Learning to Type: A Crucial 21st Century Skill

This winter break, when your child (or you!) needs a bit of quiet time, have them jump onto the computer and practice their typing skills!  This year, we are focused on trying to improve students' typing capabilities and the only way to improve these skills is through practice and familiarity.  A great first step is having your child type up their Holiday Project, spelling sentences or other small assignments weekly.  Additionally, Mrs. Bradley has collected a bunch of great sties on her blog that help students learn to type! Check some of them out!

Scholastic Writing Contest

Here is the link to tonight's fun little extra credit writing assignment!!!

All I want for...a Happy Holidays!

This holiday season, I am putting together a little wish list for parents.  As you do your holiday shopping, please consider giving to our classroom community!  Here are some things we could really use:
-Headphones that plug into laptops.  Soon we'll be getting a class set of chrome books (Yipee!).  I want to be able to have student use them during center time to listen to books and answer questions and also to play math games that reinforce skills from lessons.  Many of these require sound.  I'd like headphones that go outside of the ears so they can be shared, rather than earbuds,
-Hardcover Books. As you can imagine, the books in our class library get a lot of use and wear and tear, especially the ever popular "Diary of Wimpy Kid" or "Big Nate" books.  I'd like to start re-stocking and replenishing.  Also, any high-interest non-fiction books about science and nature would be wonderful.
-Addition, Subtraction or Division BINGO. I have a very popular Multiplication BINGO.  I'd like to add to the collection for review and challenge.
-Your Time. If you have any time to make copies, feel comfortable laminating and cutting our items, helping me to organize my class games and center, this would be a holiday gift the whole class (especially me!) can benefit from! Also, classroom visitors are always fun and exciting for the students- can you donate an afternoon to share with us about your career or to help do a hands-on experiment or project? I would love to have some help at our "Holiday Party" at the culmination of our December project- please e-mail me if you can make it!
-Cleaning Products. I use small pump bottle of hand sanitizer as my bathroom passes and go through it pretty fast.  Also, cleaning wipes- both baby wipes and Lysol wipes, as always very useful to have in stock.
-2 new fish and vacation fish feeders. Our bottom feeder has passed away (RIP Stompy) and our tank is starting to look a lil green.  We could use a new fish or 2 to brighten the place up.  3 and 7 day feeders are always good have for winter, spring break and long weekends.
-Fun Classroom Supplies: Handy things that all teachers can use: Colored Sharpie Markers of different sizes, regular Crayola markers, post-its in fun shapes and colors, neat stickers, stamps and stamp pads...


Thank-you for all of your contributions to our classroom!!!