Mrs. Bluhm's Classroom

Dear Families,

Thanks so much for helping with the schoolhouse memory interviews. Most of the children have had a chance to share their responses. Since our field trip to the Peterborough Historical Society where we got to go in a one room schoolhouse, we have begun working on a writing piece to compare certain aspects of the past to present day experiences in schools. I hope to post these writings in the next few weeks.

The children are making progress on the Henry and Mudge reading marathon. Please let me know if you have a well-trained dog, or know of someone that would be willing to bring in their dog for a show and tell on our celebration. It may be another 2 or 3 weeks before we have all finished the marathon, so there is time to plan.

Did you hear about our science lessons? The children have been studying the three types of soil: clay, sand, and humus. They used their observation skills to determine the differences in texture, smell, and color. Ms. Young, our methods student from Keene State College taught these lessons. Then we had an exciting visit from Ms. Sutton, the naturalist from the Harris Center. She brought in earth worms for the children to touch and look at under a magnifying glass. We all learned interesting facts, and that worms help make soil good for growing plants. Next, we will be learning about composting, and will continue to study worms. A field trip is being planned for later this month to visit a composting center. I will provide more details next week.

We have finished our first unit in reading, and took the benchmark test. We will begin Unit 2 next week. We finished our third topic in math. W.I.N. time has also started. Ask your child what he/she is doing during this time. W.I.N. stands for What I Need. It happens once a day for a 30 minute block of time. The children are divided into various groups for certain skills for which extra practice is needed, or for enrichment activities.

Fall is a beautiful time of year. Have a great weekend.