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Reading - We continued to work on nonfiction reading strategies, focusing on how to preview a text. Good readers preview by identifying nonfiction text features, make guesses on an article's topic, and activate background knowledge on the given topic. We'll continue to work on nonfiction text next week, shifting our focus to main idea and supporting details.
Writing - Students got off to a great start with opinion writing. They flash drafted speeches on Wednesday about whether or not we should get more standing desks - and had a special guest audience of Mr. Dingman at the end of writing to hear the speeches. We then worked on brainstorming strategies for opinion topics. Math - We began our fractions unit! Students created different fractions and analyzed fractions in relation to each other. We'll continue with this next week, and begin looking at different fraction models, such as a number line. Social Studies - We wrapped up our Pilgrim books, studying the Pilgrims' first winter and the Wampanoag-Pilgrim relationship. Students will finish their books next week and do one more piece of writing from the perspective of a Pilgrim. Miscellaneous - As you know, today was my last day with students. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me; I wish you all the best in the remainder of the school year!
Reading - We continued our introduction to nonfiction by looking at text structure. Next week, we'll look at text structure as well as guessing a text's subject and activating background knowledge as we preview.
Writing - Students completed the information unit with a post-assessment that had them write an article about a content-area topic (Pilgrims or Motion and Matter) in a limited amount of time. It was great to see some students apply their learning about introductions and conclusions, as well as paragraphing and sections. In addition, many articles included an impressive amount of detail about the given topic; for most students, the Pilgrims. Math - We wrapped up our study of area and perimeter but will return to these complex topics throughout the year. Next: fractions! Social Studies - We had a talented guest teacher - a student - who taught a lesson on Chinese New Year and led students through a fun and relevant craft. In addition, students learned about the Mayflower Compact. Next week, we'll study the Pilgrims' first winter in Plimoth. (That should make us feel better about the coming colder temperatures!) Miscellaneous - No school next week for school vacation week. Have a great, safe holiday, and feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you to all those that were able to make it to our Writers' Celebration yesterday! My apologies for not timing it better - my goal was for it to end a little closer to 2:30! It was a little hard to predict how much time students would take teaching their reading buddies.
Reading - Our blogs are posted and students have shared some thoughtful comments about each other's recommendations. If you would like access to the blog, feel free to email me and I'll send you the Join Code! We also started our nonfiction unit. Students began by finding nonfiction text features, which help us understand important information. When used to preview a text, they help us guess the main idea. Writing - Students worked so hard to publish their information writing, and have a lot to be proud of. We'll start our next unit next week: opinion writing! Math - We continued working with area and perimeter. We'll experiment more with irregular shapes next week. Social Studies - We studied the Pilgrims' journey on the Mayflower - ask your student how they would describe the trip and why! Next week, we'll look at the Mayflower Compact and hopefully the Pilgrims' first winter. Miscellaneous - We've been working on active listening. For every 5 minutes of class-wide active listening, the class has earned a tally. Now that we've gotten 15 tallies, the class voted for a special day: Kids as Teachers Day. This coming Friday, February 12, students who chose to be teachers will run an activity, from Open Circle to Writing to Math. I, personally, am looking forward to being a student! We'll also exchange valentines that day - please see my earlier post with regards to valentines expectations. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Just a reminder that there is information about Valentine's Day posted below. Please also make sure you've read my email and the attached letter about our upcoming health lesson.
Reading - Students are finishing up their blog posts with book recommendations. We talked about what makes a good comment, and students can now comment on each other's posts. I will also send home a copy of students' passwords, and they are welcome to write more recommendations from home if it's something you and they are okay with. We've gotten a bit of a head start on reading nonfiction in Social Studies, but that will be our next unit, starting late next week! Writing - Students have been working so hard to publish their information books! Our Writers' Celebration is at 1:50 in the cafeteria next Thursday, February 4th. Math - We worked to connect side lengths of rectangles to the shapes' areas. We'll continue focusing on area over the next few days, but will also keep tying in perimeter to give students practice distinguishing between the two measurements. Social Studies - Students continued writing their nonfiction books about the Pilgrims using main idea + supporting details format. We'll work on these more next week, delving into the Pilgrims' trip on the Mayflower (always fascinating for students!). Miscellaneous -As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns! Students can choose to bring in valentines on Friday, February 12. We ask that if students choose to bring in valentines (homemade or store bought) that they make one for each member of the class. I will send home a class list to ensure that all students are included. Please note that students cannot distribute food as part of their valentines. If there are small items like pencils or erasers, that is fine. However, we ask that students do not distribute gender-based gifts - i.e., one gift for boys and something different for girls. Finally, if students want to bring in a shoebox or bag to act as a mailbox to hold their valentines on February, that's fine! We will not have time to create or decorate one in class. For those who do not bring in some sort of "mailbox," I'll have small paper bags. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thanks!
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February 2016
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