Page 1 Also in this Issue: January 2013 The Whittier Greenleaf Monthly Newsletter for Whittier Elementary 715 N Harvey • Oak Park • 708 524 3080 Student Contributions: Reflections on 5th-Grade Trip to Camp Edwards When you go to Camp Edwards don’t miss the tube slides. They are so much fun;you go so fast. Also, do not avoid the trust walk. It is a lot of fun because it is so dark. Also always say,”YES!” to all the food at Camp Edwards;it is very delicious. Remember to pack tons of warm clothes. Have fun! - Adeline Holding I loved the tube slides at Camp Edwards. They were really fast and so, so fun! You went sliding down the tubes really fast. It was awesome. - Myka Deans The silliest thing about Camp Edwards was falling off your sled on the tube slide. It happens at the end of the ride. You don’t get hurt. - Philip Ottati The funniest thing at Camp Edwards was when I was asleep and Grace scared me by putting her hand in front of my face. - Brianna Mitchell The most exciting thing about camp was hanging out with friends. - Liv Amundson The scariest thing at camp was when we did the trust walk during the night hike. - Grace Melickian From the Principal’s Pen - 2 Student Contributions - 4 Letter from the Librarian - 6 PTO Letter - 7 Dear PTO... - 8 Caught in the Act - 9 Green Team - 10 Gettin’ Down with GTD - 11 Noticias - 12 continued on page 4
Transcript
Page 1
Also in this Issue:
January 2013
The Whittier Greenleaf
Monthly Newsletter for Whittier Elementary715 N Harvey • Oak Park • 708 524 3080
Student Contributions: Reflections on 5th-Grade Trip to Camp EdwardsWhen you go to Camp Edwards don’t miss the tube slides. They are so much fun;you go so fast. Also, do not avoid the trust walk. It is a lot of fun because it is so dark. Also always say,”YES!” to all the food at Camp Edwards;it is very delicious. Remember to pack tons of warm clothes. Have fun! - Adeline Holding
I loved the tube slides at Camp Edwards. They were really fast and so, so fun! You went sliding down the tubes really fast. It was awesome. - Myka Deans
The silliest thing about Camp Edwards was falling off your sled on the tube slide. It happens at the end of the ride. You don’t get hurt. - Philip Ottati
The funniest thing at Camp Edwards was when I was asleep
and Grace scared me by putting her hand in front of my face. - Brianna Mitchell
The most exciting thing about camp was hanging out with friends. - Liv Amundson
The scariest thing at camp was when we did the trust walk during the night hike. - Grace Melickian
From the Principal’s Pen - 2Student Contributions - 4Letter from the Librarian - 6
PTO Letter - 7Dear PTO... - 8Caught in the Act - 9
Green Team - 10Gettin’ Down with GTD - 11 Noticias - 12
continued on page 4
Page 2
Happy New YearHere’s wishing each Whittier Wildcat and all our Whittier families a wonderful New Year!
Visit by “John Greenleaf Whittier”John Greenleaf Whittier’s 205th birthday took place on December 17, 2012, but on the preceding Monday, December 10, students in K-5 had a visit from a 59-year-old John Greenleaf Whittier. Mr. Tim Burr, former Whittier parent and Lunch Room Supervisor, greeted the Whittier students in two assemblies. As he put on his wool coat, he transformed from the Mr. Burr who returns to Whittier each year as the sound-man for our Talent Show into the person our school is named after, John Greenleaf Whittier.
Students learned that John, or Greenleaf as he was known, became well-known for two reasons; he was poet and an abolitionist. Both of these passions came to him in his 20s. Becoming an abolitionist emerged from Greenleaf’s Quaker faith. From Greenleaf, students learned that hundreds of years before Whittier was born, Quakers decided to not own slaves. Taking such a stand against slavery caused him to be unpopular at times, but that didn’t stop him from writing pamphlets about ending slavery and speaking about his beliefs.
While Whittier’s abolitionist beliefs grew, so did his success as an author of poetry. Whittier was one of the first American poets to write about everyday life
(rather than the extraordinary topics that his contemporaries wrote about). For example, Snow-Bound was written somewhat autobiographically after a three-day snowstorm, and was such a success that Whittier was able to live a comfortable life with the approximately $10,000 he earned for this poem.
Greenleaf shared that the poems he wrote essentially were stories, covering as many pages as short stories we read today. Snow-Bound was his most famous poem, but he wrote hundreds more. In addition to being an abolitionist and poet, Greenleaf was also elected to two terms in Congress, though he was only healthy enough to complete one of the terms.
Students were encouraged to learn more about the life and
times of John Greenleaf Whittier on their own.
Family Conferences We hold Family Conferences twice a year, once in late October, and again in late January. We set aside a time for a formal conference format twice a year, but we want to encourage you to keep in contact with us as needed as we work in partnership with you. If you haven’t been to able schedule a conference with your child’s teacher for the week of January 28, please give the office a call and we can assist you in scheduling a time with your child’s teacher(s).
Parent Permission Required for Cell Phones at SchoolEvery year in September and after the Winter Break, we see children bringing cell phones to school for the
continued on next page
From the Principal’s Pen
An Excerpt fromSnow-Bound: A Winter Idyl
The sun that brief December dayRose cheerless over hills of gray,And, darkly circled, gave at noon
A sadder light than waning moon.Slow tracing down the thickening sky
Its mute and ominous prophecy,A portent seeming less than threat,
It sank from sight before it set.A chill no coat, however stout,
Of homespun stuff could quite shut out...
Page 3
first time. District 97 does allow students to have cell phones for their travel to and from school, but there are some conditions that families should discuss with their children:
• Families should request a form from the office granting permission to bring a cell phone to school.
• Students may not use cell phones while on school property, and they must be ‘off’ while at school.
• Whittier/District 97 is not responsible for damage or theft of cell phones brought to school.
We understand and support families who are ready to have their older elementary students carry cell phones for personal safety. The above conditions help ensure that the cell phones are not a distraction to learning.
Safety
You assist the safety of the entire Whittier Community when you take the time to enter and exit through our main doors and sign in at the office each time you visit our school during school hours. The safety of our children is our highest concern, and the risk of an open door is too great for us to be lax in this area. “How Do We Make Whittier Safer for Our Children” signs are posted on doors throughout the building. Please aid us in this important safety measure by always using the main entrance during school hours.
Communication
You can reach your child’s teacher by leaving a message with the school secretary, calling the District 97 Voice-Link (524-5830), or by email. The email address and Voice-Link number for your child’s teachers can be found in the Whittier Directory. Look for Virtual BackPack email messages or the Thursday Packet each week from your child.
Carol Young, Principal
continued from previous page
About the GreenleafIf you have story ideas or other suggestions, contact
• Corry Shannon (Druckmiller) is an everyday hero in the lunch room at the end of the day by helping Ms. Dietz collect all the lunch crates.
• Roger Scott & Erin Jenkins (DaCosse) found a pencil broken up in the bathroom in an unsafe manner in a vent. They brought the pencil to their teacher immediately.
• Logan Komar (Mangiantini) is a silent helper in class. Without any fuss he takes down children's chairs, gets them their papers, picks up pencils. He is always looking to help others.
• Jada Noyes (Druckmiller) always has a smile for anyone who needs cheering up!
• Jack Lenehan (Nelson) is an everyday hero for being a good friend to a peer by choosing him to help with lunch crates when the peer was having a hard day.
• Maya Palikuca (Roskos) consistently shows respect to her teachers and her classmates through her polite nature and her cheerful, warm attitude. Maya lends a hand whenever she notices someone may need it; whether it's holding a door or sharing a learning strategy, Maya is always willing to help out!
• Hayden Smeaton (Roskos) shows his Wildcat spirit in the way that he's responsible and enthusiastic about his schoolwork. He sets a great example to his peers by trying his best; I always look forward to his conscientious, creative work!
• Evan de Jong (Roskos) is an Everyday Hero to his bus buddy! He is caring, kind and gentle, and enjoys the responsibility and independence that comes with this important job. Evan also brings light to my day when he shares fun stories about his experiences during bus buddies! Keep up the good work!
Everyday Heroes of the MonthCongratulations to students who earned PAWs for
The scariest thing at camp was walking in the woods by ourselves. - Justin McKissic
I loved sleeping and hanging out in the lodge. - Ricky Jones
My favorite class was archery. I got a bull’s eye! - Anthony Lenehan
The most fun thing at camp was going on the tube slides. - Sanaa Hampton
The most exciting thing at camp was going down the tube slides because I didn’t know they would be that big, you got to use sleds and you heard your voice echo when you yelled. - Jake Cramer
My favorite class was archery. - Justin Thomas
The most fun thing at camp was the night hike. - Ajani Griffin
The thing I'll most remember from camp is the Low Ropes Course because there was a really hard section and I got through it only falling once! I was really excited. – Abby Giardina
I really enjoyed the Survival class because it was really fun to make a little house that our whole group could fit in. That was really fun! – Alex Ronning-Arnesen
What I loved was the archery. I've always wanted to try it. It was hard to hit the target but I did! – Addie Clark
I liked the part when we got to go down the slides because they were really fast and it was super fun. When you came out of the slide, you were still going. – Amelia Nelson
One thing I really enjoyed was having my first s'more. I liked roasting marshmallows! - Grace Richards
I liked archery because even though I didn't hit the target and I missed all of them, it was still fun because I learned how to shoot a bow and arrow. - Alex Yuan
I liked that you could have a sleepover with your friends and you get to meet new people. – T'Kai Kirkman
Two things that I really liked were archery and Low Ropes. I built up strength in my arm muscles in archery and I liked the challenge in Low Ropes. – Lily Ader
I liked archery even though I missed a couple of times. That’s ok because it takes practice. - Andrew Diaz
I liked at night coming from the dinner hall, we went down the Indian Trail. I fell a lot and it
was really fun. It was so dark. - Trinity Anderson
When you go to Camp Edwards don’t miss the Low Ropes Course. You get to go on a ropes course. There is a timer, balance beam and swings. - Simran Chambers
The tastiest thing about Camp Edwards was EVERYTHING! I loved the ham, pizza, macaroni and cheese, eggs, potatoes and hot cocoa. - Jaden Cooper
The best thing about Camp Edwards was the low ropes course. I really liked the different course we went on. Some were hard, some were easy. It was one of my favorite things. - Isabel Gutierrez
The most surprising thing about Camp Edwards was the survival course. It was fun because we got to build shelters. - Hannah Nowak
The coolest thing about Camp Edwards was the archery course. Most of the people said it was hard, but I thought it was pretty easy. I had lots of fun. I liked archery a lot! - Mary Therese Thavis
My advice to next year’s campers is have lots of fun. The food at Camp Edwards is great! I loved the night hike, skits and roasted marshmallows. - Sarah Raja
continued on next page
continued from page 1
Student Contributions - Camp Edwards
Page 5
The best thing about Camp Edwards was carpetball. It was fun to roll the ball down the long table and knock the other balls. - Jonathan Rosen
My favorite class was archery. It was fun. I even got a bull’s eye! - Ann Kornowske
I liked meeting new friends and still hanging out with old ones. - Christine Donovan
I liked the night walk because you could not see ANYTHING! We got to walk by ourselves. - Tess McConville
My favorite memory was archery. My arrow landed on another person’s bull’s eye! Everyone was laughing, even me! At least I got a bull’s eye! - Austin Divello
I liked the skits. We enjoyed creating something funny. I also like taking walks at camp. - Ralph Charnota
I liked going on the night hike with our teachers and friends. - Grace Santos
My favorite class was Survival because the fort we made was AWESOME!!! - Simone Paul
The coolest thing was the Low Ropes because I got to do something I have never done. - Nick Diaz
The most fun thing at camp was the Night Walk. - Peter Koenig
My favorite class was Archery because it was fun and not a usual thing I do. I got a bullseye!! - Alexandria Sanford
One scary thing that happened was Alyssa, Ralph and I got lost
in the woods, but it was kind of fun. - Marriana Gutierrez
The scariest thing that happened in camp was when we had to face our fears by going in the forest in the dark. - Jada Moore
My favorite class was Predator and Prey. - Jailyn Aceron
I liked that we went on a Night Hike because I had never been on one before. - Lilian McCanless
My favorite thing was Archery. - Brittany Nieves Diaz
The scariest thing was the Night Walk, but it was also the coolest! I loved the slides. - Maddie Fox
The coolest thing was when we bit the mint and it turned green. - Amari Ferguson
My favorite class at camp was Archery. I loved it because it was a totally new experience for me. - Alex McCulley
My favorite thing about Camp Edwards was making and eating S'mores! - Nequois Brown
I learned that it is very easy to make friends with the most
random people. - Evan deJong
The funnest thing at camp was the Tube Slides. - Montgomery Ellwanger
My favorite class was Archery because I almost got a bullseye, and it was very fun! - Alyssa
Aldridge
I liked seeing everyone there from all the classes and being able to do things and play games together. - Mikayla Miller
One thing I enjoyed was going on the tube slides. - Maya Palikuca
My favorite thing about camp was the survival class because we got to build shelters out of sticks. - Meera Chambers
continued from previous page
Page 6
Dear Whittier Families,
Welcome back to school! I hope you had a restful and enjoyable holiday break. I was able to read several of our new books over break, including Remarkable by Lizzie Foley, a hilariously wacky book about a town where everyone is perfect, except for one “average” girl named Jane and Son, the conclusion to Lois Lowry's dystopian “Giver” quartet. Please stop by and let me know about any books you or your families have enjoyed!
Reading Olympics
Our second round of Reading Olympics has begun for fifth graders. Congratulations go out to The Blue Reading Gummy Bears – Simone, Isabel, and Mary Therese – who won the Whittier competition in the fall round. Their team competed in the regional competition at the Oak Park Public Library in December and did a fantastic job (see photo on page 12). New teams are forming for the spring – it’s not too late to get involved!
Book Fair
Come to our book fair on January 23rd, 24th and 25th to browse books and support Whittier through your purchases. There
will be many hardcovers, paperbacks, board books and more in a variety of price ranges. The book fair will be open on Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. through 8 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. through noon. Please stop by before or after conferences to support our school. Many thanks to the PTO for organizing this fantastic book fair!
Reading with Your Child
Finally, reading is often seen as a solitary activity, but it can greatly benefit your child to talk about what he or she is reading in school or for fun. Children’s oral language skills are crucial to their development as readers and writers. Talk also helps learners to shape and articulate their thoughts, engage with texts, question texts, and gather ideas for writing their own stories. Here are some starting points for engaging your student in conversation about what they’re reading.
Before Reading• What can you predict this will
be about? What evidence (title, pictures, personal experience) makes you think that?
• What do you already know about this topic? Do we know anything about the author?
During Reading• What would you have done or
felt if you were the character? • Are there any important words
that you don’t understand?• As I read ___, it makes me
picture ____ in my head. What do you picture when you read these words?
• Why do you think the author chose this word to describe _____? Why did he or she use this phrase or this picture? (Encourage students to meaningfully examine why the author made the choices he or she did.)
After Reading• Why do you think that the
author wrote this story? To entertain/inform/persuade? Another purpose?
• How did the words or examples the author used help this message?
• Did the author use pictures to achieve his or her goal? Graphs? Other media?
• Can you retell the story in order?
• Make a claim about this story (something that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer – i.e. Goldilocks learned her lesson and won’t do this again or Harry relies on Hermione more than Ron). How can you support this claim using examples from the text?
Letter from the Librarian
continued on next page
Page 7
We hope everyone had a restful break and we can now settle in to 2013! There are so many exciting things in the works for Whittier this year!
Fundraiser Update
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Art to Remember and Gift Card fundraisers (over $700 in profit)! Hopefully you were able to get some holiday shopping taken care of, and you definitely helped the PTO in our quest to support Whittier! Thanks also to Terri McConville, Kerri Druckmiller and Sondra Nelson for all of their hard work leading these fundraisers.
This month we’re going to continue to work towards our funding goals for the new Whittier playground. We have two favorite fundraisers coming up, so don’t forget to mark your calendars!
Spaghetti Dinner - Fri., Jan. 18th Join us for a great meal with your fellow Whittier families! It will be an opportunity to build our Whittier community around food and fellowship -- what a great way to raise funds!
Winter Book Fair - Wed., Jan. 30- Fri., Feb.1 Visit the fair and explore this year’s theme, “Story Laboratory: Reading Gives You Superpower!” This event is a great way to reinforce student excitement around reading.
Plus Book Fairs help build our school and classroom libraries.
Stay in Touch
Do you have any burning questions for the PTO? Want to stay up on the news? Check out our website (http://whittierpto.org), and LIKE our Facebook page (https://
www.facebook.com/whittier.pto.3?ref=ts&fref=ts).
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or to find out how you can get involved. Mark your calendars for the next community PTO meeting on January 15, 2013.
Overall, ask your child questions that require explanation and evidence – not a right or wrong answer. Questions like “How does the author show us that Charlie is a friendly dog?” or “Do you think Chloe would have
made that choice again if she could go back in time?” help students think critically about what they’ve read. Students should be able to refer to the text to demonstrate why they’re
In early November, Michele Stern, Mandi Rebman, Ann Kois and I attended a Whittier Playground Planning meeting. This was the 2nd planning meeting that was held this Fall. The school district is providing funds to improve the K-5 playground that currently exists on the school grounds. They are doing this for all of the playgrounds at the Oak Park schools.
As most of you know, we have an EC (Early Childhood) playground at the north end of the school building that is specifically designed for 3-5 year olds. It was absolutely heartwarming to witness the negotiating that went on between the PTO members and the designers and architects. In order to provide enough funding to add a “group swing” to the EC playground (with appropriate rubber flooring underneath), fencing and two gates that will make the playground safer and more accessible for our young children, the parents gave up some features for the K-5 playground area.
Early Childhood is a part of the Whittier community andit was wonderful to see so many other parents watching out for our littlest learners. I’ve been at Whittier for 18 years and it was a great feeling to see how much other families care about our children!
Please remember the PTO fundraising efforts when it’s time to raise some funds for the school -- all of our children benefit from their commitment to education.
- Barb Walsh
Thank you for [the Whittier] PTO’s support of Irving School Yard and our 5% Day at Whole Foods. We raised $4590 to help improve our schoolyard, and we are so appreciative of the community support.
- The Irving Schoolyard Project Team
Dear Whittier PTO...
Page 9
Representatives from each class brought their donations to the lobby. The grand total was $1029.44 raised for the American Red Cross during the Wildcats Hurricane Sandy Disaster Recovery Fundraising event.
Caught in the Act of Making a Difference:
Little acts of kindness in actions and words can make a difference in people's lives. This year to honor our Veterans, our Whittier students sent over 275 holiday cards to the Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes program.
This important activity was led by the S.E.T. Club (Save Earth Today), led by Ms. DaCosse, and was a school-wide option as well during our Wednesday morning STAND (Students Taking Actions in New Directions) meeting. Students learned how helpful words and showing appreciation promote peace, friendship and kindness.
The Red Cross delivers the holiday cards to veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world.
Hurricane Sandy Disaster Recovery Fundraiser
Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes
A big thank you to all of our students and teachers who participated in the programs!
Page 10
The last of the holiday decorations are put away, not a cookie was left uneaten and it is now time to think about our New Year’s resolutions! Why not ring in a healthy new year by empowering our Whittier families to make healthy food choices!
Getting away from the notion of good foods versus bad foods makes it much easier for kids. I talk to my children about the importance of “brain food” every chance I get. I simply explain that when you sit in class and you need your brain to think, it must have fuel. Children get this concept so quickly – a car doesn’t run if it doesn’t have gas and you can’t run fast if you haven’t eaten your brain food. Children love to learn something new. Carrots are really good for our eyes so lets call them x-ray carrots. Avocados and blueberries are superfoods. It always amazes me when you put “super” in front of anything it becomes more interesting to kids and has more power!
Here are a few healthy eating New Year’s resolutions to try with your families.
Variety is the Spice of Life!
Getting kids to try new things is the key to a healthy diet. Why not try this year to have “new food
Mondays.” For picky eaters it might be as simple as substituting fusilli pasta for linguine this week. For more adventurous eaters try a star fruit or beets. Give everyone in the family a chance to pick a new food item. You might be surprised to see what they choose.
Dice, Chop and Roll!
Prepare a meal together or have each child in the family be “chef for the day.” Children love hands-on activities and letting them choose items at the grocery store is also a plus.
Think Green!!
Emerald green has been named the color for 2013. Think broccoli, peas, cucumbers, pears, asparagus, kale and the list goes and on and on and on. Your kids can grow them, color them, share them and most importantly try
eating them.
Around the World!
Celebrating global holidays can be fun and provide a great way for our children to try something new. Eating Chinese food with chops sticks is way cooler then using forks. Dipping whole grain tortilla chips in guacamole and eating chocolate croissants gives our kids a taste of what children eat in Mexico and France. You can also google other food items to find out where they grow. This helps kids learn about other cultures, too.
Here’s to healthy eating in 2013!
Kristen Alfonsi MS, RDWhittier Nutrition & Wellness Chair
Healthy Eating in 2013
Hands-on help from your kids increases their buy-in to trying new foods!
Congrats to Golden Lunchbox winners:Mrs. Druckmiller’s class in Nov. & Ms. Nelson’s class in Dec.!
Page 11
Keeping students motivated is easier said than done. For even the most talented writers, it can be difficult to get started without a rousing prompt or purpose for the work. In this issue, I am offering a list of local and national writing contests, which will hopefully inspire your child to pull out the pad and paper in order to compose a spectacular poem, short story, or essay. With the winter season in full force, the cold weather and early sunsets also provide more quiet time at home to think, write, and take on an indoor project.
The PBS Kids-Go Writers Contest
This contest is for students in grades K-3 who enjoy writing and illustrating their own stories. The contest rules encourage students to incorporate a central conflict and develop interesting characters.
The Betty Award
The Betty Award is a fictional story-writing contest for students ages 8-12. Although entries are accepted on the national level, it is based here in Oak Park. Be forewarned that a $15 “reading fee” is required for each story, but students have the chance to win cash prizes for their work!
Poetic Power
This contest is run by the organization Creative Communication, which focuses on the promotion and appreciation of student writing. Students in grades K-12 can enter their non-fiction essay contest or the poetry contest. 50% of entries are accepted and published in an anthology. While there is no entry fee or requirement to purchase anthologies, they are only provided free of charge to the top-winners in each category.
Deadlines for these contests range from February to May, so please take the time to discuss the above opportunities with your children. For official rules and entry forms, please contact me at [email protected]. I am also happy to help students proofread their entries.
For many children, a degree of healthy competition can inspire them to push their own academic boundaries and achieve at a higher potential. Keep in mind, however, that competition can induce anxiety in others, so it is important to emphasize the hard work that goes into entering a contest. In my opinion, just submitting an entry is brave and a great achievement!
Happy New Year!
Stephanie Small, GTD Resource
Gettin’ Down with the GTD: Winter Writing
Myka Deans (Grade 5) was recognized during Oak Park Optimist Club’s Youth Appreciation Week
Here’s a taste of our learning en diciembre y enero
K-1 multiage: We spent the last couple weeks before break doing stories in español to complement their Fairy Tale unit. We read traditional versions of the Little Red Hen (La Gallinita Roja), Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Ricitos de Oro y los tres osos) and Jack and the Beanstock (Joaquín y los frijoles encantados). We also watched and listened to Ana Lomba’s version of La Gallinita Roja (free app on iPad, iPod – also English and Mandarin versions.) This was much fun because the Gallinita has different friends than in the traditional story and uses a cell phone to call her friends for help, and the sound effects are great!
We read alternate versions of classic tales and talked about how they are different from the ones we usually hear. We read a New Mexican version of Cinderella called Estrellita de Oro, where a magic talking hawk is key to the story. And one of my favorites, a Mexican-American version of the three bears’ story called “Abuelito (grandfather) y los tres osos” where the girl, Trencitas (“Braids”) has long, dark hair and eats frijoles (beans). The illustrations are marvelous cultural depictions with lots of color that remind me of living in Mexico. We concluded the unit with the seasonal favorite “El muñeco de jenibre“ (The Gingerbread Boy). Now we are finishing up Healthy Lifestyle. Next we will head to the rainforest!
K-2 multiage: The last couple weeks before break we focused on getting ready for our Winter Sing,
practicing Feliz Navidad (one of our favorites) and Ocho Diyas di Felisita, a song written in Ladino, a language that is to Spanish much as Yiddish to German. We learned the ladino words (felisita, kantar, bialyar, guzar, kumer) and their Spanish and English counterparts (felicidad- happiness, cantar-to sing, bailar-to dance, gozar-to enjoy, and comer-to eat.). We continue working on Healthy Lifestyle and what we do to stay healthy (correr, nadar, comer, bailar, etc.). Next up: places and people in the community.
2 Swanson: We have finished healthy activities and continue our unit “My Place in the World,” talking about people and places in the community. Next up: talking about what we would like to do/be when we grow up.
2 DaCosse: I am so glad that we are back. To start this month we will do a review during the first week. The review will mainly cover the adjectives and verbs we have learned so far. As soon as we are done with our review we will start asking each other ¿Qué quieres ser cuando crezcas? (What do you want to be when you grow up?). The answer that one could give to this question is in my blog
(srtamunoz.blogspot.com) so please visit it at your earliest convenience.
Los pavos (turkeys) de Sra. Deaton y Srta. Muñoz
In the spirit of Fall we created some turkeys raros (weird) with the second grade class. To start this activity we filled out a sheet with many random questions that made the students pick certain shapes, numbers, colors, a weird name, etc., sort of a Mad Libs format. Then we plugged our choices into a
continued on next page
Noticias de Sra Deaton y Srta Muñoz
Samuel’s pavo raro
Page 13
description of a turkey. We read the description and from there created our own turkeys according to that description. Each student read his/her description to the class and sharing his/her drawing. We have included a sampling of the paragraphs and a few of the drawings here. Ask your child to share hers/his with you. They are quite fun!
3rd: We are starting with a short review of our basic questions. Please look at my blog for a complete list and be ready to answer. Once we finish our short review we will start the phrase ¿Qué vas hacer (fin de semana/lunes, martes…/vacaciones)? (What are you going to do (this weekend/on Monday, Tuesday…/on vacation)?). With this phrase we will learn a couple of nouns and the main verb for this section is ir (to go). Please visit my blog for more information.
4th/5th: Before we left for vacaciones we were working on the phrase ¿Adónde vas? (Where are you going?). During the first few days we will review this question and then focus on how to ask and answer the same question but using the past tense. Once we finish reviewing and learning the new material we will continue with directions. We are still having some problems understanding the directions we are being given. Unfortunately, when someone says derecha (right) we still go derecho (straight).
All Classes: Just before winter break, we played a Mexican game of pirinola. This is the perfect time of the year to bring it out because it is very similar in some ways to the dreidl, which most students are familiar with because of Januká. But the pirinola and the dreidl are not the same, so it gives the students a chance to learn about similarities and differences in the games and culture. We reinforce for them that even though it resembles a dreidl, it is NOT one. The four important differences are the number of sides (dreidl = cuatro; pirinola = seis); when it is played (dreidl = Hanukah; pirinola = all year round); language (dreidl= hebreo/Hebrew; pirinola =
continued from previous page
continued on next page
Pavos Raros (Weird Turkeys)
Some “Mad Lib” paragraphs about weird turkeys from Whittier 2nd graders
Mi pavo se llama GG. El pavo el joven. El pavo tiene una cabeza pequeña. Mi pavo tiene ojos en forma de círculo. El pavo tiene 4 plumas. Las plumas son de color azul, morado, rojo, y rosa. Él tiene dos pies. Los pies del pavo son de color azul claro. Mi pavo se siente feliz. – Geneva
Mi pavo se llama Eli. El pavo es joven. El pavo tiene una cabeza pequeña. Mi pavo tiene ojos en forma de rectángulo. El pavo tiene 5 plumas. Las plumas son de color rojo, amarillo, azul, y verde. Él tiene 3 pies. Los pies del pavo son de color café. Mi pavo se siente cansado. – Casey
Mi pavo se llamo Mustacheeyo. Es viejo. El pavo tiene una cabeza pequeña. Mi pavo tiene ojos en forma de círculo. El pavo tiene 4 plumas. Las plumas son de color azul, rojo, verde, amarillo. Él tiene tres pies. Los pies del pavo son de color blanco. Mi pavo se siente enojado. – James
Mi pavo se llama Sarah. El pavo es joven. El pavo tiene una cabeza grande. Mi pavo tiene ojos en forma de círculo. El pavo tiene 12 plumas. Las plumas son de color azul, verde, blanco, y morado. Él tiene uno pie. Los pies del pavo son de color rosa. Mi pavo se siente cansado. – Maria
By Julie & Ella
Page 14
español), and what it says (for example “none” and “half” are not on the pirinola and “all put in” is not on the dreidl.).
4/5 Club de español: We are having such a great year! About 20 students attend club de español each session (and we meet twice a week!) We continue to practice the mini plays that the students wrote and will be performing them for each other this month. Other activities include playing games in español such as Uno, Go Fish (Pesca), Guess Who (Adivina quién), using Spanish iPhone and iPad apps, and continuing the search for and story of Don Quixote in the Whittier tiles. Right before winter break we took time to make tarjetas for the season.
Technology in the salón de español: I am learning a lot about technology and Srta. Muñoz is quite good with it. We are both using it on a regular basis in our students’ learning activities. This “hardware” includes Elmo (document camera), LCD projector, netbooks, and iPads. The “software” includes Wordplay (on-line Spanish vocabulary and grammar game that Srta. M. uses with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades), iPad apps and other programs that reinforce vocabulary, listening, and reading, and Smart Notebook interactive activities -- which can be done with a projector in the absence of a SmartBoard. (We hope to give the kids “hands on” with the SmartBoard in the library after the New Year.) We hope to use technology even more as the year goes on, putting it in the hands of students for creating and recording in Spanish.
World Language Advisory Committee: Next meeting February 19, 2013; 7-9 pm Whittier library. Mark your calendar and please join us. All are welcome. Watch for agenda and more details as the date approaches. At our December meeting, Lisa Schwartz made a presentation about the Middle Years
Program (MYP) International Baccalaureate for which the district is applying with special reference to “Language B.” In February, a primary focus will be getting ready for WLAC-led activities at the District’s Ethnic Festival.
Enrichment ideas: LEER, LEER, LEER!/ READ, READ, READ! Keep reading en español! The Spanish room library is always ready to loan books! And keep your eyes open for fun cultural and family events around metro Chicago – always something going on with a Spanish or Latino twist!
Gracias de nuevo for all you do to support us and your students’ learning.
As always, please feel free to contact us at any time.
