Matisse has nothing on Mrs. McGee’s class…

This amazing masterpiece was created by 24 Matisse-inspired artists.  After reading the book Matisse The King of Color by Laurence Anholt and studying a variety of pieces painted by the master artist, the kids in Mrs. McGee’s class were given one of his most famous works of art:  The Goldfish (1912) in 24 pieces.  Kids were not shown the actual work of art, instead, they created their original piece of artwork (using oil pastels) based solely on the section of painting they were given.  It wasn’t until all of the pieces were put together that they finally saw what they had created.  Bid high and bid often, this amazing piece of artwork will be a spectacular addition to any home. 

Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers

“I’m PRIME…ONLY factors are ONE and ME…I’m PRIME…”  That’s the rap that is repeating endlessly in my brain.  It’s a catchy tune that I could hear kids singing under their breath the rest of the day.  We listened to it several times and they LOVED it.  Music is an outstanding way to commit something to memory.  I try to give them fun ways to remember things and this rap was perfect. 

Prime number:  A counting number that has exactly two different factors: itself and 1.  For example, 5 is a prime number because its only factors are 5 and 1.  The number 1 is not a prime number because it has only a single factor, the number 1 itself.  

Composite number: A counting number that has more than 2 different factors.  For example, 4 is a composite number because it has three factors: 1, 2, and 4. 

30 Day Drawing Challenge

The 30 Day Drawing Challenge will come home on Monday.  This challenge is OPTIONAL.  Kids can choose to participate in any way they choose.  I’d love to see what they have done, but this isn’t something they will turn in to me.  Enjoy.  Be creative, have fun and enjoy the challenge!

MobyMax in the Computer Lab

We visited MobyMax.com and started to learn about all this program has to offer.  Haisley students will be able to access this program at school and at home.  We will focus on the math component this year, but feel free to investigate the other aspects of the site.  Kids have their user names and passwords (they are the same) in their planners.  This is the first time I’ve used the program, so I am learning about how it works and all that it has to offer.  Kids can send me messages and I will respond to them as soon as I can. 

Roll a Jack-O-Lantern!

For an amazing half hour on Halloween morning, we visited our friends in Miss Wagner’s first grade class.  They are adorable.  Very short, but very cute.  This was our second time seeing our reading buddies and they had a ball, er rather, a PUMPKIN.  As part of our morning message, the 4^th graders practiced pumpkin designs…noses, eyes, ears, scars, and even facial hair.  

When we visited our reading buddies, we brought 4x4 white paper grids, color pencils, dice, and our playing sheets.  Your children are remarkable human beings.  There were giggles, mentoring, helpful tips, compliments, hearty laughs, guidance, and a ton o’ patience.  They created a wide variety of pumpkins.  Scary, friendly, scary, wacky, wild and weird pumpkins were scattered around the entire room!  They are amazing role models and I love listening to them talk with their buddies.  We get new buddies every visit so we can get to know the entire class of cute first graders.  We won’t do this every week, but will try and meet with them twice a month. 

Roll a Jack-O-Lantern

Draw your Jack-)O-Lantern head.  Choose any shape YOU like.  Make sure it’s big enough to add parts!  Roll away!

Roll a 1, add an eye

Roll a 2, add a scar

Roll a 3, add a nose

Roll a 4, add a mouth

Roll a 5, add a tooth

Roll a 6, add an ear

Roll doubles, add your choice!