Hello Room 19,

There will not be a spelling test next week, so nothing was sent home today in the homework folders. 

Please ask your child what he/she did today in science. We observed how the shadow of dinosaur figurines changed throughout the day. While it's fresh in their minds, talk about what they observed. Ask them why and even what they are wondering. This will help your child prepare for next week's test and will hopefully foster a love for science! 

Please check your child's backpack to see if one of the dinosaurs was accidentally taken home. I borrowed them from Mrs. Unger's class and one went missing!

Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Polay

Hello Room 19,

Happy Hanukkah! A couple of updates...

Mr. Lawton has passed along two links to videos of the songs that first grade will be performing for the Holiday Program so they can practice at home:

https://roscomaremusic.blogspot.com/2018/12/north-winds-blow.html
https://roscomaremusic.blogspot.com/2018/12/chicken-soup-with-rice.html

Our current science unit is Earth’s Place in the Universe. In class and in the science lab over the last few weeks, we have been working on this important standard:

• Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted. In other words, patterns of the motion of the sun can be observed, described, and predicted. After winter break, our learning will continue with finding patterns in the night sky. 

 
Next Wednesday, our class is going to take our first science test. The big ideas on this test include: 

• The sun appears to rise in one part of the sky, move across the sky, and set.
• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
• Stars other than our sun are visible at night, but not during the day.
• Our shadow changes direction and size throughout the day.
• Our shadow is long when the sun is low (rising or setting).
• Our shadow is short when the sun is high (midday).

 
The goal of this assessment is to gather information about what your child has learned so that I can use that information to guide my instruction. Another goal is to ease your child into content test-taking in a way that teaches him or her how to begin to reflect on what was learned. Please remind your child that he/she has learned a lot and this is an opportunity to show what he/she knows. There shouldn’t be any stress! How we talk to our children about tests is crucial.
 
PBS Parents offers this advice to help kids with test taking anxiety and is a good read even for those who don’t feel anxious about tests: http://www.pbs.org/parents/expert-tips-advice/2017/11/six-ways-help-kids-tackle-test-anxiety/
 
You can help your child by speaking positively about the test, and by talking to him/her about what was learned. Discuss these important concepts. Go outside and look at the sun at different times in the day. Your child can play teacher and teach you what he/she knows. Try asking why and then have a discussion. Stay away from “quizzing” your child every time you discuss these concepts. 
 
Friday, your child will bring home a sun dial that we made in the science lab. This is one way to begin a discussion about shadows, but please understand that your child will not have a complete understanding of the sun dial. 

See you tomorrow,
Mrs. Polay