Index

Greetings,

Thank you for visiting my class web site. I recently changed grades. I now teach Kindergarten through 2nd grade students in a K-8, inner city school in which the majority of the students speak a language other than English. I will continue to provide information for K-12 students and parents.

Click here for an inspirational power point presentation by Dr. Daniel Ferrel. Or, click on the butterfly icon to the right for a special Christmas presentation. You will need Power Point Viewer to see these presentations. You can get it for free here.

What's been happening in Ms. Crowley's Classroom?

Daily Morning Discussion
What is it? We discuss current news or events. What do we learn? We learn to offer ideas; raise questions; listen to others' ideas and construct new knowledge.

Writing
We have been using circle charts to write about various topics in the news. We use our previous knowledge and new knowledge to construct paragraphs according to our state standards. This will get us ready to tackle longer writing assignments after the winter break.

Homework
Homework this quarter focused on reading and writing. Read twenty minutes and write a paragraph in your journal. Students who have continually completed their homework have shown a definite gain in their reading and writing skills. A BIG THANK YOU to all the parents who persevered and made sure their child completed these assignments.

Science
One of the projects we did this year was on tornados, thunderstorms, and hurricanes. Students were required to do an oral presentation of the research they had conducted. The assignment included charting, fact finding, visual arts, which included drawings and pictures, and writing a report. We displayed our work on our classroom wall along with a large palm tree that stretched from the floor to the ceiling and beyond. We also had a math component in which we calculated speed, distance, and made mathematical predictions.

We are currently studying the human body and we have just covered the skeletal system. We have learned about diseases, their causes, and cures and discussed nutrition. We will continue learning about the body and how it works when we return to school.

We have made our own ice cream, and even learned how to make slime! If you would like to learn how to make these fun, hands-on science projects, visit the Just for Students page.

Our next big assignment will be the study of habitats, which will involve a field trip to the local lake for a day of catch-and-release fishing, and some science experiements that we will be performing with the lake water.

Social Studies
In social studies, we are studying the history of our country, civil rights, and our constitution.

Mr. Chavez, a guest teacher, visits us twice a month to conduct a program on Character Education, which involves making the right life choices.

I feel persistence, questioning, flexibility, and wonderment are the most important of the habits of the mind for achievement. I facilitate these inborn traits by providing educational activities that are of interest to my students at their developmental level or just a little beyond.