Wonderful Wednesday

This morning the students completed the Wednesday section of the vocabulary sheet for their word of the week, decrease.  Then they played a word detective game, online, since it is "word Wednesday".  After the announcements, we switched for math.

Math began with an analogies warm up involving fractions and pace value.  Then we reviewed yesterday's formative.  Next, I did a quick, whole group mini lesson about parallel and perpendicular lines in preparation for today's math with a partner game.  After that, we began our rotations.

During the small group lesson we identified and named points, lines, line segments, and rays.  During math with a partner, the students played a Trap It game, giving them practice with identifying and naming parallel and perpendicular lines.  Finally, during the technology portion, the students completed a session of Xtra Math and then watched Learn Zillion lessons about identifying and naming points, lines, line segments, and rays.

The children enjoyed lunch and indoor recess between the second and third rotations.

Math homework was distributed in class, but it is also posted in GC.

After math, we began our literacy block with a writing lesson.  First, we watched a quick video about showing instead of telling in our writing.  Then, the students read over their personal narrative drafts, which they selected yesterday, to their writing partner.  After that, I read 4 prompts to the children to help them locate places in their writing where they could add sensory details to their piece.  Next, I modeled adding descriptive words and phrases to a model narrative essay.  Finally, the students worked on revising their personal narrative to add sensory details and then we shared the improvements they made.

After our writing lesson, we switched to the reading and independent work portion.  Today, while I met with guided reading groups, the children read a non-fiction piece about Jacques Cartier and added his place of origin and goals to the chart we began yesterday.  After that, the students used the Colombian Exchange text and their graphic organizer to write a paragraph naming and explaining the effects of the Colombian Exchange.  Finally, the students worked on their opinion paragraph about whether or not plastic straws should be banned, based upon the debate they read last week.

Blue:  We reviewed the unknown words and shared items they found surprising and confusing in the text about Jacques Cartier.  After that, we set up a cause and effect chart, on the back of the text, and identified an example from it.

Pink:  We reviewed the unknown words and shared items they found surprising and confusing in the text about Jacques Cartier.  After that, we set up a cause and effect chart, on the back of the text, and identified an example from it.

Green:  We reviewed the unknown words and shared items they found surprising and confusing in the text about Jacques Cartier.  After that, we set up a cause and effect chart, on the back of the text, and identified an example from it.

We ended the day by watching a Discovery Education video about the European explorers and the age of discovery.