Marvelous Monday

The students began their day in the media center.  There, with the help of Mrs. Rose, they continued working on the inquiry project.  After choosing their research topic, they began their research.

After that, the students returned to the classroom for math rotations.  The teacher lesson focused on deciding whether or not a given three digit addition problem required composing a ten, a hundred, a ten and a hundred or no composition was necessary.  After discussing how we know when we need to compose a ten or a hundred, the students worked with partners to sort addition problems according to the composing needed to find the sun.

The technology rotation had students creating 3 digit numbers to add, using their digit cards from last week.  Then they used the base 10 blocks on the virtual manipulative web site to model partial sums.  Finally, in their math journal, they solved the problems using partial sums.

The third rotation had students playing 3 Addition Split.  They chose 4 problems from a playing board and solved each problem using the partial sums strategy.

There is a WORKSHEET for homework.  Students are to show whether they had to compose a ten or 100 (by drawing a picture) and then find the sum of the entire problem.  There are 4 problems on the worksheet.

Next, I read the Japanese folktale Ooka and the Honest Thief, part of the Junior Great Books program, to the entire class.  We will be revisiting this story throughout the week.  Then, we identified the conclusion in the model personal narrative, "Grandpa" and discussed how the author incorporated dialogue into the ending.  I then went back to my good deed narrative and modeled revising the conclusion to add dialogue.

While I meet with reading groups the students will work on individual reading group assignments.  They will also revise their personal narrative rough draft to include dialogue. Finally, they will practice writing the letters u. w, and e in cursive.

Sharks:  We created a cause and effect chart in their RRJ.  Then we read a few pages in their book and added a cause (action or words) and its effect to the chart.  We identified two examples together in group.  For homework the students need to reread the book (working on fluency) and add 1 new cause and effect to the chart.  There are many examples, but to clarify for you, the parents, one cause would be the baby is no longer sick and the effect is Aunt Melany comes to the party.

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

Dolphins:  We read a few more pages in Jordan's Lucky Day and created a chart, in their RRJ, to identify actions and the events they caused from the story.  Tonight, for HOMEWORK, the students need to read pages 12-16 of Jordan's Lucky Day and add 1 new action and event to the chart in their RRJ.

Cheetahs:  The students read chapter 2 and identified one of Gregory's actions and the event it caused in their RRJ.
  In group we shared, discussed , and revised their answers.  For homework the students need to reread chapter 2.  IN their RRJ they need to identify Gregory's point of view about his uncle and then explain if they agree or disagree with it.

Pandas:  The students read chapter 2 and identified one of Ben's action s and the event it caused.  We shared these responses in group, going back to the text to locate support.  For HOMEWORK the students need to reread chapter 2 and explain, in their RRJ,  what Aunt Rose did to make Ben feel more comfortable at her house.

We ended the day with science.  First we reviewed word that describe position (or location).  Then we discussed the idea of texture.  This is a new variable we will be introducing as we observe changes in motion.  Finally, we looked at pictures of different outdoor surfaces (blacktop, sidewalk, slide, etc.) and predicted which surface would make a ball travel fastest, slowest, farthest, shortest, etc.  We will test our predictions tomorrow!  :-)