What a BUSY week! So much cooperative learning. This week we focused on the importance of Veteran's Day and had an assembly highlighting the armed forces and ALL we can thank them for! We continued reading tall tales, which proved to be a HIT!! We emulated some of our mentor authors in writer's workshop and zoomed in on topics instead if writing about everything. Math was all about strategies, counting larger numbers, and double checking!! Here's a few highlights from the week.
This weeks mystery reader shared stories with some of our favorite characters.
ATTENTION! After the Veteran's Day Assembly children wrote a memory page highlighting some of what they learned. There was talk of music, bootcamp, and cadets. Ask your child to tell you the 5 branches of military??
Answer: Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force
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| Veteran's Day Memory Page writing |
Writer's Workshop
The last 2 weeks we have been learning about how authors choose their topics, (by picking something they do or something that has happened to them and choosing 1 time to tell about), plan their story, (touch each page before they write and think about what happened first, next, and next), and revise ( reread their story and think if they've included details answering who, what, when, where, how.)
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| 2 writers exemplifying the writing process. We usually turn the lights down during writer's workshop to reinforce that it is a thoughtful quiet time. The lights are key in reinforcing this expectation! |
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| We are working on covering and counting with larger numbers. Children traced of their feet and then determined area by filling in the outline with various manipulatives such as bean counters.... |
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| .....and buttons. The goal is to accurately count these larger quantities (40-50) and then double check. |
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| The class is working on more quick images. This time they are drawing combinations of squares. This helps children quickly determine number quantities. The more fluent they are, the more efficient they are with their math facts |
Technology, Word Play, and Literature Connections
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| This week we are practicing short u words. Here a group of kiddos are reading a short u poem on the smartboard. This poem will later go in their poem notebook |
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| After reading several tall tales children work in groups to compare and contrast characters. 2 of our favorite characters are Clever Beatrice who outsmarts a giant and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett who is the strongest woman pioneer around! |
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| Our completed character comparison chart on the smartboard |
Sharing this week......
A cuddly red squirrel
A baseball from Fenway Park bought during the World Series!!
