Kosloski's Blog

2016-11-23T13:18:00.000-06:00

First off let me wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! I know I have a lot to be thankful for including my family, both at home and at school! Fifth grade readers have been very busy these last couple of weeks...we covered a lot of skills including; making predictions, sequence of events, and story elements. We have also covered a few fluency skills, and of course have been reading a lot of good books! Each class is currently having a competition. Every month students set a goal for how many books they think they will be able to read, and then at the end of every month I conference with them to see how many they actually read. I have told them that the class that has the most books read by the end of the year will get a pizza party courtesy of me! So far Mr. Brown's class is in the lead with a 128 books!
Next month we will focus on our poetry unit. This is my favorite unit of the year because I get to see kids' creative sides. It is also fun for me to show kids that poetry might not necessarily be what they think it is. I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday season, and remember to keep READING! :o)

2016-11-03T10:50:00.000-05:00

Where has fall gone? This school year is already flying by, and so far it has been great. In reading, students have been doing a fantastic job, and we have read some really good books! Currently, fifth graders are working on Close Reading strategies, along with predicting and making context clues (very important skills to have as a reader). We are also reading a fantastic book called Wonder. This also happens to be a Battle of the Books book for fifth grade.
In my class students have started working on Blogs of their own. We will use these in a variety of ways throughout the year, but we will start by using them to correspond with another class through something called The Global Read Aloud! This is program where two classrooms from different parts of the world read the same book, and then discuss it through a variety of technology. In the past we have primarily used Blogs and Skype. We will most likely use these again this year. I hope everybody has a great rest of the week, and remember to keep READING! ;o)

Blogging w/ Mrs. Haglin

Blogging Continues!

Readers' Theater; Harry Potter

Readers' Theater: Its the Great Pumpkin

Readers' Theater: Tops and Bottoms

Readers' Theater

Readers' Theater: Big Pumpkin

Big Pumpkin

Miss Nelson is Missing

2016-09-16T15:57:00.002-05:00

Welcome Back! It has been a great first couple of weeks back at school. Students and teachers are starting to get into the groove of being back on a schedule. In the last few weeks we have done a lot of fun things, one being our Reading Taste Test. This activity was so fun to do with fifth grade. I set up the extra sixth grade room as a restaurant and on each table was a different genre of books. Students got about ten minutes at table to sample that genre. After reading for few minutes they would write in their "menu" their thoughts about that book. The menus were then to create book lists of books they could potentially read this year. I think the students enjoyed it as much as I did.
Just a reminder that reading logs will be due Monday. Students will get their new reading log on Monday for that week. If you have questions about reading logs or anything reading please don't hesitate to contact me. I hope everyone has a great weekend and remember to keep READING! :)

Discussing their book choices!

You need a few snacks at a tasting!

Mrs. Kosloski's Student of the Month for Stamina

2015-12-09T15:34:00.000-06:00

How did we make it to second trimester already? Time is flying by in fifth grade, and we have been very busy over the past few weeks. Fifth graders did their first book club, and finished this week. It was fun to hear them discuss a bunch of different books! My class started meeting with their preschool book buddies every other Thursday, and that has been so great! Now we are diving into poetry. This is my favorite unit of the year because it always amazes me how creative they are. And usually by the end of the unit I can get the kids who raised their hand on the first day and said they did not like poetry, to change their mind! As we near winter break I want to remind all students to keep reading...even over break! I hope everyone has a great holiday season!

Preschool Book Buddies...on Halloween!

Conferences

2015-10-14T14:58:00.002-05:00

Wow, how are we half way through October already? Time really does fly when you're having fun! Thank you to all the parents that came out to conferences. It is our privilege to get to work with your children. Thank you for sharing them with us!

Last week my class got a chance to Skype with a class from South Carolina for the start of our Global Read Aloud. Both of our classes are currently reading Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. As we read the book we will be discussing it with our partner class. Next week, Mrs. Haglin will be coming into teach us about Kid Blog, and we will be posting questions and comments about the book for our partner class to respond to. It is a very cool project, and allows us to go outside our classroom without really going outside our classroom!

This week all classes participated in performing readers' theaters in reading class. Everybody did a great job and it was really fun to watch. When we come back from break we will be working on main idea, and eventually our first book club. I hope everybody had a fantastic fall break, and remember to keep READING!

Skype Session w/ a class from South Carolina

Getting into the Groove!

2015-09-18T09:56:00.001-05:00

This week we had a normal week! All students rotated each day, and we started Art, Band, and Technology! Fifth graders took their first spelling test on Friday, and they even had some homework! This week in reading we worked a lot on read-to-self. Students also put together their reading journals that will be crucial to reading class this year. Finally, we practiced writing a letter about the book we are reading in class. While students were reading this week I started to assess their reading levels with a word test. I will continue assessments next week. These students are awesome! I am so excited for the rest of the year. I know it is going to be great!

Just a reminder next week is our volunteer orientation. If you are planning to chaperon our field trip in the spring you will need to attend this event. Also, the people from Rachel's Challenge are coming back next week. Have a super weekend!

PS. Check out this post from Mrs. Haglin's blog. My class will be participating in this again this year! I can't wait!

Posted: 18 Sep 2015 01:00 AM PDT

The Global Read Aloud is a fantastic way to connect your students with the world through reading!

There are no rules other than reading one of the selected books aloud to your students and connecting in some way with a different class about the book.

Last fall, Amy Kosloski's class participated. They connected with classes in Texas, New York, and Canada through Skype and Kidblog. Check out some of their Kidblog posts here.

They enjoyed a good book together and became more engaged as they discussed the book with other classes. They broadened their perspective as they viewed, spoke to, and blogged with students from a different area of the world. Click here to see a few moments from one of their Skype experiences (this was a Mystery Skype, in which each class tried to guess the location of the other class).

This opportunity is for all ages, K-12. It officially beginsOctober 5th. I can help you set up a partnership, teach you and your students how to Skype/blog/make any other sort of connection. Please click here to let me know if you are interested in learning more about the Global Read Aloud.

First Week of School

2015-09-18T09:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! We survived our first week of school! We had a really great week in fifth grade. At the beginning of the week fifth graders did a lot of getting to know you activities, and also learned a lot about our room, and the expectations in our school. Towards the end of the week students got the chance to rotate to math and science and social studies, while I got a chance to get to know students from Mr. Kiebel and Mr. Brown's class. In reading class this week we did a few read alouds, and talked about "shopping" for books. Most students also got the chance to check out a book or two from my room.
Next week I will begin assessments on all students. This year students may read any book they want in while in my room. With that said, students need to make sure they always have a book while in my class to read. In fifth grade we work really hard on learning how to pick out good fit books. We use the IPICK method (see picture below). I will be working with students on this in our individual conferences as well as in whole class lessons. Along with reading in my class students are expected to read 20 minutes at home five days a week. They will need to record these minutes on their monthly reading log, have it signed by a parent, and bring it back at the end of the month. Fifth graders will receive their first reading log on Monday. As I said earlier it was a great week. I am so excited to work with all of the fifth grade students this year. Cheers to the weekend and a great week two!

PS Book orders are due Wednesday 9/16

My class performing a rules readers' theater for the kindergarten class!

2015-04-15T13:57:00.004-05:00

Check out Mr. Ronnenberg's latest post! http://ronnenbergblog.blogspot.com/

2015-04-15T11:56:00.001-05:00

I can hardly believe it is spring already; a time for flowers, warm weather, and MCAs! Okay, so the last one isn't the most fun, but it is reality, and our fifth graders are currently showing me what they know! This past week students have been performing and MCA dress rehearsal. They are moving through five different stations to show what they know, and maybe what they need to refreshed on. That is the glory of a dress rehearsal...its still practice! In the next week or so students will then move onto the state practice packet, and finish up with an MCA field day of sorts (this I am really looking forward to)!
Along with the MCAs spring brings some exciting other events in fifth grade. For example in May Mrs. Haglin and myself will be bringing a group of fourth and fifth graders to the Young Author, Young Artist conference at St. Ben's where they will get to advance their writing and art skills. Fifth grade will also take its annual field trip to the Science Museum in May. Although there a lot of fun things coming up it is important for students to remember we are still in school, and there is learning that still needs to be done. There will still be homework and reading that needs to be done at night, even when the weather is nice! So until next time remember to keep READING! :o)

Perfect Spellers for Trimester 2

No Homework Alerts/Incidentals for Trimester 2

MCA Dress Rehearsal

Student of the Month (Patience)

2015-02-09T16:15:00.004-06:00

Long time, no see! I'm not sure where I have been, but it has been awhile since I last posted and I apologize for that. Winter is fully upon us and in reading we are deep into our reading skills. I attended a workshop in December with the author of the book The Book Whisperer, and some of my focus has changed for my Wild Readers! I am really focusing on giving them time to read in class. After all, if I can't make the time in school how am I supposed to expect them to make the time out of school! It is a partnership that the kids have really taken off with, and they are reading more than ever. They are also reading some really great books...many which they have shared with me, and I have read! My most recent recommendation was The Boy On The Wooden Box. It is a memoir about a Jewish boy who lived in Poland during WWII. I highly recommend this to parents to read as well as any high readers or readers who have interest in history. It was a great read!

Along with lots of reading this winter many students participated in our annual Battle of the Books. The kids always impress me when it comes to this competition, and I truly think it is a great way for kids to explore new books at a variety levels in a variety of topics and genres! This year was no exception to the amount of great competition. Congratulations to the Hadler girls for taking first place, and to all the contestants for all the great reading they did!

With winter almost half over that also means we are getting closer to that time of year that everybody loves (or nobody) testing time! Although this is not my favorite time of year, I do find value in seeing what my kids have accomplished this year. If you are looking for some ways for your students to brush up on their reading skills I have some reading apps that I would like to recommend to you. The first one many of the students have played in my class, and it makes reading review fun by putting it into a game show similar to Jeopardy. Take your student on in Language Arts Game Show. The other app. is one that students can practice their test taking skills as well as their reading skills and it is called Reading Comprehension Prep. Well, that is all I have for today. See you soon! Hopefully!

Battle of the Books

Look How Focused They Are?

But not so much they can't take a picture!

Concentrate

2015 Champions

Greatness Student of the Month (Organized)

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2014-11-12T11:52:00.002-06:00

Wow, it went from fall to winter real quick here! Although I hate driving in snow, it does make me get into the Christmas spirit! Today fifth graders went to our Club's Choice fund raiser kickoff! This fund raiser helps our school earn money to do and have some fun things, like the climbing wall we earned last year. The fund raiser begins today and goes through December 1st.
Currently in reading we have started our first round of Book Clubs! Students were given eight books to choose from. Once they made their choices they were put into groups with students whom chose the same book. Now they are reading and discussing these books. I have been so impressed with their discussions and their level of discussions! This may have something to do with the fact that each week one group is chosen to be the "fish bowl" group. These students have their discussion in front of the entire class. The rest of the class listens and looks for things that the group did well and maybe some things they can work on. Then the rest of the groups take those helpful hints and go have their own discussions. This is working out great! We will be working on these for the next couple of weeks.
In December we will begin our poetry unit...this is my favorite of the year! Just a reminder that the end of the trimester is November 26th, and report cards will be coming home soon after this date. Ask your child if they are caught up on everything they need for this trimester so it doesn't sneak up on them! One last note, we have finished our read aloud, One for the Murphys, and will participate in our last Skype session for our Global Read Aloud next week! Have a great rest of your week and remember to keep ReAdInG!!!

2014-10-15T11:27:00.000-05:00

I will start today with a big thank you to all the parents that came out to conferences! It is with your help that makes each of our students so successful. Thank you for entrusting us with your children and helping us to make their educational experience the best it can be.
Next, let me just say how fun Tuesday was in the world of reading. Each class performed readers' theaters, and they all did a fantastic job. It makes it so fun for me to see how excited they get about performing these. I had everybody from Harry Potter to Farmer Brown in my classroom and it was so fun to watch.
Last week two of the three classes finally got to meet their Global Read Aloud partners. We visited Manitoba, Canada and Waco, Texas. The kids had a great time Skypeing with these classes and learning a little more about them and where they are from. We have continued reading One for the Murphy's, and when we return from break we will be discussing with our partner classes parts that we have read so far. Mr. Brown's class will also, fingers crossed, finally get to meet their connecting class in one way or another. There have been some technically difficulties and timing issues on their end that have prevented this from happening as of yet.
When we come back from break students will also start meeting one-on-one with me to discuss what books they have reading and we will look at non-fiction. I hope everybody has a great, long weekend! See you Monday!

*Here are some pictures from our Skype sessions and Readers' Theater!

Global Read Aloud

2014-10-01T14:51:00.001-05:00

Wow, it is already October! Where does the time go? Sorry I have been a little detained lately. I forget how busy the beginning of the school year is, and how every year I think it gets a little busier. Some exciting news is happening in the world of reading in fifth grade...this week we are starting our Global Read Aloud! You may have read this in last week's Chalk Talk, but let me explain a little more about it. Mrs. Haglin and I have been working together to start a connection with three other fifth grade classrooms somewhere in the world. All of us (our classrooms and theirs) are going to be reading the same book, One For The Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. We are then going to use a few different ways to communicate about what we have read with these other classes. This Friday each class will meet their connecting class through Skype (video conferencing). We will do a round of 20 questions to see if we can figure out where in the world the other class is located. Earlier this week students paired up to think of questions they could ask...for example: are you in the United States? Are you near an ocean? Do you live in the mountains? And so on. The students will have a paper map on their desks on Friday so that as they answer our questions we can cross areas off and hon in on where they are located. I am so excited for this! It's a lot of work, but we will be so worth it and the kids are really looking forward to it.
In other news; new reading logs went home today. These will be due October 31st. Your child should be reading 5 nights a week for minimum of 20 minutes. I will end with a picture of a little visitor we have had in our classroom the last few weeks. My son Jackson goes to ECFE here at Maple Lake on Tuesdays and helps Mrs. Kath in the library on Wednesdays and he can't resist stopping by to see the big kids! They love it too, and he eats up all the attention! Thanks for a great first month. I will let you know how our fist Skype goes after Friday!

(Jackson and his daycare mama, Fran)

2014-09-08T14:41:00.000-05:00

Yea for a normal day! Today was our first normal schedule of the school year. We rotated for all of our classes for the full times and it went swimmingly. We even had a semi-normal PM Switch. If your child is still on the fence about being in band please consider attending the informational meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) night from 6:00-7:30 in the Elementary Cafeteria. Band will start up next week! Along with a normal day students received their first spelling list and reading log. Please make sure your child is studying their spelling and reading a minimum of 20 minutes, 5 days a week, and recording it onto their reading logs. I am looking forward to another great week with these kiddos. They are a lot of fun.

A reminder that tomorrow is Late Start and students should wear their Irish Pride shirts. Speaking of Irish Pride our PBIS team will be doing a fundraiser to help support our Irish Pride programs before the Homecoming game. Check out the flyer below!

Friday, September 26^th

5:45-7:00

on school grounds near the game entrance

Maple Lake community cookout

Maple Lake School staff will serve dinner before the homecoming game.

$4 meal includes hotdog, chips and water
(extra hotdogs $1 each)

Come after the homecoming parade, before the big game or just to help support a good cause.

Proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards the Irish Pride programs in the elementary and high schools. Irish Pride is the school-wide positive behavior program implemented with help from the Minnesota Department of Education to increase academic achievement as well as decrease problem behavior and bullying. Hope to see you at the cookout!

*Book Orders will be also be due on Friday, September 12. Have a great evening!

2014-09-02T18:51:00.002-05:00

September 2, 2014
First day of school equals success! The first day always brings excitement and maybe a few jitters, but I can honestly say that today was so smooth and after meeting all my kids I am so excited for this year! Today we did a lot of getting to know each other and our room, and of course a few read alouds. Tomorrow will be a little more of the same with a few Irish Pride stations thrown in. However, on Thursday we will begin our rotations (shortened style). This way the kids will have a chance to meet the other teachers and hear about their classes. We will do the same on Friday. We will also take a trip to the library on Friday. Thanks kids for a great first day. I am looking forward to the rest of the week. Remember if you haven't turned in your conference form or your "greatness" picture to bring that in ASAP. Also, if you are missing any supplies please try to have them to school by next Monday. Party money ($5.00) should be in by sometime in October. I'm off to grade some papers...oh wait, I don't have any yet! Enjoy your evening.

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