Fabulous Friday

This morning, after going to music, we revisited the play, "The Hidden One" and reviewed the points of view of the sister and Little Scarface in regards to meeting and marrying The Hidden One.  Then we recognized the theme was good (Little Scarface) versus Evil (Sister).  We also determined that good had one...thus getting at the central message of the text...do the right thing, it pays off in the end!    The children learned that through the character's actions, words and points of view, we can determine the central message in fiction.

Next, we revisited the tech tools research project Power Point to determine what questions we would need to keep in mind as we read about our tools.  I modeled using links (included on this blog) to research my topic (football helmet) and add important information to the graphic organizer.  I focused on answering who, what, when, why questions and writing my notes in phrases and in my own words.

While I met with small groups the children completed reading assignments from yesterday and began researching their topics using the iPads.

Sharks:  I collected The Shoeshine Girl book and gave the group time to preview their next book, which is non-fiction, called, Using Technology and Design.  Then we did a prereading activity where we brainstormed technology we use during different parts of our day.  After that we read pages 2 and 3 and orally answered questions that forced the students to revisit the text.

In math we took our second quiz for this marking period.  They have been scored and returned to the children.  They should be stored in the math section of their binder.

After enjoying lunch and recess, we had a fire drill.  When we returned inside, the children continued their independent work while i met with small groups.

Yellow Jackets:  We reviewed pages 24 and 25 and discussed identifying the main idea.  I handed back their main idea statements and had the children rewrite them, using the feedback I gave in group today.

Cheetahs:  WE began a new book called The Key on the Collar.  We read chapter 1 and discussed the non literal language...specifically Chad saying the key was a medal for bravery for following his brother and understanding the boys expected the dog to stay since they were planning to name him in the morning.  This group decodes well, but struggles with non literal language.

Snakes:  We began a new, non fiction book called, Vehicles for Fun and Sport.  We defined the word vehicle and identified those pictured on pages 4 and 5.  Then we began reading page 4.

We ended the day by viewing a population density map of the United States and drawing some conclusions about it.  Important points included that the 13 original colonies were on the east coast and that, along with being close to water,  helps explain why it is so densely populated.