Season's Greeting Everyone!!
Sorry it's been awhile since the last update. The end of the 1st trimester is such a busy time and transitioning activities takes a lot of preparation. I hope you are all doing well and gearing up for our upcoming Winter Break!
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten students have been practicing being creative. They looked at the book "10 Dots" and "Curious George's ABC's" to see how dots and the alphabet can be used to create things we see in the world around us. The kids were then given dots and letters of their own and asked to use their imaginations to create their own versions of things we see in the world. Some very creative uses of the letters and dots. You can expect to see these come home soon.
First Grade:
First Grade students have finished up their detective work with Dudley the Detective by looking for clues and using their logic to solve puzzles. We are now on another adventure with our friend DOT entitled DOT's ADVENTURE IN THE SNOW-how appropriate. This time, students are recording their answers on a sheet instead of discussing all of the questions out loud together.
2nd Grade:
Second Grade students continue to have fun with Yolanda the Yarnspinner and learning how to have fun with words. They heard a story called "That's Good, That's Bad" and created their own versions of Good News/Bad News, some very fun and creative stuff. They are currently working on creating their own animal riddles, and if time permits, they'll perform in Packer's Comedy Playhouse and tell each other their jokes.
3rd Grade Math:
3rd Grade Math students continue to work on logic and problem solving, using guess and check strategies on 5th grade material.
3rd Grade Reading:
Reading students are creating their own "Just So Stories" in a Google Doc that can be worked on anywhere they have internet access and a keyboard. They are required to have dialogue, and a moral to their story. Mr. Packer will edit their stories over Winter Break.
4th Grade Math:
4th Grade Math students are beginning to learn about being consumers and investing their money. They are learning about various businesses and the Stock Market. After break they will be given "$10,000" to invest in the Stock Market Game", buying and selling stock in imaginary companies.
4th Grade Reading:
Students are reading "The Breadwinner", a story about an 11 year old Afghanistan girl who, due to circumstances beyond her control and the Taliban, needs to become the caretaker for her family. It's pretty deep and we've had some great discussions about the Taliban and Afghanistan.
5th Grade Math:
Students are working on CCSS-Rational Numbers-operations with positive and negative numbers, plotting points on a graph, and using algebra to solve for x and y. Along with some of their peers and 4th grade students they have competed in the 2nd of 5 Math Olympiads.
5th Grade Reading:
Students in Packer Reading are just beginning to read the novel "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt and we began with a discussion of the pros and cons of eternal life, making some predictions after reading the dialogue, and identifying similes and metaphors that the author uses in the story.
Have a great holiday season, and a Happy New Year. See you in January.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Friday, December 13, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
NOVMEBER 4-NOVEMBER 8
Hello everyone
I hope everyone is settling into the weather change and enjoying the Fall weather and the Fall colors. I love getting up in the morning and having sunlight and not the darkness, though I know we will be soon rising and going to sleep in pitch darkness.
KINDERGARTEN
For Thinking Skills with Kindergarteners Mr. Packer has been addressing some of the CCSS in Math and the students have been actively showing that they can quickly identify the number of dots projected in front of them, and tell if there are more or less of an item in front of them.
FIRST GRADE
First graders have been receiving their Dudley the Detective badges and continue to work on applying the skills Dudley is teaching us which are 1). Look for all of the clues or information 2). Don't jump to CONCLUSIONS, and 3). There is only one right answer (unless we are creating something) but many ways to get that one right answer
SECOND GRADE
Second graders have met Yolanda the Yarnspinner and have begun working having fun with words and seeing that words can be arranged in multiple ways so that a variety of sentences can be created. We have started to talk about ways to become better writers by simply rearranging the words in our sentences, and we've talked about fluency and the ability to change when their is an obstacle in front of us.
3rd GRADE READING
Third grade reading students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" and have turned the story in short skits on which they were judged on how well they took key elements of the story and communicated the message of the story to the audience. They are going to read "The Elephant's Trunk" and be given a limit on how many frames of a cartoon they can use to retell the story (summarizing and identifying key events).
3rd GRADE MATH
Third grade math students have been working on excessing our mind's eye by using visualization to solve problems. We have also been learning how to draw pictures to solve problems as well as use logic.
4th GRADE MATH
Students are finishing up their "Average Fourth Grader" project which will soon be displayed in the halls. They have begun working on some Math Olympiad problems in preparation for upcoming competition and will share various strategies for solving these types of problems.
4th GRADE READING
Students are finishing up their MovieMaker movies retelling "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and some of those will be shared soon on here and YouTube
5th GRADE MATH
Students have been working on unit 2 (Ratios and Proportions, Expressions and Equations). They have done a lot of work writing ratios, creating equivalent ratios, finding Unit rate, solving percent problems, and a lot of Algebra work (expressions) and have been impressing Mr. Packer with their skills greatly.
5th GRADE READING
Just finished reading our second Edgar Allen Poe story, "The Fall of the House of Usher". Finishing up some work and will begin reading either "The Mask of the Red Death" or "The Cask of Amontillado".
That's all for now. Enjoy your 3 day weekend with Monday off for Veteran's Day.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
I hope everyone is settling into the weather change and enjoying the Fall weather and the Fall colors. I love getting up in the morning and having sunlight and not the darkness, though I know we will be soon rising and going to sleep in pitch darkness.
KINDERGARTEN
For Thinking Skills with Kindergarteners Mr. Packer has been addressing some of the CCSS in Math and the students have been actively showing that they can quickly identify the number of dots projected in front of them, and tell if there are more or less of an item in front of them.
FIRST GRADE
First graders have been receiving their Dudley the Detective badges and continue to work on applying the skills Dudley is teaching us which are 1). Look for all of the clues or information 2). Don't jump to CONCLUSIONS, and 3). There is only one right answer (unless we are creating something) but many ways to get that one right answer
SECOND GRADE
Second graders have met Yolanda the Yarnspinner and have begun working having fun with words and seeing that words can be arranged in multiple ways so that a variety of sentences can be created. We have started to talk about ways to become better writers by simply rearranging the words in our sentences, and we've talked about fluency and the ability to change when their is an obstacle in front of us.
3rd GRADE READING
Third grade reading students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" and have turned the story in short skits on which they were judged on how well they took key elements of the story and communicated the message of the story to the audience. They are going to read "The Elephant's Trunk" and be given a limit on how many frames of a cartoon they can use to retell the story (summarizing and identifying key events).
3rd GRADE MATH
Third grade math students have been working on excessing our mind's eye by using visualization to solve problems. We have also been learning how to draw pictures to solve problems as well as use logic.
4th GRADE MATH
Students are finishing up their "Average Fourth Grader" project which will soon be displayed in the halls. They have begun working on some Math Olympiad problems in preparation for upcoming competition and will share various strategies for solving these types of problems.
4th GRADE READING
Students are finishing up their MovieMaker movies retelling "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and some of those will be shared soon on here and YouTube
5th GRADE MATH
Students have been working on unit 2 (Ratios and Proportions, Expressions and Equations). They have done a lot of work writing ratios, creating equivalent ratios, finding Unit rate, solving percent problems, and a lot of Algebra work (expressions) and have been impressing Mr. Packer with their skills greatly.
5th GRADE READING
Just finished reading our second Edgar Allen Poe story, "The Fall of the House of Usher". Finishing up some work and will begin reading either "The Mask of the Red Death" or "The Cask of Amontillado".
That's all for now. Enjoy your 3 day weekend with Monday off for Veteran's Day.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Sunday, October 13, 2013
October 14-18, 2013
Hello all,
Here is what's going on in the world of Gifted/Talented/Differentiation (GTD) Direct and Classroom Resource Services at Irving School.
Kindergarten:
Mr. Packer goes into the Kindergarten classrooms once a week for one half hour. The past several times he has been working with the kids on positional words such as; over, under, near, above, below, etc.). The first session the kids had to connect cubes at put the white cube in the correct position. The last time Mr. Packer was in, the kids did an activity with placing a diamond pattern block and plastic cup in positions related to each other (i.e. "the diamond is next to the cup").
1st Grade:
In first grade Thinking Skills, the kids have finished up with DOT's adventure at school and now are being introduced to Dudley the Detective. Dudley teaches the kids to look for all of the clues, don't jump to conclusions (answers or endings), and that there is only one correct answer. The kids will begin working on using their deductive reasoning skills and solve some logic problems.
2nd Grade:
2nd Grade students have been working on solving problems by drawing pictures. We did an activity that was teacher directed, the students then completed a similar activity with Mr. Packer, and they have now begun to solve some problems on their own using this strategy. After completing the activity on their own, they will then continue to work on their own or with partners (as necessary) to solve some more difficult problems.
3rd Grade Math:
Students who receive Direct GTD Resource services in Math have been working on solving logic problems and have been brushing up their math skills by playing "I've Got: Who Has" for speed. We will begin working on our multiplication facts and strategies.
3rd Grade Reading:
Students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" by Rudyard Kipling and are turning the story into a skit. They will then be put into small groups to condense their individual scripts in to one, and then work on performing it for the group and their classes.
4th Grade Math:
Students continue to work on their "Average 4th Grader" drawings and will continue to work on studying averages and data.
4th Grade Reading:
Students continue to work on turning their summaries of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves into storyboards using Google Drawings, which will then be turned into presentations.
5th Grade Math:
Students are working on CCSS in the area of Ratios and Proportions. Having been assessed on CCSS in Number Sense, they will receive extra instruction and practice in division.
5th Grade Reading:
Students have read and discussed our first Edgar Allan Poe story "The Tell Tale Heart" and have begun to read "The Fall of the House of Usher" on their own.
Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather. All my best,
Mr. Packer
Here is what's going on in the world of Gifted/Talented/Differentiation (GTD) Direct and Classroom Resource Services at Irving School.
Kindergarten:
Mr. Packer goes into the Kindergarten classrooms once a week for one half hour. The past several times he has been working with the kids on positional words such as; over, under, near, above, below, etc.). The first session the kids had to connect cubes at put the white cube in the correct position. The last time Mr. Packer was in, the kids did an activity with placing a diamond pattern block and plastic cup in positions related to each other (i.e. "the diamond is next to the cup").
1st Grade:
In first grade Thinking Skills, the kids have finished up with DOT's adventure at school and now are being introduced to Dudley the Detective. Dudley teaches the kids to look for all of the clues, don't jump to conclusions (answers or endings), and that there is only one correct answer. The kids will begin working on using their deductive reasoning skills and solve some logic problems.
2nd Grade:
2nd Grade students have been working on solving problems by drawing pictures. We did an activity that was teacher directed, the students then completed a similar activity with Mr. Packer, and they have now begun to solve some problems on their own using this strategy. After completing the activity on their own, they will then continue to work on their own or with partners (as necessary) to solve some more difficult problems.
3rd Grade Math:
Students who receive Direct GTD Resource services in Math have been working on solving logic problems and have been brushing up their math skills by playing "I've Got: Who Has" for speed. We will begin working on our multiplication facts and strategies.
3rd Grade Reading:
Students have read "How the Camel Got Its Hump" by Rudyard Kipling and are turning the story into a skit. They will then be put into small groups to condense their individual scripts in to one, and then work on performing it for the group and their classes.
4th Grade Math:
Students continue to work on their "Average 4th Grader" drawings and will continue to work on studying averages and data.
4th Grade Reading:
Students continue to work on turning their summaries of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves into storyboards using Google Drawings, which will then be turned into presentations.
5th Grade Math:
Students are working on CCSS in the area of Ratios and Proportions. Having been assessed on CCSS in Number Sense, they will receive extra instruction and practice in division.
5th Grade Reading:
Students have read and discussed our first Edgar Allan Poe story "The Tell Tale Heart" and have begun to read "The Fall of the House of Usher" on their own.
Hope you are enjoying the cooler weather. All my best,
Mr. Packer
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
September 30, 2013
Hello everyone,
Just a reminder that conferences are next week. If your child receives Direct GTD Resource services (Grades 3-5) in Reading/Language Arts and/or Math, I will be coming to the conference that you have scheduled with our child's classroom teacher. If I have overlapping conferences, and for some reason I do not meet with you, I will be in touch to discuss your child's progress.
Updates
5th Grade Math
Students working on 6th Grade CCSS in Math have been working on their Summative Assessment for the skills learned in Unit 1 (operations with fractions and decimals). Our next unit will cover Ratios and Proportions
5th Grade Language Arts
Students have read up on the background of Edgar Allan Poe. They have begun reading and discussing the classic tale "The Tell Tale Heart". We have been discussing the use of various literary elements (repetition, simile, etc.). The next story we will be reading is "The Fall of the House of Usher"
4th Grade Math
Students in Packer Math for 4th grade have been working on measurement and averages and finding the measurements of "The Average 4th Grader". This is an introduction to data collection, averages, and measurement and the students will apply these skills on their own in a data collection project in the near future.
4th Grade Reading
4th Grade Packer Reading students have read the classic tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". We are using our analytical skills and summarizing the important parts of the story into storyboards with which we are then going to create iMovies. The students are using their D97 Google accounts to work on their drawings which will then save as jpegs and import into iMovie on Mr. Packer's MacBook and iPad.
3rd Grade Math
3rd Grade Math students have been practicing their estimating and rounding skills. They had the challenge of creating the longest piece of paper from a single piece of 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, which we then estimated their lengths, and then measured their actual length.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
We continued to work on our own to solve problems using manipulatives and "acting out" a problem in order to solve (i.e Bob had 6 apples, Mary had 12 apples. How many did Mary give to Bob so they had the same number). The important concept was EQUAL. We are now learning to solve problems by using pictures to help us.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
First Graders continue to go along with DOT on DOT's adventure at school and use higher level thinking skills to solve problems encountered in the scenarios DOT find's itself throughout the course of the first day of school.
Kindergarten Thinking Skills
Mr. Packer introduced himself to Kindergarten classes last week and worked with the kids on identifying the 5 ways that the brain gets information (the 5 senses). This week, we are working on POSITIONAL words and putting blocks in certain spatial relationship orders (ABOVE, BELOW, NEXT TO, etc.).
That's all for now. Hope to see you during conferences next week.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Just a reminder that conferences are next week. If your child receives Direct GTD Resource services (Grades 3-5) in Reading/Language Arts and/or Math, I will be coming to the conference that you have scheduled with our child's classroom teacher. If I have overlapping conferences, and for some reason I do not meet with you, I will be in touch to discuss your child's progress.
Updates
5th Grade Math
Students working on 6th Grade CCSS in Math have been working on their Summative Assessment for the skills learned in Unit 1 (operations with fractions and decimals). Our next unit will cover Ratios and Proportions
5th Grade Language Arts
Students have read up on the background of Edgar Allan Poe. They have begun reading and discussing the classic tale "The Tell Tale Heart". We have been discussing the use of various literary elements (repetition, simile, etc.). The next story we will be reading is "The Fall of the House of Usher"
4th Grade Math
Students in Packer Math for 4th grade have been working on measurement and averages and finding the measurements of "The Average 4th Grader". This is an introduction to data collection, averages, and measurement and the students will apply these skills on their own in a data collection project in the near future.
4th Grade Reading
4th Grade Packer Reading students have read the classic tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". We are using our analytical skills and summarizing the important parts of the story into storyboards with which we are then going to create iMovies. The students are using their D97 Google accounts to work on their drawings which will then save as jpegs and import into iMovie on Mr. Packer's MacBook and iPad.
3rd Grade Math
3rd Grade Math students have been practicing their estimating and rounding skills. They had the challenge of creating the longest piece of paper from a single piece of 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper, which we then estimated their lengths, and then measured their actual length.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
We continued to work on our own to solve problems using manipulatives and "acting out" a problem in order to solve (i.e Bob had 6 apples, Mary had 12 apples. How many did Mary give to Bob so they had the same number). The important concept was EQUAL. We are now learning to solve problems by using pictures to help us.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
First Graders continue to go along with DOT on DOT's adventure at school and use higher level thinking skills to solve problems encountered in the scenarios DOT find's itself throughout the course of the first day of school.
Kindergarten Thinking Skills
Mr. Packer introduced himself to Kindergarten classes last week and worked with the kids on identifying the 5 ways that the brain gets information (the 5 senses). This week, we are working on POSITIONAL words and putting blocks in certain spatial relationship orders (ABOVE, BELOW, NEXT TO, etc.).
That's all for now. Hope to see you during conferences next week.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Monday, September 16, 2013
Week of September 16
Week of September 16
Hello everyone,
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, got to enjoy the weather on Saturday and the nice fall-like Sunday we had (and the Bears win!)
5th Grade Math
5th Grade Math students continue to work on CCSS Math Standards 6NS1 (operations with fractions). We have been reviewing adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions (regular and mixed). We have begun to work on modeling (drawing pictures to represent) multiplication of fractions. This will lead us to work on division of fractions later this week.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
2nd Grade Thinking Skills students have been working on applying what we learned about problem solving using manipulatives (acting it out) or drawing a picture. Last week's activity was done as a class and this week students were asked to work on their own. This week they will work in small groups and share their strategies and solutions with the class.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
Students in first grade will be meeting my friend "DOT" this week. Dot goes on adventures and has some higher level thinking skills questions about the events and activities that are come across on the adventure.
That's all for now. My schedule is pretty much done, so you may be hearing more about Thinking Skills and/or Packer Math and Reading as the weeks progress.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Hello everyone,
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, got to enjoy the weather on Saturday and the nice fall-like Sunday we had (and the Bears win!)
5th Grade Math
5th Grade Math students continue to work on CCSS Math Standards 6NS1 (operations with fractions). We have been reviewing adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions (regular and mixed). We have begun to work on modeling (drawing pictures to represent) multiplication of fractions. This will lead us to work on division of fractions later this week.
2nd Grade Thinking Skills
2nd Grade Thinking Skills students have been working on applying what we learned about problem solving using manipulatives (acting it out) or drawing a picture. Last week's activity was done as a class and this week students were asked to work on their own. This week they will work in small groups and share their strategies and solutions with the class.
1st Grade Thinking Skills
Students in first grade will be meeting my friend "DOT" this week. Dot goes on adventures and has some higher level thinking skills questions about the events and activities that are come across on the adventure.
That's all for now. My schedule is pretty much done, so you may be hearing more about Thinking Skills and/or Packer Math and Reading as the weeks progress.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Monday, September 9, 2013
Week of September 9
5th Grade Math
5th Grade Math
I hope you had a chance to enjoy the wonderful weekend. Looks like it will be a warm one these first couple of days this week please make sure the kids are dressed appropriately for school and the weather, and water bottles are highly encouraged. I do have two fans going in the room, so the air is circulating.
Last week we continued our work with operations with decimals (CCSS 6.NS.3-Common Core State Standard-Grade 6-Number Sense-Goal 3) and the kids took a formative assessment on Friday. Today we are going to apply our computation skills with decimals and build the first order for the School Spirit Store which allows the kids to apply these skills to a real world situation.
This week we will begin reviewing operations with fractions and start our introduction of division of fractions. The kids will not only need to learn the standard algorithm for dividing fractions, but they will also have to draw models to demonstrate their understanding.
GTD Resource
I am still working on scheduling going into classrooms. 2nd Grade classes have begun working on solving problems by acting them out and drawing pictures. We did a whole class activity about sharing candy equally and this week the kids will apply these strategies and solve problems on their own
ALL
Just a couple of reminders: Open House is this Thursday from 6:30-8:30. I am only able to be present from 6-7 and would love to see you. If you are not able to make it at that time, I am always available to meet at a time convenient for us both. Also, Friday is an Institute Day, no school for the kiddos.
Thanks and have a great week.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Thursday, August 29, 2013
WELCOME BACK!
Irving Families
Welcome back to a wonderful new school year. So many exciting things going on with the NEW playground, field, and staff parking AND the introduction to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics, as well as our continuation of CCSS in Reading/Language Arts.
For those of you new to PACKER's Post, this is where you can find updates as to Gifted/Talented/Differentiation Resource services provided in D97, as well as GTD Resource information specific to Irving and what is happening at each grade level.
I look forward to providing services for your children this year.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
Welcome back to a wonderful new school year. So many exciting things going on with the NEW playground, field, and staff parking AND the introduction to Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics, as well as our continuation of CCSS in Reading/Language Arts.
For those of you new to PACKER's Post, this is where you can find updates as to Gifted/Talented/Differentiation Resource services provided in D97, as well as GTD Resource information specific to Irving and what is happening at each grade level.
I look forward to providing services for your children this year.
All my best,
Mr. Packer
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