Today was a double block of LA. In our first block we started our first writing unit of the year: Personal Narrative Writing. This week our mini-lessons are going to be about different strategies we can use to generate ideas for personal narrative writing. Today we learned 2 strategies: Thinking of important people in our life and then listing any stories that pop into our mind when we think of those people, and listing Turning Points: first times, last times, or times when we realized something. Students began generating their story idea lists and then picked one to start writing - they only had about 5 minutes to begin writing the story before the first block was done...but this is ok, as I didn't expect them to write the full story, just to begin getting it down on paper. In our second block we continued our work on Tough Questions. Today I read a picture book aloud to them (http://peachtree-online.com/staff/seasonal/pdfs/YellowStar.pdf) and then they were each given a copy of the text to use to help them identify the tough question. Students filled out the graphic organizer and then turned them into me at the end of class. I will be scoring these and using it to help me plan the rest of the unit and see if we can move on, or if I need to do some additional instruction. Homework: Read for at least 30 minutes - making sure to stop when you notice a sign post- mark it on a sticky and THINK about the question you need to ask yourself for that signpost (use the bookmark I gave you!)
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Today was the final day of labeling our US maps. Students who didn't finish put their maps in their take home folders to either finish during WIN or for homework.
Homework: finish map Students got back together with their partners from yesterday to finish up sharing the tough question they identified in the Pixar short and what that question taught them about the character and what it made them wonder about. Partners wrote down what they heard their partner say- it was a great exercise in listening (which is a current struggle for many of our kids). We then shared out to the class what our partners said and had a whole class discussion around the tough questions identified.
Homework: Read 30 minutes each night Today we continued to learn about identifying Tough Questions in our reading. We began class by completing a writing prompt that asked students to think about a situation from our read aloud and explain their thinking. I then showed students a Pixar short film and they used the graphic organizer I provided them to write down the tough question they identified and their responses to the questions they needed to ask themselves.
Link to the Pixar film kids watched Today we worked on drawing and labeling the physical features of our US maps. Most kids are almost done with this- we will probably work on it for part of the period Friday and then be done and move on. (tomorrow will be a double LA block)
Homework: read for at least 30 minutes With NWEA testing this morning all of our class periods were much shorter than usual...esp since we wanted to make sure all students got a chance to get some fresh air and stretch their legs outside after we finished testing. During LA I introduced our next sign post: Tough Questions. After reading the signposts to the kids I then used our read aloud book and re-read aloud to them a tough question our main character asked herself earlier in the book. We then had a class discussion about what internal struggle Bea is having that this question reveals. I then modeled how the reader wants to ask themselves what the tough question makes them think about- so I shared with them that it reminded me of something when I was their age and proceeded to share the connection.
Homework: Read for at least 30 minutes Students worked on labeling their maps with the physical features. They were provided with a checklist that lets them know exactly what landforms they need to draw and label, using the maps in the back of their textbook for reference.
Today in class students read their novels while I checked in with some students and helped others find a new book to read (either because they did not like their book or they had finished it and needed a new one). Moving forward on reading days, I am hoping that I will be able to have reading conferences with kids, but this will only work if students remember to bring their book with them each day.
Homework: Read at least 30 minutes Students finished up their personal timelines this week, if your child still has theirs in their take home folder please remind them to finish it and hand it in asap. Today we began talking about geography. I introduced geography by asking the students how where on lives impacts how they live. As a class we brainstormed all the different ways our lives are impacted by geography. Students will begin labeling major landforms on a map of the US next week.
We have been using a video clip from Finding Nemo to practice identifying Aha Moments and Contrasts and Contradictions. We have had lots of discussions about how the purpose of learning these sign posts is to get us to learn to THINK while we read. It is one thing to notice a contrast and contradiction, but if you don't stop reading and ask yourself why the character might be behaving this way, then you are not going to be going any deeper into the text.
Please make sure your child is reading 30 minutes each night and bringing their book back into school each day. They should be reading the same book here at school and at home. |
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