This is another one of my all-time favorite books! Louis Sachar is a phenominal writer! Check out his link below to get to Louis Sachar's official website! Oh and make sure to check out the photo below of me dressed at Stanley Yelnats at the book character parade 2 years ago! :)
Do you have an iPod, Zune, or MP3 player? I found a new cool site you will want to check out…
audible kids
It’s called Audible Kids. Audible is an online source for books “on tape” (or, at least, that’s what we used to call them). They’re the technological version of a read aloud! Sometimes, adults don’t feel like we have the time to sit down and leisurely read a book we’ve been meaning to read. But, we realize that there are times in our days we could be listening to that book, if someone would just read it to us (for instance, in the car, while getting dressed, on the treadmill, etc.). So, years ago, some ingenius thinker decided to record authors or other readers reading aloud the books and sell the recordings. When they started doing this, they recorded them onto cassette tapes…and then CDs were developed…and now we have MP3 files!
Which brings us to Audible. It’s like iTunes for books!
Audible now has a Kids branch of their site that specializes in children’s literature. There are lots of authors and titles of books you would enjoy. And, while it is not recommend you start listening to Audible files every night instead of reading, it definitely would be a fun way for you to change up your reading routines and habits.
There are lots of different reasons or times when you may be able to listen to a book on your iPod or MP3 player when you couldn’t really read the book…can you? When do you think you could benefit from having a book “on tape”?
P.S. On the downside, prices per book were kind of high, so if you’re interested in trying this out, you and your parents may want to shop around on the internet before you purchase.
We have finished up our first read-aloud, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, we are now moving on to one of my all time favorites, Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate Dicamillo. We have been discussing in readers workshop that there are certain very important things that all readers should be doing while they are reading. Below are a few things that we are practicing "thinking" as we are listening to a read-aloud or reading independently.
Here is a link to the official Kate Dicamillo website! http://www.katedicamillo.com/
THINGS WE THINK WHEN WE READ:
1. Seeing “snapshots”. Sometimes readers can see pictures of events, characters, and/or settings from the story. Using the details from the text with their background knowledge, readers paint a mental picture as they read.
2. Watching the movie. Many times readers get so involved and “sucked into” (as we so eloquently describe it) their reading that they can watch the pages play out in real time in their mind. This is especially true when readers are able to describe actions, reactions, and details that fit inside the story but the author didn’t mention.
3. Listening in. Often, a sound or dialogue is particularly real to us as we read. We can “hear” the characters talking, the bell ringing, the door knocking.
4. Questioning the text. Readers don’t only ask questions when they don’t understand. Sometimes, we ask questions when we do! ”Why on Earth would Melvin jump on the table and scream like that when the lunch monitor was coming back? Doesn’t he know he’ll get caught?” ”How does Candace Fleming [author] come up with these stories?” ”Will Lil win the poetry contest, or Jackie?”
5. Predicting. Have you ever watched a scary movie and found yourself saying, “Oh no! The bad guy is going to be there! Don’t go in that room!” Readers do the same thing sometimes. Good readers get involved their reading and think ahead in the story and make guesses about what they think will happen next.
6. Reactions. Sometimes, readers just spend a moment thinking about what they just read. ”That was so funny!” ”I loved that chapter!” ”I’m not sure I understand what’s happening…”
7. Character’s emotions. Good readers feel sympathy and compassion for the characters. They also share in their excitement, their successes, and their happiness. Good readers learn climb inside the heads and hearts of the characters in the books they read.
8. Connecting within the text. Reading a book can be like threading beads on a string. The author hands you one bead at a time and the reader has to know how to string them together. We need to think as we read to realize little patterns, like how Miss Paige Turner is slowly changing from a mousy librarian to a beautiful blonde wearing heels and makeup. Why? We need to make connections from chapter to chapter to remember that it’s Melvin that everyone ignores, Lil who is poetic, and Stanford Binet who is the “downer” and serious about EVERYTHING. (He can be a bit precocious, can’t he?)
9. Connecting from text to text. Good readers notice similarities between two or more texts as they read. Remember what they’ve read in the past and draw from those memories constantly. ”I’ve heard that moral before…I wonder if that comes from the Tortois and the Hare? That would make sense, becasue the hare got lazy in the end, just like Lil, and lost the contest because the tortoise kept workiing all the way to the end.
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Your child’s class will be attending a fieldtrip to: Old Town Trolley Tours in St. Augustine, FL |
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Date: |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 |
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Time: |
9:00 am to approx. 1:30 pm |
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Location: |
St. Augustine, FL |
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Cost: |
Students $15.00 Parents $20.00 (Please make sure you have a volunteer form on file.) |
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Transportation: |
School Buses (Due to limited seating parents may have to drive) |
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Notes: |
Students will need a bagged lunch, Please apply sunscreen before coming to school. |
Please return the permission slip by: Friday, May 13, 2011
Dear Parents, Next Monday (April 12) begins the FCAT!! We are ready and very excited to get it started. We would love to provide orange juice and a cereal bar (nutrigrain bar) for each student before testing. If there is anyway that you can provide any of the items below for us that would be greatly appreciated! The lower grades are making “Do Your Best Bags” for each student testing. You can assist by taking a moment to write a motivational letter to your child(ren) which will be placed in his or her “Do Your Best Bag” and given out before the test. A simple letter of encouragement and reassurance that you know they’ll “give it their best” will mean a lot to your child. Please return the completed letter in a sealed envelope to your child’s teacher with his/her name and “Testing Motivational Letter for ______” on the front by Friday, April 9. We will make sure these letters get placed in your child’s bag. We appreciate your support, 4th Grade Teachers Child’s Name________________________ _______Yes, I will be happy to provide a gallon of Orange Juice _______Yes, I will be happy to provide the Nutri Grain Cereal Bars (please state how many boxes) _______Yes, I will be happy to provide cups (coffee cup size or smaller) or napkins.
Funds4Books! Awards!
The month of February, we will be celebrating "Love Your Library" month with a fundraiser for new books for our school library. Click on the logo below for the webpage with more information and the link to donate! No need to buy anything in order to support your school!Click here for the parent letter home.
Monday: 2nd: 9 AM, 3rd: 9:45 AM, 4th: 1:30 PM Tuesday: 1st: 9 AM, 5th: 1:30 PM
4th and 5th Grade Parent FCAT Night!
Tuesday, 6 PM
Early Act!
Wednesday, 3:10-4:00
SAC!
Thursday, 5 PM
Success Measures!
This website from the Florida Department of Education is crafted to help parents understand how changes to Florida's standards and assessments in the months and years to come will impact their children.
The pathway tool is designed to provide students and parents with personalized reports detailing what is being taught and tested in classrooms on a student-by-student basis.
Success Measures
Holiday Program!
Tuesday, 6:30 PM
Early Act!
Wednesday, 3:10
Spelling Bee!
5th graders will be competing in the spelling bee at 1:30 on Thursday
Polar Express Day!
Friday
Santa Shop!
PTA will be running the Santa Shop in the patrol room Monday through Friday
Candy Grams!
Patrols will be selling candy grams this week, Monday through Friday, for .50 cents
Movie Night!
patrols will show Santa Paws on Friday, 6-8 PM. $5.00 includes movie, pizza, and drink
School Mall!
Click on School Mall to find out how you can earn money for our school by purchasing items from major stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys 'R Us through School Mall. 50% of the funds are given back to the schools!
It's Red Ribbon Week!!!! October 26-29!!
This week it's all about learning to say NO!!! to drugs! To celebrate, everyday the students are asked to do some fun things to remember the importance of saying NO!!
Tuesday-
"Shade Out Drugs Day" wear your favorite shades all day to shade out drugs!
Wednesday-
"Sock it to Drugs Day!!" Wear your craziest socks! We will also have a special assembly in the cafeteria.
Thursday-
Wear Red Day, students wear red to show their Say No To Drugs attitude!!
Friday- "Don't Camouflage Drugs" wear camouflage to support your Say No To Drug stance.
Book Character Parade
Permission slips were sent home today to let all students know the details of our annual Book Character Parade! The parade will be held on Friday, October 30, 2009 @ 9:00 am. Students are encouraged to participate, BUT they must be dressed as a book character and also have the book to carry in the parade! Any child that chooses not to participate will be able to sit and watch the parade. This is such a fun event, and we look forward to it every year, don't miss it! Parents are welcome to come watch! Please fill out the form and return promptly.
Picture Day is Coming Up October 14!!
A form went home today with your child, it has all the details about school pictures. The order form and envelope are attached to the flyer.
PTA Cookie Dough Sale!
Cookie dough will be for sale from September 13- September 27. This is always a very successful fundraiser for our school PTA. Order your cookie dough, pretzels, and cheesecake in time for the holidays!
It's Duckie Time!
The Great American Postcard Campaign begins on Tuesday. Students will receive a postcard packet to be filled out at home with names and addresses of friends and family. No money is exchanged, and no solicitation is required. When a student returns the packet to school with at least 7 names and addresses filled out, the student gets to select a collectable duck. For every 25 complete packets we receive, our school earns $200.00 in school supplies! Please help us earn supplies for our school by returning your booklets by Friday. Thank you!
Early Release Day!
Early dismissal this Wednesday, at 1:40 PM
Girl Scout Round-up!
Thursday, 6:30-7:30 PM
SAC!
School Advisory Council meeting 5:00 PM in the library. SAC meetings are open to all.
Chaffee Trail Recycles! Help us raise money for our school programs and our library by bringing your paper recycling to school. You will notice the green and yellow recycling bin in our parking lot. Bring your junk mail, magazines, catalogs, newspapers, office, and school papers to the recycling bin, and we receive funds based on the weight of the paper collected each week! Click on the link above for the flyer on what paper is accepted and what is not. Tell your neighbors and friends; they are welcome to use our recycling bin, too. Thanks so much for helping your school, your community, and your environment. Open House! PTA Meeting: 5:30, cafeteria Meet your teacher: KG, 1st, 2nd: 6:00-7:00 PM; 3rd, 4th, 5th: 7:00-8:00 PM Bookfair: 5:00-8:30 PM School T-shirts: $10.00, pizza: $2.00 per slice, drink: $1.00, Kilwins' Ice Cream Sundaes: $3.00 (proceeds of ice-cream sales go toward new materials for your school library!) Book Fair! PTA Meeting!
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Volunteers!
Volunteers are much appreciated and needed here at Chaffee Trail. There are a variety of ways you can donate your time and energy to our school community. Please click on the link for Mrs. Doyle's website and check out the volunteer calendar link on the left for opportunities to help.
(small or medium)
