Today was another busy day in 6F! We started reading class with read aloud which ended on a cliffhanger. We will read a significant amount tomorrow. Next, students worked in small groups to finish up the conflict picture books. We will go over these after break. Students then worked independently with their peer pressure books. Please check the daily homework page for details about when things are due.
In writing, we uploaded our Holiday Fragrances pieces to the classroom blog and then commented on each others' pieces.
Finally 6S came for science and we did the same thing as 6F did yesterday (see yesterday's blog).
Tomorrow is an early release as well as our holiday party. Have a very happy holiday and a super break!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, Sort of like a Wednesday!
We are on the countdown for vacation! Students have remained nicely focused today. I was impressed!
We started by going to the computer lab and finishing up our Holiday Fragrance paper. Students passed these in when they finished. Also, they had time to work on Word Ladders and the homophone packet we started last week.
In reading, we worked on another picture book and figuring out its conflict. Students then worked independently on their Day Four activities. Logs are due Wednesday.
In spelling, I handed back their tests and went over them. Students added words to their Words to Learn lists. I did a word preview for unit 4 and we did a short lesson on prefixes. Students then looked at previously brainstormed words and decided if they truly had a prefix in them.
In science, students presented their posters to the class (6F). We did a short activity called What's My Substance? Then, we worked on the third picture book for conflict.
We started by going to the computer lab and finishing up our Holiday Fragrance paper. Students passed these in when they finished. Also, they had time to work on Word Ladders and the homophone packet we started last week.
In reading, we worked on another picture book and figuring out its conflict. Students then worked independently on their Day Four activities. Logs are due Wednesday.
In spelling, I handed back their tests and went over them. Students added words to their Words to Learn lists. I did a word preview for unit 4 and we did a short lesson on prefixes. Students then looked at previously brainstormed words and decided if they truly had a prefix in them.
In science, students presented their posters to the class (6F). We did a short activity called What's My Substance? Then, we worked on the third picture book for conflict.
Friday, December 17, 2010
TGIF!
We are full of energy today in 6F! We finished up our small group spelling activities including spelling tricky words, Word Ladders and homophones. Any work started in these groups should be done by Wednesday before break.
In reading, we worked in small groups reading one of four picture books and deciding together what the conflict is and which type it is. Students will be doing this with other picture books until they have a representation of all of the conflicts.
In science, 6S worked on posters (due Tuesday) and webquests (due today).
6F ended the day with a Christmas Carol activity with our fourth grade buddies.
Reminder that Wednesday is an early release day. Students are dismissed at 12:10. This is also the day of our Holiday Party! Woo Hoo!
In reading, we worked in small groups reading one of four picture books and deciding together what the conflict is and which type it is. Students will be doing this with other picture books until they have a representation of all of the conflicts.
In science, 6S worked on posters (due Tuesday) and webquests (due today).
6F ended the day with a Christmas Carol activity with our fourth grade buddies.
Reminder that Wednesday is an early release day. Students are dismissed at 12:10. This is also the day of our Holiday Party! Woo Hoo!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thursday
We worked in small groups today on some spelling activities. We will rotate groups tomorrow as well. Students are working on vocabulary building Word Ladders, Homophone activities, or some tricky word spellings. All work from these groups need to be done by Tuesday of next week.
In reading, we read aloud and discussed the last conflict: character vs. self. Students will be classifying picture books by conflict types starting tomorrow in class.
In science today 6F had another opportunity to work on their analogy posters as well as the Webquest. The posters are due Monday for 6F. The Webquests are due tomorrow for both classes.
In reading, we read aloud and discussed the last conflict: character vs. self. Students will be classifying picture books by conflict types starting tomorrow in class.
In science today 6F had another opportunity to work on their analogy posters as well as the Webquest. The posters are due Monday for 6F. The Webquests are due tomorrow for both classes.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday
In reading today, we talked about character vs. society conflicts. Students added to their notes and we discussed examples of those. Students worked independently on reading to self, reading with a partner, responding to reading or meeting with me. I collected logs and passed out the new ones which are due Wednesday.
In writing, I did a lesson about using strong verbs rather than cluttering our writing with adverbs. Students worked on spelling work and/or their Holiday Fragrances paper.
In science today, students had time to work on their posters and their webquests.
In writing, I did a lesson about using strong verbs rather than cluttering our writing with adverbs. Students worked on spelling work and/or their Holiday Fragrances paper.
In science today, students had time to work on their posters and their webquests.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday
Today in reading we talked about character vs. nature conflicts after reading out loud. Stories like Hatchet have a character vs. nature conflict. Students worked independently while I met with groups. Reading logs are due tomorrow.
In writing, we worked on our Holiday Fragrance paper. Students also worked on left-over work from Friday's spelling groups.
In science, we did the same lesson as yesterday. 6S has their posters due on December 21.
We ended the day with SSR.
In writing, we worked on our Holiday Fragrance paper. Students also worked on left-over work from Friday's spelling groups.
In science, we did the same lesson as yesterday. 6S has their posters due on December 21.
We ended the day with SSR.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday....where does the time go?
I apologize for not blogging on Friday. I don't know where the time went! Whoops!
We're on to Monday. The day began with a short writing assignment that I gave out today. Students will be bringing a short piece (one paragraph) to final draft over the course of the next week. The topic of the piece is on Holiday Fragrances. Students needed to pick a fragrance that is prevalent to them and think of all of the memories the smell evokes. They will write one descriptive paragraph about this scent. Students will do a brainstorming, a first draft and a final draft. All of this is due by Tuesday, but it will all be done in class. The final pieces will go into portfolios.
In reading, we read aloud today and began to talk about conflict in fictional stories. Students identified one type of conflict which is character vs. character. We discussed examples (mostly fairy tales) of stories which have this conflict. This week we will explore the three other types of conflict. In the end, students will be responsible for identifying the conflict and type of conflict in their novels for the peer pressure unit. They will also read picture books and do the same thing. Reading logs are due Wednesday.
In spelling, we had a spelling test today.
In science this afternoon (6F), we discussed how the particles (atoms) that make up matter act in each of the three phases: solid, liquid and gas. Students had a chance to "act out" how they act in order to get a better idea of what the particles are doing. Then, we discussed what an analogy is. Students need to come up with an analogy for the particles in each phase of matter. This analogy will go on a poster that is due Monday, Dec. 20. They will work on these posters in class. Students also had a chance to finish up the Matter Webquest that we started on Thursday. I would like these by the end of the week.
We're on to Monday. The day began with a short writing assignment that I gave out today. Students will be bringing a short piece (one paragraph) to final draft over the course of the next week. The topic of the piece is on Holiday Fragrances. Students needed to pick a fragrance that is prevalent to them and think of all of the memories the smell evokes. They will write one descriptive paragraph about this scent. Students will do a brainstorming, a first draft and a final draft. All of this is due by Tuesday, but it will all be done in class. The final pieces will go into portfolios.
In reading, we read aloud today and began to talk about conflict in fictional stories. Students identified one type of conflict which is character vs. character. We discussed examples (mostly fairy tales) of stories which have this conflict. This week we will explore the three other types of conflict. In the end, students will be responsible for identifying the conflict and type of conflict in their novels for the peer pressure unit. They will also read picture books and do the same thing. Reading logs are due Wednesday.
In spelling, we had a spelling test today.
In science this afternoon (6F), we discussed how the particles (atoms) that make up matter act in each of the three phases: solid, liquid and gas. Students had a chance to "act out" how they act in order to get a better idea of what the particles are doing. Then, we discussed what an analogy is. Students need to come up with an analogy for the particles in each phase of matter. This analogy will go on a poster that is due Monday, Dec. 20. They will work on these posters in class. Students also had a chance to finish up the Matter Webquest that we started on Thursday. I would like these by the end of the week.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thursday
We had another busy day in 6F! We started with a webquest in the computer lab. This is a bunch of on-line activities about matter for science. We had technical difficulties so it was a bit challenging.
In reading, we read aloud and worked independently. In writing, I read My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother and we wrote in our notebooks our reactions. It was a great day!
In reading, we read aloud and worked independently. In writing, I read My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother and we wrote in our notebooks our reactions. It was a great day!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Report Cards today!
Report cards went home today. Please sign the envelopes and return them tomorrow. Let us know if you have any questions.
In reading today, we began a new week in our unit. Students met with me, work on activities, read to self, or responded to reading. I collected log 12 and passed out log 13 which is due on Wednesday of next week.
In writing, we read a really sad book called Faithful Elephants and then responded to it in our notebooks. The collection of entries continues. Notebooks will be collected on Friday.
In science for both classes, I reviewed and finished a video on the Properties of Matter. Students took notes in their notebook and we reviewed them to make sure everyone had the same notes. The questions in their textbooks are due tomorrow for 6S.
In reading today, we began a new week in our unit. Students met with me, work on activities, read to self, or responded to reading. I collected log 12 and passed out log 13 which is due on Wednesday of next week.
In writing, we read a really sad book called Faithful Elephants and then responded to it in our notebooks. The collection of entries continues. Notebooks will be collected on Friday.
In science for both classes, I reviewed and finished a video on the Properties of Matter. Students took notes in their notebook and we reviewed them to make sure everyone had the same notes. The questions in their textbooks are due tomorrow for 6S.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Back from the Sick bed!
Phew, I was battling a terrible stomach flu so I apologize for any non-communication over the last few days. It was a toughie, but I'm on the mend!
Today I got caught up with students and directions. In reading this morning, I started with Read Aloud. I then went over figurative language and the requirements for this unit. Students are to be collecting examples of figurative language as they read their books for the Peer Pressure unit. They have been given a sheet that I will post on the blog in case they lose it. I would like both sides filled out by the end of the unit which is January 7. They are allowed to work together and much of our small group time will be spent on talking about examples from their books. Students may need to reread parts of the book to scan for examples.
I also went over the Making Connections sheet, again attached to this blog. This is also due at the end of the unit and must be full of connections students make as they read the book. This is not something they can do together as we all have different prior knowledge and schema so our connections are individual.
Log 12 is due tomorrow.
In writing, we read When Sophie Gets Angry and wrote in our notebooks about a time when we were angry. Then, we switched to spelling. We talked about the definition of homophones. Students then listed, in table groups, as many pairs of homophones as they could. Then, Scattegory-style, we went through as a class and only got credit for those that nobody else said. The group in the end with the most "won". I gave out an extra credit challenge that came from an article I found in the newspaper. This is due on Friday. Students do not have to do it.
In science, I showed the Matter Rap video. We then read section 2 of the textbook about Measuring Matter. Students took notes, outline-style, in their notebooks. Finally I explained the homework: answer the questions at the end of section 1 and section 2. 6F's are due tomorrow as they got the assignment yesterday. 6S's are due Thursday.
Today I got caught up with students and directions. In reading this morning, I started with Read Aloud. I then went over figurative language and the requirements for this unit. Students are to be collecting examples of figurative language as they read their books for the Peer Pressure unit. They have been given a sheet that I will post on the blog in case they lose it. I would like both sides filled out by the end of the unit which is January 7. They are allowed to work together and much of our small group time will be spent on talking about examples from their books. Students may need to reread parts of the book to scan for examples.
I also went over the Making Connections sheet, again attached to this blog. This is also due at the end of the unit and must be full of connections students make as they read the book. This is not something they can do together as we all have different prior knowledge and schema so our connections are individual.
Log 12 is due tomorrow.
In writing, we read When Sophie Gets Angry and wrote in our notebooks about a time when we were angry. Then, we switched to spelling. We talked about the definition of homophones. Students then listed, in table groups, as many pairs of homophones as they could. Then, Scattegory-style, we went through as a class and only got credit for those that nobody else said. The group in the end with the most "won". I gave out an extra credit challenge that came from an article I found in the newspaper. This is due on Friday. Students do not have to do it.
In science, I showed the Matter Rap video. We then read section 2 of the textbook about Measuring Matter. Students took notes, outline-style, in their notebooks. Finally I explained the homework: answer the questions at the end of section 1 and section 2. 6F's are due tomorrow as they got the assignment yesterday. 6S's are due Thursday.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Science Fair Day!
Hip hip hooray for the science fair! Please come tonight from 5:30 to 6:30. Be sure to check the sign up sheet outside the gym for what to bring for our holiday party. That will be on Dec 22.
In reading today, we began a new read aloud, The Shadow Club. This is a powerful book that provokes a lot of discussion. It fits right into our unit of How Peer Pressure Affects Friendship. I then did a lesson on the comprehension strategy of Making Connections. We talked about the different types of connections (text to self, text to text and text to world). I gave an example of each kind. This was a review for all of the students. I then talked about Fat vs. Thin connections. Fat connections are those that really matter and help you to understand the story. Thin connections don't help your comprehension. Students are being encouraged to recognize when they make connections while they read and what type of connections they are. Students followed their plan and either Read to Self, Responded to Reading, Met with a Teacher, Read to a Partner, or had an individual conference.
In writing today, I read the book Chrysanthemum and students wrote about the significance of their names in their writers' notebooks. Also, they "Read the Room" and wrote an entry based on that.
In the afternoon we set up the gym for the science fair while some adults and other students came through. I am very impressed with the projects! They came out great!
See you tonight at 5:30 to 6:30 in gym!
In reading today, we began a new read aloud, The Shadow Club. This is a powerful book that provokes a lot of discussion. It fits right into our unit of How Peer Pressure Affects Friendship. I then did a lesson on the comprehension strategy of Making Connections. We talked about the different types of connections (text to self, text to text and text to world). I gave an example of each kind. This was a review for all of the students. I then talked about Fat vs. Thin connections. Fat connections are those that really matter and help you to understand the story. Thin connections don't help your comprehension. Students are being encouraged to recognize when they make connections while they read and what type of connections they are. Students followed their plan and either Read to Self, Responded to Reading, Met with a Teacher, Read to a Partner, or had an individual conference.
In writing today, I read the book Chrysanthemum and students wrote about the significance of their names in their writers' notebooks. Also, they "Read the Room" and wrote an entry based on that.
In the afternoon we set up the gym for the science fair while some adults and other students came through. I am very impressed with the projects! They came out great!
See you tonight at 5:30 to 6:30 in gym!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wet Wednesday
Indoor recess today, oh boy!
In reading, we went over the Read to a Partner choice during work time. Students helped me create a chart about what they should be doing during this activity. We listed out behaviors on a piece of chart paper that will hang in the classroom. Students then Read to Self, Read to a Partner, Responded to Reading, Conferred with an adult, or met with me in a group. Log 12 is due Wednesday.
In writing today, we made Authority Lists and wrote about something on them. Ask your child what's on his/her Authority List!
In science, we read the first chapter of the textbook called Describing Matter. Students used a graphic organizer to outline the important parts.
The Science Fair is tomorrow! All boards should be in by then!
In reading, we went over the Read to a Partner choice during work time. Students helped me create a chart about what they should be doing during this activity. We listed out behaviors on a piece of chart paper that will hang in the classroom. Students then Read to Self, Read to a Partner, Responded to Reading, Conferred with an adult, or met with me in a group. Log 12 is due Wednesday.
In writing today, we made Authority Lists and wrote about something on them. Ask your child what's on his/her Authority List!
In science, we read the first chapter of the textbook called Describing Matter. Students used a graphic organizer to outline the important parts.
The Science Fair is tomorrow! All boards should be in by then!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday
Today, we started our new unit on peer pressure. I explained the guidelines for the unit, passed out planning calendars and did book talks on the books being offered. Students learned who their partners are and picked books. They planned out how they will spend their class times and began to read. They seemed very excited about the book choices! Of course, that makes me happy! The focal points of the unit are fictional conflicts, fluency, making connections, and recognizing how an author writes using figurative language. I handed out the new log which is due on Wednesday of next week. If students have not brought back their portfolios, they should be sure to do that tomorrow.
In writing, we did a lesson called "Dig Up Your Own Stories". I had students draw a map of a special place in their writers' notebooks. Then they put "X"'s where they had special memories. Next, I asked students to write about a special memory. We are collecting entries in our notebooks so that we may choose one to write about for the next published piece. I will collect notebooks at the end of the week for a fluency grade.
In science today, we did the same lesson as yesterday. We ended our day with silent sustained reading.
In writing, we did a lesson called "Dig Up Your Own Stories". I had students draw a map of a special place in their writers' notebooks. Then they put "X"'s where they had special memories. Next, I asked students to write about a special memory. We are collecting entries in our notebooks so that we may choose one to write about for the next published piece. I will collect notebooks at the end of the week for a fluency grade.
In science today, we did the same lesson as yesterday. We ended our day with silent sustained reading.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Welcome Back!
I am at a workshop today on technology! I'm excited to learn more to bring back for my students to try!
Today in writing, we started with writers' notebooks. We will be working a lot in these over the week. Students will be collecting entries this week in hopes of finding something that they want to publish.
For the remainder of the writing class, students worked on a Scavenger Hunt using the Write Source book. This is a handbook that has a ton of information for students to be able to access at anytime.
During reading today, students updated their reading lists with the list of genres that they have been reading. Then, they took a quiz where they matched the definitions of genres with the genre names. The remainder of time was used for Read to Self. There is no reading log due tomorrow.
In spelling, students worked together to brainstorm words that had particular prefixes. Take Home Task was handed out and is due on Thursday.
This afternoon in science (6S), we did a "Probe" which is like a pretest on matter. Students needed to identify from a list what is considered matter and what isn't. This is the beginning of our matter unit. Textbooks were given out. Students do not have to cover these since they won't be going home. Step 4 and 5 are due tomorrow for both classes.
Today in writing, we started with writers' notebooks. We will be working a lot in these over the week. Students will be collecting entries this week in hopes of finding something that they want to publish.
For the remainder of the writing class, students worked on a Scavenger Hunt using the Write Source book. This is a handbook that has a ton of information for students to be able to access at anytime.
During reading today, students updated their reading lists with the list of genres that they have been reading. Then, they took a quiz where they matched the definitions of genres with the genre names. The remainder of time was used for Read to Self. There is no reading log due tomorrow.
In spelling, students worked together to brainstorm words that had particular prefixes. Take Home Task was handed out and is due on Thursday.
This afternoon in science (6S), we did a "Probe" which is like a pretest on matter. Students needed to identify from a list what is considered matter and what isn't. This is the beginning of our matter unit. Textbooks were given out. Students do not have to cover these since they won't be going home. Step 4 and 5 are due tomorrow for both classes.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday that feels like Friday
We worked hard today to get our work done today! We worked on Who am I as a Reader? for our portfolios. Students have taken them home for you to see. I need them back for Monday, November 29 please. Thank you!
We also had a science test today. 6F had their's this morning and have gotten them back already. I was very happy with the results! They did great. Remember that the results and conclusions are due Tuesday, November 30 for me to check. The Science Fair is Thursday, December 2 from 5:30 to 6:30PM in the gym. A note went home about that today. Let me know if you have any questions!
Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
We also had a science test today. 6F had their's this morning and have gotten them back already. I was very happy with the results! They did great. Remember that the results and conclusions are due Tuesday, November 30 for me to check. The Science Fair is Thursday, December 2 from 5:30 to 6:30PM in the gym. A note went home about that today. Let me know if you have any questions!
Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday
6F has been so productive today! Most students have finished their compare contrast essays. If they are not done, they have some time this afternoon or even tomorrow to finish. I'm so proud of their work ethic today! We've spent all morning in the computer lab or library typing and getting things done. Phew!
I introduced the Who am I as a Reader? essay today. All students will be done with this by tomorrow. I will have this in their portfolios with their reading logs as their artifacts. Portfolios will be sent home tomorrow for you to view over the Thanksgiving holiday. Please take some time to look at all of the great work your child has been doing so far in sixth grade. It's amazing to see how far we've come in such a short amount of time! I would like the portfolios back when the students come back on Monday.
As far as the science project goes, I will be looking at Step 3 tomorrow. This is identifying the independent and dependent variables. I will hand out guidelines for writing the conclusions this week. Students, if they haven't yet, should be conducting their experiments in the next week. The results and conclusions are due when they get back on Tuesday. The final lay out is due Thursday, December 2 for the science fair. I will put another page on this blog to show how the board should be laid out. Let me know if you have any questions.
I introduced the Who am I as a Reader? essay today. All students will be done with this by tomorrow. I will have this in their portfolios with their reading logs as their artifacts. Portfolios will be sent home tomorrow for you to view over the Thanksgiving holiday. Please take some time to look at all of the great work your child has been doing so far in sixth grade. It's amazing to see how far we've come in such a short amount of time! I would like the portfolios back when the students come back on Monday.
As far as the science project goes, I will be looking at Step 3 tomorrow. This is identifying the independent and dependent variables. I will hand out guidelines for writing the conclusions this week. Students, if they haven't yet, should be conducting their experiments in the next week. The results and conclusions are due when they get back on Tuesday. The final lay out is due Thursday, December 2 for the science fair. I will put another page on this blog to show how the board should be laid out. Let me know if you have any questions.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Friday at Last!
It's been an awesome week to get things done. I love that there were no interruptions to the week!
We ended our WIN writing groups today. My group could have used five more classes to finish their digital stories. We began plugging in images into an iPhoto book. Nobody finished but they could still use any free time they have to work on this. From what I saw, I was impressed. Kids know so much about technology! It's amazing to me!
In reading, we began calculating how many pages we've been reading over the course of the last 10 weeks. Students will need this information for their Who am I as a Reader? essays that we will work on next week in class. This is part of their portfolios and I will send these home for you to view over the Thanksgiving break. Log #11 is due Tuesday.
This afternoon, 6S did the reading genre quiz. They read 2 pictures and identified their genres. Examples were given to support their reasoning.
Have a super weekend!
We ended our WIN writing groups today. My group could have used five more classes to finish their digital stories. We began plugging in images into an iPhoto book. Nobody finished but they could still use any free time they have to work on this. From what I saw, I was impressed. Kids know so much about technology! It's amazing to me!
In reading, we began calculating how many pages we've been reading over the course of the last 10 weeks. Students will need this information for their Who am I as a Reader? essays that we will work on next week in class. This is part of their portfolios and I will send these home for you to view over the Thanksgiving break. Log #11 is due Tuesday.
This afternoon, 6S did the reading genre quiz. They read 2 pictures and identified their genres. Examples were given to support their reasoning.
Have a super weekend!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
It's a Busy Thursday around Here!
Phew! Our classroom is buzzing with activity today!
In writing, we went to the library to type of compare/contrast essays. We're almost there! One more class period will be given before the due date of Tuesday. Please ask your child where he/she is at with this. The essays are shaping up nicely!
In reading, I read aloud a memoir today. We took notes on the differences between an autobiography, a biography and a memoir. I also showed two examples of books for each. Next, students used their work time to read, conference or blog. The last day for the blog is tomorrow. I love five day weeks! We get so much done!
In the afternoon, 6F did their reading assessment on genres. I asked them to read two picture books and identify the genre of each. They were able to use their notes on this. Students were asked to give two examples from each book to support why they classified it as the genre they did. This is a quiz grade. 6S will do this tomorrow during the afternoon.
In writing, we went to the library to type of compare/contrast essays. We're almost there! One more class period will be given before the due date of Tuesday. Please ask your child where he/she is at with this. The essays are shaping up nicely!
In reading, I read aloud a memoir today. We took notes on the differences between an autobiography, a biography and a memoir. I also showed two examples of books for each. Next, students used their work time to read, conference or blog. The last day for the blog is tomorrow. I love five day weeks! We get so much done!
In the afternoon, 6F did their reading assessment on genres. I asked them to read two picture books and identify the genre of each. They were able to use their notes on this. Students were asked to give two examples from each book to support why they classified it as the genre they did. This is a quiz grade. 6S will do this tomorrow during the afternoon.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday, the middle of the week!
Band and chorus met today while others had study hall. It was a quiet start to the day. Many students checked in with me regarding their science project procedures and materials list.
In reading today, we read a story about bacteria. This was informational print. Students took notes on this genre and I book talked a few informational books that may be of interest. Students read silently, conferred with an adult or blogged during class time. I collected reading log #10 as well. The next one is due on Tuesday of next week since we are not here on Wednesday. If students want to complete one over the Thanksgiving break, it will count for extra credit in reading.
During writing, I did a lesson on the concluding paragraph in our compare/contrast essays. These will be due, in final form, on Tuesday of next week.
In science, we looked at our materials and procedures in small groups. Students offered suggestions to others to improve them. Also, I went over the rubric for how the science projects will be scored. Students are to pass these in when they pass their projects in. I also talked about planning ahead for this project. The science fair is December 2 which is the week we come back from the break. If students are planning to be away for the Thanksgiving holiday, it will be important for them to conduct their experiments over the course of this week. Time management is a constant goal!
Finally in science, we talked about the test. I did some reviewing with them so they would be prepared. This is the last science class they will have before the test. They can see me at any time to ask a question about the material, but this is the last time there will be a formal class.
In reading today, we read a story about bacteria. This was informational print. Students took notes on this genre and I book talked a few informational books that may be of interest. Students read silently, conferred with an adult or blogged during class time. I collected reading log #10 as well. The next one is due on Tuesday of next week since we are not here on Wednesday. If students want to complete one over the Thanksgiving break, it will count for extra credit in reading.
During writing, I did a lesson on the concluding paragraph in our compare/contrast essays. These will be due, in final form, on Tuesday of next week.
In science, we looked at our materials and procedures in small groups. Students offered suggestions to others to improve them. Also, I went over the rubric for how the science projects will be scored. Students are to pass these in when they pass their projects in. I also talked about planning ahead for this project. The science fair is December 2 which is the week we come back from the break. If students are planning to be away for the Thanksgiving holiday, it will be important for them to conduct their experiments over the course of this week. Time management is a constant goal!
Finally in science, we talked about the test. I did some reviewing with them so they would be prepared. This is the last science class they will have before the test. They can see me at any time to ask a question about the material, but this is the last time there will be a formal class.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Typical Tuesday
Today was a normal day! (Do I dare say that before the day has ended?) We read a science fiction short story today and discussed the elements of the sci-fi genre. I then book talked some science fiction books. Students read, blogged and conferred. We are making good progress!
In writing, we looked at how to write an introduction paragraph. Students tried this and conferred with an adult. These essays are due November 23, before the holiday break.
In 6S science, we did the same lesson as yesterday. Please refer to yesterday's blog.
We ended our day playing Boggle with our buddies. Fun!
In writing, we looked at how to write an introduction paragraph. Students tried this and conferred with an adult. These essays are due November 23, before the holiday break.
In 6S science, we did the same lesson as yesterday. Please refer to yesterday's blog.
We ended our day playing Boggle with our buddies. Fun!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday
Another busy day in 6F today! We got our spelling tests and Take Home Task back today. I went over both and students added words to their Words to Learn lists from the misspellings on these. We then did a word preview for unit 3.
After that, we switched to writing and working on those compare/contrast essays. We had quite a few adults who were able to confer and help with these essays. I talked a bit about the introduction paragraphs and what those look like. We looked at examples and will go over how to write on of these tomorrow. I'm shooting for a due date of next Tuesday for these essays.
In reading today, we took notes on the characteristics of the fantasy genre. I book talked some fantasy books and handed out the genre requirement sheet. Students need to read 12 books this year from different genres. They will keep track of these books on a "pie" that is kept in school. Students should be adding to this "pie" all throughout the year and it will be collected at the end of the year. The purpose is for students to be reading a variety of genres.
In science (6F), we worked on more science scenarios, picking out the parts of the experiment. I handed out the study guide for the test as well and went over some additional things for them to study.
After that, we switched to writing and working on those compare/contrast essays. We had quite a few adults who were able to confer and help with these essays. I talked a bit about the introduction paragraphs and what those look like. We looked at examples and will go over how to write on of these tomorrow. I'm shooting for a due date of next Tuesday for these essays.
In reading today, we took notes on the characteristics of the fantasy genre. I book talked some fantasy books and handed out the genre requirement sheet. Students need to read 12 books this year from different genres. They will keep track of these books on a "pie" that is kept in school. Students should be adding to this "pie" all throughout the year and it will be collected at the end of the year. The purpose is for students to be reading a variety of genres.
In science (6F), we worked on more science scenarios, picking out the parts of the experiment. I handed out the study guide for the test as well and went over some additional things for them to study.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday... sorry for the delay!
As I was putting my head down to go to sleep last night, I realized that I forgot to update my blog! Yikes! Sorry about that!
I got a chance to look at each child's blog entry from this week. I am very happy to say that I think we're getting it! Most students have taken the feedback I gave them from last week and used it to better this week's entry. Hooray! I think having to write for an audience is a big motivator for kids, especially when the audience is their own peer group. This week in reading, students not only wrote a blog entry about their books, they also read 2 to 5 of their classmates' entries and commented on those. The purpose for this in my mind is two-fold. First, as I mentioned, is writing for an audience. Secondly, I'm hoping that students will get ideas of books to read based on what their classmates are reading and saying about books. It seems to be working. I'm excited to see how many books the students in 6F and 6S are reading and enjoying! This is one of the best parts of my job!
I collected reading logs on Wednesday of this week and will do the same next week. The following week, they will be due on Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving break. Over that break, I will not require students to complete a log. They can still do this and turn it in for extra credit. They must, however, complete the 2 hour requirement as well as the vocabulary.
We are making our way through the different genres. Yesterday, we read a fantasy story and will take notes on the elements of fantasy on Monday. When we make through all of the genres, I will assess students on their ability to distinguish books based on their genre which is one of the report card standards. It is my hope that we get to this by Friday of next week.
During the course of the week, it is my goal to meet with each students for a reading conference. When we have 5 day weeks, this is do-able. Unfortunately, those types of weeks seem few and far between as of late! I'm excited to say that next week is a full week so I should be able to get to everyone during Reading Workshop time. I also have Mrs. Bewersdorf, Mrs. Serzans, Mrs. DiPastina, and Stu (my high school intern) who come in to help with these conferences.
In writing, we continue to work on the Compare/Contrast essays. On Monday, I will introduce how to write the introduction paragraph. We're getting there! It is my hope to be done by the Thanksgiving break.
Yesterday, my class spent the afternoon with the Artist in Residence. We had lots of fun trying our hands at Chinese Calligraphy.
Have a great weekend!
I got a chance to look at each child's blog entry from this week. I am very happy to say that I think we're getting it! Most students have taken the feedback I gave them from last week and used it to better this week's entry. Hooray! I think having to write for an audience is a big motivator for kids, especially when the audience is their own peer group. This week in reading, students not only wrote a blog entry about their books, they also read 2 to 5 of their classmates' entries and commented on those. The purpose for this in my mind is two-fold. First, as I mentioned, is writing for an audience. Secondly, I'm hoping that students will get ideas of books to read based on what their classmates are reading and saying about books. It seems to be working. I'm excited to see how many books the students in 6F and 6S are reading and enjoying! This is one of the best parts of my job!
I collected reading logs on Wednesday of this week and will do the same next week. The following week, they will be due on Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving break. Over that break, I will not require students to complete a log. They can still do this and turn it in for extra credit. They must, however, complete the 2 hour requirement as well as the vocabulary.
We are making our way through the different genres. Yesterday, we read a fantasy story and will take notes on the elements of fantasy on Monday. When we make through all of the genres, I will assess students on their ability to distinguish books based on their genre which is one of the report card standards. It is my hope that we get to this by Friday of next week.
During the course of the week, it is my goal to meet with each students for a reading conference. When we have 5 day weeks, this is do-able. Unfortunately, those types of weeks seem few and far between as of late! I'm excited to say that next week is a full week so I should be able to get to everyone during Reading Workshop time. I also have Mrs. Bewersdorf, Mrs. Serzans, Mrs. DiPastina, and Stu (my high school intern) who come in to help with these conferences.
In writing, we continue to work on the Compare/Contrast essays. On Monday, I will introduce how to write the introduction paragraph. We're getting there! It is my hope to be done by the Thanksgiving break.
Yesterday, my class spent the afternoon with the Artist in Residence. We had lots of fun trying our hands at Chinese Calligraphy.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday
The sun is shining and it's outdoor recess! Hooray!
In reading today, I book talked some realistic fiction books. Then students read to self or responded to reading on the blog. I conferred with readers during this time. I collected reading logs today as well.
In writing, we continued our work on our essays. I conferred with some to help them through the process. I will try to meet with everyone at least once. We will start on the introduction and conclusion next week.
In science today, I checked all project questions and hypotheses. We then went over the science scenarios that we worked on in class. Students should have a good handle on these scenarios for the upcoming test. We also started some more scenarios picking out the different parts of them. The next step (Step 2) which includes a materials list and procedures is due November 17.
In reading today, I book talked some realistic fiction books. Then students read to self or responded to reading on the blog. I conferred with readers during this time. I collected reading logs today as well.
In writing, we continued our work on our essays. I conferred with some to help them through the process. I will try to meet with everyone at least once. We will start on the introduction and conclusion next week.
In science today, I checked all project questions and hypotheses. We then went over the science scenarios that we worked on in class. Students should have a good handle on these scenarios for the upcoming test. We also started some more scenarios picking out the different parts of them. The next step (Step 2) which includes a materials list and procedures is due November 17.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Tuesday
Today in reading, we read a short story called "Flying Away". This story was realistic fiction. We then took notes on the characteristic of realistic fiction novels. Students then used their time to read to self or respond to reading. I pulled a few kids to confer with as did Mrs. Bewersdorf.
During writing today, we talked about bridging one sentence to another. I showed examples on the board and asked students to go back into their writing to work on this in their compare/contrast essays. Students had conferences on this writing as well.
In science this afternoon, I did the same lesson with 6S as I did with 6F yesterday. Please check yesterday's blog.
We ended our day in the cafeteria playing Scrabble with our 4th grade buddies.
Please remember that there is no school on Thursday due to Veteran's Day.
During writing today, we talked about bridging one sentence to another. I showed examples on the board and asked students to go back into their writing to work on this in their compare/contrast essays. Students had conferences on this writing as well.
In science this afternoon, I did the same lesson with 6S as I did with 6F yesterday. Please check yesterday's blog.
We ended our day in the cafeteria playing Scrabble with our 4th grade buddies.
Please remember that there is no school on Thursday due to Veteran's Day.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, Monday
We had a wet but wonderful day today! Students began writing in their writers' notebooks. We, then, had a lesson on the make up of a paragraph. We discussed topic sentences, detail sentences, and closing sentences. I asked students to then identify these types of sentences in their 2 written paragraphs for the compare/contrast essay. This was difficult for some. Those who couldn't identify got help and some students needed to craft one or more of these sentences for their paragraphs. We will continue to work through these essays tomorrow.
In reading today, we took notes on the genre of narrative poetry. I book talked several books in this genre. Next, I handed back the blog entries from last week with feedback on them. Students needed to take the feedback and use it to improve this week's entry. I also showed them how to respond to others' entries. During reading workshop time, students chose to read to self or blog. We conferred with a few readers as well.
In science today, I went over the appropriate unit of measurement sheet (4.8) that they did for homework last week. We talked in more depth about choosing appropriate units depending on what you are measuring. Next, we worked on 3 science scenarios where students needed to identify the parts of the experiment. We will go over these on Wednesday. I assigned the Scientific Method test for November 23. Students had time to run their ideas for their science experiment by me during class.
In reading today, we took notes on the genre of narrative poetry. I book talked several books in this genre. Next, I handed back the blog entries from last week with feedback on them. Students needed to take the feedback and use it to improve this week's entry. I also showed them how to respond to others' entries. During reading workshop time, students chose to read to self or blog. We conferred with a few readers as well.
In science today, I went over the appropriate unit of measurement sheet (4.8) that they did for homework last week. We talked in more depth about choosing appropriate units depending on what you are measuring. Next, we worked on 3 science scenarios where students needed to identify the parts of the experiment. We will go over these on Wednesday. I assigned the Scientific Method test for November 23. Students had time to run their ideas for their science experiment by me during class.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Friday
We began our day in WIN writing groups. My digital storytelling group finished their rough drafts and started chunking out the text into parts for their digital story. I asked students to brainstorm images that would work with the text for each page.
In reading today, I passed back reading logs, students updated their blue sheet (books completed list), and I did some book talks on historical fiction books. Students then used the time to Read to Self, Respond to Reading or confer with me about the book they are reading.
In science today, I did the same lesson as yesterday with 6S. Students need to pick a topic for their science fair project soon! The Science Fair is December 2.
Have a super weekend!
In reading today, I passed back reading logs, students updated their blue sheet (books completed list), and I did some book talks on historical fiction books. Students then used the time to Read to Self, Respond to Reading or confer with me about the book they are reading.
In science today, I did the same lesson as yesterday with 6S. Students need to pick a topic for their science fair project soon! The Science Fair is December 2.
Have a super weekend!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thursday
I apologize for not updating the blog yesterday. I was out sick.
Today, we worked on our compare/contrast essays in writing. We are writing an essay showing the similarities and differences between The Crazy Man, Radio, and the books we read for the Celebrate our Differences unit. Students are in the prewriting stages at the moment, using Venn Diagrams to map out the similarities and differences. I will do some lessons on building paragraphs the next time we have writing.
In reading, I read aloud a historical fiction short story. We talked about the components of a novel that would classify it as historical fiction. Students took notes on this. Then they worked on Read to Self, Respond to Reading or conferring with an adult. The next reading log will be due November 10.
In science (6F), we began discussing the science fair that is coming up soon. Students need to come up with a science experiment of their own to do and display at the science fair. This will be December 2. I passed out guidelines with specific dates for each part and due dates. The end result should be a science experiment that is conducted and its results displayed for the fair. Students looked at other projects from the past and they started looking through books to get a better idea of what their experiments might be. The first part of this project is due November 10. Students need to come up with a question and a hypothesis by this date.
Today, we worked on our compare/contrast essays in writing. We are writing an essay showing the similarities and differences between The Crazy Man, Radio, and the books we read for the Celebrate our Differences unit. Students are in the prewriting stages at the moment, using Venn Diagrams to map out the similarities and differences. I will do some lessons on building paragraphs the next time we have writing.
In reading, I read aloud a historical fiction short story. We talked about the components of a novel that would classify it as historical fiction. Students took notes on this. Then they worked on Read to Self, Respond to Reading or conferring with an adult. The next reading log will be due November 10.
In science (6F), we began discussing the science fair that is coming up soon. Students need to come up with a science experiment of their own to do and display at the science fair. This will be December 2. I passed out guidelines with specific dates for each part and due dates. The end result should be a science experiment that is conducted and its results displayed for the fair. Students looked at other projects from the past and they started looking through books to get a better idea of what their experiments might be. The first part of this project is due November 10. Students need to come up with a question and a hypothesis by this date.
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Monday After
Glad to see all the smiling faces this morning. We had a bit of a "zigger zagger" day today. We started right away with math and reading instead of writing due to an assembly with the Artist in Residence. In reading this morning, we began to discuss elements of genre. I read a mystery story on Friday and used that as a reference for what actually makes up a mystery. In talking about characters, setting and plot, students took notes on what makes a story a true "mystery". I then did some book talks on some good mysteries that I think the students might like. Students then had time to Read to Self, Respond to Reading and/or confer with an adult. Reading logs will be collected on Wednesday due to the day off tomorrow.
In spelling, we discussed how to find words that are antonym pairs. The focus of the lesson was adding prefixes to root words that make opposites. We came up with eight prefixes (such as "non", "in", "un", etc.) that made root words opposite. Then students began to brainstorm in groups opposite pairs using this method. We will continue this lesson on Wednesday.
This afternoon we had writing. We worked on revising and editing our fall benchmarks using the knowledge we've gained throughout the last writing unit. I collected these for a grade today.
Tomorrow is Parent/Teacher conference day so there is no school. If you did not get a conference slot and would like to meet with us, please let me know.
In spelling, we discussed how to find words that are antonym pairs. The focus of the lesson was adding prefixes to root words that make opposites. We came up with eight prefixes (such as "non", "in", "un", etc.) that made root words opposite. Then students began to brainstorm in groups opposite pairs using this method. We will continue this lesson on Wednesday.
This afternoon we had writing. We worked on revising and editing our fall benchmarks using the knowledge we've gained throughout the last writing unit. I collected these for a grade today.
Tomorrow is Parent/Teacher conference day so there is no school. If you did not get a conference slot and would like to meet with us, please let me know.
Friday, October 29, 2010
It's a Scary Friday Around Here!
Everyone is very excited for the day today! I can't wait to see the costumes this afternoon.
We began in WIN block for writing groups. My group, digital storytelling, worked on their stories in the computer lab. I encouraged students to save to their flash drives and work on the story more over the course of the week. The next couple of weeks we will get these stories onto iPhoto and enhance them with pictures. It is my goal to have finished products on the last day so that we can share.
In reading today, we read aloud a short mystery story. I will begin introducing genres and characteristics to classify books into genres. We talked about how a mystery story has a puzzle or crime to be solved by a detective using clues. Next week we will focus more on the other genres as well. During class time, students looked at others' blog entries anonymously and tried to find the summary sentences as well as the response point. We talked about what good blog entry looks like and what it contains. I think after all of the work this week, students are ready to complete this assignment independently next week! Reading logs are due on Wednesday next week, due to Tuesday being a day off.
This afternoon was the Halloween Costume Contest. I'll post pictures later in the day!
Happy Halloween! Boo!
We began in WIN block for writing groups. My group, digital storytelling, worked on their stories in the computer lab. I encouraged students to save to their flash drives and work on the story more over the course of the week. The next couple of weeks we will get these stories onto iPhoto and enhance them with pictures. It is my goal to have finished products on the last day so that we can share.
In reading today, we read aloud a short mystery story. I will begin introducing genres and characteristics to classify books into genres. We talked about how a mystery story has a puzzle or crime to be solved by a detective using clues. Next week we will focus more on the other genres as well. During class time, students looked at others' blog entries anonymously and tried to find the summary sentences as well as the response point. We talked about what good blog entry looks like and what it contains. I think after all of the work this week, students are ready to complete this assignment independently next week! Reading logs are due on Wednesday next week, due to Tuesday being a day off.
This afternoon was the Halloween Costume Contest. I'll post pictures later in the day!
Happy Halloween! Boo!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday
What a gorgeous day this has turned out to be! Hooray for sunshine!
We started our day in 6F with a writing exercise. Every now and then we do some writing to a prompt. This is a standard practice in grade 6 and is what we call a "CBM" (curriculum based measurement). Students are given a choice of 2 prompts. They write the prompt down, which is the beginning of a sentence. They are then given one minute to think and three minutes to write. I collect these and some of them are kept as data to show progress in writing.
After this, we looked at our writing benchmarks from September. Students were showed how they scored on these benchmarks and are now working on revising them to better pieces. It is my hope that they will use what I've taught them over the last month in writing to revise and edit these pieces. They will turn the revised pieces in for a grade. I'm hoping some of them will finish prior to parent conferences so that I can show you the improvements!
Also today, we had Mrs. Meserve come in (thank you!) to take each child individually and record them reading aloud. I will do some lessons on fluency and what reading fluently means soon. Students will then look at their videos and use a rubric to reflect on their fluency. We will upload these to our digital portfolios and write reflections in the near future.
In reading class, we continued our practice of writing a journal entry on the class blog. Students worked in pairs to finish what they started yesterday. They were not able to post to the blog until the entry was approved by an adult (Mrs. Bewersdorf or myself). We tried to guide them through the expectations of these entries where there is a 2 sentence summary followed by a response that focuses on one thing and gives examples from the book to back it up. This was difficult for many, but we worked through it and I'm hoping it will make a difference in the journal/blog entries that students do on their own starting next week.
We had a Fire Prevention Assembly this afternoon in place of science.
Please remember that Tuesday is Parent Conference Day. If you've forgotten your time, please let me know. There is no school this day.
We started our day in 6F with a writing exercise. Every now and then we do some writing to a prompt. This is a standard practice in grade 6 and is what we call a "CBM" (curriculum based measurement). Students are given a choice of 2 prompts. They write the prompt down, which is the beginning of a sentence. They are then given one minute to think and three minutes to write. I collect these and some of them are kept as data to show progress in writing.
After this, we looked at our writing benchmarks from September. Students were showed how they scored on these benchmarks and are now working on revising them to better pieces. It is my hope that they will use what I've taught them over the last month in writing to revise and edit these pieces. They will turn the revised pieces in for a grade. I'm hoping some of them will finish prior to parent conferences so that I can show you the improvements!
Also today, we had Mrs. Meserve come in (thank you!) to take each child individually and record them reading aloud. I will do some lessons on fluency and what reading fluently means soon. Students will then look at their videos and use a rubric to reflect on their fluency. We will upload these to our digital portfolios and write reflections in the near future.
In reading class, we continued our practice of writing a journal entry on the class blog. Students worked in pairs to finish what they started yesterday. They were not able to post to the blog until the entry was approved by an adult (Mrs. Bewersdorf or myself). We tried to guide them through the expectations of these entries where there is a 2 sentence summary followed by a response that focuses on one thing and gives examples from the book to back it up. This was difficult for many, but we worked through it and I'm hoping it will make a difference in the journal/blog entries that students do on their own starting next week.
We had a Fire Prevention Assembly this afternoon in place of science.
Please remember that Tuesday is Parent Conference Day. If you've forgotten your time, please let me know. There is no school this day.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday
It's a wonderful wet Wednesday! Band and chorus started our day today. Many kids used the study hall to study for their social studies test today.
In reading today, we did some guided practice writing journal/blog entries. I had kids work together to make entries based on The Crazy Man, our common read aloud. I walked around and helped students formulate a 2 sentence (at the most) summary of the book. Then, they began the response part. Not all finished so we will continue tomorrow. Students are not going to be responsible for their own blog entry until next week.
During writing, we were in the computer lab and we finished up the published piece of writing. Students had a chance to upload their pieces to the internal blog and comment on the stories.
In science today, we did a lesson on units of measurement. We talked a lot about which units are used for which type of measure (i.e. meters measure length; grams measure mass, etc.) This lesson was out of the math textbook and they will need to complete a math workbook page for homework.
In reading today, we did some guided practice writing journal/blog entries. I had kids work together to make entries based on The Crazy Man, our common read aloud. I walked around and helped students formulate a 2 sentence (at the most) summary of the book. Then, they began the response part. Not all finished so we will continue tomorrow. Students are not going to be responsible for their own blog entry until next week.
During writing, we were in the computer lab and we finished up the published piece of writing. Students had a chance to upload their pieces to the internal blog and comment on the stories.
In science today, we did a lesson on units of measurement. We talked a lot about which units are used for which type of measure (i.e. meters measure length; grams measure mass, etc.) This lesson was out of the math textbook and they will need to complete a math workbook page for homework.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday
We talked about a new format for our Respond to Reading today. Students will be writing a journal entry on line on the in-house server. I passed out guidelines today and showed how they will be graded. Please let me know if you have any questions. I also collected reading logs and and handed out new ones that are due on Wednesday next week, because of parent conferences on Tuesday.
In writing we worked on our published pieces in the computer lab. Many have posted to the blog and have begun commenting on them.
In 6S this afternoon we filled in the graphic organizer from "Radio" that 6F did yesterday. I collected the Candy Lab conclusions as well.
In writing we worked on our published pieces in the computer lab. Many have posted to the blog and have begun commenting on them.
In 6S this afternoon we filled in the graphic organizer from "Radio" that 6F did yesterday. I collected the Candy Lab conclusions as well.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday
6F started their day in the computer lab typing up their final drafts. The students are working on publishing their pieces to the classroom blog as well. I'm hoping to collect these pieces this week and move on to the next writing piece.
This morning, we combined both classes and watched the movie "Radio". This is part of our Celebrate Our Differences unit. We will talk about the characters, conflict and theme of this movie this week. In turn, we will use these elements as part of a compare/contrast essay where we look at similarities and differences between this movie, the read aloud book and the book each child read in school for this unit. We will work on these essays in writing class.
6F had spelling today after the movie. I passed back the tests and we added to our Words to Learn lists anything that was misspelled. I also handed back Take Home Task #1 and we added words from this as well. We also did a word preview for the next unit.
Instead of science today, we worked on the graphic organizer that goes with the movie "Radio". We began to think about the major characters in the movie and their character traits. This will be used for our compare/contrast essay.
This morning, we combined both classes and watched the movie "Radio". This is part of our Celebrate Our Differences unit. We will talk about the characters, conflict and theme of this movie this week. In turn, we will use these elements as part of a compare/contrast essay where we look at similarities and differences between this movie, the read aloud book and the book each child read in school for this unit. We will work on these essays in writing class.
6F had spelling today after the movie. I passed back the tests and we added to our Words to Learn lists anything that was misspelled. I also handed back Take Home Task #1 and we added words from this as well. We also did a word preview for the next unit.
Instead of science today, we worked on the graphic organizer that goes with the movie "Radio". We began to think about the major characters in the movie and their character traits. This will be used for our compare/contrast essay.
Friday, October 22, 2010
TGIF!
I am at a workshop today but here is a rundown of what I left for the sub.
We started our day with WIN groups. The WIN period (What I Need) consisted of math groups in the past, but we've changed it up this time to focus on writing. Students chose the genre of writing that they wanted to focus on based on a small list given to them. They were then placed in groups based on their first or second choices. The following was the list from which they had to choose: digital storytelling, speech writing, cartoon writing, editorials, book reviews, and poetry. Today was the first meeting. We will meet for five weeks until Thanksgiving. The goal is a published piece of writing.
My WIN group was digital storytelling. We started today with just choosing topics and prewriting. I will introduce the medium that we will use next week. I'm so excited about this project!
During reading today, we did an activity emphasizing observation vs. inference. Then we met in groups, read to self, or blogged (response to reading). Students need to complete their Character Papers by the assigned due dates.
In science, we did the candy lab in 6S. The conclusions are due Tuesday for both classes.
We started our day with WIN groups. The WIN period (What I Need) consisted of math groups in the past, but we've changed it up this time to focus on writing. Students chose the genre of writing that they wanted to focus on based on a small list given to them. They were then placed in groups based on their first or second choices. The following was the list from which they had to choose: digital storytelling, speech writing, cartoon writing, editorials, book reviews, and poetry. Today was the first meeting. We will meet for five weeks until Thanksgiving. The goal is a published piece of writing.
My WIN group was digital storytelling. We started today with just choosing topics and prewriting. I will introduce the medium that we will use next week. I'm so excited about this project!
During reading today, we did an activity emphasizing observation vs. inference. Then we met in groups, read to self, or blogged (response to reading). Students need to complete their Character Papers by the assigned due dates.
In science, we did the candy lab in 6S. The conclusions are due Tuesday for both classes.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday: Back to Normalcy!
*Please note: The time for the Halloween Costume Contest has changed from 1:00PM to 1:30PM on Friday, October 29.
We started our day writing in our writers' notebooks. We then talked about verbs for our lesson. Students are responsible for having consistent verb tense in their published pieces. They went through their pieces and highlighted the all of the verbs. Then, they decided if the tense was consistent. This was a bit challenging, but luckily, we had lots of helpers come in to lend a hand.
In reading, I handed out book orders and did some book talks about the books in the orders. These are due on Wednesday. Next, I talked with students about the importance of the weekly reading logs. We talked about keeping data for later use. After about 10 weeks of collecting data, I will ask students to look through their logs and calculate how many pages on average they've been reading each week. We will then write a reflection for our portfolios based on this data. We will also use the vocabulary words at another time to work with in more depth.
Students then proceeded to Read to Self or Respond to Reading or meet in a group during the rest of class.
In science for 6F, we began the Candy Lab. Students mapped out the elements of the experiment and were then able to collect data to answer the question, "How can you make a solid dissolve faster in a liquid?".
We started our day writing in our writers' notebooks. We then talked about verbs for our lesson. Students are responsible for having consistent verb tense in their published pieces. They went through their pieces and highlighted the all of the verbs. Then, they decided if the tense was consistent. This was a bit challenging, but luckily, we had lots of helpers come in to lend a hand.
In reading, I handed out book orders and did some book talks about the books in the orders. These are due on Wednesday. Next, I talked with students about the importance of the weekly reading logs. We talked about keeping data for later use. After about 10 weeks of collecting data, I will ask students to look through their logs and calculate how many pages on average they've been reading each week. We will then write a reflection for our portfolios based on this data. We will also use the vocabulary words at another time to work with in more depth.
Students then proceeded to Read to Self or Respond to Reading or meet in a group during the rest of class.
In science for 6F, we began the Candy Lab. Students mapped out the elements of the experiment and were then able to collect data to answer the question, "How can you make a solid dissolve faster in a liquid?".
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Back in the Saddle Again!
Phew! Trying to build back the momentum we had going before state tests was a bit challenging today! We had a normal day with band and chorus or study hall starting us off.
In reading, we filled out a graphic organizer that is going to help us with an essay that we are going to write based on the read aloud book, a movie, and our Celebrate our Differences book. We focused on the characters in The Crazy Man as well as the conflict and theme. Students will continue to add to this graphic organizer with information from their books next week.
I will be showing the movie "Radio" on Monday morning. This movie is rated PG. If anyone has a problem with their child viewing it, please let me know. It is an amazing movie with an amazing message.
Also in reading, we met in groups, worked on the blog or read to self. Now that the book unit books are completed ALL students need a book to read and it needs to come to class with them. I consider this a homework assignment (to bring a book to class) and will hold anyone in who has no book. Thanks for your help with this.
In science today, both classes filled out an Experimental Design Sheet based on the Brain Body Reaction Time Lab as well as the Penny Lab. They mapped out the different parts of the experiments and will use this information to complete the homework questions that are due Friday for both groups.
In reading, we filled out a graphic organizer that is going to help us with an essay that we are going to write based on the read aloud book, a movie, and our Celebrate our Differences book. We focused on the characters in The Crazy Man as well as the conflict and theme. Students will continue to add to this graphic organizer with information from their books next week.
I will be showing the movie "Radio" on Monday morning. This movie is rated PG. If anyone has a problem with their child viewing it, please let me know. It is an amazing movie with an amazing message.
Also in reading, we met in groups, worked on the blog or read to self. Now that the book unit books are completed ALL students need a book to read and it needs to come to class with them. I consider this a homework assignment (to bring a book to class) and will hold anyone in who has no book. Thanks for your help with this.
In science today, both classes filled out an Experimental Design Sheet based on the Brain Body Reaction Time Lab as well as the Penny Lab. They mapped out the different parts of the experiments and will use this information to complete the homework questions that are due Friday for both groups.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Last Day of NECAPs!!!
We completed math 2 and 3 today. All that is left is the student questionnaire which we will do tomorrow.
I finished The Crazy Man today in reading. We organized our portfolios as well.
I finished The Crazy Man today in reading. We organized our portfolios as well.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday: More NECAP!
We had NECAP testing all morning. We did reading session 3 and math session 1 today. Tomorrow is the last day!
We had a visiting author this afternoon. Dr. Vernon Lindquist came and talked to us about his process as he publishes books.
We had a visiting author this afternoon. Dr. Vernon Lindquist came and talked to us about his process as he publishes books.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Another Wet Friday
We had NECAP testing: reading sessions 1 and 2 today. It was a very QUIET morning. Too quiet for me!
We switched this afternoon and I taught 6S science. It was the same lesson as yesterday, please see the blog entry for that. Lab conclusions are due Tuesday.
We had our last clubs today. Have a super weekend!
We switched this afternoon and I taught 6S science. It was the same lesson as yesterday, please see the blog entry for that. Lab conclusions are due Tuesday.
We had our last clubs today. Have a super weekend!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thursday
We wrote in our writers' notebooks this morning to start our writing class. After that, I did a lesson on capitals in the appropriate places and end punctuation. Students looked for these in their second drafts. We went to the computer lab to type our rough drafts. Writers' Notebooks are due tomorrow.
In reading today, we are almost done with The Crazy Man. Unfortunately, students will have to wait until Tuesday to hear the ending, due to NECAP testing. I showed a picture and we made an inference based on that picture. My lesson today was about the difference between observation and inference. We talked about all the things in the picture that were observations. Then, I had them use all of those observations to form an inference, adding in their prior knowledge to the textual clues. After this, we met in groups, did individual conferences, read to self, or responding to reading on the blog. Reading logs are due Tuesday. Students need to keep reading their Celebrate Our Differences book. This unit will end next week.
In 6F science, we carried out the Penny Lab that we set up yesterday. Students need to write their conclusions for Tuesday. The 3 Variables paper is due tomorrow for both classes.
In reading today, we are almost done with The Crazy Man. Unfortunately, students will have to wait until Tuesday to hear the ending, due to NECAP testing. I showed a picture and we made an inference based on that picture. My lesson today was about the difference between observation and inference. We talked about all the things in the picture that were observations. Then, I had them use all of those observations to form an inference, adding in their prior knowledge to the textual clues. After this, we met in groups, did individual conferences, read to self, or responding to reading on the blog. Reading logs are due Tuesday. Students need to keep reading their Celebrate Our Differences book. This unit will end next week.
In 6F science, we carried out the Penny Lab that we set up yesterday. Students need to write their conclusions for Tuesday. The 3 Variables paper is due tomorrow for both classes.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Wednesday
Happy Middle of the Week!
Progress reports went home today. Please let us know if you have any questions.
In reading today, I did a short assessment showing students a picture and asking them to make an inference about the picture. This will help me know how to instruct them based on their responses. Also, we met in groups, responding to reading or read to ourselves.
In science, we discussed Independent and Dependent Variables. This is a difficult concept for some to grasp. We worked on a sheet that gives scenarios where students need to identify these as well as the control or constants. Students need to complete the rest for homework. This is due Friday for both classes. We also began to set up an experiment called The Penny Lab. Students identified the parts of this experiment but didn't have time to carry it out. We will do this tomorrow for 6F and Friday for 6S.
Progress reports went home today. Please let us know if you have any questions.
In reading today, I did a short assessment showing students a picture and asking them to make an inference about the picture. This will help me know how to instruct them based on their responses. Also, we met in groups, responding to reading or read to ourselves.
In science, we discussed Independent and Dependent Variables. This is a difficult concept for some to grasp. We worked on a sheet that gives scenarios where students need to identify these as well as the control or constants. Students need to complete the rest for homework. This is due Friday for both classes. We also began to set up an experiment called The Penny Lab. Students identified the parts of this experiment but didn't have time to carry it out. We will do this tomorrow for 6F and Friday for 6S.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday that feels like Monday
Welcome back after a beautiful long weekend, weather-wise. I hope you had a chance to get outside and enjoy it!
A couple reminders: progress reports come home tomorrow. Please remember that the purpose of these is to give you and your child an idea of where he/she stands in each subject. There is nothing about the progress report that is etched in stone. I've had the conversation with my homeroom about this. We've talked about the fact that if they like what they've earned (not what the teacher GAVE them!), then they should keep up the great work. If they are unhappy in any way, they need to have a conversation with their teacher/teachers to find out what they can do differently. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding these reports. Also know that the first report isn't always the best indicator since we've been benchmarking, MAP testing and preparing for NECAP tests. None of those activities produce a grade for the book.
Another reminder is that parent conference day is November 2. We may have a couple of time slots left on that day. Drop me an email if you would like an appointment. If we can't accommodate you on that day, we can work something out if you would like a meeting. Just let one of us know.
Today in reading we read aloud and worked in book groups. We're continuing our conversations about character development. Today in small groups we talked about obstacles that characters have faced througout these novels. We are also focusing on how the characters have changed throughout the books. Log 6 is due 10/19.
We had a powerful health assembly today. Ask your child about it!
In science, we did some word building activities around vocabulary that we'll be discussing in the near future. We also worked on an activity identifying variables.
We ended our day with a game of Sharks and Minnows with our buddies.
A couple reminders: progress reports come home tomorrow. Please remember that the purpose of these is to give you and your child an idea of where he/she stands in each subject. There is nothing about the progress report that is etched in stone. I've had the conversation with my homeroom about this. We've talked about the fact that if they like what they've earned (not what the teacher GAVE them!), then they should keep up the great work. If they are unhappy in any way, they need to have a conversation with their teacher/teachers to find out what they can do differently. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding these reports. Also know that the first report isn't always the best indicator since we've been benchmarking, MAP testing and preparing for NECAP tests. None of those activities produce a grade for the book.
Another reminder is that parent conference day is November 2. We may have a couple of time slots left on that day. Drop me an email if you would like an appointment. If we can't accommodate you on that day, we can work something out if you would like a meeting. Just let one of us know.
Today in reading we read aloud and worked in book groups. We're continuing our conversations about character development. Today in small groups we talked about obstacles that characters have faced througout these novels. We are also focusing on how the characters have changed throughout the books. Log 6 is due 10/19.
We had a powerful health assembly today. Ask your child about it!
In science, we did some word building activities around vocabulary that we'll be discussing in the near future. We also worked on an activity identifying variables.
We ended our day with a game of Sharks and Minnows with our buddies.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday
Please remember that tomorrow is Early Release. Dismissal is at 12:10. Also, there is no school on Monday.
I will not be here tomorrow as I'm going to a conference. There will not be a blog entry tomorrow. The plan for tomorrow is some spelling activities and a spelling test.
For Thursday, we started the day with an entry in writers' notebooks. Then, I did a lesson on inserted the five senses into writing to make it more detailed. I gave students a passage to read and identify which five senses they used. Then, they revised this piece adding more detail including the five senses. Finally, students revised their own work using this strategy. Writing workshop consisted of revising, conferring, and typing drafts or rewriting drafts.
In reading today, we read aloud and worked on inferences. I read another smaller passage and students made an inference about it. They wrote down the text that made them infer. Finally, we responded to reading through the blog, read to self or conferenced. Understanding Character is due tomorrow. 2 hours and vocab is due Tuesday. Students need to read to their deadlines as well.
Finally, we ended our day with Making Big Words. Students were given a cup full of letters and had to make as many words as they could with the cup. The challenge was to find the "Big Word" using all of the letters. Words made were written down in their spelling notebooks.
Have a fabulous long weekend!
I will not be here tomorrow as I'm going to a conference. There will not be a blog entry tomorrow. The plan for tomorrow is some spelling activities and a spelling test.
For Thursday, we started the day with an entry in writers' notebooks. Then, I did a lesson on inserted the five senses into writing to make it more detailed. I gave students a passage to read and identify which five senses they used. Then, they revised this piece adding more detail including the five senses. Finally, students revised their own work using this strategy. Writing workshop consisted of revising, conferring, and typing drafts or rewriting drafts.
In reading today, we read aloud and worked on inferences. I read another smaller passage and students made an inference about it. They wrote down the text that made them infer. Finally, we responded to reading through the blog, read to self or conferenced. Understanding Character is due tomorrow. 2 hours and vocab is due Tuesday. Students need to read to their deadlines as well.
Finally, we ended our day with Making Big Words. Students were given a cup full of letters and had to make as many words as they could with the cup. The challenge was to find the "Big Word" using all of the letters. Words made were written down in their spelling notebooks.
Have a fabulous long weekend!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wet Wednesday
We started with band, chorus, study hall or math groups this morning. Mr. Alberici gave another lively broadcast this morning for the announcements. After this time and snack, we had reading class. In reading we are working on inferences. I asked students to listen to a small passage and make an inference about what the person's job is in the passage. They needed to pull out the text that led them to the inference. Next, students either Read to Self, Responding to Reading, or met in a group. 2 hours and vocab is due Tuesday. Understanding Character is due Friday. Students need to continue to read to their deadlines.
In writing today, we worked on revising our rough drafts with the Rule of Thoughts and Feelings in mind. Students worked on revising, conferring or typing their drafts on the computer. They also worked in their writers' notebooks.
During science, we "wrapped up" the procedure lesson. Also, we did a lesson on the importance of repeated trials and the power of observation. Ask your child about this! It was very insightful!
In writing today, we worked on revising our rough drafts with the Rule of Thoughts and Feelings in mind. Students worked on revising, conferring or typing their drafts on the computer. They also worked in their writers' notebooks.
During science, we "wrapped up" the procedure lesson. Also, we did a lesson on the importance of repeated trials and the power of observation. Ask your child about this! It was very insightful!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday
Students in 6F started their day by writing in their writers' notebooks. I put a prompt on the board and students can choose to use it, or write about something else. Mr. Alberici has been doing morning announcements this week. You should ask your child about it: he's quite comical!
In reading this morning, we started with read aloud and discussion. I'm noticing that students are settling into the routine a bit more. I expect them to be sitting and listening during read aloud as well as contributing to the conversation. This includes listening to one another and adding to others 'comments. I quite often stop during read aloud to talk about different things. With this particular book, we are doing a lot of inferring, predicting, and synthesis. Students are reacting emotionally as well. This part of class is one of my favorites because of the rich discussion that takes place.
I collected reading logs and handed out new ones. These are due on 10/12. I also handed out an activity called Understanding Character. Since we are focusing so much on character development in this unit, I'm asking students, using their Celebrate our Differences book, to list character traits of the main character in their books. Then, they need to go back into the book to find passages that prove each trait. For example, Angus in the read aloud book is an animal lover. The author does not come right out and say this, but we can make that inference based on a few scenes in the book. We found those 2 scenes and used them on this paper. I did that as an example. I'm asking students to do this with the book they are reading. This is due Friday.
Some students met in groups today (Mango Shaped Space with me and Firegirl with Mrs. Bewersdorf). Others Read to Self or Responded to Reading during workshop time.
During writing, we practiced a strategy called The Rule of Thoughts and Feelings. Students worked on inserting thoughts and feelings into someone else's writing. Tomorrow we will practice with our own writing.
6S science worked on the shoebox procedures. They had the same lesson as 6F did yesterday (see the blog from yesterday for that explanation).
We ended our day playing Yahtzee with our 4th grade buddies. Fun!
In reading this morning, we started with read aloud and discussion. I'm noticing that students are settling into the routine a bit more. I expect them to be sitting and listening during read aloud as well as contributing to the conversation. This includes listening to one another and adding to others 'comments. I quite often stop during read aloud to talk about different things. With this particular book, we are doing a lot of inferring, predicting, and synthesis. Students are reacting emotionally as well. This part of class is one of my favorites because of the rich discussion that takes place.
I collected reading logs and handed out new ones. These are due on 10/12. I also handed out an activity called Understanding Character. Since we are focusing so much on character development in this unit, I'm asking students, using their Celebrate our Differences book, to list character traits of the main character in their books. Then, they need to go back into the book to find passages that prove each trait. For example, Angus in the read aloud book is an animal lover. The author does not come right out and say this, but we can make that inference based on a few scenes in the book. We found those 2 scenes and used them on this paper. I did that as an example. I'm asking students to do this with the book they are reading. This is due Friday.
Some students met in groups today (Mango Shaped Space with me and Firegirl with Mrs. Bewersdorf). Others Read to Self or Responded to Reading during workshop time.
During writing, we practiced a strategy called The Rule of Thoughts and Feelings. Students worked on inserting thoughts and feelings into someone else's writing. Tomorrow we will practice with our own writing.
6S science worked on the shoebox procedures. They had the same lesson as 6F did yesterday (see the blog from yesterday for that explanation).
We ended our day playing Yahtzee with our 4th grade buddies. Fun!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday
Students in 6F started the day writing in their writers' notebooks. I collect these each week to check them. I handed out the rubric today for how I will score these notebooks from now on. After this, we reviewed the Show Not Tell lesson from last week. Students met in small groups with their rough drafts. They read their drafts aloud and found sentences that were "telling" sentences. Then, with their response group's advice, they went back to revise this part of their piece to show and not tell.
In reading today, we read aloud to start the class. Then I did a lesson on how to respond to one another on the book group blog. During Reading Workshop time, students chose to Read to Self or Respond to Reading. Two groups met with adults to discuss character development in their Celebrate our Differences book. Reading logs and vocabulary are due tomorrow. Students need to keep reading to their deadlines and sticky noting.
In science today, I read to students from a book called Science Verse. The part I read mimicked Casey at Bat and was about the scientific method. Then, students worked on their procedures for wrapping a shoebox.
In spelling, we did an activity with opposites. Students had to come up with opposite pairs for each letter of the alphabet. We shared at the end of class. I handed out spelling homework: Take Home Task #1 which is due on Thursday.
In reading today, we read aloud to start the class. Then I did a lesson on how to respond to one another on the book group blog. During Reading Workshop time, students chose to Read to Self or Respond to Reading. Two groups met with adults to discuss character development in their Celebrate our Differences book. Reading logs and vocabulary are due tomorrow. Students need to keep reading to their deadlines and sticky noting.
In science today, I read to students from a book called Science Verse. The part I read mimicked Casey at Bat and was about the scientific method. Then, students worked on their procedures for wrapping a shoebox.
In spelling, we did an activity with opposites. Students had to come up with opposite pairs for each letter of the alphabet. We shared at the end of class. I handed out spelling homework: Take Home Task #1 which is due on Thursday.
Friday, October 1, 2010
TGIF!
Happy Friday! We started back in our math groups this morning. We are getting the sixth graders ready for those NECAP tests which will take place 2 weeks from today. My group worked on strategies for answering open ended questions.
Read aloud is what we did first in reading today. I then asked students to use their Celebrate our Differences books and analyze the main character of the story. They needed to pick out parts of the book that show how the author develops that character. This was a difficult activity for most children to do. I think this will be the center of our group discussions about the books next week. Some students had time for the blog, others did not. We will continue our work on the blog next week.
In 6S/B science class, we did the same activity as yesterday. Please see yesterday's blog for the scoop there.
We ended the soggy day with Community Clubs. FUN! Have a fabulous weekend!
Read aloud is what we did first in reading today. I then asked students to use their Celebrate our Differences books and analyze the main character of the story. They needed to pick out parts of the book that show how the author develops that character. This was a difficult activity for most children to do. I think this will be the center of our group discussions about the books next week. Some students had time for the blog, others did not. We will continue our work on the blog next week.
In 6S/B science class, we did the same activity as yesterday. Please see yesterday's blog for the scoop there.
We ended the soggy day with Community Clubs. FUN! Have a fabulous weekend!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Rainy Thursday
C-Time seemed to go off without a hitch today. Thank you for helping us make it work!
We didn't have writing time, but the students wrote in their writers' notebooks when they first came in this morning. We had a bit of time to share. I am impressed with the students' willingness to write! Very cool on my part.
In reading, read aloud produced another great discussion. The students are showing strong feelings about how the main character in the story is being treated. I did a lesson on main characters vs. minor characters, using examples from the read aloud. We then talked about what we know about the main character Angus. We listed character traits and then generalized how we find out things about characters in our books. One way is the author tells us, another way is how the characters themselves act and what they say and the final way is what other characters say and how they act toward the main character. This is to help students think about their responses for the first blog entry. They had a chance to Respond to Reading or Read to Self. Some kids had a conference as well to check in with their comprehension. 2 hours and vocab is due Tuesday. All students need to read to their deadlines and sticky note along the way.
In science today, we talked about the variables that occurred during the "How Many Drops on a Penny" lab yesterday. We then began our discussion of the part of the scientific method which is materials and procedures. Students are being asked to write out very specific procedures for wrapping a shoe box. I think they will find out that it isn't as easy as they think! The importance of clear procedures will be the point of today, tomorrow and Monday/Tuesday's lessons.
Stay dry!
We didn't have writing time, but the students wrote in their writers' notebooks when they first came in this morning. We had a bit of time to share. I am impressed with the students' willingness to write! Very cool on my part.
In reading, read aloud produced another great discussion. The students are showing strong feelings about how the main character in the story is being treated. I did a lesson on main characters vs. minor characters, using examples from the read aloud. We then talked about what we know about the main character Angus. We listed character traits and then generalized how we find out things about characters in our books. One way is the author tells us, another way is how the characters themselves act and what they say and the final way is what other characters say and how they act toward the main character. This is to help students think about their responses for the first blog entry. They had a chance to Respond to Reading or Read to Self. Some kids had a conference as well to check in with their comprehension. 2 hours and vocab is due Tuesday. All students need to read to their deadlines and sticky note along the way.
In science today, we talked about the variables that occurred during the "How Many Drops on a Penny" lab yesterday. We then began our discussion of the part of the scientific method which is materials and procedures. Students are being asked to write out very specific procedures for wrapping a shoe box. I think they will find out that it isn't as easy as they think! The importance of clear procedures will be the point of today, tomorrow and Monday/Tuesday's lessons.
Stay dry!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wonderful Wednesday
Don't forget that tomorrow is C-Time. There will be activities for kids here at the normal time but we will not start teaching until 8:55.
We had Picture Day today, so some reading and math time got interrupted. During reading, I went over the rubric for how the responses to reading will be scored. Students got a chance to either Read to Self or Respond to Reading on the class blog. 2 hours and vocab. is due on Tuesday Students need to keep reading to their deadlines and using sticky notes.
In science today, many students were out of the classroom due to Peer Mediation/Peer Leader training. We did another activity with hypothesizing. Students made an educated guess about how many drops of water would fit on a penny. Then they tested out their hypothesis to see if it was correct.
In writing, we did a lesson on Show and Not Tell. I put a telling sentence on the board and students copied it into their notebooks. Then we brainstormed together words and phrases they would use to show this sentence rather than tell it. Next, students wrote in their notebooks a paragraph of showing and not telling. We will apply this to our personal narrative pieces on Monday.
We had Picture Day today, so some reading and math time got interrupted. During reading, I went over the rubric for how the responses to reading will be scored. Students got a chance to either Read to Self or Respond to Reading on the class blog. 2 hours and vocab. is due on Tuesday Students need to keep reading to their deadlines and using sticky notes.
In science today, many students were out of the classroom due to Peer Mediation/Peer Leader training. We did another activity with hypothesizing. Students made an educated guess about how many drops of water would fit on a penny. Then they tested out their hypothesis to see if it was correct.
In writing, we did a lesson on Show and Not Tell. I put a telling sentence on the board and students copied it into their notebooks. Then we brainstormed together words and phrases they would use to show this sentence rather than tell it. Next, students wrote in their notebooks a paragraph of showing and not telling. We will apply this to our personal narrative pieces on Monday.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Another Busy Day in 6F/S/B!
I talked with my homeroom today about the schedule on Thursday. Hopefully, you all know that Thursday is our first C-Time for the district. This is a time that teachers are collaberating in the beginning of the school day. Students have one of two options for the beginning of this day. The first option is that they come to school for an 8:55 start. They would have to be dropped off by someone (not a bus) at this time or walk or bike to school. The second option is that students come to school for the regular time and participate in some volunteer-run activities for that first hour that teachers are in meetings. Buses are running at normal times that morning. I need to know from your child what his/her plans are for the C-Time on Thursday. Please talk about it at home and I will ask my homeroom tomorrow morning. Thank you!
We started with reading class today. Read aloud was packed full of discussion about metaphors, inferences and prejudism - heavy stuff! This book is so amazing and sparks such fabulous discussion! After read aloud, I handed out the requirements for the Celebrate Our Differences unit. We are adding Respond to Reading as an option during Reading Workshop time in the class. For this unit, I have set up an in-house blog/wiki for the students to respond to their reading of these books. The blog is only accessible when children are at Maple Street. It is not one that you can get to on the internet. Each week, students are responsible for gettting on the blog and writing a paragraph (5 to 10 sentence) response about the reading done that week. I have guiding questions that are to be addressed each week. Students will be graded on these entries according to the rubric that I gave them today. We will go over that rubric tomorrow. I'm so excited to try this process out! It's like a virtual book club. Students will be able to read each other's responses and comment back each time they get on the blog. Please let me know if you have any questions. Students do not need to do anything for this entry at home unless they want to plan it out. My suggestion was for them to look at the questions that will be addressed in the week's entry and be thinking about that as they are reading.
In writing today, we looked at two stories and discussed the difference between them. Both stories are about summer vacation trips, but one has much more detail than the other. The point is for students to write like the story with more detail so we have a picture in our minds as we listen. I also discussed the beginning stages of the writing process and what is expected for this published piece of writing. I am asking students to write their rough drafts on filler paper, skipping lines to make room for revision. We worked on these today.
Finally, in 6S science, we did the same thing as 6F did yesterday. Please see yesterday's blog for that.
We met with our buddies in Mrs. Roberts' class today. We did some logic problems in cooperative groups. So fun!
We started with reading class today. Read aloud was packed full of discussion about metaphors, inferences and prejudism - heavy stuff! This book is so amazing and sparks such fabulous discussion! After read aloud, I handed out the requirements for the Celebrate Our Differences unit. We are adding Respond to Reading as an option during Reading Workshop time in the class. For this unit, I have set up an in-house blog/wiki for the students to respond to their reading of these books. The blog is only accessible when children are at Maple Street. It is not one that you can get to on the internet. Each week, students are responsible for gettting on the blog and writing a paragraph (5 to 10 sentence) response about the reading done that week. I have guiding questions that are to be addressed each week. Students will be graded on these entries according to the rubric that I gave them today. We will go over that rubric tomorrow. I'm so excited to try this process out! It's like a virtual book club. Students will be able to read each other's responses and comment back each time they get on the blog. Please let me know if you have any questions. Students do not need to do anything for this entry at home unless they want to plan it out. My suggestion was for them to look at the questions that will be addressed in the week's entry and be thinking about that as they are reading.
In writing today, we looked at two stories and discussed the difference between them. Both stories are about summer vacation trips, but one has much more detail than the other. The point is for students to write like the story with more detail so we have a picture in our minds as we listen. I also discussed the beginning stages of the writing process and what is expected for this published piece of writing. I am asking students to write their rough drafts on filler paper, skipping lines to make room for revision. We worked on these today.
Finally, in 6S science, we did the same thing as 6F did yesterday. Please see yesterday's blog for that.
We met with our buddies in Mrs. Roberts' class today. We did some logic problems in cooperative groups. So fun!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Happy Monday!
Such exciting stuff going on in 6F and 6S/B! In writing, we started brainstorming topics for our first piece of published writing: the personal narrative. This is my FAVORITE writing project! I read a chapter from Ralph Fletcher's book A Writer's Notebook about writing small. Next, I did a lesson that compared finding a small topic to eating pizza. One would never eat an entire pizza (especially if it's a Sal's pizza!) just like you would not try to write about a huge topic. I showed them my huge topic, My Summer Vacation, and how to pare it down to a smaller topic such as A Whale Watch. I read them my actual story about a whale watch and then asked them to do the same thing with an experience that happened to them. Many found topics right away while others needed a bit of help. By the end of class, each student had an idea of what to write about for the personal narrative.
In reading today, we read aloud. I also handed out books for the Celebrate Our Differences Unit. Students met in small groups to decide deadlines for each day from now until October 20, which is the end of the unit and deadline for finishing the books. Students need to be keeping track (with sticky notes) of any predictions and questions they have as they read the book. They may count any time reading this book at home for their 2 hours. Reading logs and vocab are due tomorrow.
During science, we organized our portfolios and reading logs. Then I showed a few clips introducing the scientific method. We discussed what it was and then did some work with hypothesizing. I gave them 3 scenarios involving water, corn syrup, a marble and oil and asked them to make a hypothesis about what will happen. Then, we discussed how scientists use their prior knowledge (oh my, a reading term!) to make educated guesses. 6S has Learner Essays due tomorrow.
In spelling today, 6F made their first Words to Learn lists. The words came from a pretest I gave last week. Each child has a different list based on their performance on the pretest. They should be studying these words nightly to learn how to spell them. I also discussed Priority Words with them. These are the "no excuse" words that ALL pieces of writing should be checked for before being passed in. I will take one assignment per week and do a Priority Word check on it. This assignment will not be announced and it can be from any subject. The point is for all students to be checking all assignments for their Priority Words.
Picture Day is Wednesday!
In reading today, we read aloud. I also handed out books for the Celebrate Our Differences Unit. Students met in small groups to decide deadlines for each day from now until October 20, which is the end of the unit and deadline for finishing the books. Students need to be keeping track (with sticky notes) of any predictions and questions they have as they read the book. They may count any time reading this book at home for their 2 hours. Reading logs and vocab are due tomorrow.
During science, we organized our portfolios and reading logs. Then I showed a few clips introducing the scientific method. We discussed what it was and then did some work with hypothesizing. I gave them 3 scenarios involving water, corn syrup, a marble and oil and asked them to make a hypothesis about what will happen. Then, we discussed how scientists use their prior knowledge (oh my, a reading term!) to make educated guesses. 6S has Learner Essays due tomorrow.
In spelling today, 6F made their first Words to Learn lists. The words came from a pretest I gave last week. Each child has a different list based on their performance on the pretest. They should be studying these words nightly to learn how to spell them. I also discussed Priority Words with them. These are the "no excuse" words that ALL pieces of writing should be checked for before being passed in. I will take one assignment per week and do a Priority Word check on it. This assignment will not be announced and it can be from any subject. The point is for all students to be checking all assignments for their Priority Words.
Picture Day is Wednesday!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Friday
Today was the last day of this round of math groups. We are looking at other ways to mix up the groups for the next few weeks. More on that to come.
During reading, we used the Can It Be For Me? and Choosing a Good Fit Book strategies to decide which book we might choose for the Celebrate Our Differences unit. I will look at these choices, use what I know about each child, and assign books for Monday's class. Students will decide deadlines, knowing when the book should be completed, in groups during Monday's class. There was some Read to Self time today.
I explained the Who am I as a Learner Essay to 6S today in science. I gave them the pre-writing sheet to work on and I showed them examples of what the essay should look like. They had time to work on this in class. For 6F, the essays are due Monday. For 6S, the due date is Tuesday.
We had our first round of clubs today! So fun! My club is creating a digital movie in iMovie. There are so many choices for clubs this time around. Ask your child what he/she did and let me know how he/she liked it!
During reading, we used the Can It Be For Me? and Choosing a Good Fit Book strategies to decide which book we might choose for the Celebrate Our Differences unit. I will look at these choices, use what I know about each child, and assign books for Monday's class. Students will decide deadlines, knowing when the book should be completed, in groups during Monday's class. There was some Read to Self time today.
I explained the Who am I as a Learner Essay to 6S today in science. I gave them the pre-writing sheet to work on and I showed them examples of what the essay should look like. They had time to work on this in class. For 6F, the essays are due Monday. For 6S, the due date is Tuesday.
We had our first round of clubs today! So fun! My club is creating a digital movie in iMovie. There are so many choices for clubs this time around. Ask your child what he/she did and let me know how he/she liked it!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Testing Thursday
There is not much to report today because both 6F and 6S took their MAP tests in reading. Book orders are due tomorrow. Reading log and vocabulary find is due Tuesday.
In 6F science today, we began to put together all of the information that we've gathered to answer the question, "Who am I as a Learner?" Students filled out a graphic organizer compiling all of their results. This is the pre-write to the Learner essay. I showed students an example of what a typical essay might look like. I expect these essays to be in final draft form. They will be due Monday for 6F and Tuesday for 6S.
In 6F science today, we began to put together all of the information that we've gathered to answer the question, "Who am I as a Learner?" Students filled out a graphic organizer compiling all of their results. This is the pre-write to the Learner essay. I showed students an example of what a typical essay might look like. I expect these essays to be in final draft form. They will be due Monday for 6F and Tuesday for 6S.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wonderful Wednesday
After band and chorus or study hall today, we had a special treat: a guest speaker! Mrs. Doneski, our Occupational Therapist, came in to talk with both classes about her job and what it entails. I asked her to speak briefly about autism and she touched on sensory disfunctions. It was a great way to build our prior knowledge before we read a few of the books that are being offered for the Celebrate our Differences unit. Students were able to ask questions as well. After she spoke, I book talked all of the books for the unit. Students will choose books Friday. Tomorrow is the reading MAP test.
Before we sat down to write today, students had the opportunity to do a lap, running or walking, around the school. They needed to "shake their sillies out" in order to focus and build their stamina for writing time. I saw wonderful results! Students were able to sustain 20 minutes of silent writing time. I offered an "invitation" to write. This is where I give them an idea to write about. They may choose to use it, or write on their own. It's for anyone who can't come up with something to write about on their own. I will collect writers' notebooks at the end of the week to see how much and what they are writing.
In science for both classes today, we passed in our 3 graphs. We then did an independent activity called Who are you? This is where each subject area in school is separated on a sheet of paper and students choose their preferences within that subject. Each outlined a choice that could be classified into the 3 learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Students then worked together to brainstorm things they have seen teachers do in school to address each learning style.
Before we sat down to write today, students had the opportunity to do a lap, running or walking, around the school. They needed to "shake their sillies out" in order to focus and build their stamina for writing time. I saw wonderful results! Students were able to sustain 20 minutes of silent writing time. I offered an "invitation" to write. This is where I give them an idea to write about. They may choose to use it, or write on their own. It's for anyone who can't come up with something to write about on their own. I will collect writers' notebooks at the end of the week to see how much and what they are writing.
In science for both classes today, we passed in our 3 graphs. We then did an independent activity called Who are you? This is where each subject area in school is separated on a sheet of paper and students choose their preferences within that subject. Each outlined a choice that could be classified into the 3 learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Students then worked together to brainstorm things they have seen teachers do in school to address each learning style.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Race is On!
It was so nice to see and meet most of you last night at Open House. Please let us know if you couldn't make it and would like to sign up for a conference or to help out in the classroom.
I have been wearing a pedometer for the past week and measuring my steps. I thought it would be fun to challenge the students and see who could get more steps during the course of the school day. I have some pedometers from the PE teacher that students may borrow while at school. A handful of kids took one today to see if they could beat me! I will distribute these each morning (until I run out) and collect them in the afternoon. I will be interested to see how many steps they all have compared to me! If students want to measure their steps outside of school, they will need to purchase their own pedometers. I got mine at Walmart for under $20.00.
In reading today, we read more of The Crazy Man. Our discussion of prejudism continues. I continued to talk about the criteria for finding a Good Fit book. We've talked about motivation, vocabulary, prior knowledge and, today, fluency. I read a bit of the book Runny Babbit to demonstrate difficulty with fluency while reading. We practiced Read to Self and I conferred with a few readers. I also collected reading logs and passed out new ones that are due September 28.
In writing, we worked on our writing stamina. We wrote silently for 10 minutes and then discussed what silent writing time looks like in the classroom. Some students modeled appropriate silent writing behavior while others (for fun) modeled inappropriate silent writing behavior. Students will be expected to produce 3 pages of writing in their notebooks each week. Writing done in class counts!
In science, we went to the computer lab (6S) to work on our graphs. These are due tomorrow for both classes.
I have been wearing a pedometer for the past week and measuring my steps. I thought it would be fun to challenge the students and see who could get more steps during the course of the school day. I have some pedometers from the PE teacher that students may borrow while at school. A handful of kids took one today to see if they could beat me! I will distribute these each morning (until I run out) and collect them in the afternoon. I will be interested to see how many steps they all have compared to me! If students want to measure their steps outside of school, they will need to purchase their own pedometers. I got mine at Walmart for under $20.00.
In reading today, we read more of The Crazy Man. Our discussion of prejudism continues. I continued to talk about the criteria for finding a Good Fit book. We've talked about motivation, vocabulary, prior knowledge and, today, fluency. I read a bit of the book Runny Babbit to demonstrate difficulty with fluency while reading. We practiced Read to Self and I conferred with a few readers. I also collected reading logs and passed out new ones that are due September 28.
In writing, we worked on our writing stamina. We wrote silently for 10 minutes and then discussed what silent writing time looks like in the classroom. Some students modeled appropriate silent writing behavior while others (for fun) modeled inappropriate silent writing behavior. Students will be expected to produce 3 pages of writing in their notebooks each week. Writing done in class counts!
In science, we went to the computer lab (6S) to work on our graphs. These are due tomorrow for both classes.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday
Another busy, busy Monday! This morning we worked in our writers' notebooks for the first time. I had students do some "power writing" to build their stamina. I put a noun and a verb on the board and students wrote in their notebooks using those two words somewhere in that writing. We stopped after each 5 minute increment to talk and process how those minutes went for each child. It is my hope to work on "power writing" all week so that students are used to silent sustained writing. We also did a curriculum based measure (CBM) where students wrote to a prompt for three minutes.
In reading, we read aloud from The Crazy Man. I gave out book orders and did a lot of book talks about books in the orders. Students wrote titles on their Books to Read lists. These orders are due Friday. 2 hours and vocabulary is due tomorrow. Student also practiced Read to Self for 5 uninterrupted minutes.
In science, 6F worked on their graphs with the computers. These are due on Wednesday.
We had spelling in 6F today for the first time! Students took a pretest on the first 100 Core Words.
In reading, we read aloud from The Crazy Man. I gave out book orders and did a lot of book talks about books in the orders. Students wrote titles on their Books to Read lists. These orders are due Friday. 2 hours and vocabulary is due tomorrow. Student also practiced Read to Self for 5 uninterrupted minutes.
In science, 6F worked on their graphs with the computers. These are due on Wednesday.
We had spelling in 6F today for the first time! Students took a pretest on the first 100 Core Words.
Friday, September 17, 2010
TGIF!
We began our morning in small math groups, just like last Friday. Students stayed in the same groups but may have had a different teacher today. We have one more week of these groups and then we will re-evaluate and base our decisions on data that we collect for future groups.
In reading today, we read aloud The Crazy Man. This is such a powerful book that touches on prejudice. The discussion we're having is super. My lesson today focused on one aspect of reading class: Read to Self. We made a chart to delineate what students are doing during this time. After that, we modeled what Read to Self looks like and what it does NOT look like. Finally, we practiced for a 5 minute interval of time. It is my hope to build stamina with Read to Self over the course of the next week so that students can sustain 30 minutes of Read to Self behavior during the independent work time in reading class.
In science today, I had 6S and we worked on the computers for our graphs. I had them take notes on how they would be graded on these graphs. The final due date for both classes is Wednesday. Students need to have 3 separate graphs to pass in showing their data for the 3 activities that we completed in class about who we are as learners.
We ended the day with a school-wide assembly. Students will pick clubs that will start next week.
In reading today, we read aloud The Crazy Man. This is such a powerful book that touches on prejudice. The discussion we're having is super. My lesson today focused on one aspect of reading class: Read to Self. We made a chart to delineate what students are doing during this time. After that, we modeled what Read to Self looks like and what it does NOT look like. Finally, we practiced for a 5 minute interval of time. It is my hope to build stamina with Read to Self over the course of the next week so that students can sustain 30 minutes of Read to Self behavior during the independent work time in reading class.
In science today, I had 6S and we worked on the computers for our graphs. I had them take notes on how they would be graded on these graphs. The final due date for both classes is Wednesday. Students need to have 3 separate graphs to pass in showing their data for the 3 activities that we completed in class about who we are as learners.
We ended the day with a school-wide assembly. Students will pick clubs that will start next week.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday
Students in our pod took the MAP test today so we had longer blocks of time with them. 6F started their day with testing. After snack, I had them for reading.
In reading, we started a new read aloud! It's called The Crazy Man and it is a novel written in narrative poetry. It is a wonderful book that fits right in with our theme of celebrating our differences. The discussion we had today was great.
After read aloud, students put their graded reading logs into a folder that I keep in class. We then talked about one of the factors that influences us when we choose a book: motivation. I asked students to think about the things that they are interested in and brainstorm topics on a sheet of paper called I Wonder. This will help me point them in the right direction for choosing books.
Students also had a nice amount of time to read silently or work on reading benchmarks. I began reading conferences with them as well. This is where students read with an adult just to work on fluency as well to check on comprehension. Everyone will be having a conference once a week.
In science for 6F, we worked on our 3 graphs: learning styles, brain/body reaction time and multiple intelligences. These are due on Wednesday for both classes. I went over what they are being scored on and students took notes on that in their notebooks.
In reading, we started a new read aloud! It's called The Crazy Man and it is a novel written in narrative poetry. It is a wonderful book that fits right in with our theme of celebrating our differences. The discussion we had today was great.
After read aloud, students put their graded reading logs into a folder that I keep in class. We then talked about one of the factors that influences us when we choose a book: motivation. I asked students to think about the things that they are interested in and brainstorm topics on a sheet of paper called I Wonder. This will help me point them in the right direction for choosing books.
Students also had a nice amount of time to read silently or work on reading benchmarks. I began reading conferences with them as well. This is where students read with an adult just to work on fluency as well to check on comprehension. Everyone will be having a conference once a week.
In science for 6F, we worked on our 3 graphs: learning styles, brain/body reaction time and multiple intelligences. These are due on Wednesday for both classes. I went over what they are being scored on and students took notes on that in their notebooks.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday
As always on Wednesdays, we started our day with band and chorus or study hall. Students who had study hall were very productive.
It was a bit of a zigger-zagger day (a term stolen from Mrs. Boyko at HMS!) because I taught science this morning and reading in the afternoon. In science, Mrs. Locke came to teach us about Microsoft Excel and how to turn our data into awesome charts! Students began working on making 3 charts for the learning style/multiple intelligence data. They will have more time tomorrow (6F) and Friday (6S) to finish these up. I also handed back the questions from the Brain Body Reaction Time Lab today. If you have any questions about how these were scored, please contact me.
In writing, we worked one more time on the Graphs of Life. Final drafts of these are due on Friday. There is no writing time tomorrow due to math MAP testing, so the rest of the graphs are homework. Some students already passed them in.
In reading this afternoon, I had students take a second look at their reading logs passed in yesterday. I gave them the rubric for how I will grade them and asked them to make sure they have all the information that they need. I will not do this next time. If you would like a copy of the rubric, please let me know. Also today, we talked about Easy, Just Right and Challenge books. I gave examples from my own reading life to show that the size of the book has nothing to do with its challenge level.
2 hours and vocab is due on Tuesday, September 21.
It was a bit of a zigger-zagger day (a term stolen from Mrs. Boyko at HMS!) because I taught science this morning and reading in the afternoon. In science, Mrs. Locke came to teach us about Microsoft Excel and how to turn our data into awesome charts! Students began working on making 3 charts for the learning style/multiple intelligence data. They will have more time tomorrow (6F) and Friday (6S) to finish these up. I also handed back the questions from the Brain Body Reaction Time Lab today. If you have any questions about how these were scored, please contact me.
In writing, we worked one more time on the Graphs of Life. Final drafts of these are due on Friday. There is no writing time tomorrow due to math MAP testing, so the rest of the graphs are homework. Some students already passed them in.
In reading this afternoon, I had students take a second look at their reading logs passed in yesterday. I gave them the rubric for how I will grade them and asked them to make sure they have all the information that they need. I will not do this next time. If you would like a copy of the rubric, please let me know. Also today, we talked about Easy, Just Right and Challenge books. I gave examples from my own reading life to show that the size of the book has nothing to do with its challenge level.
2 hours and vocab is due on Tuesday, September 21.
Field Trip
Wow! What an awesome day we had up at Lake Ossipee. The weather turned out great. I hope you got the same report from your child!
We broke the kids up into 4 groups (all mixed homerooms) and they spent the day together. In my group, we started with a couple of ice breaker games. One was where they had to find different "handshake" partners and tell different things about themselves to their partners. There was a Boom Partner, a High Five Partner, Around the World Partner, Milkman Partner, a Lumberjack Partner, and a Ankle Shake Partner. Ask your child about that!
After that, we played Hide the Cone Red Light Green Light. This was a great cooperative game where the kids had to strategize how to move a cone down the field without the leader knowing. The kids learned a lot about how to work together as a team. It was also great for the teachers to see how the students interact with each other.
From there, my group moved to "Rob's World": a series of low ropes challenges. We learned the rules and then participated in "Nitro-Crossing". This is where there is a rope hanging and students have to get across a field of "hot lava" to a platform. Again, cooperation and communication among each other was required. Very cool! We did it!
Next, we moved to an 8 foot flat wall. The goal of this activity was to get all 20 students up and over the wall. They had to use each other and plan how to do this. Fascinating to watch! They did it!
Lunch consisted of burgers, hot dogs, chicken, or veggie burgers. There was potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon slices and cookies to go with it. YUMMO!
After lunch, we went on a boat ride around Lake Ossipee. We learned some information about the lake. We ended the day with a small hike and learned more about the lake and its surroundings.
Overall, it was an awesome day. I started to take pictures to post on the blog, but my camera died..... Boo Hoo! I will try to extract the pictures that I took and post them soon!
We broke the kids up into 4 groups (all mixed homerooms) and they spent the day together. In my group, we started with a couple of ice breaker games. One was where they had to find different "handshake" partners and tell different things about themselves to their partners. There was a Boom Partner, a High Five Partner, Around the World Partner, Milkman Partner, a Lumberjack Partner, and a Ankle Shake Partner. Ask your child about that!
After that, we played Hide the Cone Red Light Green Light. This was a great cooperative game where the kids had to strategize how to move a cone down the field without the leader knowing. The kids learned a lot about how to work together as a team. It was also great for the teachers to see how the students interact with each other.
From there, my group moved to "Rob's World": a series of low ropes challenges. We learned the rules and then participated in "Nitro-Crossing". This is where there is a rope hanging and students have to get across a field of "hot lava" to a platform. Again, cooperation and communication among each other was required. Very cool! We did it!
Next, we moved to an 8 foot flat wall. The goal of this activity was to get all 20 students up and over the wall. They had to use each other and plan how to do this. Fascinating to watch! They did it!
Lunch consisted of burgers, hot dogs, chicken, or veggie burgers. There was potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon slices and cookies to go with it. YUMMO!
After lunch, we went on a boat ride around Lake Ossipee. We learned some information about the lake. We ended the day with a small hike and learned more about the lake and its surroundings.
Overall, it was an awesome day. I started to take pictures to post on the blog, but my camera died..... Boo Hoo! I will try to extract the pictures that I took and post them soon!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday, Monday
Our first Monday of the school year! Phew! It was a busy one!
We began in 6F with an activity that we will do a lot this year: Making Big Words. Students were given a cup full of tile letters that, when put in a certain order, make a big word. The challenge not only was to find that big word but also to find as many two letter, three letter, four letter, etc. words as they could using those letters. They recorded their words in their notebooks. We will do this as a warm up for a few days out of the week. It's great for spelling reinforcement.
In writing class, we worked on our Graphs of Life. Final drafts are due on Friday.
In reading, I read a book called The Conversation Club. The message about this book was for us to take turns talking and listen to one another because we all have valuable things to contribute. I then showed a "You Tube" video called "You Gotta Keep Reading". So cool! Also, I did a lesson on Good Fit books in comparison to shoes. I even had different shoes to prove my point: not all shoes are meant for the purpose or interest in what we are doing. Also, just because the shoes (books) may fit the purpose and interest, they may not all fit. It's important for children to be able to find those "good fit" books for themselves.
2 hours and vocab is due tomorrow.
I taught both classes science today because of our field trip tomorrow. We talked about the Brain Body Reaction Time lab and how and why the results may be flawed. This led into a discussion of all of the things you need to consider when designing an experiment (something they will be doing after the unit on Learning Styles). We then completed a Multiple Intelligence Survey to see which Intelligence that describes us best. If students did not finish this, it is due by Wednesday.
Just a quick reminder that Open House for 6th grade is September 20 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. We will start in the gym. See you then~
Tomorrow is the field trip!
We began in 6F with an activity that we will do a lot this year: Making Big Words. Students were given a cup full of tile letters that, when put in a certain order, make a big word. The challenge not only was to find that big word but also to find as many two letter, three letter, four letter, etc. words as they could using those letters. They recorded their words in their notebooks. We will do this as a warm up for a few days out of the week. It's great for spelling reinforcement.
In writing class, we worked on our Graphs of Life. Final drafts are due on Friday.
In reading, I read a book called The Conversation Club. The message about this book was for us to take turns talking and listen to one another because we all have valuable things to contribute. I then showed a "You Tube" video called "You Gotta Keep Reading". So cool! Also, I did a lesson on Good Fit books in comparison to shoes. I even had different shoes to prove my point: not all shoes are meant for the purpose or interest in what we are doing. Also, just because the shoes (books) may fit the purpose and interest, they may not all fit. It's important for children to be able to find those "good fit" books for themselves.
2 hours and vocab is due tomorrow.
I taught both classes science today because of our field trip tomorrow. We talked about the Brain Body Reaction Time lab and how and why the results may be flawed. This led into a discussion of all of the things you need to consider when designing an experiment (something they will be doing after the unit on Learning Styles). We then completed a Multiple Intelligence Survey to see which Intelligence that describes us best. If students did not finish this, it is due by Wednesday.
Just a quick reminder that Open House for 6th grade is September 20 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. We will start in the gym. See you then~
Tomorrow is the field trip!
Friday, September 10, 2010
TGIF!
We started our day doing some math groups. The sixth grade team mixed up all of the students based on an assessment that was completed in class this week. Different teachers took different children based on particular skills. These groups will continue for the next three Fridays at least.
After snack, we had reading. In 6F we read The Tale of 3 Ralphs, which is a short story with the message "Fair does not always mean the same." This is a theme I will refer to MANY times this year as sixth graders are very aware of fairness issues! 6S read that story yesterday and read Tacky the Penguin today. Tacky's messages are, "It's okay to be different." and "Celebrate Individuality". Again, both of these messages will be stressed throughout the year, but especially in science and reading classes where we will be discussing our learning styles and celebrating our differences.
Also during reading, we surveyed books in my classroom library using the method that we went over yesterday. Students looked at books and used "Can It Be For Me?" to decide if they would like to read the books. We kept track of the books we surveyed as well as the ones we want to read on separate sheets of paper. Matching kids with the right books has been and will be our focus in the upcoming weeks.
2 hours and vocab are due on Tuesday. Students need to always bring their books to class.
In science, 6S did the same lab that 6F did yesterday. They need to complete the concluding questions for the lab by Tuesday. Questions need to be answered in complete sentences. The four questions are as follows:
1. Which cue did your brain respond to the quickest? Use data to support your answer.
2. Did your reaction time improve as the trials progressed? Use data to support your answer.
3. Which cue did your brain respond to the slowest? Use data to support your answer.
4. Predict what would happen to your reaction times if you practiced these activities every day for a week. Explain your prediction.
We got together at the end of the day with our Buddies in Mrs. Roberts' class. Oh what fun! We played the Blanket Game to get to know names.
Don't forget about our field trip on Tuesday to Camp Calumet. Lunch and snack are included and we will be back around 4:30 that day.
After snack, we had reading. In 6F we read The Tale of 3 Ralphs, which is a short story with the message "Fair does not always mean the same." This is a theme I will refer to MANY times this year as sixth graders are very aware of fairness issues! 6S read that story yesterday and read Tacky the Penguin today. Tacky's messages are, "It's okay to be different." and "Celebrate Individuality". Again, both of these messages will be stressed throughout the year, but especially in science and reading classes where we will be discussing our learning styles and celebrating our differences.
Also during reading, we surveyed books in my classroom library using the method that we went over yesterday. Students looked at books and used "Can It Be For Me?" to decide if they would like to read the books. We kept track of the books we surveyed as well as the ones we want to read on separate sheets of paper. Matching kids with the right books has been and will be our focus in the upcoming weeks.
2 hours and vocab are due on Tuesday. Students need to always bring their books to class.
In science, 6S did the same lab that 6F did yesterday. They need to complete the concluding questions for the lab by Tuesday. Questions need to be answered in complete sentences. The four questions are as follows:
1. Which cue did your brain respond to the quickest? Use data to support your answer.
2. Did your reaction time improve as the trials progressed? Use data to support your answer.
3. Which cue did your brain respond to the slowest? Use data to support your answer.
4. Predict what would happen to your reaction times if you practiced these activities every day for a week. Explain your prediction.
We got together at the end of the day with our Buddies in Mrs. Roberts' class. Oh what fun! We played the Blanket Game to get to know names.
Don't forget about our field trip on Tuesday to Camp Calumet. Lunch and snack are included and we will be back around 4:30 that day.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Busy Thursday!
Phew! What a busy day! We started our day doing some drumming for music class. This is usually in the afternoon but Mr. A had a conflict so we switched it to the morning time.
In reading today, we read aloud a story. In 6S, it was The Tale of 3 Ralphs (which we will read tomorrow in 6F) and in 6F it was Tacky the Penguin (which 6S will hear tomorrow). We discussed the importance of each story and how it applied to reading class. Next, we saw the rubric for how I am grading the reading logs and vocab. finds. I then did a Power Point Presentation on the use of the Can It Be for Me? strategy to locate a book. Students took notes.
In writing, we worked on rough drafts of our Graphs of Life. We learned about how to plot points on a line graph. We will do final drafts in class on Monday.
During 6F science, we did our first lab today. This is the Brain Body Reaction Time Lab. Students worked in partners to see how quickly their brains responded to visual, auditory and kinesthetic cues by dropping a ruler. Students need to answer questions as a conclusion for this lab. I will go over these questions in more depth tomorrow.
In reading today, we read aloud a story. In 6S, it was The Tale of 3 Ralphs (which we will read tomorrow in 6F) and in 6F it was Tacky the Penguin (which 6S will hear tomorrow). We discussed the importance of each story and how it applied to reading class. Next, we saw the rubric for how I am grading the reading logs and vocab. finds. I then did a Power Point Presentation on the use of the Can It Be for Me? strategy to locate a book. Students took notes.
In writing, we worked on rough drafts of our Graphs of Life. We learned about how to plot points on a line graph. We will do final drafts in class on Monday.
During 6F science, we did our first lab today. This is the Brain Body Reaction Time Lab. Students worked in partners to see how quickly their brains responded to visual, auditory and kinesthetic cues by dropping a ruler. Students need to answer questions as a conclusion for this lab. I will go over these questions in more depth tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wednesday
We started the day with band, chorus, or study hall. I have been working to get the reading benchmarks going so some students worked on those. Others did some small group math activities. It was a productive time.
In reading for both classes, I went over the "Read and Log 2 hours" requirement. Students need to read 2 hours each week starting today. This is time that is outside of school. The time read in school does not count. In order to become better at something, we must practice. In order to become better readers, we need to read A LOT! Therefore, students will be reading a lot this year both inside and outside of school. I showed them what I expect on the reading logs. Tomorrow, I will show them the rubric being used to score this assignment. These logs are due on Tuesdays, starting September 14.
On the back of the reading logs is the Vocabulary Find assignment. Students are to find 3 unknown vocabulary words each week in context. They need to record the word, the sentence it is in, the part of speech it is in that sentence and its definition in words they can understand. The rules for vocab are on the bottom of this sheet. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can download a copy of the reading log as well as the vocabulary find from my Homework Now site.
In writing, we brainstormed some positive and negative events of our lives. Students then starred 5 positive and 5 negative events that they would like to graph. They rated these events for how positive and how negative they are. The homework for tomorrow is to find out what dates these events occurred. We will then turn them into our Graphs of Life.
In science, we took some learning style questionnaires and calculated the results. We learned, according to these tests, if we are visual learners, auditory learners or kinesthetic learners.
In reading for both classes, I went over the "Read and Log 2 hours" requirement. Students need to read 2 hours each week starting today. This is time that is outside of school. The time read in school does not count. In order to become better at something, we must practice. In order to become better readers, we need to read A LOT! Therefore, students will be reading a lot this year both inside and outside of school. I showed them what I expect on the reading logs. Tomorrow, I will show them the rubric being used to score this assignment. These logs are due on Tuesdays, starting September 14.
On the back of the reading logs is the Vocabulary Find assignment. Students are to find 3 unknown vocabulary words each week in context. They need to record the word, the sentence it is in, the part of speech it is in that sentence and its definition in words they can understand. The rules for vocab are on the bottom of this sheet. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can download a copy of the reading log as well as the vocabulary find from my Homework Now site.
In writing, we brainstormed some positive and negative events of our lives. Students then starred 5 positive and 5 negative events that they would like to graph. They rated these events for how positive and how negative they are. The homework for tomorrow is to find out what dates these events occurred. We will then turn them into our Graphs of Life.
In science, we took some learning style questionnaires and calculated the results. We learned, according to these tests, if we are visual learners, auditory learners or kinesthetic learners.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Welcome Back!
Summer is officially over and we're off and running today in 6F! Students began the day with writing benchmarks. We wrote about a personal experience that happened to us over the summer. I will score these benchmarks for idea development and conventions as well as for specific skills that we've decided as a sixth grade team. We will then do a series of lessons based on these skills and revisit the benchmark to revise and show what we've learned. I use these benchmarks as a springboard for much of my instruction.
I also started students on the reading benchmarks today. It is my hope to finish these soon since I use this data to help me make goals for each reader individually. I am eager to get going as we have so much great stuff to do!
We went to the library this morning for Library Orientation. Mrs. Alibrandi talked with us about library procedures and expectations. Students were given time to browse and check out books if they wanted to.
After lunch we had social studies and science. In science we began our unit on learning styles. Students looked at inkblot images and wrote down what they saw in the images. We then discussed what people saw and started our discussion of how we are all different with different perspectives.
The homework is to bring back any paperwork that hasn't come in yet.
I also started students on the reading benchmarks today. It is my hope to finish these soon since I use this data to help me make goals for each reader individually. I am eager to get going as we have so much great stuff to do!
We went to the library this morning for Library Orientation. Mrs. Alibrandi talked with us about library procedures and expectations. Students were given time to browse and check out books if they wanted to.
After lunch we had social studies and science. In science we began our unit on learning styles. Students looked at inkblot images and wrote down what they saw in the images. We then discussed what people saw and started our discussion of how we are all different with different perspectives.
The homework is to bring back any paperwork that hasn't come in yet.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork!
I collected lots of paperwork today. Thank you to all who sent things in. If you didn't get a chance to do that, please send it in with your child on Tuesday of next week.
Remember, we have no school until Tuesday, September 7. Enjoy the long weekend!
Today was the first day of band and chorus. They will meet every Wednesday from 8 to 9 in the morning. The students who do not go to either of these activities stay in the classroom for study hall. They fill out "Study Hall Goal Sheets". This is where students set goals for what they will accomplish during the hour's time. I collect these each week when the study hall is over.
I went over the homework policy today. Please ask your child for a copy if he or she doesn't show it to you. This is also on my Homeworknow website.
In reading, I book talked some books that I read over the summer. Also, we did an activity called "Who Read This?" where students asked each other about different books that they might have read. Homework is to have a book for Tuesday's class.
In writing, we wrote letters to ourselves. I collected them and will pass them out sometime in the future.
During science, we did a Scavenger Hunt about where things are in the classroom.
Remember, we have no school until Tuesday, September 7. Enjoy the long weekend!
Today was the first day of band and chorus. They will meet every Wednesday from 8 to 9 in the morning. The students who do not go to either of these activities stay in the classroom for study hall. They fill out "Study Hall Goal Sheets". This is where students set goals for what they will accomplish during the hour's time. I collect these each week when the study hall is over.
I went over the homework policy today. Please ask your child for a copy if he or she doesn't show it to you. This is also on my Homeworknow website.
In reading, I book talked some books that I read over the summer. Also, we did an activity called "Who Read This?" where students asked each other about different books that they might have read. Homework is to have a book for Tuesday's class.
In writing, we wrote letters to ourselves. I collected them and will pass them out sometime in the future.
During science, we did a Scavenger Hunt about where things are in the classroom.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Happy First Day!
We've been busy today unpacking bags, listening to procedures, and getting to know our new classmates! We started the morning with an assembly where we clapped in the new fourth grade students. Mr. Bessette gave us a pep talk to start the year off right!
Students then came back to homeroom and unpacked their bags. We labeled all of our supplies. I collected the 3 ring binders with page protectors in them. These will be portfolios that we will add work to all year long. Generally, they do not go home, but if you would like to see them, please let me know at any time.
Snack time was a little confusing, but we made it through. Students who have peanut products for snack will sit at the "peanut table" in my room. That table will be washed and students will need to wash their hands as well. Anyone with tree nuts in their snacks will need to sit outside in the hall and wash their hands when they come back to the class. A note about this is going home today.
During reading class, I read aloud a book called First Day Jitters. Ask your child about the surprise ending! We discussed appropriate behaviors during this part of class. We next filled out our assignment books and talked about how to sign out a book from my library. Students need to bring back my Book Sign Out Policy as soon as possible in order to take books out of my library. Finally, students filled out a Reading Interest survey so that I could get to know them a bit more.
After lunch and recess, we went over rules and procedures of the classroom. I passed out all of the papers to go home and students packed up to go. It was a great day!
Students then came back to homeroom and unpacked their bags. We labeled all of our supplies. I collected the 3 ring binders with page protectors in them. These will be portfolios that we will add work to all year long. Generally, they do not go home, but if you would like to see them, please let me know at any time.
Snack time was a little confusing, but we made it through. Students who have peanut products for snack will sit at the "peanut table" in my room. That table will be washed and students will need to wash their hands as well. Anyone with tree nuts in their snacks will need to sit outside in the hall and wash their hands when they come back to the class. A note about this is going home today.
During reading class, I read aloud a book called First Day Jitters. Ask your child about the surprise ending! We discussed appropriate behaviors during this part of class. We next filled out our assignment books and talked about how to sign out a book from my library. Students need to bring back my Book Sign Out Policy as soon as possible in order to take books out of my library. Finally, students filled out a Reading Interest survey so that I could get to know them a bit more.
After lunch and recess, we went over rules and procedures of the classroom. I passed out all of the papers to go home and students packed up to go. It was a great day!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Y'All Ready for This?
Tomorrow is the first day of the 2010/2011 school year! I can't wait to meet my new class! We will start the day with an assembly in the gym, have snack, travel to math and then to art. Students will have reading, lunch, recess (after lunch this year!) and then come back for homeroom things. I'll see you all tomorrow!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Waiting for School to Start
Mr. Stokes, Mrs. Blinn and I met this morning to iron out the details of the beginning of school. I'm getting excited to get back in the groove! The classroom is set up, the schedule is on the board, and the supplies are replenished. I'm just waiting for my students to show up! There are so many things that are exciting about the upcoming school year. I look forward to getting it going!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
I haven't blogged every day because there isn't much to report! We've been finishing up projects, reading aloud and cleaning out! Students are bringing home the contents of their cubbies as well as work that I've been saving as reference today. We are almost done with The Man Who Was Poe. I'm hoping to finish on Monday.
Next week
Monday:
Porfolio Share - 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM or after school
Avi book clubs - 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM
Band goes to HMS in the afternoon
Tuesday:
Sixth grade day: Trip to Red River theater to see The Mighty
Pizza Luncheon
Activities in the afternoon
5:00 to 6:00 PM Barbeque with staff
6:00 Dessert with parents
Wednesday:
Last day of school, early release
Next week
Monday:
Porfolio Share - 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM or after school
Avi book clubs - 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM
Band goes to HMS in the afternoon
Tuesday:
Sixth grade day: Trip to Red River theater to see The Mighty
Pizza Luncheon
Activities in the afternoon
5:00 to 6:00 PM Barbeque with staff
6:00 Dessert with parents
Wednesday:
Last day of school, early release
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The Last Full Week
Monday and Tuesday seem like whirlwinds! Kids are frantically trying to get last minute work done. I collected portfolios today. Some students are still not done. I had a lot of visitors at recess today! We are working on Wordless Picture books, portfolio finalizations, Avi response papers and in science, a solid, liquid and gas properties Venn Diagram. Tomorrow is the last day for book talks and genre bingos are due tomorrow. There are still a few kids out there that need to complete this.
Both classes visited Math Mall today. We also had the middle school chorus give a beautiful concert.
Field Day has been rescheduled until Thursday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Our trip to Red River is on Tuesday. Portfolio Share and Avi Book Clubs are Monday.
There is a quiz in social studies tomorrow.
Both classes visited Math Mall today. We also had the middle school chorus give a beautiful concert.
Field Day has been rescheduled until Thursday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Our trip to Red River is on Tuesday. Portfolio Share and Avi Book Clubs are Monday.
There is a quiz in social studies tomorrow.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday Fun
Today was Step Up Day for the incoming third graders from HMS. It was fun to see the roles reversed for the sixth graders who got to conduct tours and be the "big guy" on campus, rather than at the bottom of the totem pole, like at the Middle High School. We invited the third graders in while they were on their tours and tried to learn their names. Fun!
We started our mornings with a work period. Students had time to work on portfolios, wordless picture books or science posters. They were productive! A hard thing to be this time of year!
In reading, we read aloud and talked about suspense tools more in depth. Students were told they need to find one example of foreshadowing, one example of a cliffhanger and one example of descriptive writing the builds suspense in their Avi novels. These papers are due Tuesday along with their final portfolios.
In science for 6F, we presented analogy posters and worked on a Venn diagram activity about properties of solids, liquids and gases.
Math homework: 13.5 due Monday; Probability test on Tuesday
Important Dates:
June 16: Field Day at MSS- we still need volunteers!
June 21: Portfolio share in the morning - parents please come anytime between 7:30 and 9:00; Avi book clubs in the morning; Band goes to HMS in the afternoon
June 22: Sixth grade day - The Mighty at Red River Theater and pizza luncheon; barbeque with staff at night
June 23: Last day - early release 12:10 dismissal
We started our mornings with a work period. Students had time to work on portfolios, wordless picture books or science posters. They were productive! A hard thing to be this time of year!
In reading, we read aloud and talked about suspense tools more in depth. Students were told they need to find one example of foreshadowing, one example of a cliffhanger and one example of descriptive writing the builds suspense in their Avi novels. These papers are due Tuesday along with their final portfolios.
In science for 6F, we presented analogy posters and worked on a Venn diagram activity about properties of solids, liquids and gases.
Math homework: 13.5 due Monday; Probability test on Tuesday
Important Dates:
June 16: Field Day at MSS- we still need volunteers!
June 21: Portfolio share in the morning - parents please come anytime between 7:30 and 9:00; Avi book clubs in the morning; Band goes to HMS in the afternoon
June 22: Sixth grade day - The Mighty at Red River Theater and pizza luncheon; barbeque with staff at night
June 23: Last day - early release 12:10 dismissal
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wet Thursday
I had a few meetings today up at the middle school, so I missed a bit of the morning. Mrs. Claggett covered my class for writing. They played a game with comma rules. Then, they worked on their wordless picture books. Rough drafts are due tomorrow, finals a week from tomorrow.
In reading, I read aloud and we discussed the plot. This is a tough story to follow as there are a lot of characters involved with different story lines going on at the same time. The discussion is so important. I also discussed the definition of suspense, foreshadowing and cliffhangers. Students will need to identify how Avi creates suspense in the novels that they are reading. These papers are due Tuesday along with their portfolios.
In spelling, we played Sparkle or Bananagrams.
In science, 6S shared their analogy posters. Next, we began an activity about the characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases and what they have in common. We used our textbooks for that.
In reading, I read aloud and we discussed the plot. This is a tough story to follow as there are a lot of characters involved with different story lines going on at the same time. The discussion is so important. I also discussed the definition of suspense, foreshadowing and cliffhangers. Students will need to identify how Avi creates suspense in the novels that they are reading. These papers are due Tuesday along with their portfolios.
In spelling, we played Sparkle or Bananagrams.
In science, 6S shared their analogy posters. Next, we began an activity about the characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases and what they have in common. We used our textbooks for that.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wicked Wonderful Wednesday
This is the last regularly scheduled band of the school year! Good luck to all of the members of band and chorus in their concert tomorrow.
In reading, we worked in the computer lab on our portfolios. They are coming along but anything from here on out is to be finished at home. They are due Tuesday.
We will be sharing the portfolios on June 21 in the morning. Families are invited in to see them.
In writing, we worked on our wordless picture books. They are coming along. This is a more challenging activity than I originally thought. It's all good, though!
Science class brought time to work on analogy posters. 6S will present theirs tomorrow in class and 6F will present Friday.
There is an Avi paper and reading due Tuesday.
Don't forget permission slips for The Mighty and for Red River Theater.
In reading, we worked in the computer lab on our portfolios. They are coming along but anything from here on out is to be finished at home. They are due Tuesday.
We will be sharing the portfolios on June 21 in the morning. Families are invited in to see them.
In writing, we worked on our wordless picture books. They are coming along. This is a more challenging activity than I originally thought. It's all good, though!
Science class brought time to work on analogy posters. 6S will present theirs tomorrow in class and 6F will present Friday.
There is an Avi paper and reading due Tuesday.
Don't forget permission slips for The Mighty and for Red River Theater.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Ruby Tuesday
Another busy day was had by all in 6F! In writing, we started the day with our last published piece. I asked students to choose a wordless picture book to read. Their writing task is to write the words that would go with the pictures. Rough drafts are due by Friday.
In reading, we read aloud and discussed The Man Who Was Poe. This book is a typical mystery with many clues dropped along the way. It's really important to process all of the clues in order to understand the story. After read aloud, students met in their book groups to discuss the reading thusfar. A new deadline had been assigned for next Tuesday. A response paper needs to be written by this time too.
6F got a chance to work on their science analogy posters. These are due Thursday for 6S and Friday for 6F.
Please remember permission slips for The Mighty movie as well as Red River field trip.
In reading, we read aloud and discussed The Man Who Was Poe. This book is a typical mystery with many clues dropped along the way. It's really important to process all of the clues in order to understand the story. After read aloud, students met in their book groups to discuss the reading thusfar. A new deadline had been assigned for next Tuesday. A response paper needs to be written by this time too.
6F got a chance to work on their science analogy posters. These are due Thursday for 6S and Friday for 6F.
Please remember permission slips for The Mighty movie as well as Red River field trip.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Two More Mondays Left!
It's hard to believe but we only have two more Mondays left after today! There is still so much to do in the time we have left!
This morning we started the day with spelling games. Students played Bananagrams, Quiddler and Word Flip.
During reading, we read aloud and I discussed the next paper that is due tomorrow. Students need to summarize their Avi books up to this point and write a response that answers the following question: Has Avi kept your interest up to this point in the novel? They need to give three examples or reasons to support their opinions in their papers.
Final portfolios are due June 15
Genre Bingo is due June 16
In writing, we played a game where students tried to figure out reasons for adding commas in sentences. They held up cards as I showed sentences with commas in them.
During 6S science, students worked on their analogy posters. These are due on Thursday. I will give students Wednesday's class to work and what they don't finish will be homework. 6F's will be due on Friday.
This morning we started the day with spelling games. Students played Bananagrams, Quiddler and Word Flip.
During reading, we read aloud and I discussed the next paper that is due tomorrow. Students need to summarize their Avi books up to this point and write a response that answers the following question: Has Avi kept your interest up to this point in the novel? They need to give three examples or reasons to support their opinions in their papers.
Final portfolios are due June 15
Genre Bingo is due June 16
In writing, we played a game where students tried to figure out reasons for adding commas in sentences. They held up cards as I showed sentences with commas in them.
During 6S science, students worked on their analogy posters. These are due on Thursday. I will give students Wednesday's class to work and what they don't finish will be homework. 6F's will be due on Friday.
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