Week 8 Wrap-Up

The soil and fossils unit ended this week, and the fossil models are still drying in the window.  We coated seashells in petroleum jelly, then pressed them into Play Doh.  Next, glue was poured into the mold.  When dry, they will become casts of the shells.

The screenshot above was taken during the spinner activity following the weekly spelling test.  Evelyn's colorful illustration represents the word "wheat."  She tied science to her creation with the three layers of soil: bedrock, subsoil, and topsoil.  To read more about the role of creative expression and multiple intelligences in our classroom, click here.

Pokemon cards created for "subtraction battle" were the highlight last week.  First, everyone created a character with two attacks, ranging from "Fly Fu," to "Cutie Lazer."  Next, chance determined the health points and attack strength as they rolled dice for place values and digits.  Vying for intergalactic domination (and subtracting while regrouping), Thursday and Friday's competitions were action-packed.  To create your own, click and print the graphic organizer below.

This week during writing, sensory details were the focus.  Above, a blindfolded Katie Sue provides adjectives to describe a mouthful of cereal.  Siena's a brave soul.  After warnings, she volunteered to describe the taste of wasabi peas!  During snack, everyone sampled the fire. 

Next week marks the end of the first quarter, so look for parent-teacher conference forms in Monday folders.  Click the content tabs at the top of the homepage to see what's in store for the second quarter.  

Thanks again to all the families who made it to Friday's parent breakfast.  Make the most of a perfectly fall weekend!

Writer's Workshop, Week 9

October begins with the quarter one writing assessment, when the students are given a prompt to write about.  Time is allotted to brainstorm, prewrite, draft, edit/revise, publish and proofread.  Students who take their time and use the strategies we practice in class score the highest.  

Click and print the graphic organizers below to practice narrative writing at home.

Readwritethink provides hundreds of interactive resources, from comic creators and story maps, to activities that boost vocabulary.  Click here to explore.

Week 5 Wrap-Up

Dynasty, Evelyn, Owen, and Katie Sue sculpt the meaning of spelling words after Friday's test.

Week five came and went in a flash.  In science, we're wrapping-up rocks and minerals with vocabulary cards and games. We're prewriting during writer's workshop. Graphic organizers and storyboards organize our thoughts and the narrative elements. To print your own beginning, middle, and end storyboard, drag the image below to your desktop and print. Next week, we'll write first drafts.  

To wrap-up addition, I gave the class some complicated problems with lots of mistakes.  They followed my thought process and explained where and how I went wrong, then solved the problems.  Next week begins subtraction. 

Thanks to all the parents who showed up for FACT day!