Great Job Chicago Runners!!
I'll be running the Columbus Marathon Sunday.
BAILLY'S SUPER WORD OF THE WEEK:
RUMOR
~not based on facts, just hearsay~
1st GRADE LA
Decipher and Encipher:
Monday we were unable to meet due to hearing and vision screenings. Tuesday I reintroduced the words Decipher and Encipher. With our Caesar Cipher Wheel we deciphered our message from last week, "Letters are symbols that stand for spoken sounds." As a class we worked on deciphering and enciphering different messages. Once this unit is done, the student will be able to take their Caesar Cipher Wheels home and create their own messages. This lesson continues to help students examine the CONNECTION between symbols and meanings.
2nd GRADE LA
Edward Tulane:
This week we finished our Edward Tulane predictions. We will answer these same prediction questions two other times throughout the novel.With these first predictions, I wanted the students to use personal connections based on observations from the title, cover, pictures and/or chapter titles.The next two predictions will be based on connections from what we've read.
Tuesday we constructed our novel study folders while I STRESSED the importance of organization and listening. It is very easy for us to lose track of time in our 30 minuets if I am constantly having to repeat instructions or have students look for the worksheets in an UNORGANIZED folder. All of our worksheets are numbered kept in numerical order. After constructing our folders, we began the book, reading aloud the first chapter in class.
HOMEWORK: Read chapters 2-4, no more, no less, and fill out a reading analyzer on chapter 4.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Novel study.
The students will be bringing this book home in a plastic gallon size bag. The book should stay in the bag at ALL times other than when it is being read. Homework will be written on the first page of a packet that will always be with the book. This needs to be signed EVERY WEEK.
With this book study, MOST of reading will need to be done at home, along with a reading analyzer. The students will have 6 days to complete this homework. I have already had student turn in their homework.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOVEL STUDY.
3rd GRADE LA
Paragraph That:
Foundation skills in writing are very important. The last couple of weeks we have been working on the "Hamburger Model" for writing paragraphs. On Monday I went over the importance of indentation and details when writing. Details help the reader get a better understanding of what we are writing about. I am also stressing to the students that our readers do NOT get to read the writing prompt. Therefore, we need to be very clear when writing our introductions and examples. I have stressed to the students they can not always use pronouns such as: his, her, it, they, or them, because the readers may not know who we are referring to. Next week we will have a few students read their writings to the class.
HOWEWORK: There will be little home work to do throughout the year. I will most likely assign this on TUESDAYS so the students will have 6 days to complete it. There is a homework board outside of my classroom and I ALWAYS have the assignment written on it. Third grade walks past my classroom multiple times a day. Last week I had less than half the class do the homework. If homework is NOT completed and needed for the next day, students will be sent back to class.
4th GRADE LA
BIOGRAPHIES:
I introduced the beginning of our Agent of Change biography project. Last week the students brought home their Agent of Change worksheet that you signed. Everyone got theirs in this week, THANK YOU!! This project definitely runs smoother when we are all on the same page. With the introduction, the students read a short biography on Ruby Bridges. I had them 'actively' read and highlight the biography. They were also given the packet of questions they will need to answer on their Agent of Change. Together we answered the questions on Ruby Bridges. I wanted to show the students it will be very difficult to complete this project properly with one resource. I also wanted to demonstrate the detail in the answers I am looking for.
Next week, I will give the students time to read in class. What does not get read in class will need to be done at home. (If your child currently has their resources, it may be a good idea to start reading now.) I will also be distributing the steps and due dates for each portion of this study.
1st GRADE MA
Think Deeply:
We have had quite the schedule these past 2 weeks. Last week we missed a day due to first grade's field trip and this week we missed a day because of Junior Achievement. However, we are back on track. We finished our Think Deeply over our Zany Lingo lesson. The Think Deeply is a written response, at the end of each lesson, to Imi and Zani, our math bird friends, answering a question over the lesson. It gives the students the chance to WRITE their understanding of the material using their new vocabulary words and pictures; while allowing me to see how well they understand the material.
2nd GRADE MA
Manipulating Triangles:
The past couple of weeks we have been manipulating small triangles in order to make squares. The students were given 2 colors and needed to make squares using 4 yellow triangles and 4 purple triangles. Many students struggled with this at first until we divided the square into quarters. Doing this helped them realized they needed 2 triangle in each quarter.
Going back to lines of symmetry, the students have learned a square has 4 lines of symmetry. Using their squares with colored triangles, I asked them to find the lines of symmetry. This was a bit more challenging factoring in the colored triangles. Once the students realized what to look for in the placement of triangles and the colors, they started to get it!!!
Next we went onto Triangle Combinations. The goal of this activity is for partners to make specified shapes using CONGRUENT triangles. They are able to FLIP and TURN their triangles in order to make: another triangle, a rectangle that is NOT a square, a square and a parallelogram. We will finish this activity next week.
3rd GRADE MA
Think Beyond:
This past week we have had missing students because of field trips, therefore I did not want to move ahead to our next lesson. Our Think Beyond cards are review problems used for each lesson. This week I split the class up into two groups. Each group received a different Think Beyond card. They worked together to solve it. Not only did they need to answer the question, but they needed to be prepared to teach it to the other half of the class. These kids did great, at answering, teaching and seeing patterns to help solve repeating pattern word problems. With a small class and not a lot of time left, I allowed the students to work on their fellow students repeating question problems they created. I love seeing the students work together to sole problems and help teach each other where they may have made a mistake.
4th GRADE MA
Fold the Feet:
This week the students were given 3 feet of adding machine tape. They were told it was 3 feet, THAT WAS ALL THE INFORMATION I GAVE THEM. They worked with partners to find 1 1/3 feet. They needed to mark ALL their folds to show me how they found 1 1/3 feet. They were then given another 3 foot strip to find 2 3/4 feet and 5/4 feet.
Once the distances were found we gathered back as a class and discussed different strategies used to find the lengths.
This lesson incorporates improper fractions and mixed numbers. The second activity helps us understand the concept of common denominators. It will also lead us into identifying and renaming equivalent fractions along with ordering fractions of all types, including improper fractions and mixed numbers.
