Another week gone

Hello Parents!

It's once again time for a new post.  We had  a productive week.

As we are really into a unit on Native American Studies, my Social Studies class this week had a guest speaker come in to talk to us about the Blackfeet culture.  Our guest was Mrs. Marcia Beaumont.  She did a wonderful job and we all learned a lot from her.  Did you know that the Blackfeet have 15,000 registered members?

In the Language classes today we all started working on some new non-phonetic words.  Please ask your child to explain to you the difference between phonetic and non-phonetic words.  All students in my Language classes will be having a Fluency Builder timing on Wed.  They will be bringing these home on Monday to practice.  It will be their homework for that day.  Students all had an individual reading conference this week.  You might also want to ask them what their independent reading book is about.  We also did some work with poetry and legends this week.

We try to hit on all genres of literature in this class.  For the English concepts portion of this class, we did a good review of pronouns.  Today they had to write a masterpiece sentence in collaboration with their partner.  Students will change partners next week.

This coming week all students at Riverside will start taking the NWEA tests.  They will be tested in reading, language, and math.  The change this year is that they will be taking the tests on the computer.  Please make sure your kids are getting plenty of sleep and healthy food to help them perform well on these tests.

That's all for now.  Have a great weekend.

Marjorie Zeedyk

A New Schhol Year

Hello Parents!

Classes at Riverside are in full swing.

My name is Marjorie Zeedyk.  I publish the posts on this parent blog.  I teach two Language! blocks and one Social Studies class.  Hopefully, this blog will serve as a great communication

tool for us this year.  Please come to this site frequently to find out what is happening in my classes.  I will also inform you of other important things happening at Riverside.

Students in my Language! classes need to bring a few things - a three ring binder and a spiral notebook.  Some of the students have already brought these in.  Thank you!  

My Social Studies students need to have one pocket folder.  That's all!

All students at Riverside were given a Riverside Planner.  Very handy!  Each student needs to bring $5.00 to pay for the planner.  Again, some of the students have already brought the money.  Thank you. 

We will be having an all-school Open House on Thursday, Sept. 4th at 7:00.  All parents are welcome and encouraged to come.  Hope to see you there!

Let's have a great year!

Sincerely,

Marjorie Zeedyk

Time for Summer Fun in the Sun

Hello Parents!

It's almost time to let out for summer. (My students are helping me compose this last blog post for the year.) It's that time again!

The Language classes have been very busy wrapping up the things we have learned this year. We have finished reading My Brother Sam is Dead. Please ask your son or daughter to explain to you how this book ended. This will be using their "comprehension" level thinking, which we have also studied. This week we are finishing Unit 20 in the program. This unit focused on short words with long vowels. We also studied, in depth, three kinds of syllables - open, closed, and r-controlled. We have continued reading from our J&J readers and have worked on Fluency Builders. Tomorrow is our last Fluency Builder timing. Please encourage your child to practice for it.

Social Studies students in Room 109 completed their Powerpoint presentations on Earth facts.
They turned out wonderful. Most of the students were able to present them to the class with the LCD projector. It was a great end-of-the-year review.

Now for the rest of this week. On Wednesday morning, the seventh graders will be having fun with the Inflatables. On Wednesday afternoon, the eighth graders will do the same. On Thursday, the Language classes will be having an end-of-the-year "Pig Out." I am asking that the students bring something to eat to share with their classmates. Healthy items are encouraged. I did send a note home with the students explaining about this. On Friday, there will be an All School Awards Assembly. Yearbooks will be handed out after the assembly. Students will eat lunch and then be dismissed early. Buses will depart at 11:40. And that's it for the year!

Have a spectacular summer!


Ms. Marjorie Zeedyk

Spring has sprung!

Hello Parents/Guardians!

It is again time for a new post to inform you of what is going on in Room 109. All classes in 109 are now involved in projects incorporating some digital photography. The students have taken pictures with a digital camera and turned them into slideshows. They have recently created an "Easter Decorating" and a "Riverside" slideshow. They are very good. The eighth grade Language! class will be starting a digital slideshow depicting what is involved in "synthesis" level thinking. Very exciting!

This week students are taking the NWEA district-wide achievement tests. Please make sure your child/children are getting to bed early and eating a good breakfast so as to perform their best on these tests. They are being tested in the areas of reading, language, and math.

All Language! students will have a Fluency Builder timing on Friday. Please practice the Fluency Builder with your kids on Thursday evening. It is their homework to do this. Thank you.

Next week, when NWEA testing is completed, we will return to literature blogging in the Language! classes. Students will be responding to a post related to the book we are reading in class. It is historical fiction. Great book!

The seventh grade social studies class is studying US landforms. Ask them to list them for you.
Also ask them to describe the southwest part of our country for you. They also have learned about the famous artist, Georgia O'Keeffe, who fell in love with this part of the country and spent a large part of her life painting here.

That's all for now. Call me if you have questions.


Marjorie Zeedyk
109 Riverside
237-6800

Room 109 News

Hello Parents!

It is definitely time for a new post on this blog!

How are you? Are you ready for St. Patrick's Day?

Language classes are still busy working on words with "r-controlled" vowels. This week the focus is words with the "r-controlled" o. Fluency builders with these words were sent home for practice. The students are timed on these words.

For Read Aloud we are still on the book My Brother Sam is Dead. Ask you child to tell you what is happening in the book. I'm sure he/she would be glad to tell you. It's a very good Newbery award-winning book (1974).

There are four homework assignments that Language! students are responsible for this week. Please remind your child to get these done and turned in.

Social studies students (7th graders) are now involved in a project using some digital photography. Most of them took a digital picture and were shown how to import it to the computer. We're always learning a few tech skills along the way!

That's all for now.

As always, call me if you have questions.


Marjorie Zeedyk

Room 109 Update

Hello Parents!


Happy President's Day!

Let me tell you what is happening in Room 109.

In Language! class we have started Unit 19. This unit focuses on reading and spelling words with r-controlled vowels. Today the students used the "Say and Type" technique to practice these words.

We have also started a new story in our J&J practice readers. It is called Gram and Gramps Marks. And it is packed full with words that contain r-controlled vowels.

For Read Aloud we have started reading some historical fiction titled My Brother Sam is Dead. The setting of this book is America during the Revoluntionary War.

In Social Studies (this is just for the seventh graders), we have started a unit on the life of
Abraham Lincoln.

Also, for your information, mid-term grade reports come home this Friday.

Have a great week!


Marjorie Zeedyk