Thriving Thursday

Today is our flip-flop day.  SO we began with our math rotations.

During the teach led small instruction we continued evaluating our knowns and unknowns to solve multi step word problems.  Today's problems involved a parking garage.  The other rotations had the students playing multiplication war to help memorize the basic facts and using Thinking Blocks to reinforce problem solving skills.

There is a worksheet for HOMEWORK tonight and we will have a quiz tomorrow.

After math, the children went to music.  When they returned the students began their independent work assignments.  These included reading group assignments, researching their inquiry project issue and the traditional tales characteristics worksheet that was a follow up for Jack and the Giant Barbeque.

I met with small groups.

Cheetahs:  The students began listing the key events, in their RRJ, from their story, before coming to group.  In group we reviewed the concepts of theme (an implicit message) and main idea (what the story is mostly about).  Then we revisited Ashes for Gold and listed the key events in the RRJ.  For HOMEWORK the students should reread the story, pages 2-15.

Sharks:  In group we retold the story A Fair Swap.  For HOMEWORK the students need to reread the book.  Tomorrow we will be using the key events to help determine the theme of the book.

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

Dolphins:  The students reread The Greedy Goat and marked the important events using post it notes.  Then we met and listed the important events (I called this the foundation or backbone of the story.)  Then we discussed and defined the concepts of theme and main idea.  The theme is a lesson learned from the story but not stated in the story.  The main idea is stated--it is the most important thing that happened (kind of--that's third grade thinking).  For HOMEWORK the students need to reread the entire book.

Pandas:  The children read chapters 3, 4 and 5, and then listed the key events, from the entire story, in their RRJ.  In group we began identifying the key events, but took some time to discuss what made some of the actions important (specifically, in chapter 2, Grandmother gave the same advice to both villages, but only one village listened).  Therefore, we only got through the first two chapters.  For HOMEWORK the students need to reread chapters 3, 4 and 5. 

We ended the day by reviewing the concept of a budget as a plan.  Then we identified parts of a budget including income, and expenses (both fixed and not fixed).