Welcome to the Fourth Marking Period

I hope everyone enjoyed the Spring Break!!  While I had a great time with my family, it is good to be back with my other "kids".

The children began their day with a visit to the media center.

When they returned to class we reviewed a Power Point that defined the 4 types of Traditional Tales and the characteristics of each.  Traditional Tales include; folktales, myths, legends and fables.

Then we read a tale called, The Fisherman and the Turtle, by Eric Kimmel and used the characteristics to identify it as a folktale.

After that, we used a frayer model to better understand the concept of an issue.  Students were given a copy of this to store in the writing section of their binder and use as a resource.

Independent work today includes reading groups assignments, reading about different habitats and drawing a picture of four they read about in their science/social studies journal and creating a list of 3-5 possible issues they might use to research and write about over the course of this marking period.

Reading Group
Sharks:  I did a book introduction for our new novel, Amber Brown is Not a Crayon.  Then we read chapter 1, the first half out loud and the second half silently.  We discussed character traits for Amber and emphasized the need to be able to identify support from the text.  For homework the students need to reread chapter 1 and create a word splash in their RRJ choosing 10 key words from the first chapter.  I modeled this in group and used two words (China and Amber), obviously the students can (and should) use these two words.

In math we reviewed some strategies for memorizing the basic multiplication facts, during our warm up.  Then we practiced solving two-step word problems by identifying the question asked, what is known and what is unknown.  We solved two problems, together, in class. The rest of the worksheet was assigned for homework.

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

Reading Groups
Cheetahs:  We began reading their new novel, Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear.  For homework they need to read pages 8-16 (finishing chapter1) and then create a word splash in their RRJ using 10 key words from chapter1.

Yellow Jackets:  We began the William and Mary Reading Program.  Students read the fable The Wolf and the Lion and then completed a comprehension worksheet.  In groups we reread the fable and discussed the moral and some of the questions on the worksheet.  Tonight, for homework, the students need to reread the fable and revise their answers.  This activity will be collected and graded.

Snakes:  First we practiced reading and writing high frequency words (what, could, said, guess, answer).  Then we reviewed identifying words with suffixes(ing and ed) and using that knowledge to decode unknown words.  After that, I introduced the characters, setting and key vocabulary from our new book, The Bee Puzzle.  Finally, we read pages 4-7 in the book.  For homework the children need to reread pages 4-7 (working on fluency) and complete the -ee worksheet.

We ended the day by reviewing expectations for their independent work.   Many students were not completing assignments.  If your child didn't do their work in class, they will have to finish it at home this evening.