Another great day in Room 240!
After Independent Reading and Morning Meeting, we had Reader's Workshop. Today the kids chose new books for their book bags ("just-right" books for them, that they can read independently during Reader's Workshop). They also read their new books, and responded to them in their Reader's Response Journals.
After break time, we had Writer's Workshop, in which we had our first Writer's celebration of the year. Each student hasd been working on a 'publishing' piece. We've been working on revising it and adding details for the past several days. Yesterday, each kid chose a fragment of the their story to share with the whole class. Today, we the first part of the Writer's Celebration was to form a circle, and "read in" to to the circle the fragment of their story that they chose. After that, we split up into Reader Groups, and each child read his/her entire story to a small group. they did a wonderful job, every one! I also gave each one of them as certificate of accomplishment - they each came up, one by one, shook my hand, and got their certificate as their classmates were applauding them. After that, we had a toast to writers, with fancy plastic glasses and apple juice. It was very sweet, and the kids were very proud, as well they should be. They will bring their writing home next week.
After that, we headed out for lunch and recess, then back up to our room for Read Aloud (today we started Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig.) After Read-Aloud, we went upstairs for music class with Mr. Hoffman.
When we got back down to our room, we had a very fun Fall Party - thank you thank you thank you to all of the parents and grandparents who came to help and who donated supplies. The kids loved it! There was face painting, pumpkin decorating, napkin rings to make, a cool hand-pattern wreath in fall colors, and pumpkin-shaped cookies to decorate with frosting and sprinkles. I think that we all enjoyed ourselves!
After the party, we went outside to burn off a little excess energy, and then it was time to head home!
Have a wonderful and safe weekend - don't forget that daylight savings time is on Sunday night!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Well, I'm back, after two days out sick. According to nearly everyone, though, the substitutes were good, and everyone survived.
Today was another good day in Room 240. After Independent Reading and Morning Meeting, we sang a new song - "Six Little Ducks." Then we had Reader's Workshop, in which the kids practiced a skill that they have been developing for the past couple of days - forming questions in their mind about the text as they are reading. We call these "Active Reading Questions." After they had a chance to read from their book bags, they recorded their reading on their reading log, and then responded to it in their Reader Response Journal.
After that, we had a short break time, and then it was on to Writer's Workshop. Today we read a funny book called Always in Trouble, and it gave us ideas of how we could write our own stories. Then, of course, it was off to write.
When we finished writing, we went to lunch and recess, and then back up to the room for REad Aloud. We are in the middle of The School for Cats, which is in the Jenny Linsky/Cat Club series. We then headed upstairs to the art room for class with Mr. Fairbanks.
When we got back to our room, we had Math Workshop. Today we looked at various shapes (we call them "polygons"), and tried to arrange them all so that all of the sides were touching ("adjacent"). Then we sorted them into groups, and found that we could sort them into four-sided figures ("quadrilaterals") and three-sided figures ("triangles"). LOTS of big math vocabulary today...
After math, we had Science Lab. Just as we were headed outside to sketch our class tree again, it began to rain, so we went back up to our room and sketched the guppies and snails that are in the aquaria on the tables.
After all of that, it was time to pack up and head home!
Today was another good day in Room 240. After Independent Reading and Morning Meeting, we sang a new song - "Six Little Ducks." Then we had Reader's Workshop, in which the kids practiced a skill that they have been developing for the past couple of days - forming questions in their mind about the text as they are reading. We call these "Active Reading Questions." After they had a chance to read from their book bags, they recorded their reading on their reading log, and then responded to it in their Reader Response Journal.
After that, we had a short break time, and then it was on to Writer's Workshop. Today we read a funny book called Always in Trouble, and it gave us ideas of how we could write our own stories. Then, of course, it was off to write.
When we finished writing, we went to lunch and recess, and then back up to the room for REad Aloud. We are in the middle of The School for Cats, which is in the Jenny Linsky/Cat Club series. We then headed upstairs to the art room for class with Mr. Fairbanks.
When we got back to our room, we had Math Workshop. Today we looked at various shapes (we call them "polygons"), and tried to arrange them all so that all of the sides were touching ("adjacent"). Then we sorted them into groups, and found that we could sort them into four-sided figures ("quadrilaterals") and three-sided figures ("triangles"). LOTS of big math vocabulary today...
After math, we had Science Lab. Just as we were headed outside to sketch our class tree again, it began to rain, so we went back up to our room and sketched the guppies and snails that are in the aquaria on the tables.
After all of that, it was time to pack up and head home!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Another great day in Room 240! After Independent Reading and Morning Meeting, we had Reader’s Workshop. Today we read a book called Mary Wore Her Red Dress, which was adapted from the old song of the same name. Luckily enough, it’s one of the (few) songs that I can play on the guitar, so we sang it as well. Then, each student made a page for a class book that follows the same pattern as the book (“Mary wore her red dress, red dress, red dress, Mary wore her red dress, all day long.”) We’ll assemble the book tomorrow.
After that, we had a short break time, and then were on to Writer’s Workshop. Some of the kids worked on polishing their pieces to publish, and some of them worked on a new piece.
After that, it was off to lunch and (indoor) recess, then Read-Aloud, and then up to the art room for class with Mr. Fairbanks. When we got back down to our room, we had Math Workshop, in which the kids experimented with pattern blocks, and how to arrange them to make various shapes in various ways.
After Math, it was time for Science Lab – we did more observations of our terrariums, and of the moss and tree seedling that is inside.
After all of that, it was time to head out!
After that, we had a short break time, and then were on to Writer’s Workshop. Some of the kids worked on polishing their pieces to publish, and some of them worked on a new piece.
After that, it was off to lunch and (indoor) recess, then Read-Aloud, and then up to the art room for class with Mr. Fairbanks. When we got back down to our room, we had Math Workshop, in which the kids experimented with pattern blocks, and how to arrange them to make various shapes in various ways.
After Math, it was time for Science Lab – we did more observations of our terrariums, and of the moss and tree seedling that is inside.
After all of that, it was time to head out!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Another great day in Room 240!
After Independent Reading and Morning Meeting, we had Reader’s Workshop. We worked again on independent reading at each child’s level, and then writing a Reader Response to one of the books that they have read. I also gave half of the kids a spelling assessment, so they will begin spelling soon – the spelling program will look a little different than you are perhaps used to – look for more info to be coming in the next days.
After reading, we had a short break time, and then it was on to Writer’s Workshop, in which we worked again on “fixing and fancying” the pieces that we are going to publish. Their stories are really coming along!
After writing, it was off for lunch and (indoor) recess. [Please make sure to send your child in warm clothes on cold days – we will be going outside tomorrow, in all likelihood.] After lunch, we kept reading from Jigsaw Jones and the Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster, and then headed down to the gym for class with Mr. Hill and Mr. Peterson.
When we got back up to our room, we had Math Workshop. Today we worked on numbers combinations of 7 (6+1, 5+2, 4+3, etc.). The kids made a little booklet that had all of the possible combinations of peas and carrots in vegetable soup if there were a total of 7 veggies in the soup. They took them home today – it should be in their folder!
After math, we had Science Lab, and we talked about seeds some more – we tried to make hypotheses about what happens when the seed is planted – how it turns into a plant. Some kids thought that the seed turns into a plant, like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Other kids thought that it was like an egg, that there was a tiny plant inside of a seed, so we cracked open some seeds and looked to see what was inside of them (no little tiny plants…). We’ll keep observing our plants to see what changes have happened since we planted them.
After all of that (whew) it was time to pack up and head home!
After Independent Reading and Morning Meeting, we had Reader’s Workshop. We worked again on independent reading at each child’s level, and then writing a Reader Response to one of the books that they have read. I also gave half of the kids a spelling assessment, so they will begin spelling soon – the spelling program will look a little different than you are perhaps used to – look for more info to be coming in the next days.
After reading, we had a short break time, and then it was on to Writer’s Workshop, in which we worked again on “fixing and fancying” the pieces that we are going to publish. Their stories are really coming along!
After writing, it was off for lunch and (indoor) recess. [Please make sure to send your child in warm clothes on cold days – we will be going outside tomorrow, in all likelihood.] After lunch, we kept reading from Jigsaw Jones and the Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster, and then headed down to the gym for class with Mr. Hill and Mr. Peterson.
When we got back up to our room, we had Math Workshop. Today we worked on numbers combinations of 7 (6+1, 5+2, 4+3, etc.). The kids made a little booklet that had all of the possible combinations of peas and carrots in vegetable soup if there were a total of 7 veggies in the soup. They took them home today – it should be in their folder!
After math, we had Science Lab, and we talked about seeds some more – we tried to make hypotheses about what happens when the seed is planted – how it turns into a plant. Some kids thought that the seed turns into a plant, like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Other kids thought that it was like an egg, that there was a tiny plant inside of a seed, so we cracked open some seeds and looked to see what was inside of them (no little tiny plants…). We’ll keep observing our plants to see what changes have happened since we planted them.
After all of that (whew) it was time to pack up and head home!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Today we had a fun, but busy, day in Room 240!
After independent reading and Morning Meeting, we had Reader's Workshop. Today we worked on the routines for workshop, now that the kids have their reading folders set up with their bookbags, reading logs, and reader response journals. They worked on all of the aspects of their folders today, and did a really nice job.
During Reader's Workshop, we had 3 volunteers in - Ava D.'s mom (Julie), Eleanor's mom (Mary), and Jack S.'s mom (Kari). Two (Julie and Mary) helped us plant seeds for our science unit - we will be watching the seeds grow over the next weeks. We planted peas, beans, sunflowers, and pumpkins. Kari was nice enough to read with kids as they were doing their reading in workshop.
After that, we had a short break, and then had Writer's Workshop. We are working on "fixing and fancying" up our writing. Each kids has chosen on piece that they will be working on for the next week or so, in anticipation of our first Writer's Celebration, which will be in two weeks, after the MEA break (stay tuned for more details).
Then it was off to lunch and recess, then back up to our room for Read Aloud - we are currently reading Jigsaw Jones and the Case of the Missing Hamster, which is another mystery series that kids really seem to enjoy. After that, we headed up to the music room for class with Mr. Hofmann.
When we got back up into our room, we played a comparing numbers game with cards - a lot like the one that went home for homework last night, but with the change that the kids could arrange the numbers in either order to make the largest number that they could.
After that, we had Science Lab - a couple of the kids were thinking about the planting that we did in the morning, and wanted to see if the worm castings from the worm bin would help the seeds grow faster and bigger, so we set up an experiment with bean seeds in which one container has just plain soil, and the other has soil plus worm castings. We'll keep you posted on the results.
After that, it was time from Friday Fun, and the kids all voted to go and play outside on the playground. It was a nice way to end our day and our week!
Enjoy the weekend!!
After independent reading and Morning Meeting, we had Reader's Workshop. Today we worked on the routines for workshop, now that the kids have their reading folders set up with their bookbags, reading logs, and reader response journals. They worked on all of the aspects of their folders today, and did a really nice job.
During Reader's Workshop, we had 3 volunteers in - Ava D.'s mom (Julie), Eleanor's mom (Mary), and Jack S.'s mom (Kari). Two (Julie and Mary) helped us plant seeds for our science unit - we will be watching the seeds grow over the next weeks. We planted peas, beans, sunflowers, and pumpkins. Kari was nice enough to read with kids as they were doing their reading in workshop.
After that, we had a short break, and then had Writer's Workshop. We are working on "fixing and fancying" up our writing. Each kids has chosen on piece that they will be working on for the next week or so, in anticipation of our first Writer's Celebration, which will be in two weeks, after the MEA break (stay tuned for more details).
Then it was off to lunch and recess, then back up to our room for Read Aloud - we are currently reading Jigsaw Jones and the Case of the Missing Hamster, which is another mystery series that kids really seem to enjoy. After that, we headed up to the music room for class with Mr. Hofmann.
When we got back up into our room, we played a comparing numbers game with cards - a lot like the one that went home for homework last night, but with the change that the kids could arrange the numbers in either order to make the largest number that they could.
After that, we had Science Lab - a couple of the kids were thinking about the planting that we did in the morning, and wanted to see if the worm castings from the worm bin would help the seeds grow faster and bigger, so we set up an experiment with bean seeds in which one container has just plain soil, and the other has soil plus worm castings. We'll keep you posted on the results.
After that, it was time from Friday Fun, and the kids all voted to go and play outside on the playground. It was a nice way to end our day and our week!
Enjoy the weekend!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Hello, all - sorry for the lack of blog posts last week. It was a crazy week all around, especially with conferences in the evening on Thursday. The posts are back and will be much more frequent!
Today, after independent reading and Morning Meeting, we has Reader's Workshop. The kids learned how to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction in the books that they are reading. It was an interesting discussion, and there were a couple of books that some weren't sure about. Then, as they went out to practice reading, I showed them how to keep their reading log in their reading folder - recording the title and author of the book, as well as if it is fiction or non-fiction.
After reading, we had a short break time, and then it was time for Writer's Workshop. Today, I taught the kids about choosing the proper type of paper for the piece that they are going to write, to try to get them to do a little planning about the type of writing that they are going to do (lined v. non-lined v. paper with a space for writing and words, etc.). Then, of course, we wrote.
After writing, it was time for lunch and recess, and then back in for Read Aloud (we are still reading Jenny and the Cat Club). After that, we headed down to the gym for class with Mr. Hill and Mr. Peterson.
When we got back up to the room, we had Math Workshop. We continued working on comparing two-digit numbers by playing a card game (the game will be the kids' math homework tomorrow night). They had fun, and through the game, they realized that in order to compare 2-digit numbers, you only need to look at the first digit (unless it's a tie, they pointed out...).
After math, we headed outside for science. We visited our class tree again, and finished up the sketches that we began last week, and everyone got to do a bark rubbing also. Here's all of us outside (last week) enjoying the tree. Not quite as sunny today, but we did some good observational science anyhow.
Whew - after all of that, it was time to pack up and head home!
Today, after independent reading and Morning Meeting, we has Reader's Workshop. The kids learned how to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction in the books that they are reading. It was an interesting discussion, and there were a couple of books that some weren't sure about. Then, as they went out to practice reading, I showed them how to keep their reading log in their reading folder - recording the title and author of the book, as well as if it is fiction or non-fiction.
After reading, we had a short break time, and then it was time for Writer's Workshop. Today, I taught the kids about choosing the proper type of paper for the piece that they are going to write, to try to get them to do a little planning about the type of writing that they are going to do (lined v. non-lined v. paper with a space for writing and words, etc.). Then, of course, we wrote.
After writing, it was time for lunch and recess, and then back in for Read Aloud (we are still reading Jenny and the Cat Club). After that, we headed down to the gym for class with Mr. Hill and Mr. Peterson.
When we got back up to the room, we had Math Workshop. We continued working on comparing two-digit numbers by playing a card game (the game will be the kids' math homework tomorrow night). They had fun, and through the game, they realized that in order to compare 2-digit numbers, you only need to look at the first digit (unless it's a tie, they pointed out...).
After math, we headed outside for science. We visited our class tree again, and finished up the sketches that we began last week, and everyone got to do a bark rubbing also. Here's all of us outside (last week) enjoying the tree. Not quite as sunny today, but we did some good observational science anyhow.
Whew - after all of that, it was time to pack up and head home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
