West Elementary News

Making 10 GAMES

Go Fish for 10 -

Remove face cards and 10’s from the deck - Deal out 5 cards to each player - Players look for any 2 cards in their hand that make 10 (eg. 4 and 6) - Continue play as if you were playing Go Fish, but ask for cards that make 10

Memory for 10 -

Remove face cards and 10’s from the deck - Place all cards neatly on the table to form a rectangular array - Players flip over any 2 cards to try to find a 10 (eg. 4 and 6) - If the cards do not make a 10, return them to their original location - When all cards are gone, count how many cards you were able to find to determine the winner

I See 10 -

Remove face cards and 10’s from the deck - Spread all cards randomly in the middle of the table - Players take turns flipping over 1 card at a time and placing it for all players to see - Any player can call out, “I see 10,” and take the 2 cards that make a 10 - Try adding face cards, which when flipped over will cause you to lose all your points

Doubles GAMES

Doubles Bump -

Use the Doubles Bump game board, a 10-sided die and different colored beans for counters - Take turns rolling the die, double the number and place your color of bean on that space (eg. you roll a 3, double it to get 6 and place a bean on the 6) - Use the provided 100’s chart to help you add up your double - If your double is the same as a place that your opponent has secured, you can bump them - If you have 2 beans on the same space, you have locked the space and cannot be bumped - Play continues until all of the spaces are covered - Cover the most spaces to win.

Doubles War -

Use cards 1-10 - Deal out the cards to all players - Simultaneously flip a card - Double your number - The player with the highest number takes all the cards = If you tie, you have a war, flip another card, double it, winner takes all - When all the cards are gone, count to see who has the most cards.

Multiplication GAMES

Multiplication War -

Use the 10-sided and 12-sided dice - Players take turns rolling both dice - Multiply the 2 numbers together - The player with the highest number receives a tally mark - If there is a tie, roll again and the winner receives 2 tally marks - The first player to 20 wins.

Variation with Cards -

Use cards 1-10 - Deal out the cards to all players - Simultaneously flip 2 cards - Multiply your numbers together - Winner takes all the cards - In the event of a tie, flip 2 more cards, the winner takes all

Place Value GAMES

Dice War -

Use the place value mat with squares to place your dice - Roll enough dice to place in the dice spots - Place the dice in any order - Record your number - The player with the highest number receives a tally mark - In the event of a tie, roll again and the winner receives 2 tally marks - First person to 20 wins

Place Value Yahtzee -

You will need 5 dice and the Place Value Yahtzee score cards - Players take turns rolling all 5 dice and using any dice that will help them to write a number on their score card (criteria listed on the card) - When a player fills their card, all players add up the numbers on their score card - The player with the most points wins

The winter weather of Iowa is in full force right now so please make sure you are sending your students prepared for the cold. I would also like to remind you to put your child's name on their clothes so we can get them back to you, should they be misplaced. It's well known that every year we battle flu/cold season but head lice also spreads easily this time of the year. We have very few cases at West but it can be shocking when you see your child start to scratch their head! It's fairly common for a child to be exposed at some point but catching it early makes the elimination process easier. Try to comb and wash your child's hair daily or every other day. If you do see your child has lice please contact public health and they can give you a treatment process to get rid of it.

Parents, we have our literacy night quickly approaching so please consider coming and hearing about different reading strategies you can do with your kids!

Stay Safe

Mr. B

1st and 2nd Grade STEM Camp students designing bridges. Bridges had to allow a car to drive over them, allow a barge to go underneath and they had to support at least 5 weights.

Even as an adult reader, there are times when I am reading a story and I get lost and am not sure what has happened. Fortunately, when this happens, I have strategies I use to help me understand the story. The same thing happens when children read. However, with children they often keep reading and do not realize they lost comprehension until the end of the story. They are too concerned with reading accurately, and forget to take the time to think about what they are reading. How can we help them gain comprehension: We can teach them the comprehension strategy: check for understanding because good readers stop frequently to check for understanding or to ask who and what.

How can you help your child with this strategy at home?

1. When reading to your child, stop periodically and say, "Let's see if we remember what I just read. Think about who the story was about and what happened." Do this 3 or 4 times throughout the story.

2. When reading to your child, stop and have them practice checking for understanding by saying, "I heard you say..."

3. Ask your child the following questions:

*Who did you just read about?

*What just happened?

*Was your brain talking to you while you read?

*Do you understand what was read?

*What do you do if you don't remember?

Ideas and strategies are taken from: The CAFE book, written by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser

This month for our PBIS celebration we had a "Bubble and Books" time during our day. Students were given the opportunity to chew bubblegum and read during the day on Friday. We tied in our theme of responsible decision-making by posing the following questions:

What is the appropriate way to chew gum?

* How does loud chewing affect others?

* Do you ever play with your gum outside of your mouth?

* What would be the consequence of playing with your gum?

* What do you do with your gum when you are done?

* How would choosing to put your gum someplace other than the garbage affect others?

*How does putting the gum in the garbage when you are done respect this place?

It was fun seeing the students trying their best to blow the biggest bubbles while enjoying a good book!

In the month of January students and staff focused on responsible decision-making. Responsible decision-making is the ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacity to consider ethical standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.

To be a responsible decision maker, one must develop the following skills and abilities.

• Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one’s actions

• Reflecting on one’s role to promote personal, family and community well-being

At West Elementary students are learning about personal responsibility and learning that a responsible decision maker knows that actions can have both positive and negative consequences and we are in charge of our own actions.

In January all students took a survey over the 5 SEL skills (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making) we have been learning about to see where they have grown in their understanding and where they might need more work. The results were very enlightening and the PBIS team will be looking at them to continue to provide guidance and support in those areas.

Feb. 2- 2 Hr. Early Out

Feb. 4- PIE Meeting at noon in the West library (1st Friday of every month)

Feb. 11- Valentine's Day Celebrations at West Elementary

Feb. 16- 2 Hr. Early Out

Feb. 22- Grades 2-4 Family Literacy Night at West Elementary 6-7pm (Please complete this survey, if you haven't already, to help us better plan our Literacy Nights around what is most wanted from you as parents.)

Feb. 24- Grades K-1 Family Literacy Night at West Elementary 6-7pm

*March 3- Early Childhood Family Night 5-6:30pm