Terrific Tuesday

This morning the students began their day in PE.

When they returned to class we defined the different concepts of character traits (unique qualities a character possesses), motivations (what causes a character to do what they do) and feelings (a character's emotions).  Then we charted an example of each using chapter 1 from Lily and Miss Liberty.  After that, we read chapter 2 and discussed all 3 of the concepts as they pertained to this chapter.

Next, I reviewed the expectations for the body paragraph of the character analysis.

Finally, (ok...I'll be honest here), as I was teaching I came up with a fun idea for students who finish their work early...so, I shared the idea with the kids...The children will choose a topic which relates to Lily and Miss Liberty (the statue of liberty, the 1880's, Ellis Island, etc.) and they will identify questions they are wondering about their topic.  After I approve these questions, the children will use resources such as books and the Internet to locate answers to their questions (reading to be informed) and then they will choose a way to present their information...they can create a Key Note presentation, a poster, etc.  I thought this would be a fun way to read informational text and share the information they discover!

While I meet with small groups the students will complete the second paragraph of the character analysis.  They will complete comprehension worksheets for both chapters 1 and 2 for Lily and Miss Liberty.  Then they can choose a topic to research and list questions they want to learn about.

Sharks:  We met and each child shared their second paragraph.  Together we made revisions to the structure of the paragraphs ensuring that the solution was stated and explained.

During our math warm up we practiced drawing pictures to help us name the mixed number for a given improper fraction.

Then we used index cards to create number lines and label the fractions and mixed numbers.  Today our 3x5 card equaled two wholes.  We labeled the wholes and then found and labeled 1/2 and 1 1/2.

Next the children worked independently on a number line worksheet.  Many are still struggling with the idea that the denominator is the amount of equal parts in ONE whole.  We will work on that concept in small groups tomorrow.  Today, Mrs. Benson and I each pulled a small group to  practice separating wholes into equal groups and identifying fractions when there is more than one item (box) in each group.

There is a mixed number worksheet for homework.

Following lunch and outdoor recess the students continued working independently while I met with more groups.

Cheetahs:  We met and shared each child's second paragraph.  Overall, they did a good job explaining the solution but the children needed to make the connection between the character trait (guilty) and the events leading to the solution.  We discussed this and practiced explaining that part.  Then the students went back to their seats to revise their responses.

Yellow Jackets:  We met and the students shared their second paragraphs.  Overall, the children did a great job identifying and explaining the solution and linking it to the main character's identified trait.  Some students needed to make organizational changes to improve the flow of their writing.

Snakes:  We met and shared their character analysis writing pieces.  Together we made revisions.

We ended the day by reviewing the meaning of friction.  Then the children took intellectual risks and explored creating friction using different materials such as, chop sticks, craft sticks, erasers and foam plates.  They identified which objects produced heat through friction.  Then they introduced different variables, speed,  length of time and different materials to determine whether it affected the heat produced through friction.