Are you listening????

Sometimes that is exactly what I want to ask the children...

Our day began with a math quiz...frustrating, for me! I explained to the children , following the quiz, that I am not upset about their grades. I am upset because they are making the same mistakes over and over again and not using the strategies (or even trying) that I teach in class. AHHHHHHHHHHH!

I am specifically thinking of identifying fractions of a set. When asked what 1/3 of 18 is, for example, the children continually color 3...they color the number because it is the denominator. I have taught at least four different strategies that I can think of...AND told them that the method they are using, while definitely simpler, is not correct! Are they listening?

Moving on to reading...we read and discussed an issue of Time for Kids. The cover story dealt with children and allergies. We had a wonderful discussion about what exactly is an allergy, our immune system and even genetics.

Following music, lunch and recess, we read 2 chapters from Matilda. Then the children took notes, in their writer's notebook, about the structure of a Cinquain poem...5 lines
line 1: 2 syllables tells the subject
line 2: 4 syllables describes the subject
line 3: 6 syllables action involving the subject
line 4: 8 syllables a feeling about the subject
line 5 2 syllables another name or word to describe the subject

Finally, they practiced writing cinquain poetry.

After sharing their literary excellence with classmates, we identified natural and man made features in The House on Maple Street.