TGIF!!!

The students began their day in PE.

When they returned to class they took the first math quiz for this marking period.  Overall, the students did very well.  These have been graded and should be stored in the math section of your child's binder.  Please look it over!!

We began the reading and writing block by reviewing the characteristics of narrative poetry.  Then we read a poem entitled, "Fun", and identified and discussed the theme.  After that we highlighted words and phrases that pointed to the theme.

Next, we reviewed a checklist identifying expectations for their narrative poem.  I will be using this list when I grade them.  So, students were encouraged to refer to it as they draft their rough drafts.

Finally, we revisited using a table of contents to write open ended research questions for the quarter 2 inquiry project.  I made sure to stress that each question should mention the word tools and the topic of the project.

While I met with small groups the students finished the storyboard planning organizer for their poem and then began drafting it.  Next, they worked on writing questions, using a table of contents, for their inquiry project.

Sharks:  We began small group with students partnering up to read a passage (3 sentences) and choose the correct main idea from a list of three.  Then we shared each one with the entire reading group.  After that, we used the beginning, middle and end drawings from homework Wednesday night to retell chapter 2.  Students did their best but missed the mark--often they identified unimportant details instead of key events.  So we referred to the text and thought about the story line to revise our thinking...lots of good discussion!

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

Cheetahs:  We began small group with students partnering up to read a passage (3 sentences) and choose the correct main idea from a list of three. Then we shared each one with the entire reading group.   Next we defined and discussed unknown words from last night's homework.  Then we identified the important events from the beginning, middle and end of chapter 3.  Finally, we discussed how Ben changed in this chapter.

Pandas:  We reviewed their unknown words from chapter 3 and discussed our personal feelings as we read about Kyle's predicament...especially when he received the phone call at the end of the chapter.

Dolphins:  We read a paragraph and identified the main idea.  I also collected their books.

We ended the day by reviewing the difference between telling and tattling.  Then we evaluated (thumbs up/thumbs down) whether scenarios were telling or tattling.  Finally, we reviewed the definition of bullying and identified the 3 different forms of it...psychological, verbal and physical.

Remember...Monday and Tuesday are early release days.