Mushy Monday

Let's hope that these April showers bring some May flowers!!

Students read quietly, exchanged books in the media center, or practiced keyboarding, this morning.  Then we changed classroom jobs and began our math rotations.

During the small group, teacher-led rotation, we will continue focusing on multiplication fluency and solving multi-step word problems by identifying knowns and unknowns and writing equations.  Today we solve a word problem involving more than one unknown by breaking it down step by step.

During math with a partner the students used math discourse to identify pairs of numbers meeting a set of criteria.  After that they played Multiplication Mind Reader or Multiplication War to practice basic fact fluency.

Finally, during the technology portion, the children visited That's a Fact to work on memorization of the basic multiplication and division facts.

For HOMEWORK there is a multi-step word problem posted on Google Classroom, the homework page.  Also there is a writing journal entry due Friday!

After math we took a Go Noodle brain break.  Then we reviewed today's independent work assignments.

All groups will begin by listening to the folktale White Wave.  This is a Junior Great Books story that lends itself to great, indepth discussion and higher order thinking.  Some groups will then identify the main characters, problem, and solution in their RRJ.  Others will list the events in the plot.  After that, all groups will cut apart, and put their initials on the back of, their new word work cards.  Then students will finish taking notes for their inquiry issue.  Next, the children will finish taking notes, in their science journals, on the 6 habitats.  FInally, they will practice writing the letters G, S, and L, in cursive.

AS the students work independently, I will meet with guided reading groups.

Panthers:  In group I introduced their new word work cards and modeled sorting the words based upon the long vowel patterns.  Then we defined any unknown words.  After group, the children listened to White Wave and identified the main characters, problem and solution in their RRJ.  For HOMEWORK the children need to reread or re-listen to White Wave and do a header sort using their new word work words.

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

Tigers:  Independently the students listened to White Wave and identified the main characters, problem and solution in their RRJ.  In group we sorted our new word work words according to short e and long e vowel patterns.  We also discussed any tricky words.  After that we reviewed the main characters, problem and solution in White Wave.  For HOMEWORK the children will do a header sort with their new word work words and listen to White Wave again.

Leopards:  Independently the students listened to White Wave and identified the events in the plot.  In group I modeled sorting their new word work words and we discussed any unknown or tricky words.  Then we discussed the main characters, problem, solution, and plot in White Wave and sequenced and highlighted the events that happened after White Wave left.  For HOMEWORK the children need to do a header sort with their new word work words and reread White Wave paying close attention to the highlighted sections.

Lions:  Independently the children listened to the folktale White Wave and identified events in the plot.  In group they completed a check-in, review-type quiz covering the prefixes we have worked with during our word sorts thus far.  Then I modeled their new word sort and we reviewed tricky or unknown words. This sort focuses on the suffixes -y, -ly, and -ily.  After that we discussed the main characters, problem and solution in White Wave and also sequenced the events that occurred after White Wave left.  For HOMEWORK the children will do a header sort with their new word work words and reread White Wave marking places in the story that they have questions about with a ?.

F&P:  The students warmed up by whisper reading Pool Trouble.  Then I did an in-depth book introduction for their new text, A Dragon on the Roof:  The Surprising Architecture of Antoni Gaudi.  After that, the children whisper read the story.

The students ended their day in music with Mrs. Graf (formerly known as Ms. Guerra).