Last week was a crazy week with those half days, but we got a lot done! Here's what we've been working on in the classroom :
Reading : Last week, we talked about just right books. These are books that are just right - they're not too easy or too hard. They're books that require a little bit of effort to read all the words, but not so much effort that it makes you tired. They're also books that you understand what is going on in the stories. Readers who read just right books for the majority of their time develop most quickly as readers, which is why it is so important for the students to be able to figure out if a book is just right for him/herself. Often times, readers get a very good clue about whether or not a book will be just right by looking at the font size and how many words are on a page.
Read Alouds : The students are continuing to adore Mo Willems' books. I have a ton of Elephant and Piggie books and I have a feeling that the students are not going to let me move on to another author until we've read each and every Mo Willems book I've got. I strongly recommend checking Mo Willems out. Even my mom loves his books!
Writing : The students gave their Knuffle Bunny story presentations early last week. It was so much fun to find out how Knuffle Bunny got lost in each story. They did a phenomenal job incorporating many of Mo Willems' craft into their stories.
Last week, the students also selected a writing piece that they would like to publish for our small moment writing unit. The students worked to make sure that their stories had a beginning, middle, and end.
Math : We spent a lot of time learning about frames and arrows problems last week. By now, your child should be comfortable filling in the frames and finding the rule.
Science : Early last week, the students learned about many different types of weather, from blizzards to hurricanes and tornadoes. Now we've shifted our focus to learn about the water cycle. We're currently in the middle of an evaporation investigation. We filled up some cups with water and have been observing the water levels each day.
Computers : The students continued working on their google docs 'All About Me' projects. They're getting more and more comfortable using google docs each time we go to the computer lab.
Here are some pictures of the students presenting their Knuffle Bunny stories to the class last Monday :