Guest Reader

Phoenix read a picture book to the class today. What a great way to end November which is Picture Book Month. Thank you, Phoenix!

4th and 5th Grade Winter Concert

Mark your calendars! It is time for the students of Wilson Elementary to present their beautiful music in concert for you! 

When: Thursday, Dec 7th 2:15PM 

Where: Wilson Gym

Writing Workshop and Pushing Our Thinking

Writers in room 302 have been pushing their thinking as they write a thesis supported with reasons and evidence.

Reading Workshop

Our reading lessons are focusing on determining importance when reading nonfiction text. When we read nonfiction we can't possibly remember every isolated fact. We need to focus on important information and merge it with what we already know to expand our understanding of a topic. Students have used several different graphic organizers as they work to determine importance.

4th Grade Field Trip

On Thursday, January 11th all 4th grade students from room 302 will be attending a field trip to the Survive Alive House in West Allis. Permission slips have already been sent home and are due back by Wednesday, December 20th. The field trip will be in the morning early and students will return to school for lunch.

Giving Tuesday

Just what is Giving Tuesday?

GivingTuesday is celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

Room 302 students thought about how they might participate in Giving Tuesday without having to spend any money.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Have You Ever Wondered...

Why is it called "Black Friday"?

Is it better to be “in the black" or “in the red"?

What is Cyber Monday?

After reading several articles in class, the inquisitive students in room 302 have discovered the answers to those questions.  Please ask your student to explain.

Happy Fibonacci Day!

The 5th graders worked with the Fibonacci sequence and growing patterns in math on Tuesday. Fibonacci Day is a celebration that recognizes the importance and value of Fibonacci's contribution to mathematics. Please ask your 5th grader to explain the Fibonacci sequence to you and why we celebrate this day on November 23rd. 

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the room 302 families!
We are so very thankful for the opportunity and privilege to teach and learn from your students each day. We hope you are able to spend a relaxing day with family and friends.

Mrs. Wilke and Ms. Kuhl

The Return of the Problem Investigators!

The Problem Investigators were hard at work once again in room 302. Problem solving, planning, perseverance, patience, and presentation were emphasized as student teams engineered their towers. The challenge was to design and construct the tallest free-standing tower using only the materials provided.

We began by reading and annotating a short article about triangles and arches in architecture. We also watched a short video about tower construction and another about the strength of triangles. Then, teams got together to sketch their designs. They merged their thinking by using what they learned from the article and videos along with their own ides. All teams were engaged and demonstrated perseverance and patience as they designed, tested, redesigned and rebuilt their towers. Data was collected during a friendly competition when building was completed.

After collecting data, students analyzed the designs and reflected on their work.

We learned about reading and annotating, media literacy, math, science, engineering, teamwork, and growth mindset.  And, of course we had fun!

We know ways to play because it helps us learn!!

Read to Succeed

Room 302 will be participating in the the Six Flags Read to Succeed reading incentive program. Students who complete 6 hours of reading outside of school and return their completed log to school by February 22, will receive one free ticket for admission to Six Flags. This program is optional. Students may record the same reading they are already completing each night at home.  Students have already received the letter and reading log.  Please contact Mrs. Wilke or Ms. Kuhl if you have any questions.

Dear Families,
Welcome to the Six Flags® Read to Succeed Six Hour Reading Club!
Your child’s school is participating in an exciting program that encourages students in grades
K through 6 to read for fun. Read to Succeed is a free program sponsored by Six Flags Theme Parks. Every student who completes six hours of recreational reading before the school’s deadline listed on the bottom of this page is eligible for a free admission ticket, valid at the participating Six Flags Theme Park that the school has selected.
Students will develop a greater appreciation for books when they see that you think reading is important too. You are sure to have fun as you investigate the world of reading together!
Here’s what you need to know:

• Only students in grades K through 6 are eligible to participate. 
• Review the attached reading log. Your child should use this reading log to record what and how long he/she 
  reads. 
• Your child must complete 6 hours, or 360 minutes, of recreational reading. 
• Please initial each entry and then sign the reading log to verify that the 6 hours of reading has been 
  completed. 
• Your child can read books, magazines, newspapers, or comic books (digital or hard copy). Reading for 
  homework or a class assignment does NOT count. 
• Students can read silently, aloud, or with an adult—you can read to your child, or your child can read to you. 
• Remind your child to return the reading log to his/her teacher by the due date. Your child’s school will submit 
  your child’s information and hours read. 
• Late entries will NOT be accepted. 
• About the Tickets 

• Tickets will be awarded to students by their teacher/school coordinator in May. 
• The ticket is valid for admission to ONE Six Flags theme park on SELECT DATES ONLY during the 2018 
  season. Park name and valid dates will be printed on the tickets. Please understand that the school can only select one Six Flags Theme Park. The ticket will only be valid for the park that is listed on the ticket. The valid dates will not be announced prior to the ticket award date in early May. 
• Tickets are valid for students in grades K-6 only and are not valid for anyone over the age of 13. No exceptions. 
• Each ticket is valid for one free student admission only. 
• A Season Pass upgrade offer will be available during the ticket valid dates. The upgrade offer information 
  will be printed on the ticket. 
• Tickets are NOT for resale and are nontransferable. 
• They cannot be replaced if lost, stolen or damaged. 
  We hope that you and your child enjoy this free program and spend time reading together. If you have any questions about the program or have ticket questions, you will need to contact your child’s teacher or school before the school year is over. 
  Happy Reading! 
  The Six Flags® Read to Succeed Team 
  School Deadline, please return the reading log to the teacher by: ________________________________________

Thanksgiving Break

There is no school November 22-24 for Thanksgiving Break.  Please enjoy this time with family and friends.  This would also be a great time to get a jump start on reading for the Six Flags Read to Succeed Reading Incentive!

Nonfiction Text Structures

What exactly is text structure? Simply put, text structure is the way in which the author has organized the information in the text. Readers in room 302 have been studying the structure of text and then summarizing what they read using the same structure in their summary. Please ask your student to explain the following text structures to you:

•Description

•Sequence

•Compare and Contrast

•Problem and Solution

•Cause and Effect

I Love Ice Cream

Writers in room 302 are learning how to write opinion pieces. In today's mini lesson, students learned how to use reasons and evidence to support a thesis. Please ask your writer to explain the difference between reasons and evidence and how you use them to write an opinion paper.

Silent Conversations

To begin our next inquiry unit, students had "silent conversations" about images related to our inquiry topic.  This discussion strategy uses writing and silence as tools to help students explore a topic in depth. Students write down their responses to the images.  This process slows down students' thinking and gives them an opportunity to focus on the views of others.

Hearing Punctuation and Reading Fluency

A key component to reading fluency is how the reader breaks phrases and word groupings among sentences. Readers pay attention to punctuation marks when reading. When readers read right through punctuation marks, never stopping, pausing, or taking a breath, the reading is very confusing. In our mini lesson on reading punctuation marks, students learned what happens to the reader's voice when it hits a punctuation mark in the reading.

•The voice stops at periods.
•The voice goes up at a question mark.
•The voice gets louder at exclamation points.
•The voice pauses at commas.

After the mini lesson, students practiced "reading" and "hearing" punctuation with a partner. Then, after having time to practice, groups "performed" the passage they practiced for the class.

Report Cards

First quarter report cards are now available online.  You should have received information from the District explaining how to access your student's information in Skyward. Directions for accessing Skyward are available on the District website at www.wawm.k12.wi.us.  Please contact Mrs. Wilke if you have any questions about your student's progress after reviewing their report card.

Six Flags Read to Succeed

Room 302 will be participating in the the Six Flags Read to Succeed reading incentive program. Students who complete 6 hours of reading outside of school and return their completed log to school by February 22, will receive one free ticket for admission to Six Flags. This program is optional. Students may record the same reading they are already completing each night at home.  Students will be bringing home the letter and reading log today.  Please contact Mrs. Wilke or Ms. Kuhl if you have any questions.

Dear Families,
Welcome to the Six Flags® Read to Succeed Six Hour Reading Club!
Your child’s school is participating in an exciting program that encourages students in grades
K through 6 to read for fun. Read to Succeed is a free program sponsored by Six Flags Theme Parks. Every student who completes six hours of recreational reading before the school’s deadline listed on the bottom of this page is eligible for a free admission ticket, valid at the participating Six Flags Theme Park that the school has selected.
Students will develop a greater appreciation for books when they see that you think reading is important too. You are sure to have fun as you investigate the world of reading together!
Here’s what you need to know:

• Only students in grades K through 6 are eligible to participate.
  
• Review the attached reading log. Your child should use this reading log to record what and how long he/she
  reads.
  
• Your child must complete 6 hours, or 360 minutes, of recreational reading.
  
• Please initial each entry and then sign the reading log to verify that the 6 hours of reading has been
  completed.
  
• Your child can read books, magazines, newspapers, or comic books (digital or hard copy). Reading for
  homework or a class assignment does NOT count.
  
• Students can read silently, aloud, or with an adult—you can read to your child, or your child can read to you.
  
• Remind your child to return the reading log to his/her teacher by the due date. Your child’s school will submit
  your child’s information and hours read.
  
• Late entries will NOT be accepted.
  About the Tickets
  

• Tickets will be awarded to students by their teacher/school coordinator in May.
  
• The ticket is valid for admission to ONE Six Flags theme park on SELECT DATES ONLY during the 2018
  season. Park name and valid dates will be printed on the tickets. Please understand that the school can only select one Six Flags Theme Park. The ticket will only be valid for the park that is listed on the ticket. The valid dates will not be announced prior to the ticket award date in early May.
  
• Tickets are valid for students in grades K-6 only and are not valid for anyone over the age of 13. No exceptions.
  
• Each ticket is valid for one free student admission only.
  
• A Season Pass upgrade offer will be available during the ticket valid dates. The upgrade offer information
  will be printed on the ticket.
  
• Tickets are NOT for resale and are nontransferable.
  
• They cannot be replaced if lost, stolen or damaged.
  We hope that you and your child enjoy this free program and spend time reading together. If you have any questions about the program or have ticket questions, you will need to contact your child’s teacher or school before the school year is over.
  Happy Reading!
  The Six Flags® Read to Succeed Team
  School Deadline, please return the reading log to the teacher by: ________________________________________
  
  

PBIS

Please visit the Wilson PBIS website to learn more about PBIS implementation at Wilson.

Wilson PBIS

Why Do We Vote on a Tuesday in November?

The historians in room 302 read an article today to find the answer to that question. We used our close reading strategies and paid particular attention to challenging vocabulary in the article. Please ask your student to explain why we vote on a Tuesday and why it is done in November.

Reasons to Celebrate

Ele, Charlotte, and Laney all scored the most points in a single given day compared to all students at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School using Achieve3000 on different days last week. They earned 25 bonus points and their names were posted to the School Daily Top Scorer scoreboard.

Hurricane Scripts

Students were busy working with their partners to complete their hurricane video script.

October Student of the Month

Congratulations to Ele and Kaylie, the room 302 nominees for Student of the Month for October.

Grade 5 Math

The 5th graders are learning about division in math. Your student should be able to explain how division and multiplication are related and identify the dividend, divisor, and quotient in division equations. We are working on dividing three- and four-digit dividends by one-digit divisors.

Growth Mindset Message

Students were introduced to another growth mindset message this week as they worked through the design process while constructing spider webs.

We learn from failure, not success! - Bram Stoker, author of Dracula

The Problem Investigators Return

The Problem Investigators in room 302 completed the spider web challenge today.  After building their background knowledge with print and digital resources, they once again relied on their skills of problem solving, perseverance, and patience as they engineered their webs to support the weight of a stapler being dropped into the web from a height of one meter.  Student teams tested, re-designed, and re-tested throughout the challenge. We wrapped up the activity by completing a reflection focusing on what was learned, what might be changed if done again, and what we learned about our mindsets.

Designing with Our Team

The Completed Webs

Reflecting On Our Work