What We Learned This Week
Next week's spelling words focus on prefixes. Students will be asked to identify prefixes for the following words: pretest, redo, unzip, unfit, refill, review, undo, premix, preview, unable, recall and preset.
During Word Study we also reviewed nouns, verbs and adjectives. We play a game where students have to give examples of parts of speech without repeating others' and without making lists (e.g., if someone said banana and they were followed by apple, apple would be out). We've advanced to having one student provide a noun and the next person has to quickly provide an adjective that can be reasonably used to describe that noun. We also revisited contractions, building and deconstructing them. When constructing and deconstructing contractions we underline the letters in the root words that are replaced by the apostrophe. Lastly, we discussed apostrophes other use: ownership/possession.
In Reading Workshop we began our second author study building on what we learned from our Patricia Polacco study. Peter Sis, like Polacco, is a talented author/illustrator. He writes as much for adults as he does for children and fills his books with wonderfully detailed illustrations and facts. Common elements in Sis's books are literal and figurative walls (he grew up in Soviet controlled Czechoslovakia); non-fiction; scientists, explorers and adventurers; maps and geography; research; and searching for scientific and universal truths. We have read Starry Messenger (a book about Galileo Galilei), Follow the Dream, The Story of Christopher Columbus; The Tree of Life (the story of Charles Darwin), and we started The Wall (an autobiography of growing up in Czechoslovakia). You can learn more about Peter Sis at his website: http://www.petersis.com/index2.html
In writing we did a daily short write with emphasis on "quality" writing, allowing students to self determine how many paragraphs and sentences they feel are sufficient. This is an important skill in developing as a writer. Students are also developing a sense of how much they can write in different time limits, from ten to thirty minutes. I expect convention to be automatic for most students at this point in the year. "Quality" writing focuses on topic sentences that hook the readers attention without getting into the supporting details, sufficient supporting details, and conclusions that wrap up the paragraph with one of three strategies (asking a question, making an observation, or sharing feelings/emotions). A recent prompt was "Groucho Marx said, 'I find television very educational. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.' Which do you prefer, television or reading, and why?" Example topic sentences range from the straightforward, "I like television more than reading," or "If I had to choose between T.V. and reading, I would watch television," to the more sophisticated and passionate, "There are many reasons why I prefer to read than watch television." Conclusions varied from the sometimes overused question strategy of "Which would you choose?" to the "These are some of the many reasons I prefer to read educational books rather than watch T.V. junk" (student generated examples... I did not criticize student choices). Students are sharing with a partner prior to sharing with the whole class to self edit and revise as well as look and listen for complete sentences.
We reviewed key math concepts and prepared for the upcoming Ohio Math Achievement Assessments by taking a practice test to familiarize students with some of the particulars of the test format (e.g., Students must show all of their work in designated boxes. Work outside of the box will not be scored even if it is accurate.). We have also been emphasizing reading the question a minimum of two times to make sure we understand what the question is asking, underlining important words in the question, restating it in our own words, showing our organized work, circling answers and adding units of measure in story problems (e.g., hot dogs, pencils, etc.). I'm looking forward to having this assessment behind us. We will begin multi-digit multiplication next week.
In science we've begun a small flower garden in the classroom and are hoping to see some real growth through the spring. I've ordered our caterpillars and should receive them later next week. We'll observe them through their metamorphosis and release them late spring.
In social studies we've begun our study on immigration with guiding questions of:
- What does it mean to be American?
- Why did/do people immigrate to North America/United States?
- How have immigrants shaped North America?
- How (and why) do we define "us" and "them?"
- How (and why) do definitions of "us" and "them" change over time?
Our mentor texts are The Wall, Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis, The Arrival by Shuan Tan (a wordless book that allows the reader to determine why people immigrate), The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle by Grutman and Matthaei (a historical fiction account of the realities of reeducating American Indians during westward expansion based on the Carlisle Indian School) and Coming to America, The Story of Immigration by Maestro and Ryan. Students will be researching different ethnic groups' immigration stories from other texts. Mrs. Green helped us compare different world religions and shared her family's Passover traditions. Thank you Mrs. Green!
Important Dates and Reminders
April 18 through 24 - NO TV week
April 22 - No school, Good Friday
April 25 - Ohio Reading Achievement Assessment retakes for students who did not pass in fall only
April 26 - Ohio Mathematics Achievement Assessment (scores back late spring) Please try to avoid any doctor's appointments or other absences
April 29 - PTO Kidsfest from 5pm-8pm (ukulele in silent auction)
May 3 - Students eat in the classroom, please do not send any peanut products. I will check for peanut products to the best of my ability and will wipe down all tables with Clorox wipes.
May 11 - Early release at 1:15.
May 21 - Wish Run
May 24 - Art Field Trip to Columbus Museum of Art and downtown branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library (please let me know if you can chaperon)
May 30 - No school, Memorial Day
June 2 - Ukulele Orchestra Performance at 7pm
June 6 - Field Days (think hydration and sunscreen)
June 9 - Last day for students, classroom parties from 12:00 - 1:00
