Hello Parents,
ACCESS testing continues this week and all of the students have been trying their best. I am happy and proud of the excellent effort that they have shown while taking the test. Most students will be finished with testing by the end of this week.
Also, Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, February 22nd, from 1:00-8:00p.m.
Your attendance at this conference is optional. However, if you would like to schedule a time to meet with me on this day, please call me on my direct line at 630.428.6725. Thank you.
Open House is this Thursday, January 27th, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. I will be here so please stop by to say hi. Open House is an informal night for parents to come and visit the many teachers' classrooms that your children visit each week...such as art, music, p.e., ELL, etc. Due to the informal nature of this evening, I will not be able to conduct conferences. Thank you.
Hope to see you all at Open House!!
~Mrs. Bennick
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Adult ESL Classes and ACCESS testing
Hello Parents,
Indian Prairie School District offers adult ESL classes through the College of Dupage. Information about these classes is posted on the May Watt's website at http://watts.ipsd.org/. If you are interested in enrolling in these classes, just fill out the application that is also posted on the school's website. For those parents who requested information about these classes earlier in the year, the information was sent home last Friday in your child's backpack.
Also, this week begins ACCESS testing for all grade levels! This is a very comprehensive test which tests your child's ability in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing in the English language. Test scores will be available toward the end of the school year. If you have any questions regarding this test, please call or email me.
Have a wonderful week!
~Mrs. Bennick
Indian Prairie School District offers adult ESL classes through the College of Dupage. Information about these classes is posted on the May Watt's website at http://watts.ipsd.org/. If you are interested in enrolling in these classes, just fill out the application that is also posted on the school's website. For those parents who requested information about these classes earlier in the year, the information was sent home last Friday in your child's backpack.
Also, this week begins ACCESS testing for all grade levels! This is a very comprehensive test which tests your child's ability in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing in the English language. Test scores will be available toward the end of the school year. If you have any questions regarding this test, please call or email me.
Have a wonderful week!
~Mrs. Bennick
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy New Year!
I hope that all of you enjoyed some time with your families over Winter Break. It's time to start the second half of the school year. ACCESS testing will begin shortly. More information regarding ACCESS testing will be sent home and also posted on my blog within the next week.
I am looking forward to a very productive second semester of school! We have a lot of work ahead of us.
I am sure the students are up to the challenge!
Happy 2011!
~Mrs. Bennick
I am looking forward to a very productive second semester of school! We have a lot of work ahead of us.
I am sure the students are up to the challenge!
Happy 2011!
~Mrs. Bennick
Friday, December 10, 2010
It Feels Like Winter!
Hello Parents:
Time for another update from ELL class. The weeks go by so quickly. I can't believe it's been over two weeks since my last update! The weather has certainly taken a change. The students have been enjoying the beautiful blanket of white snow. Many of the students have been telling me that they will be visiting relatives and friends over Winter Break. For those of you who will be traveling, I hope that you enjoy your time away and have safe travels.
Here are our latest activities:
Kindergarten students have been discussing snow and winter activities. They have read three books called, Bundle Up, The Snowy Day, and Let's Make a Snowman! They have discussed winter clothing, winter activities and how to build a snowman. They have been working well with partners and in small groups.
First grade activities have included talking about sports and the beach. We've read books entitled, Sports Day and What Do You See at the Sea? We have done lots of vocabulary work in our journals and also completed graphic organizers about these topics. This is a group of hard workers!
Second grade students have completed some activities which align with their classroom reading stories. We have talked about the life of a tree, interesting facts about trees, and have also diagrammed a tree! We have also talked about how things change over time. Lots of great learning going on in this group of students!
The third grade students have also completed some assignments that align with their classroom reading stories. We read and discussed the story, Pepita Talks Twice, which explains the importance of speaking two languages. The students completed an extended response question relating to this topic in their journals. They also got to be actors this week! The students chose parts in a play about Red Riding Hood and acted them out in front of their other classmates. We then read another story and the students compared and contrasted the stories' similarities and differences. It was an exciting week for third graders!
The fourth grade students have been working on a couple of different things. They read a book entitled, Beaks and Wings, which aligned with their classroom story, Nights of the Pufflings. They completed a semantic web about birds. They also completed an extended response question about Nights of the Pufflings in their journals. They shared their answers aloud for oral language development and then to end the lesson, wrote a summary of the first book. Their writing skills are improving! This week, we have started learning about the Southeast region of the United States. We are using wonderful National Geographic books to learn about this topic.
Finally, the fifth graders have been working on vocabulary development along with reading, writing, and oral language skills. We continue to work on parts of speech and last week we focused on adjectives. We took a short break from our adjectives packet to read the classroom story, Island of the Blue Dolphins. We completed a vocabulary activity with this book and also an extended reponse question for writing. The students shared their answers orally. This week the story, Everglades, was introduced. We have discussed the vocabulary words for this story and completed a Frayer Model. We briefly read the story and will continue to complete acitivites for it next week.
The fourth and fifth grade groups have been doing "popcorn" reading. This is a fun way to read a story. Ask your child what this is. (We are not eating popcorn!)
As always, if you have any questions, please call me.
~Mrs. Bennick
Time for another update from ELL class. The weeks go by so quickly. I can't believe it's been over two weeks since my last update! The weather has certainly taken a change. The students have been enjoying the beautiful blanket of white snow. Many of the students have been telling me that they will be visiting relatives and friends over Winter Break. For those of you who will be traveling, I hope that you enjoy your time away and have safe travels.
Here are our latest activities:
Kindergarten students have been discussing snow and winter activities. They have read three books called, Bundle Up, The Snowy Day, and Let's Make a Snowman! They have discussed winter clothing, winter activities and how to build a snowman. They have been working well with partners and in small groups.
First grade activities have included talking about sports and the beach. We've read books entitled, Sports Day and What Do You See at the Sea? We have done lots of vocabulary work in our journals and also completed graphic organizers about these topics. This is a group of hard workers!
Second grade students have completed some activities which align with their classroom reading stories. We have talked about the life of a tree, interesting facts about trees, and have also diagrammed a tree! We have also talked about how things change over time. Lots of great learning going on in this group of students!
The third grade students have also completed some assignments that align with their classroom reading stories. We read and discussed the story, Pepita Talks Twice, which explains the importance of speaking two languages. The students completed an extended response question relating to this topic in their journals. They also got to be actors this week! The students chose parts in a play about Red Riding Hood and acted them out in front of their other classmates. We then read another story and the students compared and contrasted the stories' similarities and differences. It was an exciting week for third graders!
The fourth grade students have been working on a couple of different things. They read a book entitled, Beaks and Wings, which aligned with their classroom story, Nights of the Pufflings. They completed a semantic web about birds. They also completed an extended response question about Nights of the Pufflings in their journals. They shared their answers aloud for oral language development and then to end the lesson, wrote a summary of the first book. Their writing skills are improving! This week, we have started learning about the Southeast region of the United States. We are using wonderful National Geographic books to learn about this topic.
Finally, the fifth graders have been working on vocabulary development along with reading, writing, and oral language skills. We continue to work on parts of speech and last week we focused on adjectives. We took a short break from our adjectives packet to read the classroom story, Island of the Blue Dolphins. We completed a vocabulary activity with this book and also an extended reponse question for writing. The students shared their answers orally. This week the story, Everglades, was introduced. We have discussed the vocabulary words for this story and completed a Frayer Model. We briefly read the story and will continue to complete acitivites for it next week.
The fourth and fifth grade groups have been doing "popcorn" reading. This is a fun way to read a story. Ask your child what this is. (We are not eating popcorn!)
As always, if you have any questions, please call me.
~Mrs. Bennick
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Time to Bundle Up! It's COLD outside!
Hello Parents:
This is just a reminder that there is no school on Wednesday, November 24th, Thursday, November 25th, and Friday, November 26th due to the Thanksgiving recess. I hope that you all have an opportunity to enjoy some of this time off with your families.
Here's the latest news from ELL class:
Kindergarten: The kindergarteners completed a writing activity involving many of the vocabulary words that we have been working on during class. Then, they did a "Stand and Share" activity which involved standing in front of the group and discussing their work. All the students did a wonderful job on this activity! And, there were many good listeners, too!
1st Grade: The first graders have been working on their fruits and vegetables unit for a couple of weeks now. They recently completed a compare and contrast chart (same/different) on fruits and vegetables and labeled them. They then participated in a "Round Table" discussion about their charts. Well done by all!
2nd Grade: The second graders have been working on their writing skills lately. They recently completed a writing activity that focused on the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Then, they worked on an extended response writing in their journals which focused on a question from one of their recent classroom stories. They also did a "Stand and Share" activity when their writing was finished. It was interesting to hear the differences in their answers and to see them present it to the group. They all did a fantastic job!
3rd Grade: Third graders finally finished up their comparisons of two stories after diligently working on this activity for the past 2-3 weeks. They all did an excellent job! Their work was amazing! The final activity was a summary of one of the stories and then answering an extended response question about one of the stories. We shared our responses aloud in a "Round Table" format.
4th Grade: The fourth graders have completed their unit on Rocks and Minerals and we read a few short stories from the book, We Celebrate the Harvest. Currently, the students are working on writing a summary about one of these stories and will be participating in a "Think-Pair-Share" activity when they have completed the writing portion of the assignment.
5th Grade: The fifth graders have also been reading short stories about the harvest and are currently working on a writing activity that pertains to the story they chose. The activity that the fifth graders are working on is an opinion statement. They will then share these opinions with their partners.
Please remember to dress your child/children appropriately for the weather. They do go outside for lunch recess and it is very cold outside! To keep them warm, they should be wearing a heavy coat, hat, mittens, and a scarf. Thank you!
Enjoy the break!
~Mrs. Bennick
This is just a reminder that there is no school on Wednesday, November 24th, Thursday, November 25th, and Friday, November 26th due to the Thanksgiving recess. I hope that you all have an opportunity to enjoy some of this time off with your families.
Here's the latest news from ELL class:
Kindergarten: The kindergarteners completed a writing activity involving many of the vocabulary words that we have been working on during class. Then, they did a "Stand and Share" activity which involved standing in front of the group and discussing their work. All the students did a wonderful job on this activity! And, there were many good listeners, too!
1st Grade: The first graders have been working on their fruits and vegetables unit for a couple of weeks now. They recently completed a compare and contrast chart (same/different) on fruits and vegetables and labeled them. They then participated in a "Round Table" discussion about their charts. Well done by all!
2nd Grade: The second graders have been working on their writing skills lately. They recently completed a writing activity that focused on the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Then, they worked on an extended response writing in their journals which focused on a question from one of their recent classroom stories. They also did a "Stand and Share" activity when their writing was finished. It was interesting to hear the differences in their answers and to see them present it to the group. They all did a fantastic job!
3rd Grade: Third graders finally finished up their comparisons of two stories after diligently working on this activity for the past 2-3 weeks. They all did an excellent job! Their work was amazing! The final activity was a summary of one of the stories and then answering an extended response question about one of the stories. We shared our responses aloud in a "Round Table" format.
4th Grade: The fourth graders have completed their unit on Rocks and Minerals and we read a few short stories from the book, We Celebrate the Harvest. Currently, the students are working on writing a summary about one of these stories and will be participating in a "Think-Pair-Share" activity when they have completed the writing portion of the assignment.
5th Grade: The fifth graders have also been reading short stories about the harvest and are currently working on a writing activity that pertains to the story they chose. The activity that the fifth graders are working on is an opinion statement. They will then share these opinions with their partners.
Please remember to dress your child/children appropriately for the weather. They do go outside for lunch recess and it is very cold outside! To keep them warm, they should be wearing a heavy coat, hat, mittens, and a scarf. Thank you!
Enjoy the break!
~Mrs. Bennick
Monday, November 15, 2010
Moving right along into Mid-November
Hello ELL Families:
It's amazing how fast the time is moving! We have now started our second quarter of school and the students are busy at work on many activities in ELL. Here is what's happening:
Kindergarten students continue to work on letter identification, letter sounds, and identifying pictures that begin with certain letter sounds. They will also be reading a book entitled, Carlos' First Thanksgiving, in which they will be exposed to many new vocabulary words including foods from different countries and why Thanksgiving is celebrated in America.
First grade started a unit on fruits and vegetables last week and will finish it up this week. We have learned many new fruits and vegetables and enjoyed sharing which ones we like, which ones we do not like, and those we have never seen before! We completed a T-Chart of our favorite fruits and vegetables and will be completing a matching activity and discussing which fruits can be peeled and which ones do not need to be.
Second grade has been working hard reading and discussing a story that they did in class entitled, Lemonade For Sale. We discussed ways to earn money and completed a semantic web about different ways we use money that we earn. Some of these ways included saving money at the bank, spending money, giving it to needy people, paying the bills, buying food and even how to make a profit from having a lemonade stand! Wow! I was very impressed!
Third grade has been comparing and contrasting two books that we read in our class entitled, The Three Little Pigs and The Wolf's Story. At this point, we have read both books, discussed all of the vocabulary words from both books, and are now in the process of completing a venn diagram together, in small groups, comparing the similarities and differences between the stories. We will finish the lesson up later this week with a summarizing activity and possibly writing a friendly letter to either the pigs or the wolf.
Fourth grade just recently finished up their unit on the Northeast Region of the United States. The students have now begun their Rocks and Minerals unit. The students have been assigned to work with a buddy during this weeks' activities. They are reading two books. One book is about minerals and the other is about rock types. One group defined minerals and labeled different types of minerals that we know of or use. The second group wrote a summary of one of the rock types that they learned about in the book. Later this week, we will complete two vocabulary activities about rocks and minerals.
Fifth grade has been working very hard on figurative language. We have discussed what figurative language is and how it makes literature interesting. At this time, we have discussed similes, metaphors, and idioms. We just finished a fun activity on idioms. Please ask your child to tell you a new idiom that they just learned and what it means. Also, I have asked the students to tell me an idiom that they may have in their native languages. I thought that they would enjoy sharing some of these silly sayings during ELL class.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about all of our activities. Please check back soon for more updates.
Stay warm!
~Mrs. Bennick :-)
It's amazing how fast the time is moving! We have now started our second quarter of school and the students are busy at work on many activities in ELL. Here is what's happening:
Kindergarten students continue to work on letter identification, letter sounds, and identifying pictures that begin with certain letter sounds. They will also be reading a book entitled, Carlos' First Thanksgiving, in which they will be exposed to many new vocabulary words including foods from different countries and why Thanksgiving is celebrated in America.
First grade started a unit on fruits and vegetables last week and will finish it up this week. We have learned many new fruits and vegetables and enjoyed sharing which ones we like, which ones we do not like, and those we have never seen before! We completed a T-Chart of our favorite fruits and vegetables and will be completing a matching activity and discussing which fruits can be peeled and which ones do not need to be.
Second grade has been working hard reading and discussing a story that they did in class entitled, Lemonade For Sale. We discussed ways to earn money and completed a semantic web about different ways we use money that we earn. Some of these ways included saving money at the bank, spending money, giving it to needy people, paying the bills, buying food and even how to make a profit from having a lemonade stand! Wow! I was very impressed!
Third grade has been comparing and contrasting two books that we read in our class entitled, The Three Little Pigs and The Wolf's Story. At this point, we have read both books, discussed all of the vocabulary words from both books, and are now in the process of completing a venn diagram together, in small groups, comparing the similarities and differences between the stories. We will finish the lesson up later this week with a summarizing activity and possibly writing a friendly letter to either the pigs or the wolf.
Fourth grade just recently finished up their unit on the Northeast Region of the United States. The students have now begun their Rocks and Minerals unit. The students have been assigned to work with a buddy during this weeks' activities. They are reading two books. One book is about minerals and the other is about rock types. One group defined minerals and labeled different types of minerals that we know of or use. The second group wrote a summary of one of the rock types that they learned about in the book. Later this week, we will complete two vocabulary activities about rocks and minerals.
Fifth grade has been working very hard on figurative language. We have discussed what figurative language is and how it makes literature interesting. At this time, we have discussed similes, metaphors, and idioms. We just finished a fun activity on idioms. Please ask your child to tell you a new idiom that they just learned and what it means. Also, I have asked the students to tell me an idiom that they may have in their native languages. I thought that they would enjoy sharing some of these silly sayings during ELL class.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about all of our activities. Please check back soon for more updates.
Stay warm!
~Mrs. Bennick :-)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thank you, Parents!
I would like to take this time to thank all of the parents who stopped by to discuss their child's progress in ELL class. I realize the wait time was quite long last night and I appreciate your patience. It was nice to have the opportunity to meet many of my new parents and also to see my established parents. I am very thankful to have such supportive parents and wonderful students.
~Mrs. Bennick
~Mrs. Bennick
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