TGIF

Wow!  We have been in school for four days this week...feels kind of weird.  LOL!  Personally, I am hoping to make it a full week, next week.

The students began their day in PE. 

After PE, they returned to class and took a quiz covering fractions and mixed numbers on a number line.  Overall, the children demonstrated great understanding!!  The quizzes have been scored and returned to the students.  They should be stored in the math section of the binder.  Please look it over!  :-)

The quiz was short, so we had some extra time on our hands.  Never fear...having missed so much school recently, we had plenty to do.  So, the students participated in one math rotation.

One group met with me and completed the fraction train activity where they matched different representations of fractions, similar to dominoes.  Another group worked with Mrs. Bartel to roll dice (2 for the numerator and 1 for the denominator) to create an improper fraction.  Then they wrote the fraction and created a number line to represent it, in their math journal.  The final group revisited the fraction app on Edmodo.

Today, during our reading and writing block, we focused on two items...completing the character analysis and using Kidspiration to create a story board for each group's historical fiction novel.  The Kidspiration activity served two purposes...first, it forced the students to revisit the text and retell the important events.  Second, it gave the children an opportunity to increase their comfort with this software package, since they will be using it to create their story map for the realistic fiction picture book inquiry project.

Cheetahs:  We met and reviewed chapters 9 and 10, including the student's lists of unknown words.  Then the children split into two groups (boys vs. girls) and completed the story board, for A Lion to Guard Us, using Kidspiration.

Sharks:  We met and finished reading and discussing chapter 7.  Then the students worked together to complete the Kidspiration story board for their book, Anna, Grandpa and the Big Storm.

After lunch, we all had a blast at our school's Jump Rope for Heart.  Then it was back to work.

Dolphins:  The children whisper read Old Jacket, New Jacket and then completed a Kidspiration story board, together, as a group.

Pandas:  We met to discuss chapter12, focusing on the last three sentences pertaining to the importance of the snow to the plan.  After that, the children worked in small groups to complete a Kidspiration story board for their book, so far.

At the end of the day, some groups were still working on the Kidspiration story board.  Therefore, I pulled the rest of the children and we reviewed the various purposes for maps  Then I gave them 3 different maps (one for an airplane showing the airspace in the DC metro area, one of Texas highways and the other of Vermont attractions) to "read" using the legend.  They were quite excited!!