Odyssey Charter School | Jessica Yarger RSS

California Geography and Block Building

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:48:47 GMT

We will be wrapping up our unit on California Geography in the next couple of weeks. Children are currently working on reports about California's four major regions. The students are working in groups of three to write about six topics about each region: Coastal, Mountain, Central Valley, and Desert. They have been using a webquest designed by Ms. Freeland to research their topics in the computer lab. They are working on webbing their ideas to turn into cohesives paragraph, which they will eventually put together.

The big event for California Geography will take place next week, as children use the Community Hall to "build" California out of blocks and butcher paper. They will be using the information they gathered for their reports to identify things and places they want to include in their section of California. As a team they have to not only collaborate to map out their region, they have to work with the other teams to make sure everything is placed where is should be. This is the first time I am doing block building with children and am very excited to have it as part of our curriculum for this unit. Any parent help during the block building would be wonderful. I envision the adults in the room supporting the problem solving as children work together to figure out how to make everything fit as it should. Please let me know if you are interested in participating.

I am excited to see the outcome....

Amazing Story Leads

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:46:25 GMT

The writers in Room 11 blew me away this morning. For the last couple of days we have been talking about story leads. Today we examined more closely the strategies published writers use to draw their readers into their stories in the first few sentences. We discussed that they often use dialog, small actions, descriptive language to describe the setting, or a combination of these things to create the mood of their story. After trying it out once while we were still gathered on the carpet, the children went off to try it out on their own. Below is what they came up with. Their story leads are truly amazing!! Please, take a look.

Clop. Clop. “Wait for me.” I was running down the plank.

“Wahoo!” I yelled. I was going to China Town.

“Yes!” I was getting ready to do the Rock Fest with my brother.

“Hey!” I said. That was it. I was out. I stomped out of the room.

It was dark. Thuddd. You could hear the running in the distance. “There,” I said. “You’re it!” I yelled.

Crack! Faster and faster down I fell. “Aaaaaah,” I screamed.

I stretched over the railing. Somebody pushed me. SPLASH! I fell in.

I threw the golf club instead of hitting the ball. “Oh no,” my dad yelled.

I ran up the stairs. I stopped, turned to the slide, and jumped on.

I saw a light. I went to the light. I tripped. When I got up I was on soft grass.

Finally. It was set. I was going to test it.

I was so excited my heart was pounding. I was going to pick up my mom from the airport. –

I went to the park and I saw a new swing. I got on it and said, “Woohooo.” –

I was watching t.v. when my dad suddenly said, “Get over here!” –

CRASH! The wave slammed on the shore! A little motor zoomed across the water. I jumped in. SPLASH! –

BOOM! A loud sound came from the car. BOOM! Again, the car made that sound. BOOM! We tried to go. Our car broke down.

“What! Why! No!”

I was cheerfully playing on the DS Lite. My little brother Calvin had just told me how to complete "Stand tall 4 pillars."

I was at the park playing soccer with my cousin. "Goal!" I said. I kicked the ball. POW! The ball went flying into the air.

"Dad, come down here. The football game is on."

I was running as fast as I could go! I was on the Wonders soccer team. All of the sudden THWACK, the ball hit me in the stomach.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! I was running as fast as I could go. "Tag, you're it," Rita said as she tapped me lightly on the shoulder.

We have great personal narratives on the way!!!!

Writing Personal Narratives

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:01:57 GMT

The children have been busy at work writing personal narratives. They are looking at their lives, searching for small moments that have meaning to them, and then turning them into stories. The focus of this first unit of study is to convince children that they have moments in their lives that are worth writing about, to give them the tools and strategies to craft concise, detailed stories, and to create a toolbox of strategies for generating personal narrative topics. The students in Room 11 have so much to tell about their lives, very few have had a difficult time coming up with small moments that inspire them to write.

I have read stories about watching a sunset atop a ferris wheel in London, getting knocked down by a wave and swallowing sea water, flying through the air on a Wave, the moments before going down a large drop of a rollercoaster, getting soaked by a super soaker, body surfing, and getting across a river without a bridge. I am asking children to live like writers, and be on the lookout for story ideas and notice them in their hiding places.

Reader's Notebooks

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:16:51 GMT

This year students will be writing about reading in their Reader's Notebooks. For their first entry, they reflected on what they know to be true about reading. Here are some of their responses:

Books can take you out of this world.
Some books can solve your problems.
I like to read to other people.
Reading is like sports for your eyes.
Sometimes I don't feel like reading.
Sometimes I relate to the characters.
Books are better than t.v.
Books give you more information than movies.
When I get really into a book I feel like I am the character.
I like to read different books in my room.
I know I have to get a book I enjoy to read.

This is just snapshot of the children's ideas, but a window into the rich reading lives of the students in Room 11!

Revised Wish List/Classroom Needs

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:33:28 GMT

First, I want to say THANK YOU to all the parents who helped get the classroom ready (patching, painting, cleaning, etc.) prior to school starting. It really looks great and I could not have done it without your help! I also want to say thank you for all the classroom materials that have been donated so far!!

Warmly,

Jessica

Below is a revised wish list:

15 red two pocket folders
15 light blue two pocket folders
15 green two pocket folders
Sturdy electric pencil sharpener
Low odor dry erase markers
Garden hose
Pencils
Sponges (preferably with a scrubby side)

Opportunities to Volunteer:

If you are interested in any of the following, please contact me via email (jessicay@oscmail.org) or in person.

help preppring materials (cutting, laminating, sorting; can be taken home)
dusting off the tops of the hanging lights
Finish painting (inside of cabinet doors)
Reinstalling cabinet handles
have a special skill or interest to bring into the classroom (perhaps collaborating with me for a particular subject or unit).
reading with children
?????

Thanks Again,

Jessica

A Great First Day!

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:16:22 GMT

Hello Room 11 Families,

Room 11 had a splendid first day. It was nice to meet or reconnect with so many of you this morning. The highlight for me was the "hot lava" game. Imagine a group of four students attempting to get across the half basketball court (a pool of molten lava) using only three file folders. They actually only had half of each file folder. Putting their heads together, they had to come up with and execute a plan to get all four people across, while only being allowed to step on the folders. All six groups made it across!! A couple of groups had to scrap their first strategy and start over, but they persevered. Some things I observed students doing: agreeing on a plan before acting, modifying plans along the way, encouraging each other, trying again, having fun, and working together. It was a beautiful sight! I wish I had had my camera with me.

Please stay tuned for more snippets from Room 11.

Ms. Jessica

What I did last summer…

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:43:13 GMT

My summer was pretty much all about my daughter, Edie, and the garden. She was home most days with me and we spent time gardening, going to various places for children, music “class,” and just hanging out. I discovered that you can start gardening with children at a very young age. Edie loves, and is very adept at, planting seeds. We have been enjoying tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, beets, basil, a few green beans, and a teeny tiny amount of zucchini from the backyard.

I also did more reading than I have done in a couple of years. I read some great children’s literature, did some professional reading, and, yes, even read adult fiction for pleasure. Odyssey does a great job of nurturing young readers and I felt my own reading life needed an infusion. So aside from tending to house projects and spending time with Edie, I carved out plenty of time to put my feet up and delve into a good book.

Welcome Back!

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:42:34 GMT

Dear Families and Students,

Welcome to the 2009 - 2010 school year! My name is Jessica. This year will be my fifth year teaching at Odyssey and I am so excited to be teaching one of the new 3rd/4th grade classrooms. I look forward to seeing all the returning families to OCS as well as meeting all the new families.

As we begin our school year we work on establishing routines and friendships and building classroom community. As a community of learners we share our supplies. Odyssey furnishes us with the tools that every child will need to learn, but if you would like to donate materials to the classroom, please see the attached list.

At Odyssey we welcome parent participation and I welcome you into the classroom. Please let me know if you are interested in volunteering. As we establish our routines and culture, I do request that you give us a few weeks to settle in before parents begin to volunteer in the classroom.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me on the first day of school or leave me a message at the school. Beginning the first day of school, you can also reach me by email (jessicay@ocsmail.org).

Sincerely,

Jessica