*Library day is FRIDAY! Please, please, please help your child remember his/her library book on Fridays.
*Wednesday, October 31st is NOT a late start. School begins at 8:20.
*There is no school on Tuesday, November 6th.
*Wednesday, November 7th is also NOT a late start. School begins at 8:20.
Highlights from Reading Workshop:
The students learned that when good readers choose a new, unfamiliar book to read, they look at the cover of the book and make predictions about the story. They also learned to look for details in the pictures that help tell the story. We began making a list of different things good readers think about as they read and after they've finished reading a book. (see photo below)
Introducing... partner reading! The students also began learning how to read with a partner. They learned some things to help with the logistics of reading with a buddy such as:
- Sit side by side with the book in the middle.
- Decide who will choose a book and read first.
- Read in a voice that's not too loud and not too quiet.
- When you're done reading a book, stop and talk about it! (see photo below)
See other photos under the "Inside the Classroom" page.
**Star Books that I've read include...**
- Caps for Sale
- A Pocket for Corduroy (Don Freeman)
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (James Marshall)
- Knuffle Bunny (Mo Willems)
- Peter's Chair (Ezra Jack Keats)
Highlights from Writing Workshop:
We're learning a lot about what writers do! The students learned some new things:
- When writers want to draw a tricky picture, they just do the best they can and keep on going. They tell themselves that it's okay if it didn't turn out JUST how they wanted.
- Writers think about different colors they can use in their pictures to tell and show details, and to give more information about their story.
- Writers think about how they can add to their story and stretch it across several pages. They tell their story bit by bit and add more by telling what happened next.
- When writers are done with one story, they can start a new story!
Highlights from Math Workshop:
*Launching a mini-unit on 2D shapes* To begin this mini-unit, I showed the students a picture inside the book The Greedy Triangle , a wonderful book with strong literary AND math qualities! We engaged in a "thinking routine" called "See, Think, Wonder." The students began to notice that as you look from left to right, the shapes become more and more round. This is such an interesting mathematical concept! (see photo below!)
Then, students also began learning about 2-D shapes including circles, ovals, triangles, squares, and rectangles. It's common that children know the names of these shapes, but we began discussions about characteristics of these shapes, WHY a shape is a triangle/square/rectangle. I read The Greedy Triangle, and the students learned that triangles have 3 sides and 3 angles. They also discovered the triangles can be many shapes and sizes and turned in any orientation. They found triangles in a bin of shapes and counted its sides and angles. In the book, The Greedy Triangle, the triangle always wants "just one more side and one more angle" (turning it into a quadrilateral, then pentagon, then hexagon, then heptagon, then octagon, and so on). When the greedy triangle got one more side and one more angle, it turned into a quadrilateral. We discussed what a quadrilateral is and how/why squares and rectangles are quadrilaterals. We also compared/contrasted squares and rectangles*.
*Parent Note: A square is a 4-sided shape with 4 right angles where all sides are equal length. A rectangle is a 4-sided shape with 4 right angles where opposite sides are equal length. Yes, it's true, a square IS ALSO a rectangle. We talked about how a square is a "special kind of rectangle" because not only are it's opposite sides equal length, ALL its sides are equal length. It is given a special name: square.