Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The History of My Name


Please use this link to access our new survey, "The History Of My Name."  Each student will use the information to write a personal narrative about his or her name, how he/she received the name, and why the name is important to us. 

Grandparent Interview: Sharing The Past And The Present


Children learn new ideas and strategies best through hands-on, life experiences. As part of our project called "Change Over Time," students will interview grandparents or family members to discover cultural elements of an important generation.  Children will interview a grandparent over the 5 day Thanksgiving break.  They will gather their information using the survey tool listed below.  Students are asked to submit their information by December 2nd.

 Students will use a website called Survey Monkey to record their interview information.  Follow the link:  Grandparent Survey

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Our Learning Celebration and Parent Meeting: November 23, 2010

The IMA teachers hosted a parent meeting on November 23 following our first Celebration of Learning. Both teachers presented a summary of our past trimester's work and previewed our current units of study.  Andrea and Flora also answered parents' questions about academic programming, technology in the classroom, and students' projects.  Parents had an opportunity to provide feedback about homework, Progress Book, and perceptions of the IMA program.

This slide show is an overview of the biography unit, a current unit of study in Andrea Smith's language arts classroom.  If you could not attend the parent meeting, please review this slide show; if you have any questions or comments about the unit, please contact Andrea: smith_andrea@dublinschools.net 

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Beyond Our Wildest Hopes!



Have you looked at our class blog lately?  Have you seen the amazing narratives and poems posted?  Have you noticed the useful and kind feedback that readers provide for our writers?  We are so proud of the kids and their hard work.  This public forum for writing provides our kids with a variety of writing purposes, a caring audience, and authentic reasons to reread, edit and revise their writing treasures. 

Please visit our blog and enjoy the work of the IMA kids: http://kidblog.org/TheIMAKids/



Friday, November 19, 2010

Read Alouds


What are the kids reading together as a class during our literature studies?  The fourth graders are sharing,  Joey Pigza Swallowed The Key and are discussing character development and conflict.  The third graders are enjoying, The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary, by Candace Fleming and are learning about the theme or lessons that a reader can infer from a story's plot.

Check out more information about these interesting novels at the following sites:

The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementaryhttp://www.candacefleming.com/

Joey Pigza Swallowed The Keyhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OYIA7Y/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0064408337&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1K06W87ZQ4168RHHA0GW

IMA Learning Celebration

Learning Celebration
Date:  November 23, 2010
Time:  1:45-2:30
Place: Commons
The Celebration will be followed by a parent session in Room 138

All IMA families are invited to attend the first Learning Celebration of the 2010-2011 school year.  The event begins at 1:45 in the commons.  Students will greet their parents or guests at the door and share their projects, favorite books, and blog entries.  Parents will also have a chance to see how students are using social studies resources to learn about the history and culture from different time periods in Ohio.  Following the celebration, Andrea and Flora will host a parent information session in Room 138. 

We understand how difficult it is to secure time away from jobs.  
If you cannot attend the event, please feel free to invite a relative, neighbor, or older sibling.  If you cannot attend the event, contact us and 
we will pair students with community members or former IMA kids.  

Thank you so much for your support!  See you on November 23rd!