Science Website

One website I am really excited about is our science website! The kids are able to log on and play games and do different activities that go along with each investigation. To access it at home, go to fossweb.com and hit “Class Login.” Our username name is jonesatwest and the password is jonesatwest. Feel free to add this to our list of menu items!

http://www.fossweb.com/

Live Feed

Man it's been a while since I posted on here! I wanted to share with you something we've been looking at in our classroom lately. We have been watching live feeds of animals from around the world! We are observing them in their natural habitats or in zoos and preservations. It's an awesome place where kids can observe animal behavior and the kids absolutely love it! Check it out!


http://explore.org/live-cams/player/live-penguin-cam-2

Fall Conferences

A friendly reminder that today, tomorrow, and Wednesday are Fall Conferences! If you would still like to sign up, please go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4ba9af23a4f58-fall. There are still spots available!

Social Studies Project

Last week, my students brought in a Social Studies project they had been working on for a few weeks at home. Their objective was to create a salt-dough 3D map of Oklahoma depicting either cities, mountains and rivers, regions, or resources. I absolutely loved how they turned out! The students really seemed to get into it and enjoy doing this project. They presented them to the class last week and have been displayed in our classroom.

Here is the link where I got the idea in case you want to do another project with your child at home! http://kidworldcitizen.org/2012/01/29/3d-salt-dough-maps/

Late Start AND S.S. Project

Just a quick reminder--we have a late start tomorrow morning! Students are welcome at 10:20am and we officially begin at 10:40am.


Also, the Social Studies project is due tomorrow! Please have your child either bring in the project tomorrow morning or you can just email me pictures! We will present them tomorrow!

Hispanic Heritage Month

For our morning announcements, a group of high school students have been making videos to show the students each morning to teach them Spanish. We have learned how to say “Hello” and “Goodbye” and also how to say “What is your name?” and “My name is…” The students have loved speaking Spanish! This morning for our announcements, we watched a video explaining Hispanic Heritage Month. I have attached the link at the bottom of this page. I encouraged the students while they are doing their homework this week and really all month, to look for ways to enhance their knowledge of the Spanish language and culture. I told them to research Spanish holidays, food, clothing, and customs. I would encourage you to help them along the way! I know there is a lot of Brian Pop episodes about Mexico and the Spanish culture and this site at the bottom has a lot of great resources.

                Anyway, I just wanted you to be aware about this and encourage your kids to do some research! 

http://www.timeforkids.com/photos-video/video/hispanic-heritage-month-171416

We All Swin Together

Drum roll please.....ta da! Our bulletin board is up! I learned that I am terrible at taking Pano pictures so please believe me when I say that it actually says "Swim" and not "Swin" haha. I need to get better at that. Can't wait for the students to see it Monday!

9/11 BrainPop

Here is the link to the 9/11 BrainPop.
Username: jenkstrojans
Password: jenks
Viewer Discretion Advised

https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/september11th/ 

#neverforget

Optional Social Studies Project

I am really excited about this project! Since we are learning about maps and the state of Oklahoma, I am assigning a 3D Salt Dough Map of Oklahoma. There is a recipe for homemade play dough and the students will trace a map of Oklahoma on a piece of cardboard and then mold their dough accordingly. They may choose what kind of map they want to create. Here are their choices: 1) Political-showing cities, 2) Physical-showing mountains and bodies of water, 3)Land Use and Resources, or 4) Climate-showing the different regions. They need to have a map key or legend as well.

                There is a website that explains the process, shows pictures, and gives other ideas. In these examples they did continents and countries but we are just going to stick with Oklahoma for now.

                After your child is done with the project, please take some pictures of it and we can show them on the smart board in class and discuss. If you want to bring the project in, by all means do so! I just didn’t want kids bringing them on the bus with them—ha!

                Working on this project should take more than one day. The dough needs time to harden before you paint it. For the next week, their homework will be to read 20 minutes like always and then to either do 1 menu item OR work on the project. Again, this is optional and your student doesn’t have to do it if they don’t want to. They can stick with menu items next week.

                This project is due on Thursday, September 24th. Please email me your pictures before then or bring the project to school that morning.

                Here is the website: http://kidworldcitizen.org/2012/01/29/3d-salt-dough-maps/

                Let me know if you have questions! I hope your students enjoy the project!

Typing Pal

Ok, I think I’ve figured it out. I had to go online and create a group before the kids could get on.

The code is JNKSSDOK

The student’s username is their Student ID number (their 5-digit lunch number). The password is trojans.

Please let me know if it doesn’t work. Sorry this is a struggle. Hopefully we’ll get it someday!

 

Seems Fishy....

Yesterday and today we have been decorating fish to put on our bulletin board outside in our pod! Yes, it was a little messy and yes it was a little chaotic but all in all, the kids had fun and we are going to have one great looking bulletin board! :) More pictures to come...

Reading Codes

We have been working on our inner conversation while reading. Often times, I'll tell the kids to write down their thinking using our Reading Codes. Here is a picture of our codes so your child can practice in their Reading Response Journals at home! Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to turn it the other way :(

Front Row

Parents! I will e-mail this to you tomorrow but I have finally made an account for our class on Front Row! This is one of the websites on the Homework Menu under Math Facts. This is a great website where students can track their progress through math categories. Our class name is "Jones 3rd Grade."

To sign up, all you do is go to frontrowed.com and click in the upper right corner "Student Login." Type in the student's name and our class code. Our class code is wofusq (q as in queen). Then they just choose what they want to work on and answer as many questions as they can. Just hit "Submit" when they are getting tired or have had enough and it will tell you how many levels you gained! I believe there's some tokens to help motivate them too.

I will change the class code on the homework menu tomorrow. Sorry it was incorrect before!

Homework Menu

Homework Menu

Read the book of your choice. Use your inner voice to remember what you read.	Math practice:  frontrowed.com Class Code is wofusq Practice Multiplication and Division facts. With flash cards or on Bulls-Eye Math	Watch a Brain Pop and take the quiz! Username-jenkstrojans Password-jenks
Read an E-book online.  Capstone- User-Jenks Password-west Tumblebooks-user-westcampus Password-books Follett Shelf- User-wef Password-trojans	Practice Typing Pal Username-Student ID Password-Trojans	Write a story in Your writer’s notebook. Use an idea from one  Of your lists!
Read aloud to someone really focusing on your expression.	Research a topic on Science Flix and write about it in your writer’s notebook.  Username-jwestschool Password-science	Go outside and PLAY!!! Stay inside and PLAY!!!

https://wefmedia.goalexandria.com/#_

Usernames and Passwords

Some of the usernames and passwords are still being updated through the Jenks district. Because of this, some of your usernames and passwords won't work. I have told the kids that if one site isn't working to just choose something else from the menu. Hope they all work soon!

E-Mail is Up and Working!

After almost an hour today, I have finally figured out the email system! I have emailed all parents the Back to School Night power point, a message about yearbooks, a PTAG newsletter, and the Homework Menu. I will post the Homework Menu in my next post. Please let me know if you haven't received the emails in a comment below and we will fix that ASAP.

Yay for the weekend!

Exit Ticket

One part of our classroom that I am super excited about (and the kids are too) is our Exit Ticket. This poster board sits right next to our door. I have explained to the kids that every now and then I will give them a question to answer before we go to recess, specials, or before we transition to a new subject. Their job is to answer the question on a sticky note and stick it on top of their number. This is a quick and easy way for me to check their answers. This is really helpful in getting an overall sense if the class really got the material presented or if we need to revisit and discuss again.

Today as we were giving ideas for our classroom essential agreement, I told the students to pick one thing we talked about and think how they were going to portray that next week. Here are the results! We had a lot of listening to the teacher, be more respectful, and to help others more. How I love my students!

Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

Today we implemented a new reward system for our classroom. I hope this brings good attitudes and builds character for our students.

I read the class "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" The book talks about how we each carry around invisible buckets and it is our job to fill each others buckets with kind words and good deeds. It encourages children to be nice to one another, filling others buckets, and their buckets get filled as well! It also talks about bucket dippers who dip into others buckets when they are bullies and are mean to others.

We made a t-chart of the qualities of bucket fillers and bucket dippers. The students did a great job filling this chart out. I was such a proud teacher!

Not only is this a great book to discuss with your students, its a great way to create a positive environment for the kids. I have created a system with literal buckets and carnival tickets. Each student has their own bucket and are encouraged to fill others buckets by encouraging notes and small gifts. I will also be handing out tickets when I see kids being kind to one another, doing the right thing, having their homework completed, etc. Once they reach enough tickets, they may cash them in for prizes and other incentives. I am really excited about this system and hope the kids love it. They already wrote so many positive notes to one another today! It was great seeing them be so kind. 

1st Day and Class Carousel

Wow! We had a fantastic day in third grade! It was so great finally seeing all my students in one room and I loved getting to know each other. It was kind of a crazy day with bus schedules and inside recess but overall, what a great first day!

After lunch, the students participated in what I call a class carousel. I placed six pieces of anchor chart paper around the room and split the kids up into small groups. There were questions on each piece of paper and I had the students discuss their answers together and then they could write down their answers. After I blew a whistle, the kids rotated to the different stations and so on. We came together at the end of the day and discussed the questions and their answers. What a great way to get kids moving, talking to others, and discussing their thoughts and opinions about this year.  Below are our final products.

What should kids in our class be doing to make sure our class runs smoothly? 

What do you hope to learn in 3rd grade this year?

School is important because...

What do you need to do in order to be successful this year?

What will Mrs. Jones need to do to help you this year?

Our classroom should be_____________ every day. 

Dear Parents,

I couldn't figure out how to upload a document on here so I figured I would just copy and paste the parent letter I handed out last night at Meet the Teacher. Here you go!

Dear Parents,

            Welcome to the wonderful world of having a child in 3^rd grade! Third grade is a very busy year. It is my plan for your child to have a successful and rewarding year with me as his or her teacher. I strive to keep a classroom environment that is not only a safe place filled with love and respect, but also a place that your child looks forward to coming to each day. 

            I would like to introduce myself to you with some information about my experience and family. This is my third year teaching and my first year at Jenks West Elementary. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in Dayton, Tennessee at Bryan College.  I recently got married and moved to Oklahoma this past summer.

            On Back to School night, we will be discussing classroom procedures, expectations, and other information, but there are a few items that will be helpful for you to know now.

• Please send a HEALTHY snack with your child each day. I allow the kids to have a snack during the school day. Also, send a water bottle with a sport top if your child would like to keep one in class.
• Communication is VERY important. Please check your e-mail often as it will be my number one source of communication.
• Please identify 1-3 of your child’s favorite books that they can bring to the first week of school. These can be fiction or non-fiction.

            I am looking forward to working with your child this year! If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail or call me. You can also follow our classroom blog. I will be posting homework, links, and other information on a weekly basis about what’s going on in our classroom. Communication is very important to me and I appreciated your support in making this a great year!

 

Katie Jones

katie.jones@jenksps.org

(918) 299-4411 ext. 6110

anoklahomajourney.blogspot.com

Meet the Teacher

Today was Meet the Teacher at Jenks West Elementary and what a turn out! It was genuinely a pleasure meeting all the parents and students who came out. Students were able to look around their classroom, bring in their school supplies, and obviously, meet the teacher. Parents were able to fill out forms, ask questions, and obtain information about the upcoming school year. All in all, it was a successful day!

I will do my best to upload the letter I handed out today with my contact information tomorrow (if I can figure out Blogspot!) I am very excited about 3rd grade--can't wait until Wednesday!

Some beautiful flowers given to me by a student. They also brought an apple--so sweet!

Sign for my door which my mother-in-law helped me make

Look at all those forms!

Our classroom wish list

Supplies, on top of supplies

I love my job, but this will totally be me next week, haha!

Back to work tomorrow :(
Posted by Capital Breakfast North East on Sunday, January 4, 2015

Enjoy the last week of summer!

Welcome to Jenks Public Schools

So, today was my first day as an official Jenks Public School teacher. Woke up at 7AM, drove to the high school, and sat in a three hour meeting which included Krispy Kreme donuts and Debbie Burchfield teaching the new teachers a rap about the school's mission statement. What have I gotten myself into?  

For the past two weeks, I've sat in meetings ranging from insurance to teaching Social Studies in the classroom. I've tagged along with everyone and their brother during Tax-Free weekend buying supplies for my classroom. I peruse through Pinterest and Teachers-Pay-Teachers almost every night.

Am I ready? No idea. Am I excited? Absolutely. I am so thrilled to be a part of the Jenks Public School system and am looking forward to what this year has to offer!