Kids in Room 107
  • Newsletter 2021-2022
  • Absent Work
  • Reading & Writing
  • Math
  • Explore Science
  • Social Studies
  • PTA
  • Music
  • Scholastic Book Orders
  • NWEA Map Test
  • Parent Academic Support
  • MI Open Book

April 9, 2021

4/9/2021

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News & Notes:

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  • Thank you! - Let me begin by thanking you for all your support during our switch to remote learning.  I know it can be challenging!  Please know that I am always available to answer any questions you or your child may have.  Everyone's at-home learning situation is different, and that's ok.  Patience and flexibility are key attributes for every teacher ... that includes family teachers!  I am grateful to be on YOUR team and have confidence in our collective ability to help your children make the most of this time.
  • Having tech troubles? - Click this link for technology help or call (313) 827-2190
  • Learning Materials from School - We will know more about the remote learning plan after the AP School Board meets on Monday.  We will keep you informed about a possible learning materials pick up.

Learning Goals:

  • Reading - This week we'll be working on reading fluency as we read Reader's Theater scripts in our Book Clubs.  April is Poetry Month and we'll continue reading and writing poetry.
  • Writing - A goal for 4th graders in writing is to use descriptive details in writing.  We'll be focusing on details this week.
  • Math - We'll continue our study of geometry this week.
  • Science - We are wrapping up our study of waves and continuing to develop our engineering design skills.
  • Social Studies - This week we begin to study Economics.
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Can't wait to see the Kids in Room 107 back at Bennie learning and investigating our Bennie Courtyard.
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March 12, 2021

3/12/2021

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News & Notes:

  • Trimester Ends - Our second trimester ended today.  Report cards will be available on Friday, March 19
  • Whoose Reading - March is Reading month and a part of that is our PTAs annual Whoose Reading challenge and fundraiser.  Please help your child log into their Whoose Reading account to record their reading minutes.  If you did not receiver the Whoo’s Reading email please contact Wendy Cosgrove at wccosgrove@aol.com. 
  • Dentist - The mobile dentist will be coming to Bennie Friday April 23rd. Please sign up here: http://www.myschooldentist.com/
  • Newbery Book Report - Reminder: Students should be reading their book-report book at home and at school and taking notes on each chapter as they go. As we near the end of the month I will go over the presentation expectations with the class. (Directions are on their packets). 
  • Bottles needed - As part of our science unit we will be sowing seeds and growing flowers for the courtyard. Please send in empty 2-liter pop bottles or milk jugs. If possible, please remove all labels.
  • Masks - Please ensure while on school property (outside of your vehicles) you and your students are wearing masks appropriately.  Students are expected to wear their mask covering nose and mouth unless eating or drinking.

Upcoming Dates:

  • Wednesday, March 17 - 1/2 day remote learning
  • Friday, March 19 - No school for students

What we're Learning:

  Beautiful weather means we can take our learning to the Courtyard!
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Reading:
  • Continue to work on our March Newbery Award book reports. 
  • Academic vocabulary: word of the day. 
  • Word study focus on parts of speech.
  • Compare and contrast by identifying similarities and differences within a text.
  • Continue to work on genre.
Math: 
  • Students should be on Lesson 9
  • Use place value to multiply multi-digit numbers.
  • We will also review multiplication & division strategies. ​
Writing: 
  • Focus on complete sentence writing with capitalization and punctuation. 
  • Using quotation marks. ​
Science:
  • Study waves through investigating the phenomena of a shipping container of Doritos that washed up on a beach.
Social Studies:
  • The study of human geography. 
  • Push and pull factors that inspire people to migrate to new places.
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February 26, 2021

2/26/2021

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News & Notes:

  • It's great to be back!  It truly has been wonderful to be back in Room 107 with your children.  A big thanks to Mrs. Mattoon for taking over in my absence.  
  • Speaking of Mrs. Mattoon.  She will take over again on Friday, March 5 - Tuesday, March 9 while I assist my husband during his hip surgery and recovery.  I'll be back on Wednesday, March 10.
  • NWEA Reports - Students are bringing home NWEA reports today.  As a reminder, these reports are intended to help guide teachers as to how best meet the needs of your children.    Learning in the pandemic has been quite different - performance on standardized tests such as this may be impacted. However, they are only one piece in our assessment puzzle and we work hard here at Bennie to meet the needs of all students. All that being said, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!
  • Winter Sowing - As part of our science studies, we will be growing  flowers for the courtyard.  Ideally, I'd like to have each student create their own mini-greenhouse.  Please send in empty pop bottles, 1/2 gallon or gallon jugs.  If possible, please remove labels.
  • Brain Breaks - Weather permitting, we will go outside for a brain break twice a day.  Our location changes each day to ensure classes do not mix.  Students will need boots or a extra pair of shoes to be able to play on our grassy area (it gets a bit muddy this time of  year).
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Upcoming Dates:

  • Monday, March 1 - Picture Day
  • Tuesday & Wednesday, March 2-3 - Asynchronous learning only.  There will be no zooms or face to face learning.  Assignments will be posted in Google Classroom each day.
  • Thursday, March 4 - Virtual field trip with the Detroit Institute of the Arts in the afternoon.
  • Friday, March 5 - Tuesday, March 9 - Mrs. Mattoon will be the lead teacher in Room 107.

What we're Learning

Reading & Writing
  • Book of the day- Our target skill this week is inferring and predicting. 
  • We continue to focus on identifying important information in the texts we read.
  • We will focus on writing stamina, as well as capitalization and punctuation.
  • Our word study/spelling focus is on prefixes. 
  • We will be working on a Newbery Book report for the month of March.  Students should be able to complete the project in class or during their Wednesday Remote 1/2 days.  

Math
  • We have begun a new "mission" in Zearn.  We will be focusing on multiplication and division for the next three weeks.

​Science
  • We're investigating quite a bit in science!  Birds have been an exciting topic in Room 107 this week!
  • We will be observing the changes in our Bennie Courtyard habitat.
  • Our next unit of focus will be on waves.

Social Studies
  • We continue to study geography with an emphasis on human migration.
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Whoose Reading is back!  Be sure to log in and create your account.
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January 22

1/22/2021

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News & Notes:

  • Tips for Learning at Home - Check the supply list to see what items your child needs for the week ahead.  We will be using the Science Kits and Fraction Strips several times this week.  (Several students have not had their needed supplies during our whole class meetings.)
  • Office Hours - As a reminder, Mrs. Mattoon and I have office hours each day to answer any/all questions.  She is on Google Meets at 9:15-9:50 and I am on Zoom from 2:15-3:00 each day.
  • Technology - Click this link for technology help or call (313) 827-2190.
  • Bennie Winter Sowing Service Project - Seeds will continue to be available in front of Bennie from 9-3 Mon-Wed next week.  Feel free to stop by and pick up seeds if you would like to participate in this remote service project.

Upcoming Dates:

  • January 25-27 - Winter Sowing Service Project Seeds available in front of Bennie from 9-3
  • February 3 - Bennie Clubs begin (remotely on the first Wednesday of the month during school)
  • February 5 - No School for students
  • February 15-16 - No school winter break

Supply List for the Week of 1/25

supply_list_for_week_of_january_25.pdf
File Size: 50 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

What we're Learning:

​ Reading
  • Book of the day- Our target skill this week is compare and contrast. We will read multiple versions of the same story to find similarities and differences. 
  • We will continue to practice the strategy “read the question first” and “process of elimination” with nonfiction text on readworks. 

Writing
  • We will focus on point of view by writing stories from other character's perspectives.

Math
  • We will continue to explore equivalent fractions and benchmark fractions.
  • Beginning to add fractions and decompose sums. 
  • We will also continue to review multiplication & division strategies.  ​

​Science
  • We will focus on point of view by writing stories from other character's perspectives.

Social Studies
  • Northeast Region
  • Southeast Region
  • Continue our research project on regions and comparing differences between them.
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January 4, 2020

12/17/2020

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News & Notes:

  • Welcome back to "Room 107".  I hope your well deserved break gave you all a chance to relax and recharge.
  • Tips for Learning at Home - Have your child follow a routine as if they're going to school (getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc.) instead of lying in bed in their pajamas, which could lead to less learning.
  • Office Hours - As a reminder, Mrs. Mattoon and I have office hours each day to answer any/all questions.  She is on Google Meets at 9:15-9:50 and I am on Zoom from 2:15-3:00 each day.
  • Technology - Click this link for technology help or call (313) 827-2190.

Supply List for the Week:

Upcoming Dates:

  • Wed, Jan 6 - 1/2 days every Wednesday
  • Wednesday’s are Learning Lab vs. Fourth Grader's Choice!! Make sure to complete all your work so you can have Fourth Grader's Choice. 
  • ​Fri, Jan 15 and Mon, Jan 18 - No school for students

What we're Learning:

Social Studies - 
  • We will continue to discuss the US regions and how regions are divided and classified. 
  • We will begin our new research project on regions. 
Science - 
  • Continue with coding. 
  • We will introduce our new unit on circuits and electricity!
Math - 
  • We will begin a new unit on fractions!!! 
  • We will also continue to review multiplication & division strategies.  ​
Writing -
  • We will continue to focus on paragraph writing. 
  • We will choose a new affirmation for the month of January and write about it.
  • We will begin writing and reflecting on an academic goal.  
Reading - 
  • Book of the day- we will focus on identifying the theme of the book of the day and providing evidence from the text. 
  • Readworks: we will start using readworks for nonfiction reading. We will begin with the strategy: read the questions first. 
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In honor of our new science unit on electrical circuits, we read the book "Too Many Toys".  We are still collecting used soft electronic toys to "dissect" at the end of January.  Please let me know if you have any to donate.  We are partnering with Mrs. Ferrante's class and are still in need of approximately 26 toys.  They DO NOT have to work!!

Ask Me:

  • Tuesday we will be setting an academic goal for the week ... Here are a couple of questions to help foster discussion:
  • What is your goal for the week in school?  What strategies are you going to use to try and achieve that goal?
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December 11, 2020

12/11/2020

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News & Notes

  • Materials Pick Up - Monday from 9:30-12:30 will be our last materials pick up for awhile.  We have a couple of things in the bags for this week (including a holiday bingo game for Friday) as well as a science kit for January. Please ask your child to leave everything in the bag until we talk about it on Tuesday morning.  There will not be an 11:00 zoom on Monday due to materials pick up.  
  • Spirit Week Starts Monday - 
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Upcoming Dates:

We will have special guests on our Zooms this week. 
  • Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 11:00 - Mrs. Saville (Bennie social worker) 
  • Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 10:15 - Billy Cayo (APHS alumni- Discuss coding!) 
  • Thursday, Dec. 17 at 11:00 - FlipGrid virtual field trip
  • Friday, Dec. 18 at 11:00 - Mr. Guy Louis (music and mindfulness)
  • Friday, Dec. 18 at 12:30 - We'll have a class holiday party on Zoom and share our Holidays around the World projects.

Tutoring

  • The High School National Honor Society is offering free tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Click here for more information.
  • This is a great place to go for extra support with Google Classroom assignments!

Technology Help

  • Click this link for technology help or call (313) 827-2190.
  • Starting this Friday, December 4,  they will have daily open hours from 1-3 pm at Riley door 6 for anyone to get support with Chromebook problems or damage.  
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November 20, 2020

11/17/2020

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Upcoming Dates:

  • November 23 - Materials Pick Up 9:30-12:30
  • November 24 - End of first trimester
  • November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break
  • December 2-3 - Student-led Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
  • December 3 - 1/2 day for students

News & Notes:

Materials Pick Up:
  • We will be having our next materials pick up on Monday, November 23 from 9:30-12:30.  At this time, please bring back book club books that we are finished reading (your child will know which title that is - but feel free to email me if you are not sure).  
  • Pickup on the west side at Door 16.  Enter by driving directly down Cortland into the Bennie driveway.
  • We plan to be out there to help from 9:30-11:30, so there will not be an 11:00 zoom on Monday.
Materials to Bring Back:
  • If your child's book club has recently finished a book, please bring those books back to Bennie.  We are swapping them out for new book club books.
DTE Kits:
  • Thank you to those families who were able to complete the Home Energy Kit - there is still time for our class to earn a grant by completing the online worksheet.
  • I have rescheduled the assignment to complete the DTE Home Energy Worksheet online. I think there was some confusion on our end.  Here is the link to the assignment in your child's Google Classroom which includes how to complete the form online.  Please help your child complete the brief Home Energy Worksheet by November 20th - even if you didn't install items from the kit!  DTE provides generous support to classrooms through free programs and grants.  Please let me know if you have any questions.
APPS Social Work team resources:
  • Our wonderful social work team has put together some resources to support students.
stressful_times_need_strategies.pdf
File Size: 1630 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Conferences -
  • We will be holding Student-Led conferences on December 2nd and 3rd.  These will be on Zoom.  Click here to sign up.
Tutoring -
  • The High School National Honor Society is offering free tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Click here for more information.
Toy Take Apart Lab
  • We are in need of stuffed electronic toys (they do not have to be working!) for a science activity in December.  There is a box in front of Bennie for donations - or you can bring them to our materials pick up.  Feel free to share the "flyer" on your social media accounts.  Thanks for any help you can offer!
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Specials -
  • We will have Media Lit with Ms. Byrne as our specials class for the next two weeks.  Her Zoom log in is in our "Zoom, Specials Classes and How To Videos" topic on Google Classroom
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November 13

11/13/2020

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Upcoming Dates

  • November 24 - End of first trimester
  • November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break
  • December 2-3 - Student-led Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
  • December 3 - 1/2 day for students

News & Notes

  • DTE Kits - I have rescheduled the assignment to complete the DTE Home Energy Worksheet online. I think there was some confusion on our end.  Here is the link to the assignment in your child's Google Classroom which includes how to complete the form online.  Please help your child complete the brief Home Energy Worksheet by November 20th - even if you didn't install items from the kit!  DTE provides generous support to classrooms through free programs and grants.  Please let me know if you have any questions.
  • Tech Support - Click this link for technology help or call (313) 827-2190.
  • Conferences - We will be holding Student-Led conferences on December 2nd and 3rd.  These will be on Zoom.  Click here to sign up.

What are we learning
Reading:

  • Book of the day we will focus on immigration stories and using evidence to support how the characters change throughout the story. 
  • We will be participating in the Great Thanksgiving listen. Check out the video below.

Writing:

  • We will review friendly letter writing by writing from the main character’s point of view.  
  • Emphasis on writing in a complete paragraph. ​

Math:

  • ​Continue strategies for division. 
  • Working on math reasoning using problems of the day including solving word problems. 

Science:

  • ​Continue with our new science unit: How the earth changes over time. We will begin with slow changes by investigating fossils. 

Social Studies

  • Discuss equal protection of the laws as outlined in the Constitution.
  • Discuss and explain the right to due process of the law
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November 6, 2020

11/6/2020

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Remote Schedule for the Week of November 9th

  • We are going to be piloting a couple of changes in the schedule for the next two weeks.  The basic schedule will stay the same with a couple of changes:
  • We will be doing Daily 5 together.  The plan is to gather again after our specials class and will be either in book clubs or completing Daily 5 work while staying connected to zoom.  ​
  • Mrs. Mattoon will be hosting morning office hours from 9:15-9:50 for anyone with questions on the morning work.
  • I will have extended office hours each afternoon from 2:15-3:00. 

Here is a link to the full schedule for the week.

NHS Tutoring Support

Several National Honor Society students are volunteering their time to work as peer tutors. Please fill out this form if you would be interested in receiving extra help with homework.

Progress Reports

Progress reports will be emailed to you next week along with your child's NWEA report. 
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Room 107 Remote
​Classroom Promise

Today, we reviewed the Remote Classroom Promise we created together back in September. We talked about the importance of listening to each other and being an engaged learner ... that includes finding a good place to zoom from and keeping cameras on when possible.  Check out our full Classroom Promise here.
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October 15, 2020

10/14/2020

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Return to Face to Face

Wondering what bring back to school on Monday? This document has what you need.
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Wondering about details like drop off and pick up ... or lunch ... or cubbies?  This document has more information.

NHS Tutoring Support

Several National Honor Society students are volunteering their time to work as peer tutors. Please fill out this form if you would be interested in receiving extra help with homework.
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