Fractured Fairytales-Can you help?

We will be performing two fractured fairytales the evening of May 17th from 6:00-7:00.  The students got their scripts and parts today.  They will be putting a great deal of effort into practicing their lines with fluency and expression.  Next week they will be expected to memorize their lines and we will start looking at staging.

Reader’s theater has multiple benefits.  It helps develop fluency through repeated exposure to text.  The repetition increases comprehension, integrates reading, writing, and listening, as well as providing opportunities for collaborative learning.
We could definitely use your help!  I would love to have parent volunteers help with scenery, costumes, assisting students with lines, and helping me with directing!  If you think you could assist us, just send an email, a text, a comment, anything.  Thanks in advance!

Spring Conferences

Please sign-up for a Spring Conference by following the link to our wiki.  If none of the times work for your schedule, please contact me directly and I will make sure we find a time that works.  If you would like to send questions ahead of time to make better use of our limited conference time, please feel free to do so.  I look forward to seeing you all!  Thank you!

Weeone Wiki

Summer Camp Time!

I am lucky enough to offer two different summer camps this year. Last summer the Science Camp I ran was a huge hit! We were active and outside throughout the day working with one another to conduct experiments and have fun! I will also be offering an exciting program called Biz-Movie!

Biz-Movie
This real-world simulation will give students the opportunity to create animated movies using online “MovieMaker” technology, introducing them to basic programming as they start and run their own movie production companies. They will experience the entire entrepreneurial cycle as they work together to design, produce, market and sell tickets to their animated film. Students will learn the value of creative and critical thinking as they gain practical experience in the business world. Participation helps students to see how their unique talents and skills translate from the classroom to the real world. Campers need to bring a snack, lunch, and water bottle each day.

Instructor: Tara Weegar (WCS Teacher)
Ages: 8-11
Location: WCS Mosaic Hallway
Time: July 16-20 9:00am -4:00pm

Mystery Science Camp
Solar ovens, oobleck, slime, explosions of soda, volcanoes, and more! Do you have what it takes to be a Junior Science Sleuth? Become a detective and learn to conduct your very own experiments to explore the secrets of “Kitchen Chemistry”, “Creepers and Peepers (Life Sciences)”, “Rocks to Rockets (Earth/Space Sciences)”, “Ecology, Technology, (Ecological Sciences)” and Inquiry Experiments. Each camper will receive the training and support to ask questions as well as the skills to experiment and dig for answers! Campers need to bring a snack, lunch, and water bottle each day.

Instructor: Tara Weegar (WCS Teacher)
Ages: 8-11
Location: WCS Mosaic Hallway
Time: July 23-27 9:00am – 4:00pm

Register early by calling the Williston Recreation Department at 879-1239. If you would like more information about any of the camps, please call Tara Weegar 363-1172 or email tweegar@cssu.org.

WCSWeeones Tweet

Our classroom will be tweeting throughout the day from now on. Follow us on Twitter @WCSWeeones to find out what we are up to, changes in schedules, and fun happenings! You can also see our tweets by coming to our blog and checking out the twitter feed in the right sidebar!

What are the Chances?

Over the month of February students will be focusing on probability and data in math.  We will spend quite a bit of time playing and analyzing games that demonstrate the properties of probability.  This will give students opportunities to move towards a more sophisticated appreciation of chance.  They will begin to understand that “luck”…isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!  I have collected some games for a glog on probability and embedded it below.  Enjoy!

Handwriting in the 21st Century?

There is great debate over the amount of time spent on handwriting, specifically cursive, during the third and fourth grades. I’ve heard many different viewpoints and have my own theories about technology changing the needs for cursive writing. Today is National Handwriting Day (and John Hancock’s birthday) and it got me thinking about the benefits of writing while learning. Here is a great article that ties in some research on the subject. I’m interested in hearing what you think. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

Vermont History Research

Our class will be creating a Vermont History A-Z Book as a culminating project for our Vermont History Unit.  Each student has chosen a letter and a topic.  They will have class time to research and write about thier topic.  They will also create a webpage for their topic so they will need to look for design, layout, color, and theme.  Students will use the web resources embedded in the Glog below to begin their research this afternoon.

The Snowman

Today we used a classic story to practice our retelling skills and more specifically past and present verb tenses. We watched “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs. First, each student was given a sheet of twelve images from the film and had to infer the sequence of events. While we watched the video we kept an eye out for the scenes in our images and corrected the order. After that, students practiced retelling in partners using the images and a word box to help guide them. The students enjoyed the film a great deal and it was fun to hear them recall details from the story.

Reindeer Application

This week in Writing Workshop we are working on a persuasive piece titled “Reindeer Application”.  The students are trying to convince Santa to hire them as reindeer for his team.  We began the session by brainstorming some ideas on Wallwisher to share our thinking.  Then, we wrote a rough draft before beginning our final application.  If you get hired, you will get to create a decorative reindeer ornament

Fall Conferences

I am looking forward to meeting with each family again this year.  I have put up the new times on our class wiki and I would love for each family to sign up for the spot that works best for you.  If those times do not work, please let me know (tweegar1180@gmail.com) and I will do my best to accommodate you.  Our “conference day” is on November 14th so there will be no school.  It also happens to be my birthday so I would LOVE to have the conferences before that date and use the fourteenth to correct papers and do some reading

Here is the link for the conference sign-up: CONFERENCES