Other than International Day, our schedule was back to normal after a week of family culture presentations. Here's what we've been working on in the classroom:
Reading : Now that the students are quite well versed in being able to read and understand various non-fiction conventions, they are beginning to start asking and answering their own research questions (or wonderings, as we call them in the classroom). Before diving into their nonfiction books, the students have been taking time to think about what sorts of things they wonder about the topic of the book they are about to read. For example, if a student is reading a book about penguins, he/she may wonder what kind of food a penguin eats. Then, as the students read their books, they search for the answers to their wonderings.
Writing : The students continued working on their nonfiction all about books last week. We spent a few days going over glossaries and how nonfiction authors use them to help readers understand important words in the book. We also worked on a page for our books in the computer lab! The students all created their own google doc with a photograph they found online and then they added a caption. If you'd like, you can check out your student's google doc from home. Ask your child if he/she remembers how to sign into his/her google account. If your child doesn't remember, send me an email and I'll give you the steps.
Math : The students are really enjoying our geometry unit. We spent a couple of days going over attributes that define shapes. Then, we learned all about polygons. Many of the students even know the names of the polygons up to the decagon - a ten-sided shape. Now we've moved on to talking about 3-d shapes.
Here are some pictures of 1-Bu in action last week :