Busy – Busy – Busy

Your children have been typing up a storm in the computer lab.  The 3^rd through 5^th grade recently went on Microsoft Word and typed about what they did over the four-day weekend in January.  We looked at different fonts, font sizes, alignments and other toolbar items as we typed.  They were quite impressed with the number of fonts there are to choose from.  Many papers I saw had multiple fonts on the same page.  I hope you enjoyed their creativity.  Your 3^rd and 4^th graders are now working hard in our Orchard program as we prepare for our final round of benchmark testing.  These tests will give their teachers a good idea of what they still need to learn before TCAP testing rolls around.  The 5^th graders are taking another speed test to mark their progress and then they will be focusing on Orchard as well in preparation for the upcoming TCAP testing.

 Your kindergarteners are flying through our make words table as we practice their middle and ending sounds.  They are also learning new things on Education City and Orchard and we can’t forget about Starfall.  That’s always a favorite and your child can play it at home at starfall.com.  The first graders are also hard at work.  They are creating their very own books for our upcoming Celebrate Literacy project.  I know you are going to love them.  Finally, in second grade we are supplementing the skills they are working on in the classroom as they move closer to their TCAP practice tests. 

I hope your children are enjoying computer lab this year as much as I am.

 

 

Back to Business

It’s a new year and I’m so excited!  We are getting back to business in the computer lab.  I hope all of your children are well rested after the nice winter break we just had.  The kindergarteners and first graders are coming back to a slightly different schedule.  Now the kindergarteners will get to come and see me on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.   While the first graders will now come on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  They will all still be working in their rotations and bringing home even more stories. 

Your second graders will be working hard in Orchard as well as Education City and those Monkey Games.  We will be practicing the skills they are working on in the classroom.  The third graders will also be working on the same programs as well as reviewing their multiplication and working on those division problems. 

Your fourth and fifth graders are diving back into their Mavis Beacon typing lessons.  I can tell those computer games over the break have helped some of them with their speed.  Finally, I would like to say a big thank you for all the gifts.  You are all so generous and your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated.  I love working with your children and consider myself very lucky to be at Indian Lake Elementary.

 

We are working hard in the computer lab

I am so proud of how well everyone is doing in the computer lab. Your kindergarteners are doing a great job in their stations. We are making words and learning our letters and sounds with Starfall, Education City and Orchard. I hope you are enjoying the letters and sight word pictures they are typing. As we go through the year you will begin to see some pretty awesome stories coming home.

Your first through fifth graders have been learning about online safety with Garfield. Garfield helped us learn the important things we shouldn’t share (be Y.A.P.P.Y. about) online.

 • Your full name

 • Address

 • Phone Numbers

• Passwords

• Your plans

 The students now have a better understanding of what they shouldn’t say online and will hopefully be coming to you more about what they see and hear on the internet.

Your second through fifth graders have also been practicing their math and language skills in anticipation of the second round of Orchard testing. I can’t wait to see how much progress your children have made since the beginning of year. Finally, if your child would like to try some fun games or practice their typing at home they can always check out my links. The typing test link lets them take practice typing tests or play a few games like Pac-Man to help build up their speed.

 

2nd 9 weeks here we come!

Your children have been quite busy in the computer lab these past few months.  We have finished our first Orchard test.  The fourth and fifth graders have taken their first speed tests and everyone is settling in nicely.  We will be working on some projects for Red Ribbon Week next week and getting ready for our second round of Orchard tests.  We will also be practicing our keyboarding skills as well.  The kindergarteners are doing a great job on their stations and I hope they are having lots of fun.  The first graders are speeding through their stations and writing some clever stories. 

There are some great links on my site if you would like your child to practice or just play some fun learning and typing games at home.  If you ever have any questions or concerns please email me.

 

Welcome Back

Welcome back to Indian Lake Elementary.  I am so glad you’re here!  We are going over the rules and playing some fun games to get back in the groove.  This month we will take our first Mavis Beacon speed test to see where your children are at in their typing skills.  We will also take our very first Orchard test.  The Orchard program will help your child with Language and Math skills they may be struggling with and challenge them on the skills they have already mastered.  It’s going to be a great year!

 

 

It’s Almost Time…

I hope you are enjoying your summer vacation and getting to do some fun things.  If you are around a computer why not head over to my links page and find a few cool games to play.  I have lots of typing games for you to choose from as well as some math and language games.   It’s going to be a great year at Indian Lake Elementary and I can’t wait to hear about your summer.  Enjoy the rest of your vacation and I’ll see you soon.

 

 

 

Winding Down

The school year is winding down and we are quite busy in the computer lab.  Your kindergarteners are working hard on their third Writing to Read journal and are creating some amazing stories.  I know they are going to do a great job in first grade next year.  Please remember to practice all three journals over the summer to get ready for journal 4. 

The first and second graders have done an amazing job this year and I am so proud of them all.  The first graders have grown so much and their stories are quite creative.  I know they will do a great job in second grade.  As for your second graders, we are  practicing our multiplication skills in the lab.  There are so many fun games online for them to do as they prepare for third grade.  Check out my links for some ideas. 

Your third graders are working on their typing skills.  They have started our Mavis Beacon typing program and are now learning which fingers to use for each key as they practice their accuracy on lessons and some fun games. We will be working more on this next year in fourth grade. 

The fourth and fifth graders are  hard at work on their typing skills as we get ready for our final round of speed tests.  I can’t wait to see who the fastest  typists in each class are.

 

Hard at work

Your children are hard at work in the computer lab getting ready for TCAPS.    The third through fifth graders are working on their skills in our Orchard program.  They are practicing the math and language skills they need help in and working ahead on the things they have already mastered.  I know they are going to do a great job on their tests. 

The kindergarteners are making their way through their second Writing to Read Journal.  These journals will help them as they move into first grade because they build on each other, adding more and more sound combinations and blends.  Your first graders are doing a great job in their journals and stories.  As for your second graders they are working hard in a variety of programs, including Orchard, Education City and Chuckwagon Bill. 

I hope all of your children are enjoying their time in the computer lab.  There are several links to fun,  educational games on my site where your child can get some good practice.  I am sure they would also love it if you set them up in Microsoft Word or another word program and just let them type stories.  They all have such wonderful imaginations.

 

January

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break. Things will be moving a little faster in the computer lab the next couple of weeks.  Your kindergarteners and 1st graders will swap computer days.  Kindergarten will now come Monday – Wednesday and Friday and 1st grade will come Tuesday and Thursday.  Both grades will still be working hard on their Writing to Read journals, word tiles and stories. 

  Your second and third graders will both be working in our Orchard program along with some other supplemental math and language programs.   The fourth and fifth graders will be taking their second round of speed tests.  I hope they’ve practiced.  Once those are finished they will begin learning the keys as they try to fill in blank keyboards. 

  Finally, I would like to say thank you very much for all the wonderful Christmas presents.  You are all so thoughtful and I really appreciate your kindness.

 

Colorful Computer Lab

The computer lab is all decked out in wintry array this week.  The 5th graders have been making some very creative computer wallpapers.  Snowmen and penguins have been the favorite designs.  Your children are so created.   I hope they had fun decorating the computers.