Magic

We began our day, as usual, with M4T and Ohio Dailies. For i-time today, most were working on completing their Math Assessments from Friday. This week will be a week of reviewing and applying previously learned skills as kind of a refresher. Mrs. Vidic came in for Guidance and we worked on what different zones "look like." For instance, how can you tell when someone is in the Red Zone...? We had a few minutes for meeting where some shared magic tricks they knew. We only had about 30 minutes for Math Workshop so we either continued with completing our decimal assessment or working on reviewing multiplication, division and fractions. This little review will help us to decide what we need to work most on this week. Today was gym, lunch and outdoor recess and in brown girl dreaming, Jacqueline decided and told her family that she wants to be a writer when she grows up. They just said, "Ok..." which didn't make her feel very secure. Her grandpa isn't doing very well either and he's like her daddy. Today prompted a few to say that this is a sad book... We read independently and then tried to decipher a poem but it was a little too challenging so we recycled it and will try something different tomorrow! :) In Writer's Workshop, we continued to work on using quotation marks in dialogue. I took pictures of them making expressions and then they had to buddy up and write down a conversation between them using the proper conventions for using quotation marks.

Fabulous day!

Today was wonderful! We began by completing our M4T assessment and then continued with showing our understanding of decimals by taking our assessment but also showing our flexible application by completing a real world task involving decimals. After a productive Math Workshop, we went to Music, lunch and a gorgeous recess. In brown girl dreaming, Jacqueline adapted her name to Jackie because her teacher asked her to write her name on the board in cursive and she didn't understand/know the q...so sad! She felt she would rather change her name than say she didn't know. It is hard to believe that this little girl that is having trouble reading and writing becomes such an amazing author! We read independently and then dove deeper into deciphering a poem and truly understanding the author's intent and message. "Victory" was about more than just a race. We then, completed building our penguin dwellings for our "Save the Penguin" science activity. Finally, we got a chance to preview the 5th grade musical, Jungle Book, as they practiced. So cool!

What do you WANT to learn?

School is a mix of what we NEED to learn and what we WANT to learn...or at least it should be! I sometimes get caught up in the plethora of what the state says they need to learn that what they want to learn gets ignored. So, today, for Math, I asked them what they wanted to learn and we did just that! How did your kiddo feel about this idea?

In our morning meeting, we shared one word for this weather and then played coseeki. We earned 2 potato head pieces for our day with the sub yesterday and since we picked what we wanted to learn in math, decided to switch things up and flip flop Math Workshop and Reading Workshop. We read independently and then tried to understand the poem, "Reward" (from StoryWorks) and all of the metaphors within it. We had a fire drill in the midst of our discussion but when we came back, we switched to a little Writer's Workshop where we decided that "said" is dead. We created a poster with words we can use instead of said. I signed planners today, after we wrote our assignments down and then we went to Art (Mrs. Bowers is back!), lunch and recess. After recess, we continued reading brown girl dreaming, where today, her little brother, Roman, went to the hospital because he had been eating paint chips off the wall, which contained lead. Jacqueline's siblings are starting to find things that identify them (brother-chemistry and science; sister-super smart...) and wondering her identity. Next, we moved on to Math where some practiced long division with decimals with me, some took the test and others practiced for the test. After we got the NEED to know completed, we moved on to the WANT. :) Next, we did a little more writing by using macaroni as quotation marks?! Yes. Ask your kiddo for more details. Finally, our day ended with building our penguin dwellings.

1/2 day sub

I was out this morning in a meeting with the other 4th grade teachers. Mr. Oliver said things went well-they were talkative but overall ok. In Math Workshop, they worked at different places: some reviewed for the decimal assessment, a few worked on multiplication of decimals and the rest completed some activities to better understand decimals. I was back for recess and it was nice outside! In brown girl dreaming, we learned a little more about how Jacqueline sees stories in her head, while her mom feels she is lying, she sees it as telling stories. This seems to be the beginning of her writing days! We also took some time to write some poetry about a time in our life. What did your kiddo write about? We read independently and then worked to understand plot using a story in StoryWorks. In Writer's Workshop, we compared our graphic narratives to our written narratives and found that we had to write more details without relying on the details in the legos. We talked also about how we used dialogue in our graphic narratives but not as much in our written narratives. Finally, we worked with partners in Science to create dwellings to Save the Penguins.

Thuriday

Thuriday is what I was calling today because it was like a Friday and felt like a Friday but was actually a Thursday! Anyway, I had planned for more to happen but all in all we had an ok day. We began by completing some questions on our M4T assessment and then got to work completing our conference presentations and LEGO stories. Then, those that didn't finish their box from MakerSpace yesterday continued working....1 1/2 hours later, we were finally finished. I know-it took so long but they did a great job and learned a lot while doing it and even went a step further and video taped segments sharing their creations and what they learned to be added to the ADE news next week. We only had about 10 minutes for math so we practiced some multi-digit multiplication and division before heading to Art. After lunch and outdoor recess, I tried to read brown girl dreaming but it took them waaayyy too long to get together and Mrs. Andrews needed some for a Reading assessment so we didn't end up reading. Instead, we read independently. We also completed either the STAR reading assessment or the work on author's craft in StoryWorks as well as made sure our narratives were completed. Finally, we ended our day working on Science. We took a plastic spoon and a metal spoon and put them to our cheeks and although we know they don't have energy, the metal spoon felt super cold! However, when we put an ice cube in each spoon and waited, the metal was the first to melt. Hmmm... Next, we began planning our project to Save the Penguins! We also brought home some weather stripping to put up at home to help with energy efficiency.

MakerSpace on Wednesday?

Yep! This was a Social Studies themed challenge of sorts and we have a short week so I got the challenge for today.

Our day began by completing our M4T and struggling with division... Ugh! Be prepared to see some multiplication and division practice as homework next week... Then, after working to get caught up on our conference presentations and LEGO graphic narratives, we grouped up to come up with as many ways to make a fraction/decimal that we could. Afterwards, we put these numbers on a number line and completed an exit slip. Today's special was gym followed by lunch and a very chilly outdoor recess. In brown girl dreaming, we found that Jacqueline has discovered her love of writing in first grade, however, she wishes that the letters on the page would quit moving. Hmmm. This reminded us of Fish in a Tree and made us wonder if she also has dyslexia? Her aunt also died which caused them to move again-this time to Brooklyn. We read silently and then either took the STAR Reading assessment or completed StoryWorks work about the author's craft, in Reader's Workshop. We read, Henry's Freedom Box about Henry Box Brown-that mailed himself to freedom from slavery and tried to re-create the actual size of the box.

No Talking challenge

So for today, our morning question was Talkative Tuesday: Would you be able to go all day without talking? Should we try? So, we failed the first few times we tried but at the end of the day, when things are typically most chaotic and loud, we were more successful. We could only ask adults questions or answer questions. Ask your kiddo how they felt they did.

We played catch up this morning with computers, on conference presentations and LEGO stories and after catching up and completing our M4T and i-time, we passed out and collected valentines. Then, in Math Workshop, together, we all played Trashcan Basketball and calculated our shots made in fractions and decimals. We had Music, lunch and a beautiful and sunny outdoor recess! Some went with Mrs. Andrews to take an assessment like the STAR assessment, for Math. This is merely another data point measuring your kiddo's learning~no worries! In brown girl dreaming, we learned that Mom, in New York, is having another baby and coming back to Greenville to get the kids and take them up North! While we waited for all of our friends to return, we read independently as well as read the poem and fiction stories in our StoryWorks. Next, we filled out our bracket for March Book Madness~we have A Night Divided going all the way!

Then, we finished writing our narratives based off our LEGO creations, finished our graphic narratives and finished up our conference presentations.

Productive Struggle

In Math Workshop today, a lot of kiddos reached their limit with productive struggle...some pushed through while others were content with not understanding. This led to our discussion about pushing ourselves. I used a sports analogy and asked if they would be content taking the football to the 1 yard line or if they'd rather have that touchdown?! I want them to start looking at school this way.

We spent some time this morning trying to get caught up and finished with our conference presentations after completing our M4T. We struggled with multi-digit multiplication!! (This would be a great skill to practice at home!) In Math Workshop, we split up into groups based on our needs and got to work. Some were working with Powers of 10 and decimals, others were representing their names as fraction and decimals and the rest of us were applying our understanding of decimal problem-solving. Today was Art, lunch and outdoor recess and then in Read Aloud, we were once again transported to the south during segregation in brown girl dreaming. In Reader's Workshop, we took a second look at problem/solution by looking at plot so we read, White Socks Only and completed our story map. Next, we looked at our Lego graphic narratives we made last week (and realized a lot still need to finish...) and wrote the narrative that goes along with it. *We'll be using these to compare and contrast the details included/not included in both. Finally, we concluded our day discussing conflict among the settlers for Social Studies.

Lunar eclipse, full "snow" moon and Comet 45p??!

Well, no wonder we've been chatty and crazy this week! Geesh! :)

We completed our M4T assessment today and I'm very hopeful that we remembered how to multiply because that was what was needed for quite a few of the problems...I gave them a quick reminder so my fingers are crossed! Then, in Math Workshop, we split up into 4ish groups to work with decimals and ended with an exit slip to see where we all are. We had gym, lunch and indoor recess. In brown girl dreaming, we continued to learn more about Jacqueline's life growing up in the south. To help us understand the times she is writing about, we've also been reading picture books about Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges and the Sit-in movements. After reading independently, we finished up our problem/solution work with StoryWorks and then struggled to complete our graphic narratives using our LEGO software. Technology wasn't on our side... :(

Privilege and Responsibility

The other day, I saw a kiddo chewing gum in class. My stance has always been that if you need/want gum to help you stay calm and focused, great. As long as it doesn't interfere with our learning, we'll be good to go. So, I quietly told the kiddo that he's fine as long as he spits it out when we are not in class and that a mess isn't made in the room. Fast forward to today, at our meeting, a little less than 1/2 the class is blatantly chewing gum, blowing bubbles, chomping and I found gum wrappers/packages on the floor. This prompted our discussion that when the privilege isn't being used responsibly or students aren't showing responsibility with a privilege, the privilege will be taken away. So, I told them that I am of the mentality that every student gets what they need in order to be successful and that this began with one student chewing gum to allow them to stay calm and focused and now this privilege might be taken away because some-that clearly do not need this-can't show responsibility. It is the same with our flexible seating and reading digitally. Some are clearly abusing their privileges! Anyway, I think they understand the message and will be looking at their needs vs. their wants a little clearer and if not, I will gladly help them to do so! :)

We completed our morning work and after our above discussion, shared one word/phrase that the "blizzard" outside made us feel. Then, we played some Coseeki to get our day going, said the Pledge and wrote down our SMART goal. In Science, we took the temperatures of different rooms around the school and found that most of the thermostats are pretty true to actual temperature but also, our building is overall wasting energy. Then, in Math Workshop, we had some controlled chaos with 4 different groups of kiddos learning at one time. Some just have a greater understanding of decimals. We had Music, lunch and indoor recess and then, in brown girl dreaming, we learned a little more about what is was like for Jacqueline's family in the south-which is harder than for her father's family in Ohio, during this time... We read independently and created our February Book-it goals and visited the library. Then, we tried something new by Jigsawing an activity. Everyone watched a video by the author of our non-fiction text we're working with yesterday, and answered one question. Today, we got into groups so that each group had someone that answered each question, and discussed. Next, we worked with problems/solution-a text feature we have previously identified. Once we finished with that, we moved into creating our graphic narrative using the LEGO StoryVisualizer software.

Prepping for conferences

On Wednesdays, we have 7 kiddos out for the majority of the day, so we started our day by spreading out. We completed our morning work, some answered the morning question and then had i-time. Then, we worked on our Google Slides conference presentation. We are working hard to identify our strengths and weaknesses as well as samples of our work and all we've been up to. Then, in Math Workshop, we worked on understanding the idea of decimals on a number line, as money, as fractions and using base-10 blocks. Today was Art, lunch and OUTDOOR recess! In Read Aloud, we looked at The Story of Ruby Bridges and Through My Eyes (both stories about Ruby Bridges), If a Bus Could Talk and I Am Rosa Parks (both stories about Rosa Parks) to get an idea of the differences of the times for brown girl dreaming. Jacqueline Woodson is now one year old in our book and moving from Ohio to the south, or South Carolina-where things are different when it comes to the color of skin... Next, in Independent Reading, students were able to read the books about Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks and we also decided upon our February Book-it! goals when conferencing with me. We watched a video in Reader's Workshop, by the author, Lauren Tarshis, of "Disaster in Space" in StoryWorks and answered some questions about it. Afterwards, I introduced them to the StoryVisualizer software for our LEGOs we'll be using tomorrow and we completed building and taking pictures of our beginning, middle and end of our narratives.

Busy, busy

As usual, our day began by working on M4T and Ohio Dailies. After i-time, in our meeting, we read, Gaston, a book about a french poodle that's really a french bulldog. Ask your kids the theme, it was a good one! Then, we played category challenge with countries. After a few tries of identifying countries vs. states, Noah won with 11 countries! We said the Pledge of Allegiance and then after writing our SMART goal, we finished up our insulation experiment in Science. In Math Workshop, some of our kiddos took the STAR assessment to gather more data while the rest of us looked at what we know about decimals and fractions-with their similarities and differences. We had Gym today, lunch and indoor recess, where some of the kids ended up walking the halls to use up their energy! We began a new book for Read Aloud, brown girl dreaming, by Jaqueline Woodson. This book is a novel written in poetic free-verse about the author's life, during segregation, and we are already enjoying it! We read independently and conferenced with me about their February Book-it! challenge while some went to the library. We also discussed making sure to not only read digitally...some are really enjoying the EPIC! app however, they tend to be much more distracted when reading digitally by things moving and things to click on. So, they are going to read both digitally and non-digitally. In Reader's Workshop, we re-read Disaster in Space and then completed the vocabulary work. Some did really well while others didn't do so well...some of the new words are: ingenuity, cockpit, detached, agonizing. Finally, we completed building our beginning, middle and ends of our graphic narratives with our LEGO Story Starters.

Typical Monday

We started with M4T, Ohio Dailies and i-time, followed by our morning meeting where we shared a little about our weekend and played, "Just Like Me!" Then, in Math Workshop, we took our unit 6 pre-test over decimals and then had some work time to either read, play ST Math or work on our writing. We had Music, lunch and OUTDOOR recess! It was beautiful! Then, we finished A Night Divided. Ask your kiddo how it ended! We read independently and then got our February StoryWorks and began reading some of the stories in it. Then, we got out the Lego StoryStarters and began familiarizing ourselves with them so we can start the writing process!

Feel Good Friday

This morning, instead of completing our M4T assessment, we took a line plot assessment do-over. Hopefully, this time, there are more that are proficient with their understanding. Then, we switched for Math Workshop and when we returned, we read a little bit from A Night Divided. We are so close to finishing! We had Art, lunch and indoor recess and then had the MakerSpace cart for a challenge to build a marble maze. After our creative challenge, we read a little more from A Night Divided and ended with a knock at the door as Mama and Gerta were on their way to the tunnel to leave East Berlin for good! We spent the remainder of the afternoon working on figurative language, reading independently and working on our writing. **Students may need to complete their research and informational text writing at home!!

Thankful

We began our day with the usual stuff but then our morning question was for student's to pick a name and write something they are thankful for about a friend in class. In Math Workshop, in my room, we practiced making common denominators and also multiplied fractions by fractions. Students were working on ipads in Mrs. Bolyard's room. We had a few minutes before special so we prepared for our Science experiment by insulating our containers and then went down to gym, lunch and back to the room for indoor recess (too cold!). After cleaning up from recess, we heated up the water and performed our experiment, checking the water every minute and writing down the temperature as I was doing the same with our control-uninsulated. It took teamwork and precision and listening and some groups were better than others. :) We'll continue to become better scientists, the more we experiment! In A Night Divided, we came to a very, very exciting part!! Ask your kids why! They begged and pleaded and made me read "one more chapter!" so we only had a little time for reading independently and didn't complete any new work for Reader's Workshop. We finished up (or what I hoped to finish...) our research and informational text writing. Where's your kiddo in the process of researching, writing their informational report and then if time, creating a presentation? (We've been researching for 3+ weeks, by the way.)

1/2 Day

I hate being out. It's the same thing at home. I don't go out very much because I don't like being away from my kids! I miss them too much! However, you can't make dr appointments on the weekend... So, today, I was out for the afternoon.

This morning, we worked on our M4T and Ohio Dailies and in my i-time spelling group, we kicked it "old school" by writing with our fingers in sugar! There is something about the feel of the granules of sugar as you trace the letters that causes things to fire in your brain and helps you remember.

After i-time, we had only a few minutes for our morning meeting so just shared some things with each other and then we read one chapter from A Night Divided. Next, we switched for Math Workshop, again today but my group also teamed up with Miss Hanlin's Focus kiddos and we did fractions with legos. The kiddos in Mrs. Bolyard's room finished up their posters, I believe. We also had a community meeting this morning focused on Pressing Pause and Getting our Minds Right. Congrats to those that were able to stand up and get recognized for standing out this month as leaders in taking care of ourselves, others and our school.