Hello, happy Tuesday and Election Day!! Today I focused my Language Arts instruction around the election!! We learned about each party, and where each candidate stands on issues such as healthcare, immigration, education, the pandemic and racial justice. We then learned about the electoral college vs. popular vote. The kids had SO much fun with this! We played a game called the race to 270, where they could manipulate all the states including swing states to see how each candidate could fair out! I am sending home a blank map of the U.S. I encouraged the kids to watch the polls tonight (until their bedtime of course) and color in each state red or blue as the night unfolds. They are super excited to watch tonight and color in their maps! This is not homework, but just something to get them excited and involved in our election! I did tell them I would give them a few extra credit points if there were able to watch and color some in! 

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First thing on the docket to discuss is our Social Studies project that we will be starting this week! We are going to be starting a "Family Traditions" project that will take us up to the beginning of Christmas. Here is where I need your help!! I am looking for DIGITAL pictures of your child at Christmas time!! We are going to be creating a digital project on our iPads of family traditions during Christmas time. So, if you could either A.) gather these pictures and email them all to me, or B.) put them all on a zip drive, and send it to school with your student so I can transfer them onto my computer and create a file for them to use that would be great. I will send the zip drive back home the same day! These pictures could be of them with their siblings or any family member, pictures of them with Santa, baking Christmas cookies, looking at lights or whatever tradition your family has or does! The more pictures you can send me, the better their project will be!! I usually say 20-25 are ideal!!!

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Our hot chocolate bar is OPEN!!! With the snowy days last week I figured it was time! I offer this as something fun for the kids in the colder months! If they want to drink hot chocolate they can bring a mug and mix and we will drink a cup in the mornings! I surprised them all last week with it and they were pretty excited! Hot tea and cider is also fine if they prefer that!

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Now that Veterans Day essays are complete we will be starting a project based learning activity next. This will mainly focus on reading, research, writing, media and even art. We will be working on these until around the end of November. We will share them with all of you at our Readers Cafe' night where we will also showcase some art work in a gallery walk. This is my plan at least, but it will probably look different this year due to Covid. It may even be virtually. :( Our theme will be "Unsung Heroes"-Who is a hero in our community? Today we researched what an unsung hero was, and also researched people throughout history who were unsung heroes (You will have to ask them about that!!) The kids are loving this, and we brainstormed a list of people who are an unsung hero in our community. They will begin the research phase of that person this week. Interviews and videos will also be made. We are SO, SO excited about this project!! Once your student picks who they will be doing theirs over, please do not tell that person. We want that to be a surprise the night or afternoon we host our Readers Cafe! 

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Last on the list, thank you to all the parents who helped make our Halloween party a success!! The kids and I had a GREAT day! They had so much fun with the Mystery Readers Theatre. Although it felt a little different, we made the best of it! The kids got full on their pizza from butter braid sales, and enjoyed the movie! 

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Below are a few pictures from Halloween last week! 

Have a great week!

Mrs. Coffman

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