Marvelous Monday

We began our day, and our week, with a class meeting.  The students chose to have our group share be about our weekend.  After that, we exchanged compliments and discussed challenges.  I was so proud of the class, because our challenges did not focus on behaviors, but instead revolved around academic struggles. 

The children are frustrated with certain aspects of the research project and with using partial products multiplication.  The fact that students were willing to express concerns about their learning has enlightened me to struggles that I will now plan for in my instruction!  SO exciting!!

After our class meeting, I demonstrated how to make the candy cane reindeer which we will give to the caner patients at Johns Hopkins.  Then the children began making them.  Below are some pictures.

 

The project took a bit longer than expected, but the reindeer sure are cute!

 

We skipped over whole group lessons, we will fit them in during the week, and went straight to independent work and small group instruction.

 

While I met with groups the students finished their research (fingers crossed!), completed individual reading group assignments and practiced writing the lower case letters o, c and q in cursive.

 

Cheetahs:  We reviewed the happenings in the Key in the Collar, and then reviewed the list of common themes in literature, which hangs in our classroom.  Then we talked about which theme we thought fit the book.  After that, the students wrote in the RRJ about the theme of the book which they thought fit best and used details from the book to explain their thinking.

 

In math we reviewed strategies for memorizing the 7's facts using a multiplication chart.  Then we used number family spinners to practice writing the multiplication and division facts.  Whichever number the spinner landed on HAD to be the first number in the equation.  For example, if the spinner contains a 35, 7 and 5 and the spinner lands on 35, the possible equations include:  35 = 7x5, 35=5x7, 35 (divided by)7 = 5 and 35 (divided by) 7 = 5.

 

While the students used the spinners with partners, Mrs. Head pulled a group to work on word problems and I pulled a group to practice using the partial product multiplication strategy.

 

Following lunch and outdoor recess, the students continued their independent work, while I met with more groups.

 

Yellow Jackets:  Independently, they read chapter 3 and wrote a summary in their RRJ.  In group we reread chapter 3 and identified synonyms for vocabulary throughout the chapter.  We also reviewed the format for a vocabulary entry in the RRJ...they will need this for tomorrow's independent work.

 

Sharks:  Independently the students reread pages 2-6 and identified the problem in the RRJ.  IN group we reviewed the problem in the story.  Then we read pages 6-9 and used visualization to help us retell pats of the story.  We also reviewed the fact that  when the letter c is followed by an e or an i, the c makes the s sound (ex. nice, place, etc.).

 

Snakes:  The children reread their book and, using highlighter tape, highlighted the -er, -ir and-ur combinations.  In group we discussed the sound these letter combinations make and how recognizing the combinations make reading easier.  Then we practiced using this strategy.  I collected their books and some children chose to bring home a book about the White House that I promised to read with them.  WE will all get a new book tomorrow.

 

We ended the day by defining the scientific terms mixture and solution.   The difference between the two is a mixture can be separated back out into the original states of the materials put together, a solution can not.  Then I modeled making a mixture out of gravel, sand and salt.  Tomorrow the students will be making a mixture and separating the parts back out.

 

For homework the students need to complete the two BLANK spinners using fact families and then write EIGHT equations for each spinner.  We went over this homework SEVERAL times in class and I modeled it, too.