Not only did we walk in our classroom to find Penelope our Peace Fairy on December 1st, but our room was a winter wonderland! Students love the winter stool cushions!
I love this book, Phileas's Fortune about self-expression and the power of words!! Thanks, Delaney for taking action and sharing it. The last time I read this was when I had Delaney's brother. I can still see his red cheeks when I read the last page.
This book is so special to me and I always love to share it. This was the first time I had a student who was so moved by the book, she went home and wrote a story connecting it to our class and then created an airplane. Thanks, Tristan! We enjoyed your story and demonstration! You have such a big heart! The airplane is hanging high in the front of our room to always remind us of Tristan's action and the Wonders that we are!
We started measurement this week in math. This connects to our new unit of inquiry, How the World Works.
Alta took action and used what she knew about measurement to make rice krispie treats (and lucky for us, she brought them in to share). She then decided to use this knowledge as the topic for her informational book in writing workshop. That's being a Thinker!
For this unit on Informational Writing, students have to think of topics they are ALREADY experts on. Something they know so well, they could teach it to someone else.
We are using different formats to organize our writing. Ask your child if they are organizing their book in:
We are using different formats to organize our writing. Ask your child if they are organizing their book in:
- Boxes and Bullets
- Pros and Cons
- Cause and Effect
When we organize an Informational Text, we use sub-topics (or chapters) to show different:
Point out different types of informational books to your child at home. Explain the different ways authors of informational books organize their topics.
- kinds
- parts
- examples
- ways
- a pro and a con section
- a partly the same and partly different section
- a part that is told in sequential order...1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
- The whole chapter could be written as a story
- There could be a small moment used as evidence to support a point
- There could be a story that begins or ends a chapter
Point out different types of informational books to your child at home. Explain the different ways authors of informational books organize their topics.
We are summarizing for the month of December....for homework and in reading groups. Check out the new summarizing writing stems in your child's binder. We practiced setting up our new responses for homework using the story, Kamishibai Man.
For homework, they need to answer the questions based on whether it's a fiction or nonfiction book they are reading. Then, they will use their answers to the questions, to guide them with writing a summary in paragraph form. I would like to see both parts in their journal or on Kidblog. They only need to respond to one story/chapter a week.
