Marvelous Monday

Remember that the book fair is here all week and open from 8:30-4:30 daily.  Therefore, the media center is closed for book exchange until next Monday.

This morning students read silently or practiced keyboarding skills. Then we went directly to music.  Due to testing in second grade, we switched specials with them just for today.

When the students returned to the classroom we began our math rotations.

During the small group instruction, the students created flap books to help understand and apply the distributive property.  For those of you who are thinking, "I know I learned about that, but...."  The distributive property states that you get the same answer when you multiply a number by a group of numbers added together as when you do each multiplication separately.  For example:  3x6 is the same as (3x2) + (3x4) with is the same as 3x(2+4).

During math with a partner the students engaged in math discourse as they designed a flower bed created by two rectangles that shared a common side and had a total area of 30 sq. feet.

Finally, during the technology rotation, the students watched a 3 part lesson sequence that led to the application of the distributive property to determine the are of a rectangle.

For homework there is a word problem on Google Classroom (homework page) with an example and a Learn Zillion lesson linked to it for added support.

Due to our change in specials, we had to finish math rotations after enjoying lunch and outdoor recess.

After math I introduced and explained out independent work to the class and then began meeting with guided reading groups.

Today students will begin by working on independent reading group assignments.  After that they will listen to a new Educreations lesson, posted on the third grade web site, teaching how to draft the second informative paragraph for the MP 2 technology tool inquiry project.  As they watch it the second time, they will begin drafting their own second paragraph in their writing journal.  Next, some students will complete the affix assessment and turn it in.  Then....the students will begin learning how to write cursive.  Today we began with the letters -i and -t.  Finally they will listen to reading using One More Story or Storyline Online.

A note about cursive...it is NOT graded.  I will look the papers over, though.  Additionally, students will need to earn the write to do their work in cursive.  So, after we learn all of the letters, students can take an assessment (of sorts) to earn the privilege to write in cursive.

Tigers:  First we discovered that nouns ending in -y usually change to -ie before adding an -s to make it plural.  Then we practiced writing the plural form of singular nouns ending in y, on a chart in their RRJ.  Next we reviewed right there questions and the words they typically begin with, such as, when, where, what, who and how.  Then we read page 10 and identified facts and wrote right there questions that the facts would answer.  These were put on a t-chart in their RRJ.  For HOMEWORK the students should read page 11 and add 1 fact and and a right there question to the t-chart in the RRJ.

Panthers:  Independently the students reread pages 8-11 and added another fact and right there question to the t-chart in their RRJ.  We began group by reviewing the sound that the -ow pattern makes and listing words with the pattern.  After that, the children began sharing the fact and question they wrote during independent work time.  It was apparent that many are still struggling.  Therefore, we took a step back to help develop better understanding.  We  read pages 12 and 13 and the students identified a fact from the Did You KNOW box on page 13.  After they copied it in their RRJ,  we created a right there question to match it.  For HOMEWORK the students need to reread page 13 and add another fact and right there question to the t-chart in their RRJ.

Leopards:  Independently the students reread page 10 and added a fact and right there question that matches it for each paragraph in the section.  In group we shared and discussed the facts and questions they wrote for page 10.  For HOMEWORK the students need to read pages 11-13 and list unknown words on a sticky note.

Lions:  Independently the students read page 10 and wrote a green (right there) question for each paragraph.  In group I explained that we are going to the next step in the question/answer comprehension strategy.  They will now write a question and then close the book and answer it in their own words.  HW:  reread page 10, then close the book and answer the other two questions from your t-chart in your own words.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time and didn't get to science today.