Classroom Update!

Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful break!

Reader's Workshop
Good readers make inferences and predictions when they read in order to better comprehend what they read. We inferred the meanings of words by using pictures, using our schema, the words in the text, rereading, thinking, making connections, and listening to the ideas of classmates. We read the story Where Are You Going, Manyoni? and inferred the meanings of unknown words. Students made predictions before and during the story The Royal Bee. We discussed what they predicted would happen and why they thought so. Sometimes readers need to make inferences when the author does not make things clear to the reader. Students had to make inferences about the character, Solomon, in An Angel for Solomon Singer. Students used the text and the pictures in the story to learn more about Solomon so that unclear parts in the story make more sense.

Writer's Workshop

We reviewed writing about a small moment. Small moments are true stories that happened to us. Students started off by rehearsing the story they were getting ready to write to a partner. Their partner listened to see if the story made sense and if more details were needed. Next, students got a story planning sheet and drew six scenes from their small moment from break. Then, students started their rough draft and used a revision checklist to look over when they thought they were finished. Finally, students wrote the final draft of their story into a small booklet with detailed pictures.

Math Workshop
In Unit 5 of Math Workshop we have been learning about geometry. This week students learned about points, line segments, parallel and non-parallel lines and shapes. Students learned the importance of naming points. We learned about quadrilaterals and quadrangles and how they have 4 sides or 4 corners. Students are working on naming geometric shapes. Students sorted shapes by the number of sides and named the 2-D shapes.

Science
We finished the air portion of our air, wind, and weather science unit. We wrapped up air by having a balloon race.

 Student each had one balloon and had to pump it up with air. We had two stations set-up next to each other so we could race balloons. Each station consisted of two chairs attached with string. A large Ziploc baggie was taped to a straw that went through the string. Students had to hold their pumped up balloon (pinched with their fingers) inside the baggie and let go. Each child was able to race their balloon with a classmate’s balloon. They watched the air travel out of the balloons pushing them from one chair to the other chair.

Students did the “Chalk Talk” Visible Thinking routine with the question of “What is air?” For the routine, students had to access prior knowledge and ask questions. Students were unable to talk during this routine, instead they wrote down their ideas on one sheet of paper that was passed around the table. This routine gives thinking time to students and ensures all voices in the group are heard.

Have a great weekend! : ) Miss Eckardt