What We Learned This Week
Word Study
This week's word study assessment is coming home today. I introduced our new sort, long and short u sounds that follow our previous patterns of VCe and VC respectively. Students sort, alphabetize, and copy their words daily. We also generate words we think will follow our two patterns. This is a great exercise as it exposes misunderstandings and gives us lots of "oddballs," words that follow a sound, but not a pattern or vice-versa.
Reading Workshop
Reading conferences have focused on helping students learn how to select appropriate independent level texts. Many students are still choosing books that are too hard (e.g., the miss too many words, or decode so slowly that it interferes with comprehension; they decode too slowly to read with expression; the can decode words, but don't understand them; they can read most words, but cannot comprehend what they're reading). This is a significant hurdle as reading too challenging a text, does little to develop the key reading skills of fluency, comprehension, acquisition of vocabulary, and expression.
Students are still developing the skill of identifying the main idea. They are learning they must have a who (the subject or noun: a person, place, idea, etc.) and a what (the predicate, verb or action).
I reviewed reading homework and answering questions with complete sentences. Students are also learning the answer to a "why" question should always include what happened followed by a "because." We will study cause and effect more explicitly later in the year.
We are also comparing and contrasting using Venn diagrams.
We continue to read Wonder. It is great for discussions on developing empathy and the writer's craft as the perspective changes throughout the chapters.
Writing Workshop
We continued with quick writes this week, drawing inspiration from opinion pieces and personal narratives. I tried to introduce figurative language, but backed off as it became the focus and negatively impacted student production.
Math Workshop
We worked really hard and strategically in math this week. I assessed students today on a whole host of numeracy (numbers and operation in base ten) concepts. This will come home on Monday.
Science
We watched a Bill Nye movie on forests to broaden students' understanding of trees and life science. Students also took notes while watching the film. This is an important skill. I scaffold it by giving them most of the content and ask them to fill in key words.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 29 - Thompson Park Tree Trek Field Trip
Please let me know if you are able to volunteer!
Chaperons should arrive in Mr. Hudson's room at 9am. Thank you in advance!
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
October 30 - Halloween Party and Parade
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 5 - Picture Retakes
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
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