Marvelous Monday

I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed the gorgeous weekend and all you moms had a marvelous Mather's Day!

This morning the students began their day in the media center with Mrs. Rose and Mrs. Dodson.  They continued working on their Kids Blogs.  Some are still in the planning stages, while I have heard others have begun working on an entry.


When the students returned to class I introduced the math rotations.  However, I realized that since we were scheduled to take the third, and final, MAP-M (computerized math assessment) at 11:00, we would not have time for the actual rotations.  OOPS!  Oh well, the students now know the expectations for tomorrow!!

So, in the short time we had prior to taking the MAP-M, I introduced journals (diaries) as a type of literary non-fiction.  We had a chance to read a journal entry from the Logs of Walter Anderson and identify examples of elaboration in his word choice.  We also shared questions we still had after reading the entry.

Next, it was time for our MAP- testing.  This is the self adjusting, computerized math assessment that the students take three times each year.  It is used for planning and instructional purposes only.  It is NOT a grade on the report card and does not determine grade placement for next year.  Rest assured, all students will be in fourth grade next year.  ;-)

Following lunch and outdoor recess, I did a quick, whole group vocabulary lesson instructing the students how we can use our knowledge of the meaning of a root word to comprehend unknown words in text.

After that, I reviewed this weeks independent work assignments.

1. Students will work in small groups to create root word flashcards.  They will define a root word and then identify the meaning of three other words that are derived from it.
2. Students will revise their inquiry project drafts to enhance word choice and replace general nouns and verbs with those that are more specific.
3. Students will reread the first journal entry from the Logs of Walter Anderson and use a dictionary to identify the meaning of unknown or confusing words.  Then they will illustrate the entry to show they comprehend the text.
4. Students will view a video about specialization.  Then they will define the meaning of the word and explain its benefits, in their social studies journal.

These assignments are due by the end of the day on Friday.  The students, this week, have been given some choice as to the order in which the tasks are to be completed.  This is an upgrade to our independent work time.  We will see how it goes!  :-)

By the time I finished the lesson and explaining independent work assignments, there wasn't a lot of time left.  So, I let the students begin working on the root word flashcards and didn't meet with reading groups.  :-(

We ended the day with science.  First we shared what we knew about a life cycle.  Then I introduced a diagram showing the life cycle of a plastic bottle.  After that I explained that all products go through a life cycle; they begin as a natural resource, then are manufactured into a product, after that a consumer uses it, and finally every product has an next stage (either recycled or trash).

Finally the students were put into groups with the task to create a poster/diagram depicting the life cycle of a product of their choice.  They were given some resources, mostly video clips, that can be found on the third grade web site.  The groups will work on this assignment for the next three days.

There is NO formal homework this evening.  The students put so much effort into the MAP-M assessment...I told them they had earned a homework-free night!  :-)