Wonderful Wednesday

This morning the students read quietly, exchanged books in the media center or practiced keyboarding skills.

After the announcements we began our math rotations.

Today's small group instruction focused on memorizing the 4s facts and writing a related multiplication and division equation, using a variable to represent the unknown, for a given word problem.

During math with a partner, the students complete the grouping or sharing activity that they began on Monday.  To quickly refresh...the students had to sort word problems according to whether they involved making equal groups or sharing equally.  Then they had to solve the problems.  If they finished early, the rolled dice to create an array (ex. if they rolled a 2 and a 5 they created an array with 2 rows and 5 in each row) and then they wrote one multiplication and one division equation to math the array.

Finally, during the technology portion, the students began by watching a Learn Zillion lesson about interpreting the meaning of division by matching equations to real world examples.   After that they returned to Times Table Grid and practiced the 4s facts.

For HOMEWORK there is a word problem on the HOMEWORK page of Google Classroom.  AS we did in small group today, students need to write a division and a multiplication equation that represents the word problem, using a variable for the unknown, and then solve it.

After a quick Go Noodle break, I reviewed today's independent literacy tasks.

First, students will read an assigned poem and write about how they felt as they read the poem, in their RRJ.  Next the students watched the Casey at the Bat video and identified the beginning, middle and end of this narrative poem with both a drawing and a sentence, in their RRJ.   After that the students watched  Brain Pop Jr. lesson about physical and chemical changes and completed a 3-2-1 in their science journals.  Next, they watched two video clips about similes and then practiced writing three similes in their writing journal.  Finally, they practiced reading poems with a partner, working on fluency and comprehension.

As the students worked on their assignments, I met with guided reading groups.

Tigers:  First we reviewed the vowel-consonant-e pattern and located words which fit it.  Next we created a t-chart in our RRJ and sorted words with the /ea/spelling pattern according to the sound the /ea/ makes.  After that we reviewed and shared the rhyming words that the students identified for homework. Next we whisper read and discussed the poem on page 22, "Art Class".  For HOMEWORK the children need to reread page 22 and draw the beginning, middle and end in their RRJ.

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

Panthers:  The students read the poem, "Cheering People Up", in the book, DeShawn Days.  Then in their RRJ, they wrote about how they felt as they read the poem.  In group we reviewed some basic ideas about poetry, included that it is mean to be read out loud and that words are grouped into lines and lines grouped into sections called stanzas.  After that I read the poem out loud, twice, and the students had a chance to share how they felt when they read the poem.  Finally, we discussed common themes in poems/books and determines that the theme of this poem was compassion.  For HOMEWORK the students need to reread, "Cheering People Up", twice, out loud.

Leopards:  Independently the students read the poem, "Harriet Tubman", and in their RRJ they wrote about how they felt as they read the poem.  In group we reviewed some key concepts about poetry (meant to be read aloud, doesn't follow the typical grammar rules for good writing, words grouped into lines and lines into stanzas, visualization is important, etc.)  Then I read the poem out loud twice and the students shared how they felt as they read the poem.  After that, we quickly reviewed common themes in poetry/books, and determined that courage or bravery might be the theme of the poem, "Harriet Tubman".  For HOMEWORK the students need to read the poem, "Harriet Tubman" out loud and explain the theme (courage/bravery) to an adult.

Lions:  Independently the students read the narrative poem, " The Amazing Teacher's Lounge" and wrote about their feelings, as they read it, in their RRJ.  In group we reread the poem and the students shared and discussed their feelings that they wrote in their journals.  After that, we identified common themes in books and poetry and discussed the theme of the poem.  For HOMEWORK the students need to reread their poem out loud.

After our literacy block, the students received a permission slip for our next field trip.  Next Friday, November 14, we will be visiting Clarksburg High School to see the play, "The Little Princess".  Please return the signed permission slip, with $5.50, as soon as possible!!  Students who return it tomorrow will receive a Dojo.

Prior to going to PE, with Mr. Benco, we reviewed the idea of observable properties and physical changes. This was just a general debriefing to clarify and explain ideas that were introduced through the Brain Pop Jr. lesson.