Today, after Morning Work Time and Morning Meeting, we read the poster that our new Star of the Week, Isabel B., made (great work, Isabel!).  After reading her poster, we had just a bit of time before we headed up to the Media Center for our time there with Mrs. Hennen.  We used the time to continue our exploration of 3-D shapes -  today we talked about spheres, and developed a working definition of a sphere -  which characteristics make a sphere a sphere.

Then we headed up to Media.  When we got back downstairs, we had Writer's Workshop.  The kids continue to amaze me with their writing - they are up to great things.  Be sure to ask them what they wrote about today.  In the lesson part of the workshop, I taught them about making their writing easier for their readers - including spaces between words, periods and exclamation points, and using nice printing.  

After writing time, it was already time for us to pack up and head home!

Today, after Morning Work Time, we had a short morning meeting, and then got ready for the big Read-a-thon Celebration. Once we got down to the gym, the kids were entralled. It was really quite a production - the big kids did a super job with their Wizard of Oz skit, and then Mr. Cadotte flew on the witch's broom! The kids all thought that it was pretty cool.



After the assembly, the kids had been sitting so long that we went out to play on the playground for a bit.

When we got back in, we had math class. We continued our discussion of three-dimensional shapes - today we talked about rectangular prisms, and brainstormed a list of things that are that shape, and again figured out what the essential attributes of a rectangular prism are.

After all that, I handed out the prizes from the Read-a-thon, and then we headed home!

Today, after morning work time and Morning Meeting, we had math class. We continue with our Geometry unit - right now, we are working on attributes and qualities of three-dimensional shapes. Today we brainstormed a list of things that are in a cone shape, and then we figured out what are the essential characteristics of a cone (what makes a cone a cone).

After that, we had reading class. We are working on sight words, so we quickly reviewed several sight words, and then we learned how to play "memory" or "concentration" using small flashcards. Tomorrow we will play the game, because just then it was time to head up to the music room for class.

When we got back down to the classroom, we had Ms. Barb (Ryan E.'s mom) back in to read. She read two books to the kids: The Mysterious Tadpole, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

After all of that, it was time to pack up and head for home.

Today, after Morning Work Time and Morning Meeting, we got to read Ava's Star of the Week poster (nice job, Ava!). After Star of the Week, we met two new High Hat friends in our phonics lesson. We met Thelma Thumb and Shy Shadow. After reading the stories, we brainstormed words that contained those sounds. Then we learned a new song - "Rhyming Teddy Bear." The kids sang along, and then had to fill in rhyming words.

After that, we headed up to the Media Center for our class time there with Mrs. Hennen. When we got back down to the classroom, we looked at a couple of the Flat Stanley postings on the blog. If you haven't looked in a while, check it out (http://flat-stanley-145.blogspot.com/). We then had a little bit of Choice Time, and then packed up to go home.

Today, after Work Time and Morning Meeting, we had a guest reader. Since it was Kieran's birthday, his mom came in to read two books (Dory Story and Henry Goes to Fitchberg). After we sang Happy Birthday to Kieran, we had reading class. We talked again about how we can use the "chunk and chew" strategy to help with tricky words.

We also had Writer's Workshop today. We are working on extending our pieces - trying to write like Cynthia Rylant, who, we 'discovered' today organizes her writing in chapters to make it make more sense.

After Writer's Workshop, we headed up to the computer lab, where we worked on literacy again, using www.starfall.com.

after all of that, we headed home.

Have a great weekend!

Today, after Morning Work Time and Morning Meeting, we had math. We are beginning a unit on geometry, and the kids worked on using the pattern blocks (they look like this) to make animal shapes from a template, and then create their own animal. As you can imagine, their imaginations went wild!

Today we worked on another reading strategy for the kids to use as they come across words that they don't know or are 'tricky.' I taught a mini-lesson about "chunking and chewing," which means that the kids can take words apart and look for familiar parts or letter combinations, and then re-assemble them to make the word that they are trying to read. The kids then went and found a comfy spot in the room to read and practice their strategies (the ones that we have talked about thus far are pointing to words as they read, using picture clues, skipping over a word and coming back to it, and now chunking and chewing). The "chewing" part comes in as the kids "chew" on the parts in their minds. They all did really well, and at the end of Reader's Workshop they all shared the strategies that they used as they were reading today. Ask your child what they did!

After reading, we headed up to the computer lab for our time there - the kids worked on www.starfall.com again - they really love it, and it teaches really solid literacy skills.

When we got back down to the room, we had a real treat - our first recess outside on the playground of 2009. Needless to say, we were all really excited to get out again!

After all that, it was time to head home.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We had a really nice day today. After Morning Work Time and an abbreviated Morning Meeting, we got to work on reading. The kids worked on reading their "Just-Right" books in their book bags (the books are in the bags - the kids didn't get into the bags to read...). We are practicing the reading strategies that they have to read unfamiliar or 'tricky' words.

After reading, we got ready for our St. Patrick's Day/Green Party. The kids did three projects - the made a collage shamrock from torn paper, made a leprechaun puppet, and graphed the various types of marshmallows in a small plateful of Lucky Charms cereal (I know - because what could be more Irish than Lucky Charms? - apologies to those of us who are Irish).

After the party, we had Mrs. Bechtel in for our Catalyst class until the end of the day. In that class, the kids experimented with KNEX blocks, which, for those who don't know them, look like this.

P.S. The kids looked very cute in their tie-dyed green shirts:

Today we had Center Time and Morning Meeting (be sure to ask your child what language "good morning" was written in today - it was "habari za asubuhi"). We then read Nicholas' Star of the Week poster (great job Nicholas!!). By the time we finished all that, we had to head to the Media Center for our time there with Mrs. Hennen.

When we got back down to the classroom, we had a really fun Writer's Workshop. We sang a fun song about "stretching" words out and "snapping them back."We worked on "making our writing easy for readers" - making sure that the writing is clear and well-thought-out. The kids did some really, really nice writing - be sure to ask what they wrote about. We wrote so long that we didn't even have time to share our writing like we usually do, much less have Choice Time!

After writing, we packed up to go home!

As you probably know, I was out this morning. At school today, your child had Center Time and Morning Meeting, and then read a few books with the sub. They then worked on math - a game called "Roll and Record," in which the kids rolled two dice, added the numbers, and then recorded the sum on a game page.

They then went up to the computer lab for a half hour. When they got back down, the read a bit more, and then had a short Choice Time. Sorry for the sketchy details, but that's all I know...

Tomorrow is our first music class with Mr. Hofmann, the music teacher. Should be FUN!!

Today, after Center Time and Morning Meeting, Isabel B.'s dad come in to read a book for her birthday (Happy Birthday, Isabel!). He read Purplicious, which we all enjoyed. Then we sang Happy Birthday with really loud instruments. Before we went to the Media Center, since it is also Dr. Suess' birthday, we read a couple of his books - Green Eggs and Ham, and My Many Colored Days.

To continue our celebration of Dr. Sueuss' birthday, after Media we also talked about rhyming words, and started a collection of them on a paper. Later this week, we will start to try to write like Dr. Suess. Before we headed home, read Ryan E.'s Star of the Week poster (great job, Ryan!!) while we ate Isabel's yummy birthday snacks - Milano cookies!