Thriving Thursday - Report Card Day

Look for your child's report card in the home folder this evening.  Please sign the front of the envelop and return it, emptied, to school tomorrow.  Keep the report card at home.  It's yours!

This morning after reading quietly, exchanging books in the media center, or practicing keyboarding skills, we jumped into our math rotations.

During the small group, teacher led instruction, the students continued locating, labeling, and counting fractions on a number line.  Today's lesson involved solving fraction word problems using Cuisenaire rods on a number line.

During math with a partner, the students played a fraction number line game.  They took turns choosing cards that named fractions and then determined whether they had a number line on their game board that fit their fraction.  If they did, they located and labeled it  Obviously, math discourse was a must!

Finally, during the technology rotation, the students viewed a lesson on Discovery Education called Math Mastery:  Fractions.  I had them watch parts 1, 2, 4, and 5.  I love the way this lesson explains placing fractions on a number line, part 5.

We will have a quiz (formative) tomorrow covering fractions on a number line.  For HOMEWORK there is an assignment on Google Classroom, the homework page.

Unfortunately, math ran over, again.   The small group lesson took longer than expected but I felt it was a good use of instructional time.  :-)

So, before going to lunch, we reviewed today's independent work tasks.  First, students will complete independent guided reading group assignments.  Then they will finish their informative paragraph about where authors get their ideas.  Next, they will identify sources of light and heat, after watching Brain Pop Jr. lessons.  After that the children will practice cursive handwriting and listen to BES nominees and rate them on their capture sheet.  If there is time left, the students will complete any unfinished work and practice their reading by themselves, with a partner or using the Internet.

Following lunch and indoor recess the students worked on the above independent work activities and I met with small guided reading groups.

Tigers:  We began group by sorting our words.  Then I modeled how to complete Look, Say, Write, Check and the children set up a page to complete this tonight.  Next we reviewed the characteristics of historical fiction and retold the main events that have happened so far in the book.  Next we defined the word express as something that moves at a high speed.  Then the students whisper read pages 12-15 to identify how Kate knew the bridge had broken.  We discussed how she knew and determined that this was an event that would lead to her next actions.  For HOMEWORK the students need to complete the Look, Say, Write, Cover, Check activity with their word cards and then reread pages 12-15.

Panthers:  Independently the students watched a Brain Pop Jr. lesson about plot.  In their RRJ, they identified the main characters, setting, and conflict from their book, Anna, Grandpa, and the Big Storm.  In group we began by going over last night's word hunt.  Please remember that the words need to have the correct spelling pattern AND the correct sound.  Then I modeled how to complete the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check activity for word work and the students set up a page in their word work journals to use tonight.  After that we reviewed the information from the Brain Pop Jr. video and their RRJ entries.  All but one student didn't use their reading group book when identifying the main characters, setting and conflict.  Additionally, they did not answer in complete sentences.  So, I modeled how to correctly respond to this prompt but left blanks in place of the information from their book.  Then the children had a chance to redo their RRJ entries.

Leopards:  Independently the students reread chapter 4 and, in their RRJ, described the events that led to Amanda's decision to go to America.  In group I looked over their word hunt homework.  Then I modeled how to do the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check activity and had the children set up a page in their word work journal to use tonight.  After that we discussed how events in a book build upon each other...kind of like cause and effect.  Then we discussed the events that led to Amanda's decision.  Students whose RRJ response was incorrect, drew a line of learning in their RRJ and rewrote their answer.  For HOMEWORK the children need to do the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check activity and read chapter 5.

Lions:  Independently the students reread chapter 4 and summarized the main events in the chapter, in their own words, in their RRJ.  In group we reviewed last night's word hunt and then I modeled how to do the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check activity.  After that, I explained the concept of summarizing text.  Then I modeled reading chapter 4, stopping at various points to visualize what I had read, and then writing a summary of the chapter.  For HOMEWORK the children will complete the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check activity in their word work journal and read chapter 5.

We ended the day by going to art with Mrs. Daniell.