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.
