrs. Perrien
03 September 2011
Getting Ready!
Parents,
As we prepare to head back to school I'd like to point out a few important bits of information. Please read through this entire post!
Our special on Tuesday is music. On Tuesday I will also be sending home a document (actually, I'll be linking it here) detailing the student's daily schedule. They have physical wellness on Thursday so gym shoes need to be school and in lockers by then! (Please see me if you need assistance purchasing gym shoes or other back-to-school items.)
The student's back-to-school packets from the office contain several important documents. Please remember that many of these are required by state law so do Mrs. Coney a favor and return them as soon as possible. It's something you can take off YOUR checklist and she won't be calling you over the next few months! :)
The Waukazoo PTA schedule was in your child's back-to-school packet. We need Montessori parents to add their voices to PTA! Please consider being part of the PTA. The Waukazoo PTA is a vibrant organization that works hard to support Waukazoo and its students.
The PTA is once again sponsoring a Fun Run/Walk Event. This will kick-off almost immediately this fall. The date of the Fun Run is September 30. This is the only PTA fundraiser in the school and the funds raised cover many Waukazoo opportunities, including but not limited to: Brainstormers, the Publishing Center, Discovery Days, Patriot's Day, the Tulip Time parade, playground equipment, field trips, teacher's supply budgets, and the Montessori 5th grade year-end dinner.
Waukazoo's morning and afternoon procedures have not changed since last year. But I am once again appealing to parents to take advantage of the school bus system if possible. The parking lots at school are small and easily overwhelmed at the end of the day. If your child lives along a bus route please have him or her ride the bus if at all possible. Thanks!
Waukazoo's morning and afternoon procedures have not changed since last year. But I am once again appealing to parents to take advantage of the school bus system if possible. The parking lots at school are small and easily overwhelmed at the end of the day. If your child lives along a bus route please have him or her ride the bus if at all possible. Thanks!
Parent Night: The Upper Montessori parent night is scheduled for Thursday, September 15 at 6:30 p.m. Parent night is an opportunity for new parents to get to know our classroom and our curriculum. (Returning parents are encouraged to attend our new parent session.) Please make every effort to attend this classroom and curriculum informational meeting; if you find that this night does not work with your schedule please let me know and we will attempt to schedule an alternate before or after-school meeting.
Finally, yes I have redesigned the blog. During a movie on Friday night I sat down and changed a few things. I have also added a Voki. This was fun! Students are able to make their own by visiting the site, www.voki.com. For some reason she pronounces my name correctly on the Voki site but when linked to the blog she gets it wrong! Please be sure to sign up for email updates, this is the easiest way for you to get classroom news and updates.
I'm looking forward to Tuesday, I will be meeting our class at the playground door at the end of the 4th and 5th grade hallway!
Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend.
Mrs. Perrien
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