Excellent!

Today was an exceptionally excellent day! We began by splitting into 7 groups to collaborate with Darby Creek on the STEM challenge. Ask your kiddo if they were in a group that had one of the tallest and/or strongest beanstalks! Then, after gym, we had lunch and a chilly outdoor recess. We came in wrote our assignments down and then had some quiet time to calm ourselves. Unfortunately, when we went to go over our math homework, only 5/25 kiddos that were here, had theirs. I heard a LOT of, "I forgot it at home," but I'm not sure if they truly had completed it or not. They were supposed to create 10 fractions. (Ex. 3/4 of my family are girls...) Tonight, they should be working on ST Math as there are some great fraction puzzles. We began and ended Math Workshop with writing about our understanding of equivalent fractions and were able to see how much better we understood equivalence after an efficient workshop. We just had some worksheet practice looking at fractions in pictures, numbers and words. It was a great and efficient math time! Since we didn't have time this morning, we spent some time after math reading, writing and working on word study. We ended our day with Wonder/i-time.

Happy Monday!

Today was a pretty typical day. We began with M4T and then greeted each other with a compliment as to why they are happy to see them today on the way to meeting. In meeting, we shared our thoughts about our collaboration with Darby Creek tomorrow. Then, as our activity, we completed a category challenge with superheroes! In Word Study, we defined some holiday words which we'll be using to make pictures, puzzles and kahoot's with later in the week. We wrote our opinion letters in Writer's Workshop and in Reader's Workshop, continued our work with "Malala the powerful," read, blogged or kept writing. We had Music, lunch and indoor recess and then in Math Workshop, continued our work with equivalent fractions. We prepared for tomorrow's STEM activity by reading various versions of Jack and the Beanstalk. Our day ended with Wonder/i-time.

Friday fail...sorry!

Last week wasn't very stellar with my "daily" blogging--sorry! This is such a crazy and hectic time of year...

On Friday, we began our day with Hour of Code! We were more cool, calm and connected than we have ever been for one whole hour! AND we learned and had an amazing time! Thank you Mrs. Olson for coming in and helping us out! FYI-I saw this cool advertisement where you can buy a kit to build and then code your own computer! Here is the address if you want to check it out: http://us.kano.me/ . When I saw it, it made me think of some of your children! And it is only $99! After hour of code, we filled out our OREO graphic organizers about an opinion we have on something we want or about Christmas. You might see some persuasive letters coming home on Friday..hint, hint, wink, wink. We also read and visited the library, completed our padlet and blogged. We had Art, lunch and recess and then came in for some quiet time. In Math Workshop, we tried to place numbers both less than and greater than 1 on a number line. This wasn't very successful so we'll be taking a little extra time to secure our understanding of what fractions are as well as equivalent fractions. After Math Workshop, we spent a little more time with writing and reading and finishing Ohio Studies Weekly since we didn't have a lot of time this morning. Our day ended with Wonder/I-time.

Oops!

Sorry...forgot to blog yesterday! I'm actually writing this on my phone while driving to spirit night at Uno's...busy, busy! Here's how yesterday and today went:

We began by completing our M4T and then heading down to Music for special. (We switched with 3rd grade again.) When we came back, we had meeting planned by Abigail where we greeted each other with a fiat bump or hug, shared (I forget!) and then played "Would you rather?" We proved we understood regular plurals by finding 10 words in the class that fit the patterns. Then, we read, A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech which jump started our opinion writing. We used the OREO graphic organizer to write an opinion piece about keeping our school days he way they are-just in case Mr. H gets an idea like in the book. The Beaded Moccasins was pretty gross as they explained how they tan deer hides. In Reader's Workshop, we read a non-fiction piece paired with a poem about Malala, read, blogged, some visited the library and some met with me for guided reading. After Music, lunch and recess, we came in for quiet time. After we calmed ourselves, we had a fraction talk where we decided if a certain fraction was closer to 0, 1/2 or 1 AND explained how we knew. Then, we put 10 fractions in order on a number line and had a gallery walk to see the thoughts of others. To show our understanding of weathering, erosion and deposition, we took a quiz using kahoot! (Ask your kiddo.)

Today was a typical day with special at our normal time. We completed our M4T and then met for meeting planned by Juan. We greeted each other by speaking in Spanish (guided by Juan and Augustine!) We shared the name of a tv show we watched this week and unfortunately didn't have time to play category challenge. In Word Study, we practiced making words plural. Then, in Writer's Workshop, we finished our opinion writing and are OREO's while doing it! Yum! Mary learned that she will be heading to Sequin's trading post and they expect her to read...uh-oh... We worked with the Malala in StoryWorks, read, blogged and went to the library. We had a very sweaty gym, lunch and recess. After quiet time, we had an awesome fraction talk and then worked with cuisenaire rods to better understand fractions. We took the next 15 (but should've been 30 but they were too noisy!) to go out for extra recess from earning our final potato head piece last Friday. I even played Infected and swang...FUN! We ended our day with wonder/I-time!

Out of the ordinary = chaos

Today did not follow our typical schedule. 3rd grade is taking their big AIR tests (previously the OAA) and needed a lot of time this morning so we switched specials with them. We also had a technology lesson with Mrs. Bargar in the afternoon.

Our morning began with completing our Math 4 Today and then heading off to Art. After Art, we had our morning meeting planned by Kamryn. Today we greeted each other with an "H"~high five, handshake or hug. Then, we shared our favorite animals. Have you heard of the comebacktome?? :) We ended with another game of "Would You Rather?" I think they really enjoy that activity. Next, we sorted our words and found that they are all REGULAR plurals so we need to: add s, es or change the y to i and add es. In Writer's Workshop, we revised and edited our "autobiographies" for our iBook that we are making about our class. Then, we read The Beaded Moccasins. Today, we read about Mary and her needing strength. She tried to do something to get more but in reality, she's pretty strong already. In Reader's Workshop, we read informational text in order to complete a book review about it, blogged, visited the library and read from our new StoryWorks. After lunch and recess, we had some quiet time and then had a fraction number talk. Is 5/8 more than or less than 1/2? What about 16/31? Then, we had some time to play Cover and Uncover using our fraction kits we made yesterday. Mrs. Bargar came in for our technology lesson about creating our iBook page on Pixie complete with selfie and sound so we were unable to play our Boys v. Girls gave of Uncover. We'll have to play tomorrow. Finally, we ended our day with a quiet and calm, Wonder/iTime. :)

No voice/man voice

So, I have gone back and forth between sounding like a man and having no voice. Anyway, it's been a tough day trying to get their attention~and they were a little more chatty than usual too!

We began our day with M4T and then had our first STUDENT PLANNED morning meeting. McKenzie planned today's meeting~We greeted each other with a different language, shared what we want for Christmas (and if we don't celebrate, something we really want) and then played, "Would you rather?" In Writer's Workshop, we wrote about ourselves in preparation for our technology lesson with Mrs. Bargar tomorrow. We are creating a book of us to share with ADE and Darby Creek in iBooks! Next, it's October in The Beaded Moccasins and starting to get pretty cold in that cave. Mary is starting to bond with her new "family" but feels bad about it...she states that she's not happy but more content right now. Hmmm...must be very confusing for her! In Reader's Workshop, we read, blogged, visited the library and/or met with me. We also got our new StoryWorks! We had a great gym, lunch and outdoor recess and then came in for quiet time. To begin Math Workshop, we set up a Math Journal in our binders for writing about our math and began it with writing about what we are learning right now. Then, we created fraction kits by folding and cutting different colored strips to represent different amounts and then we played one game of "Cover." In Social Studies, we continued showing our understanding of early Native Americans by completing Ohio Studies Weekly crossword puzzles and activities. Finally, in Wonder/iTime, we added a couple of things to the "menu"...some brain games like Rush Hour, Master Mind and Perplexus and also added the option to Wonder and research THICK questions again.

TGIF!

Our day began with a division AND a multiplication problem. This is awesome news because they are getting more efficient with both! Then, in our meeting, we watched the ADE news. *Did you know that you can watch the news each week? And can submit news ideas? The news can be found in Mr. Higginbotham's weekly news that comes on Fridays through email. (Not getting the emails? Maybe you still need to subscribe to ADE's eNews!) You can submit story ideas through the News & Info tab on our school website, ade.hilliardschools.org. Then, in Writer's Workshop, we created a padlet and wrote without boundaries-which means that they could write anything and about anything that they wanted. We had a freezing fire drill and then Mrs. Kleman's kiddos came in and performed a Reader's Theater for us. (We showed so much attention to the 2nd graders and were so respectful, we earned our final potato head piece!) Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to read The Beaded Moccasins. In Reader's Workshop, we completed our fiction book reviews, read, blogged and/or met with me for guided reading. We had Music today, lunch and outside recess even though I totally protested...(partly because I had duty!) Math Workshop was working with fractions again but this time, instead of pizza, we shared 13 candy bars equally with 8 children. They struggled a bit with this but I think they did a good job getting the main idea of equal parts and sharing parts of a whole. After we finished making our thinking visible by putting our work on a poster, we used computers to show our understanding of Early Ohioans with an interactive web activity. We finished off our Friday, completing our padlet entries, blogging or working on our shared writing.

Productive

Today felt like a productive day. I'm not sure if it is because I'm finally feeling better (I haven't been feeling great this week.) or if we just were in a groove. No matter the reason, I'm happy we were productive! Oh and I forgot to mention that we have begun reading to the preschool! We have 4 classes of students from the ADE Preschool that we get to read with! Some classes even have both AM and PM! We will be reading to some each week and other's once a month. It's a win-win because our children practice fluency, patience and choosing kind and the preschool kiddos get some great role models! :)

I think students are finally feeling more successful with division! I could see more really working and trying to solve this morning's problem and getting more efficient with doing so. They are also doing a great job with completing their more standardized homework practice~again, thank you for your help with this! **Here's my disclaimer: I can see that a lot of the kiddos are solving the multiplication problem using the traditional method. Thank you for teaching them/helping them with this. I'm happy about that. Please be careful though because I can tell that some that have this work on their paper have no idea how or what they did... if you find this to be true, one way we've been solving multiplication is by taking a step backward from traditional by separating the two steps into four steps. So, instead of this:

they would do this:

AGAIN, thank you for helping them!! Some of them truly get traditional, however, some do not so here is how you can help them better understand your "shortcut." :) 

In our morning meeting, one student asked to play a specific game so I got to thinking, why should I be planning everything?? So, starting next week, our meetings will be planned by students! I can't wait... However, today, was mine. We shared our favorite or "go-to" snack. Then, we played, "Would you rather?" (I love and hate this game!) Then, in writer's workshop, we continued our opinion writing. I'm excited to read them! We finally got back to The Beaded Moccasins and Mary has arrived at the Cuyahoga River and I finally got to show them actual pictures of the cave where she'll be living. It is in Cuyahoga Falls (near Cleveland) and it's a historical site called, Mary Campbell's Cave. If you are ever up that way, you should check it out! Anyway, they thought it was pretty cool that I was in the exact spot that our book is about. In Reader's Workshop, we read, blogged, finished our book review of fiction and I met with some for guided reading. I love meeting in small groups because I get a chance to really focus on each child's specific needs and can really pinpoint where they are in their understanding. Today was Art. After lunch and recess, we had quiet time and then finished our fraction posters showing how we can share pizzas equally. They did an A-MAZING job with sharing pizzas, relating it to fractions and sharing HOW they figured the solutions out. Math Workshop was cut a little short since we had Guidance. Mrs. Vidic talked with us today about citizenship and how we can be good citizens. After Guidance, we worked on an Ohio Studies Weekly about the Woodland Indians and then had our Wonder/I-time. 

Tuesday and Wednesday...

I was out yesterday afternoon for an appointment for myself and one for my daughter but Mrs. Bowers-an amazing substitute-was here in my place.

Both yesterday and today, we began our day with solving a real-world division problem. They are working through the problems and feeling more comfortable doing so! I think the guided/review homework is helping also...the kiddos really seem to enjoy it and hopefully, it's not taking too long. After going over our homework and the division problem, we had our morning meeting. Yesterday, we talked and shared about overcoming bad things, like what we'd seen from Alfred Tibor. Today, we shared our goal and then played Popl-a game where we practice multiples of a number. In Writer's Workshop yesterday, we continued working on our shared writing. They are not a very sharing group when it comes to their writing ideas! We'll eventually get them done. Today, we began writing an opinion piece. Mrs. Firestone came in and read, The Raft, to us and as we read, we made inferences and supported them with evidence from the text. They were really good at making inferences but had more trouble with giving text evidence to why they made the inference. We are working on writing fiction book reviews in Reader's Workshop this week, reading independently and blogging. Their blogs aren't great...they need to be longer and consist of more information at this point. Keep checking in with your kiddo on their blogs! Unfortunately, yesterday, we didn't get special (Music) so we just worked a little longer on each subject in the morning. Today, some were pleasantly surprised that we had Gym (they thought it would be music). Indoor recess yesterday but outdoor recess today. In Math Workshop, yesterday, they worked with multi-digit multiplication and division problems for practice and then had some ST Math and game time. Today, in Math Workshop, we began fractions. We talked about what a fraction is and what they already knew. Then, they had to show how to: share 4 pizzas among 6 children, 7 pizzas among 6 children and 5 pizzas among 6 children. This was difficult for some to get started but once they got going, they did ok with it. We finished up weathering, erosion and deposition by identifying the differences in Earth's surfaces with each process.

Field Trip

This morning was our field trip to the Dublin Arts Council to see "Hatred Doesn't Work" by Alfred Tibor. (Check out the email I sent, Twitter and Facebook for more information.) Then, we came back for a little bit of Art, Lunch and Recess. In Math Workshop today, we got our tests back and identified ideas that we do not understand vs. the questions that we didn't read completely or had silly mistakes on. Then, we practiced applying multiplication and division with practice problems. We then, went to the library where Mrs. Richardson helped us choose thick questions for researching. Finally, we read, wondered/wrote thick questions and practiced math.

math tests and more Native Americans...

Well, our morning was spent taking our Unit 2 Math Post-test and taking our unit 3 Math Pre-test. Our afternoon consisted of visiting the remaining 2 sessions of Native American EdCamp. Plain and simple. That's how we roll! :)

stream table and Native Americans

We had a very busy day! All morning, we worked with the stream tables and modeling erosion. Students had to build and place a home on some slanted land. Then, a heavy rain came. What did your kiddo add from their trip to Home Depot to help prevent too much erosion and deposition from destroying their land? We then had a little time to read and visit the library. After Music, lunch and a freezing recess, we then had our EdCamp-Native American style. Each teacher-Mrs. Bolyard, Miss Cross, Mrs. Stafford and myself-taught an aspect of Native Americans. Students chose 2 sessions to attend today and will be attending the other 2 sessions tomorrow. What did your child do today?

Live from Urgent Care! :)

So, in my family, it's always something! Adison was at the doctor this morning with a sinus infection and we are getting X-rays on Ella's elbow right now. I can't wait for Dad to get home from Chicago...I'm ready for a break!

Anyway, we had an A-mazing day!! Like really, really good. We talked this morning and just had a good, honest discussion that I'm doing all I can do and they need to do more-with self-discipline and responsibility and respect for themselves, classmates and me. Next, we wrote sentences showing our understanding of our word study words...envoy, poise, sirloin and turmoil were some words that needed looked up. Then, they formed groups and began a shared writing. They are in groups of 3-5 and are writing one story. The Beaded Moccasins was rough today. I had warned them ahead of time that it would be tough to hear and completely understand and they actually handled and understood it really well-they even offered ideas for why the scalping of the baby happened. In Reader's Workshop, they continued their work with the fiction story and understanding theme. We also read, blogged and went to the library. Gym, lunch and recess were great and we had a wonderful quiet time. I could feel the energy of the room die down-that earned us a potato head piece. We had great discussion in Math Workshop about critiquing the reasoning of others. Then, we got our review packet for our test on Monday and began working on it. For Social Studies today, we watched a video about the early Native Americans in Ohio-specifically, the mound builders. We then read in our Ohio the text and found more information about them. When it came to our most chaotic part of the day, they kept it together and earned another potato head piece. Wow. That's just about all I can say. Wow.

Pinball wizard!

I feel like a pinball wizard, with about 26 little pinballs zooming around all the time! I thought I posted yesterday but I don't see it...sorry.
Yesterday, we had another great day. (I posted a lot on Twitter and Facebook too!) In meeting, we shared our favorite song (which meant I sang all day long because I had them in my head!) and then we got into small groups to try and find "uncommon commonalities" among us. It was hard! One group found that they each had a sibling. One group all liked dogs... Then, in Word Study, we sorted our words and found that all of our words have the "ow/oy" sounds, with ow, ou, oy and oi. In Writer's Workshop, we practiced our parts of speech understanding by completing Mad Libs. In The Beaded Moccasins, Mary turned 12 on May 11, 1759, had a terrible fight with her mother, ran off and she was captured by Indians! I overheard a kiddo say, "NOW it's getting interesting!" I love when they love to read! We heard more similes and found that they are really helping us to visualize the story as the author wanted us to. We continued our work with mood and the poem from StoryWorks in Reader's Workshop and also read, blogged and visited the library. We had Art, lunch (where there is a book club started by some kiddos-on their own-like they came to me and asked if they could start a book club...AWESOME!) and then outdoor recess. We began our Math Workshop with a gallery walk, looking around the room at everyone's posters about the vending machine division problems from Monday. We talked about what we were looking for: problem-solving, division strategies, answers to the problems, etc. NOT how pretty or colorful they were. Then we discussed our thoughts on our work as well as what others had to say. Next, we got another problem from the "Teacher's Lounge" and worked to find the answers. Students are doing a really good job with division and really pushing through! We'll be taking our test over multi-digit multiplication and division on Monday. Next, we got the computers and completed a webquest on weathering and erosion for Science.
Today, there was a substitute in the classroom as I was with the other 4th grade teachers discussing and planning. Our substitute was one that had a tough time when he was here last but today, he said, was much better. I'm thinking there are some potato head pieces in our future! In Word Study, they proved their understanding of the generalization by finding more words that fit the "ow/oy" pattern. They completed Mad Libs and shared some of the silliness for Writer's Workshop. In Read Aloud, they read, My Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil that was written in similes. Then, they illustrated some silly similes themselves. They read the fiction story, The Golden Lie, in StoryWorks and then read independently, blogged and visited the library. We had Music today and then lunch and outside recess-we made it before the rain! In Math Workshop, they worked on figuring out some ways that we could all go to an amusement park and created posters. Tomorrow, we'll take another gallery walk and "critique the reasoning of others" again reflect on our understanding. In Science, we completed the webquest but also completed some crossword puzzles online about weathering and erosion.

I'm baaaaccckkk!

I'm back and hopefully things will be semi-normal for awhile...

Our day began with completing a Plus/Delta/Prescription chart about our classroom behaviors because I didn't get the best report from the sub. We realized that we need to choose better seats, use more self-discipline and get focused-stay focused in order to be more successful. Then, we talked about celebrating our goal achievements more. Each student has a paper in their binder to record when they achieve their daily goals. If you see a sticker, then I agree that they achieved this goal. Next, we went a little out of order as we worked on parts of speech with a cool, funny game for Writer's Workshop before we took our pre-test and made our new list for Word Study. In Beaded Moccasins, we learned a little bit more about Mary, "westering" and the Campbell's. Tomorrow it will get real interesting! In Reader's Workshop, we listened to the poem and discussed the mood that the author wants us to get-not our opinion necessarily. We also read, blogged and visited the library. Today was gym, lunch and outdoor recess. In Math Workshop, we worked on a problem about vending machines in the teacher's lounge for division today. They made posters and tomorrow we'll do a gallery walk and critique the reasoning of others. Students are doing really well with division! Then, I tried to get a little more creative with our quiet time today and just do some breathing and a yoga salutation but the sillies came out and it was just purposeless. For Science/Social Studies, we continued our work with landforms by completing some riddles and our "craft" as the kiddos called it. :) 

Better.

Overall, today was better but still loud. We chose seats that were not with our usual table mates but we're still able to work with our friends during work times. I'm sure tomorrow will be even better.

In meeting, we shared how we felt coloring yesterday. Most felt calm and relaxed. Then, we read, The Day the Crayons Came Home. At the beginning of the year, we read, The Day the Crayons Quit so it was nice to check in some different crayons in Duncan's home! In word study, we sorted our words and found that the letter r can control the vowel sounds of words-such a bossy letter! For Writr's Workshop today, we discussed conclusions and wrote a possible conclusion to our research reports. We finished up our fantasy chapter in Nightmare at the Book Fair in Read Aloud and had some work time during Reader's Workshop to work on inferences and reading and blogging. After Music, lunch and indoor recess, we finished up playing our "Who has the largest quotient?" game and then did some real life math when I brought in real skittles to divide among the class! They had to figure out how many each got first though. We also read, Remainder of One and began our discussion on what to do with what's leftover, or the remainder. Luckily, with the skittles, I got the extras! 😊 We ended Math Workshop a little early to head down to Mrs. Kleman's room to check out their research-ask your kiddo what they learned! When we came back to our room. We finished up our group questions about the prehistoric Indians.

Just another manic monday... oh, oh...

Mondays are well, Mondays. We were loud and talkative but we learned. It's just really frustrating and disrespectful that they CHOOSE to keep talking when I'm talking or ask them to stop. We're going to be more choosey with where we sit tomorrow so that should help-you know I'll let you know! :)

In meeting, we read, The Crayon Box that Talked. It had a great message about being amazing as individuals but even more exceptional together! Then, we just colored. I printed off a page from crayola.com that is from an adult coloring book and we just de-stressed and calmed ourselves down for the day. *Unfortunately, they kept coloring ALL day-even when they weren't supposed to! Anyway, after we spent about 15 minutes coloring, we took a pre-test and developed our new lists for word study. Then, in Writer's Workshop, we worked on our introductions for our research reports. They came up with some great leads! We began the chapter on Fantasy and the "Quest for the Gold-Plated Knick-Knack" in Nightmare at the Book Fair and then made some inferences about Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris VanAllsburg. Then, we continued making inferences, blogged, read and visited the library. After some Free Art with a substitute, lunch and recess, we wrote in our planners-nothing out of the ordinary so far this week-and had some quiet time that just wasn't very quiet. We started Math Workshop with a book, The Great Divide about division. (This is when the kids asked why we were reading so many books today...I guess I was in a reading mood when I planned for today!) Then, we divided. Like, physically took 112 cubes and divided them among 7 people. We first gave each person 10 and then subtracted 70 from 112 which left us with 42. Then, we gave each person 5 and subtracted 35 from 42 (because 7 x 5 = 35) which gave us 7. We gave each person 1 more and were left with 0 cubes. Each person had 16 cubes SO 112/7 = 16! We kept practicing division with practice problems and a game. I gave an exit slip at the end of math so we'll see how far along they are in their division thinking. In Social Studies, we got into groups and answered some questions about pre-historic indians. Finally, we had a maze to work on during Wonder/I-time since it is A-maze-ing Monday!

Shhhhh!

We were really loud today. Oh my goodness! It was like old times. It was a crazy week so maybe that has had something to do with it.

In our meeting this morning, we shared behaviors we can do that are "Above the line."

We also played a new game called, "What are you doing?" This was fun and I think they enjoyed it. Next, it was another day of research in Writer's Workshop. Remember-your kiddo can always work on their research at home! We read Intermission 2--Easy Reader in Nightmare at the Book Fair. It was a very quick read in the style of Dr. Seuss. Then, we watched a little video that accompanied the story "Escape from Alcatraz" in our Story Works. Students worked on providing text evidence, read, blogged and visited the library in Reader's Workshop. We had music today then lunch and recess and struggled with quiet time. The reason for quiet time is get calm and centered. However, when they talk to each other and goof around, they are not creating calm and getting centered and ready to learn. In Math Workshop, we were so happy that a student that yesterday shut down with division, got it today! We worked on connecting what we know about multiplication and division and some learned how to divide. We worked on our weathering and erosion brochures for Science and finished up with wonder and i-time. 

It felt like another Monday.

Having a day off in the middle of the week felt like Monday again! I kept asking kiddos how their weekend was!

In meeting, we shared what we did on our day off. I also shared some learning that I did yesterday. I took away some pretty big and important ideas that I have already begun to implement in my life. One of the ideas was to "Press Pause." This idea is part of the R factor or helps us to make the best Responses possible to different situations. Things happen that we are unable to control. However, what we can control is how we respond to the events. If we have good or "Above the line" responses, the outcome will be more favorable than if we have impulsive "Below the line" responses. So, we can "Press Pause" to give us a few moments to think about our response. We want to pause before responding so that we don't go below the line with our response. *This is just a snippet of what we talked about and we'll be working a ton more with this this week but I think it would be a good conversation to have with your kiddo. Like I said, I'm implementing these ideas into my whole life. I think I told Ella, my 12-year old, to press pause like 5 times last night!* Then, we continued researching our topics for Writer's Workshop. In Nightmare at the Book Fair, we finished up our chapter on historical fiction and Trip got to walk on the moon! For Reader's Workshop today, we just READ! and it was glorious! We spent the last few minutes voting for the Buckeye Children's Book Award, got to work with clay and creating our sugar skulls in Art, ate lunch and had recess. We wrote our assignments in our planners during quiet time and then in Math Workshop, made the connection between multiplication and division. TOO many students put up a block with division. They know how to divide but don't know they know! :) We discussed fact families and that helped a lot. We worked on our weathering and erosion brochures in Science and finished up the day with a crossword puzzle and maze for Wonder time.

weird week...

It is so weird to come to school on Monday, then off on Tuesday and then back on Wednesday but we'll make it work!

Our day began with talking about implementing a tiny shift in our schedule. In meeting, we shared by solving basic multiplication facts. Was your kiddo one that volunteered to solve a problem? Then, we played Popl-a counting or multiples activity. Today, we 'popped' up for multiples of 4. Our first day of research went pretty well. Children are more than welcome to research as their reading and writing homework this week! They have access to all of our research sites via hilliardschools.org/elem and then the  "My Library" tab. In Nightmare at the Book Fair, Trip was trapped in a Dictionary and then ended up on the Apollo 11 headed for the moon! We began reading "Escape from Alcatraz" in our StoryWorks and completed the word study vocabulary sheet that went with it. We also worked on inferences, met with me, visited the library, read independently and blogged. For our schedule shift, we laid our planners out before we went to special today. We had gym, lunch and a beautiful recess. During quiet time, we wrote our assignments in our planners and then quieted ourselves down. In Math Workshop today, we continued our work with prime and composite numbers, factors and multiples. **If students didn't finish this work in class, it is homework-due Wednesday!** We worked on creating brochures on landforms created by weathering and erosion for Science. Students are either working on: Grand Canyon, Mississippi River Delta, Great Sand Dune National Park or glacial moraines. Our day ended in a true chaotic fashion with some going to work with Mrs. Andrews for I-time.

Crazy hat day = crazy children day

I had to take off my hat because it is really hard to take someone seriously with a chicken on their head! :)

In our morning meeting, we greeted each other by: sticking our tongues out, half-hug, class handshake and I even tried (with permission from Juan, of course) the greeting where you take the person's hand and rub it on your face! Then, we shared our favorite candy-most like some kind of chocolate-and played category challenge. Max won with 12 costumes named by the time the ball got back to him. To understand our words better, we played Vocabulary Roll-a-word. Your kiddo should be able to tell you what gnu, gnat and knack mean! In Writer's Workshop, we picked our research topic and came up with 3 questions we want to search about. We'll begin researching next week. Today, in Nightmare at the Book Fair, we finished up Science Fiction and read Humor with Captain Obvious and the Exaggerator! We had a good laugh but learned a little more about figurative language with Mr. Idiom and Lee Literal. In Reader's Workshop, we read independently, blogged, visited the library or met with me to learn about inferences. Today was Art, lunch and outdoor recess. In Math Workshop, we continued practicing multi-digit multiplication but also played a game, Bizz-Buzz-Bazooka, to practice our facts and some of us explored the Sieve of Erasthosthenes and prime numbers. We had Guidance today and Mrs. Vidic talked with us about fairness.

Ciao!

In our morning meeting, we learned about different cultural greetings. Ask your kiddo if they remember any. (There are a lot of cultures that kiss! 1, 2, 3 and 4 times!) Then, we TRIED to prove that we understood this week's generalization but it was tough! We did come up with lamb (thanks to my name), know and listen. Those silent consonants just aren't as frequent as vowels... In Writer's Workshop, we discussed writing informational text: features of it as well as how to best pick topics and questions and that we still don't want it to be boring. We read about Adventure as a genre and started the chapter on Science Fiction. They are really enjoying the silliness of Nightmare at the Book Fair! Then, we had a chat about figurative language vs. literal language. In our StoryWorks story, the author uses similes, metaphors and hyperbole to get us to understand and build pictures in our minds. We then worked to better understand the plot of the story. We also blogged, read independently and visited the library (if it was our day). After gym (Mr. B said that we had some difficulty following directions), lunch and only our 2nd indoor recess, we continued our work with multiplication. According to the exit slip from yesterday, about 1/3 of the class understands multiplication completely! Another 1/3 needed some clarification and a little more guided practice and the other 1/3 needed a little more support and re-teaching. They should all be practicing multi-digit multiplication tonight for homework! Some were even hoping that you'd show them the traditional method. *hint*hint In Social Studies, we learned about more early people of Ohio, the hunter-gatherers and I shared an arrowhead that was found on my grandpa's farm--a real artifact! They were impressed. I didn't tell them that they aren't that rare. :) Finally, we finished up our Ohio Studies Weekly.

Night and day

Today was night and day compared to yesterday! Math was enjoyable and children practiced multiplication and only needed my assistance for clarifying questions. Ahhh. I likened Math today to basketball. I was the coach and just taught them how to make foul shots (multiplication). They needed to just practice making free throws from the foul line (multi-digit multiplication problems). They understood about practicing math a little better. I also said that I can't throw for them-only they can solve the problems to become better mathematicians!

After they finished their M4T, they wrote about their seating choice for the day. Why did they sit where they did? (high top table, round table, low table, etc.) Why did they choose the seat they did? (ball, chair, stool, cushion, etc.) Why did they choose the people they are sitting with? This helped them to make good decisions with where and how they are sitting today. In our meeting, we discussed why we like fall. Then, we sorted our words and found that all of our words have silent consonants this week. Next, we finished the chapter on Horror in Nightmare at the Book Fair and also read Sports Fiction. Trip didn't get a face transplant by Professor Psycho and he won the Super Bowl! (Ask your kiddos...) In Reader's Workshop, a group performed the drama, "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" for us. These opportunities allow us to practice our fluency and speaking and they are an enjoyable way to listen to the story. We had Music, lunch and outdoor recess. (We made it but it was spitting rain a little.) After developing our strategies for multiplication and practicing using them, we completed an exit slip. This will help me to know who uses what strategy and who needs more practice. In Social Studies, we completed an Ohio Studies Weekly learning about Ohio's Early People. In Wonder time today, we continued to work on our Ohio Studies Weekly--Wonder/I-time will be more guided than independent for awhile.

Sorry.

Sorry about not having a blog last night. It was a tough day and Mr. Lambright's birthday so we went out for dinner and enjoyed family time.

In class, we had an ok morning until recess, when we had some issues, but then had a great lesson in the Media Center with Mrs. Richardson and earned a potato head piece but then the last hour and a half was terrible. We were working on Math and it seemed like everyone was competing for my attention. I can only help one person at a time~I totally needed one of those "Take a Number" counters! Anyway, we are going to figure out how to best work through our Math problems on our own or collaborating with a friend. I have faith in them-they need to believe in themselves!

In our morning meeting, we got carried away discussing if we dress up for Trick-or-treat or not and what our costumes will be this Thursday. We took a pre-test in Word Study and got new words and A LOT of kiddo missed words this week-it's not necessarily a tricky pattern but there were words the kids aren't used to using on this list so vocabulary played a big part. We finished our Small Moments story in Writer's Workshop and started a new book for Read Aloud. We are reading Nightmare at the Book Fair by Dan Gutman. Each chapter is written as a different genre. We are reading Horror right now with Professor Psycho! Then, we divided up the drama to read parts of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from our StoryWorks. We discussed some of the text features included in this drama though first. After recess, we had a refresher course in research with Mrs. Richardson and then we came back and the rest of the afternoon was with working on our multi-digit multiplication strategies. They are still developing and today, we'll tidy them up a little bit.

Mornings>Afternoons

Our mornings are so much better than our afternoons. Actually, we do well until about 2:15. I'm not sure what it is-if they are just done or what. The second quiet time has helped. I also think that the more we work in groups for Science experiments/labs, the better it will get...? Oh! We earned a potato head piece this morning for awesome collaboration during Reader's Workshop. They were talking but it was a good talking because they were on task and working together!

We began our morning by choosing a seating option that was different than usual. They did NOT like this idea. I explained though that I wanted them to be sure that they were being the best me they can be and that in choosing something different, they might find a better way to focus. We'll see how it went by where/how they choose to sit tomorrow. In our meeting, we complimented each other. This was a little awkward at first but when they saw how good it made the person feel, they kept it going. I even got a compliment! Then, in word study, we acted out some of our words-which was wonderful to watch! :) Afterwards, we continued writing our small moments stories. Ask your kiddo to read their story to you and give them some plus/deltas. We are almost finished with Wonder. Today, Auggie reflected a little on his year and decided that his highs far outweigh the lows he's experienced. It is always very bittersweet to finish a book. I'll miss Auggie! In Reader's Workshop, we read the drama, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and worked on the main character, Ichabod. **If anyone has a DVD of the Disney version, could you let me know? We may watch it...they are very into this story!** We had Music today and then lunch and recess--which was beautiful! After our first quiet time, we practiced multiplicative comparisons (comparing numbers using multiplication) and then worked to develop some strategies for solving multi-digit multiplication. After we shared our strategies, we played, "I Have, Who Has" with our basic facts. We finished up our Wind and Water lab for Science after our second quiet time. Our day ended with Wonder/I-time which is always so stressful for me because they are so ready to go and be done and I am still trying to individualize time...we may need to go to a more specific activity for this time instead of it being so open ended. We'll see...

Good

Today was a good day. Nothing outstanding but nothing bad. Overall, I'd say it was an average day. We began our day with M4T and our morning meeting. We shared our favorite color and did an awesome job just sharing and not having a conversation about everyone's colors. Then, we watched the news from last week and Kid President's #socktober video. Next, we did Prove-it! to show that we understood this week's generalization. Some get it but others are only LOOKING at the words. They need to listen for the long vowel sound and look for the two vowels together. We then continued writing our small moments story. This can be worked on at home for Writing homework! In Wonder, Auggie has more friends than ever and Julian is the one that is being left out. Sometimes beautiful things come from tragedy. We got a new StoryWorks today and students read, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which is written as a drama. We had Art today (look for their Art to Remember tonight), lunch and recess. After quiet time #1, we had a number talk-ish about multiplication. Then, we showed what 3 time 2 equals 6 really means. They partnered up and showed this thinking in a different equation and then we shared. Finally, for workshop time, they work applied this thinking into realistic problems, watched a LearnZillion video and/or practiced skill problems with comparison statements. After quiet time #2, we got in our teams for Science and continued to work on understanding erosion and weathering. Our day ended with wonder/i-time.

Namaste.

So, today we had 2 quiet times and during the second, I showed them two of my favorite relaxing yoga poses--child's pose and corpse pose or savasana. (I didn't tell them the name of corpse pose though. :) ) They enjoyed learning them but were very giggly so didn't get the full effect but we'll keep trying.

Our day began with completing their M4T and in our morning meeting, we discovered that we have as many students as there are letters of the alphabet! So, we each took a letter and named a food that begins with that letter. We struggled with U and X. Then, Will brought up that Mr. B asks them if they have class numbers-which we do not-and thought instead, they could have class letters. Cool! So, I made slips and we pulled out of a hat. What letter is your kiddo? We sorted our words for word study and found that, "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking!" In Writer's Workshop, we read The Memory String by Eve Bunting and discussed and found examples of how the author showed us instead of telling us. In Wonder, Auggie and Jack got into some trouble where Auggie lost his hearing aids! However, he gained some new friends. (They were so mad when we stopped reading!) Today was the final day working with our September issue of StoryWorks, where we worked on close reading and critical thinking questions about the history of Candy. Hopefully, they can tell you some interesting facts. We had gym, lunch and recess and Mr. Burkhart said listening was not a strength of ours today. After quiet time, we completed our chaotic Math Workshop where kiddos were in all different spots in their learning! Tomorrow, we'll begin our unit on multiplication and division so get practicing those basic facts! We finished up our Ohio Studies Weekly on researching where we read and interpreted graphs and used table of contents, glossary and index to answer questions. I think we will be good to research next week! Our day ended with Wonder/I-time. Did your child wonder today? Work with a teacher to better understand a skill? Get caught up on their work? Read? Write?

Better but...

So, today was better than Thursday but we still have some work to do. Today, we implemented a second Quiet Time in the afternoon to center and calm ourselves. We are also taking away the electronic option during this time. This was causing too many of them to get worked up again. I might start showing some breathing and yoga poses that I do to calm myself too so they have that as an option. I'll try anything! :)


Miss Callender, an OSU FEEP student (First Education Experience Program) that has been in Miss Rudolph's Kindergarten class came down to observe the bigger kids this morning. We started with M4T and our morning meeting where we shared one thing we did over the weekend that we don't typically do and ended with the laughing bandana. Next, we took our word study pre-test and developed our lists for the week. Then, we went down to the Library Media Center to learn about the online catalog for books in our library with Mrs. Richardson. We finished up from word study and read independently when we returned. We also wrote new daily goals and discussed that each daily goal should be S.M.A.R.T. and that they shouldn't have the same goal each day unless they didn't achieve the previous day. We had Music, lunch and recess and then Quiet Time #1. In Math Workshop, we had 3 different groups going. Group A: took their addition/subtraction/patterns post-test, unit 2 pre-test, multiplication fact fluency and worked on a patterns problem. Group B: worked with me to practice subtraction, some decided to begin the post-test and some started the unit 2 pre-test. Group C: took the unit 2 pre-test, multiplication fact fluency, finished their Reality Checking and worked on a patterns problem. Then, we had Quiet Time #2. Afterwards, we discussed how to begin experiments/problems in Science. First-discuss and divide team roles, then read the directions, then plan it out and then get started. We needed to back-track so that we are more prepared next time. In Social Studies, we worked with understanding the how to research using the Ohio Studies Weekly magazines. Our day ended with Wonder/I-time. Some have ditched the wondering part so we'll get back on track with that. For I-time, I've been working with a group of kiddos on their reading fluency and I think I'm ready to dismiss a couple! There's also a couple of kiddos that work with Mrs. Firestone/Mrs. Andrews on number sense.

Thursday

We began our day taking the M4T assessment for this week since we do not have school Friday. Then, in meeting, we discussed why we greet each other. It's not just for fun but also to connect and greet our friends as family. In Writer's Workshop, we began to write our small moments story. Some are writing personal narratives about that small moment where others have decided to write a fictional narrative inspired by that small moment. We are also making sure to Show-not tell in our writing. (I noticed that some did that in their padlet entry this week too! padlet.com/heather_lambrig/Thursday10_15) In Wonder, Auggie headed to the 5th grade trip to the Nature Retreat. In Reader's Workshop, we were supposed to re-read the Candy story paired text in our StoryWorks but when I pulled students to meet for groups, many said they didn't read which then made it hard to complete our work. Sooo, some kiddos worked recess to finish their work. I love that they love to read but Reader' Workshop is also about understanding reading too-not just reading the books they want. After Art, Lunch and Recess, we enjoyed our quiet time and then instead of a Number Talk, went straight into Math Workshop. Some chose to take the Unit 1.2 post-test today while the rest of us worked in a group on subtraction and what re-grouping truly means, using base-10 blocks. Those that needed it, continued to practice subtraction using the traditional algorithm. Those that finished their assessment, worked on real world addition and subtraction but balancing a checkbook. This was fun... they struggled with this a little but once I explained exactly how to do this, they did better. I asked them to check to see how many of you all still use a check register with your banking. Mr. L and I typically do not--with online banking and the ability to deposit checks by taking a picture of them with your phone, check registers have become somewhat obsolete. Mrs. Vidic came in for Guidance during Math Workshop and discussed appropriate playground behaviors and responsibility with them. Our day concluded with cleaning up and Wonder time. We are still working on Wonder time and what this means...some feel it's more of play time and I'm finding it difficult to work with my group on their I-time (individual/intervention time) when the rest cannot be independent in their research or wondering.
We continue to be a work in progress...but aren't we all?? :) Hope you are having a great weekend!

A day in the life (in pictures!)

I give you information about our day but a picture speaks a thousand words, they say, so here is a picture walk through of our day. (Except for gym, lunch and recess because I forgot to take pictures. Oops!)

Good Morning! Sign up for lunch as you come in.

Hang up your book bag on an empty hook.

 Check the projector screen for your morning text message.

 Find a good seat for the day.

Make sure you have your star box, binder in your day bag and pencil box stocked with a sharpened pencil and only needed supplies!

Complete today's work in Math 4 Today.

Time for our morning meeting! Handshake, Pledge of Allegiance, share--Which core virtue is easiest for you to show each day? How do people describe you? activity--Category Challenge-TV shows.

 Prove-it! for Word Study. Find 10 words that fit this week's pattern. Walk around the room-look on posters and in books.

Show Don't Tell! In Writer's Workshop, how can you SHOW emotions instead of telling us what you're feeling?? Working together to come up with examples.

Meet me on the carpet for Read Aloud! I wonder what will happen in Wonder today?

Independent reading time for Reader's Workshop.

(Gym, Lunch and Recess)

Quiet time...ahhh! Read, draw, write, catch up on work, blog, ST Math, etc. -just independent and quiet. 

 Number Talks--this signal shows I have the answer.

 Math Workshop-Subtraction using the traditional algorithm (or the adult way as Max says!)

Math Collaboration in Math Workshop--Real World math problems using addition and subtraction.

Time to get cleaned up for Science! Weathering and Erosion problem-based learning from Picture Perfect Science.

Clean up and get your planners out! (This was tough today with soil and stuff...)

Ok-assignments written down. Managers and Assistant can stamp my planner (this stamp only means that I have written down my assignments) and I can get packed up and ready to begin Wonder/I-time.

Finally, Wonder/I-time (sorry-no picture... I was working with a group of kiddos on fluency and building their words per minute) and then time for home! I hope you enjoyed this little look into our very busy day. If you have questions about things, ask your kiddo!!

No behavior slips!

We made it through our No Warning day without anyone getting a Behavior Reflection! In our morning meeting, we shared our favorite technology. We also worked on our communication-speaking and listening-with a partner activity. We sorted our words for word study and found that they all have silent e's...at the end of the words...which makes them have long vowel sounds... ! Yay! (They are getting really good at their word sorts!) In Wonder, Via did an amazing job as Emily in her school play and we started to learn a little more about Miranda. We had about 15-20 minutes to read, blog and visit the library because Mr. Higginbotham came in for a lesson on Digital Leadership and leaving your digital thumbprint. Then, it was time for Music, lunch and a very chilly recess! Quiet time was delightful and then our Number Talk went well too. In Math Workshop, we reviewed addition using the traditional algorithm and then practiced adding in a real world format. Next, it was time to learn the traditional algorithm for subtraction! Most can do it this way but are still using base-10 blocks to help understand the trading. We will practice the rest of this week and take our posttest either Thursday, Monday or Tuesday. (I'm allowing the students to sign up for when they feel they are ready to take it.) Our day ended with watching a video about Weathering and Erosion and all of the beauty that is left because of it but also how to slow it down to keep Earth's surface!

rough

Today was a rough day. I think every person was talking when they weren't supposed to be at one time or another today. AHHH! It sure did make for a rough day. I don't know what else to do. Be on the lookout for pink Behavior Reflections because they will be coming home. Tomorrow will be a "no warning" day. If you are talking when you are not supposed to be, or being too loud during times it is ok to collaborate, you will need to reflect on how your behavior is keeping other students from learning...

Our day began with watching the ADE news and checking out our Donors Choose project. Thank you so much to those of you that have donated!! I contacted them and we got all of our donations matched so we only have $86 to go!! Woohoo! Then, in meeting, we shared what we read this weekend. Reading is reading and we heard everything from the neighborhood news to a comic book to their chapter book to birthday cards to the McDonald's menu! I was thrilled that they recognized that even though they may not have picked up a novel, they were reading!! Then, we took our pre-test and created our list of new word study words. Next, we looked at RJ Palacio's website to see how she got the idea for Wonder. *Ask your kiddo. We are writers too so we created a list of our "small moments" that could possibly be story ideas. We didn't have much time to write so then we met to read Wonder. We are still on Auggie's chapter and were so sad that Daisy died! :( However, we ended on a happy note when we realized that Via is IN the play-not just the understudy! In Reader's Workshop, our Columbus State bloggers got all set up with their buddies and began their blog back to them. (Feel free to have them show you their blog. They are due by Thursday morning.) After quiet time (my favorite part of the day, after Read Aloud), we had a Number Talk and then learned the traditional algorithm for adding. We used base-10 blocks to SHOW regrouping. Most of them understand but a few need some extra practice. (They have worksheets in their binder to use.) Finally, we completed the K in a K-W-L chart about Earth's Surface, What we already know. Then, we focused more specifically on the Grand Canyon and how it was formed. We even looked on Google Earth to see satellite images of the Grand Canyon and the layers. Cool! Our day concluded with sitting silently with our heads down instead of wonder/i-time although, this was only about 5 minutes because it took them so long to get themselves cleaned up.

End of the week

Sorry about these being sparse this week but with late conference nights, I didn't have much time to blog. Anyway, I hope that your kiddo was able to keep you in the loop. If not, here's some things that we did so that you can have conversation about school:

Book Fair--we browsed the book fair on Monday and went back on Wednesday to purchase books. A lot of kids bought books which I love to see!

Wonder/I-time--we are doing an ok job with using this time efficiently...we still struggle with working independently and quietly so that I can work with a small group or that others can get caught up on their work/wonder/research/etc.

Arcade--in preparation for tomorrow's Community Cardboard Challenge, Ms. Bednar's 3rd grade class, created an arcade complete with tokens and tickets and prizes! We played today and had an awesome time!

First Celebration--Mr. Potato Head is complete and we celebrated today with an electronic party. Kudos kiddos! Now, let's do it again!

Writer's Workshop--we are moving on from our "short" stories on Monday! If they didn't finish, they can always continue their work at home.

Reader's Workshop--we are finishing up with text features, text structures and informational/non-fiction text. We should be finished with this story at the beginning of next week and will be either moving on to another in this issue but we might just move on to October's issue.

Math Workshop--we weren't happy with our post-test scores so we took a couple days to reflect, re-teach and better understand this unit. Some are still unsure but we'll continue to work on those skills as we move on to add and subtract. Rounding still needs some work but again, we'll keep at it, especially when estimating.

Social Studies--we used our StoryWorks and the TFK to "read" informational text through using charts, tables, graphs, graphics and timelines.

On a roll!

We are on a roll with good days! In our morning meeting, we greeted each other with our class handshake and then shared how we wanted to celebrate our first full potato head--electronics party won--and then we played "Would you rather?" I had difficulty making a choice with some of those! In Word Study, we sorted our words and found that this week, we hear long vowel sounds caused by our words ending in y. We hear long a, e and i. We continued revising, editing and publishing our writing. If not finished by Friday, they may need to complete at home or just move on because these were supposed to be short stories and we're still going... In Wonder, Via's got a boyfriend and we found out about the 'Boy's War' against Jack that Julian started. Students read independently, worked on text structures, met with me and/or visited the library. We had another sweaty gym, lunch and beautiful recess and returned for quiet time. Then, Mrs. Bargar, our technology teacher, came in to teach us about the app, Explain Everything. It is very cool and I hope to use it a lot this year. Some kiddos need reminded of the Acceptable Use policy that you signed off on in Home Access... I might make some copies and send them home as reminders... Then, we took our first post-test and although I need to look at the data, I think some did worse than on the pre-test! Ugh! We also took a pre-test over 1.2-fluently adding and subtracting whole numbers, reading/solving word problems and patterns within numbers. We ended our day with Wonder/I-time. Some things we need to work on are quicker transitions and being more independent in our work. Independence does not equal socialization and silliness!

Celebrate Good Times...

We earned and kept our final potato head piece! Congrats kiddos! We narrowed our celebration down to 3 choices so we'll vote tomorrow and will most likely hold our celebration on Thursday or Friday. This is a crazy week-schedule wise so extra patience is needed as our schedule will be wonky (book fair, library and technology lessons and fire prevention). In our morning meeting, we greeted each other with OUR handshake and then we shared something we ate this weekend that was unique or different for us. Next, we took this week's pre-test for Word Study and created our lists. (If you want to see your child's personal list, it is written in their planner.) After writing our words in our planners, we discussed/reviewed what a narrative is and what 4th grade narratives should look like as we are all finishing up our first narratives. *Here's where the out of the ordinaries come in... Mrs. Richardson shared books with us that are nominated for Buckeye Children's Book Awards and gave us some time to look through some of them. We came back to the room long enough to put things away and get ourselves cleaned up. Then, we went down to check out the Book Fair! From there, we came back to the room for only a second to get our lunches and things for Music, Lunch and Recess. After a GORGEOUS recess, we had our quiet time and added technology to our menu of things we can do during this time. 10 minutes isn't a lot but if you are quiet, independent and focused, you can get quite a bit accomplished. In Math Workshop today, we completed two Exemplars--real world problems that apply the skills we have been learning. One used rounding and the other used reading, writing and comparing numbers. We have our first test tomorrow...I hope they are ready! Next, we switched gears and talked about getting information and "reading" tables, charts, graphs and diagrams. Then, we practiced doing this using a TFK-Time for Kids. After working at this for awhile, we wrote our assignments down and then had our Wonder/I-time. It will take a little bit of time to truly use this time efficiently and independently but overall, it went well. However, because some chose to keep working after I stopped our Wonder time or socialize, it was a little stressful clean up.

Good day

We had a good and fun day. We started with creating a class handshake. (Check out Twitter for video!) Then, we all learned our class handshake. Next, we worked to prepare information for our student led conferences next week. They are eager to share their progress with you! In Wonder, Jack punched Julian! We all agreed that this wasn't ok but the reasoning behind him doing it was about being a good friend to Auggie and now they have made up. In Reader's Workshop, we continued with non-fiction text features but also discussed what non-fiction text structures are (and we'll work more with these next week). We also read independently and blogged or visited the library. We got a compliment on how nice our line was walking quietly down the hallway, from a Kindergarten teacher so we got a potato head piece! Only one more for our party! After Art, Lunch and Recess, we used quiet time to read, draw or complete our weekly padlet. (padlet.com/heather_lambrig/Friday10_2) In Math Workshop, we continued working with rounding big numbers and practiced some place and value as well. Our first test is Tuesday! Finally, we ended our day with Wonder time where a couple kiddos decided to learn a little Spanish, some blogged or played ST Math, others worked on math review and some continued working on their conference information.

flexibility

I read an article this morning about how teachers sometimes can provoke misbehaviors. One of the ways was through not having assigned seats. This made me think about our class. So, in morning meeting, we talked about our seating-what they liked, didn't like, needed, etc. We decided that some students can benefit from assigned seats and I will help them to pick where that seat is. They also shared that they would like more seating and more stability balls to sit on. So, we went and got 2 desks, some more chairs and found a round table to use. We moved some things around and this allowed them to spread out more. I also created a project on Donors Choose to get more balls for the room. (I'll send out more information about this project. What I love about it is that they have anonymous donors and they'll match every donation for the first week so we only end up paying out of pocket for half!) Then, we wrote sentences using 5 of our words that we needed to understand the meaning of and continued on in the writing process. The kiddos yelled at me because in Wonder, I stopped right when Jack realized what HE did to make Auggie mad... In Reader's Workshop, we continued our work with non-fiction text and read independently. We had gym, lunch and chilly recess and then quiet time. We had a shortened Math Workshop because we had Guidance but we worked with rounding numbers. Students are able to round numbers when asked directly but when asked to flexibly apply this understanding, they struggle. For example, if I say, "What is 452 rounded to the nearest 10?" They can tell me 450. However, if I were to say that I have a secret number that when rounded to the nearest 10 is 450 and ask them to tell me all the possibilities of my secret number, they can't. We'll keep working on this but rounding in these types of situations would be good practice at home. In Guidance, Mrs. Vidic discussed RESPECT and what it means. Then, we FINALLY set up our folders and began Wonder/I-time! They seem pretty excited about this "free" time. :)

I wonder how things went...

I was out  today for appointments (believe me-it wasn't fun...lots of tests and pokes, blech) so there was a substitute. Your kiddo will be able to give you the ins and outs of the atmosphere of the classroom but I know what was supposed to happen. Today was Augustine's first day and I hope it went well. For meeting, students shared how they are going to help every student be able to learn. They proved that they knew the spelling generalization by finding words in books and around the room that also followed the pattern-short vowel sounds in multiple syllable words. Then, they continued on in the writing process. Hopefully, most of them finished today. The substitute read, One Green Apple about a girl that is new to the country and school and what she felt like being new. They then were to talk about how to help Augustine feel more comfortable. (In the book, it was a friendly smile that really helped.) They continued looking at non-fiction text to find some of the specific text features, read independently and visited the library in Reader's Workshop. In Math Workshop, they continued with their Choice work from yesterday so worked with patterns and practiced place and value. They worked on their Ohio Studies Weekly about Ohio and the United States in Social Studies. As long as there is a good report from the sub, we'll get a potato head piece and we'll have to count because we should be getting pretty close to our first celebration! I'm crossing my fingers!

*sigh*

We had a typical day. Well, it was our first indoor recess so that was out of the ordinary. But, other than that, it was typical. In meeting, we watched Caine's Arcade and loved it so much, we watched Caine's Arcade 2 also! Ask your kiddos about these movies and about OUR community cardboard challenge on October 10. I hope you all can make it! Then, we finished our short vowel practice sheets and continued on in the writing process. Some are choosing to publish using Google Apps. They can work at home also. AND, they should know how to get to it. If not, hilliardschools.org; Students tab; Elementary eSchool; Google Apps; they then log in just like they would at school. In Wonder, we finished up with Summer and moved on to Jack. He has no idea why Auggie is mad at him. This should get interesting! In Reader's Workshop, we read independently and checked out some non-fiction texts while working on a scavenger hunt for non-fiction text features. I was also able to meet with some kiddos and we had a great chat about the non-fiction story in our StoryWorks, The Evil Swirling Darkness, about the Joplin tornado and the features of non-fiction text but also about the vocabulary from the story: pulverize, debris and supercell were some of the words we discussed. We had Art, lunch and indoor recess and a surprise of our new student, Augustine, stopping by to check things out! I was impressed with the kids that came over and introduced themselves to him. Quiet time was almost quiet...but it was needed and has been a blessing that we will definitely keep. Sometimes, the most active kids don't need more activity but some independent and quiet time to center and calm themselves. Then, we completed an ST Math challenge together and I showed them some new things like the fluency practice they can do to help with their basic facts. For Math Workshop, we continued to practice what we've already learned about place and value and numbers through millions (some need more practice) but we also moved on a little with patterns. They asked for some more time so tomorrow, they will continue to work with this. Finally, our day ended with Social Studies. We brought out the old school text book on Ohio! We looked at the copyright and saw that it is even older than them! But, we also discussed that Ohio's history hasn't changed and that this is still a good resource for learning about that. However, we'll need to look elsewhere for more up-to-date information about the economy and government.

Waiting forever...

I saw this shirt on Pinterest and I totally need it, especially after today! Lol!

We had a great morning meeting where we decided that we want a special handshake or greeting just for our class so we are trying to figure it out. Then, we shared about things we are proud of from over the weekend: cleaning or helping clean up, getting a new TV and winning games were some of the responses. We played popl with multiples of 5 and wrote new goals. Our focus as a class this week is for quiet work time. Since we are using the same short vowel words from last week, we completed some practice sheets where we had to pick out the short vowel word from a pair of words. Then, in Writer's Workshop, we continued on with where we left off in the writing process. We began to hear from Summer in Wonder and why she is friends with the "freak." (She doesn't call him this and doesn't really understand why everyone else does either.) Auggie finally decided to trust her and her friendship. We had a VERY short Reader's Workshop because we had a community meeting to talk about the upcoming Community Cardboard Challenge. I urge you to check out Cain's Arcade on YouTube which is where we got the idea for this amazing day of play. I can't wait for October 10! (I'm going to show the video to the class tomorrow for meeting.) We had a fantastic assembly and gym so we earned 2 potato head pieces! We used our quiet time today for a purpose and completed a learning styles survey using Kidzmet. We don't want the district to know each kid by a test score so this is a way to personalize learning for them. All students in the district, K-12, are taking this survey! We had some technical hiccups but it was fine. I started panicking when I looked at the lesson outline for math and realized that we are on Day 16 of the unit. Great! However, the test is on Day 21... Ahhhh! I wasn't confident that we were there yet so today, we practiced and identified our needs as individuals. I worked with those that needed my assistance and I think we are in a better place now. I also realized when computing 10x bigger that A LOT of them do not know their basic multiplication facts so that is homework this week-to practice our facts. In Science, we completed our Fairy Tale challenges and recognized that they were better teams or groups this time around. Kudos! We didn't get to Wonder time today but I'm hoping we do tomorrow. 

Fantastic Friday!

We had a good day. We began with "speeches" for Student Council (StuCo). We had 7 kiddos tell us why they would be a good representative and I have to say that ALL 7 would be amazing representatives! I'm glad I didn't have to vote! I'll tally the votes this weekend and let them know the results on Monday. Then, we continued with the writing process and building our sundaes. I know this is a weird metaphor but it has really stuck with them. They are taking the time to add sprinkles (check punctuation and spelling) in order to make the perfect sundae (story). Then, we finished up with Via (for now) in Wonder. She's a fun character and I love her down-to-earth personality. She's a realist but also an optimist. In Reader's Workshop, we checked out the awesome web resources that StoryWorks provides and some LOVED reading because they were able to check out the 'extras' online. We also read independently and completed any work that didn't get finished this week that went with the non-fiction story (if your child has this for homework, they didn't use their time in class wisely...). After Music, lunch and recess, we once again, calmed down with quiet time. Today, some chose to add to our padlet for the week during this time. Others read, drew pictures or did some writing in their writer's notebooks. Then, in Math, we watched a video about patterns and learned about Fibonacci. One kiddo said, "How did he ever figure that out?" I know! However, I challenged them to look at things differently-maybe with a mathematical eye and maybe they would see things differently. In Math Workshop, they looked at patterns with growing shapes and tried to see it not just their way but other ways. They also checked in on their goals--so far, so good! They also were able to get on ST Math and work on patterns within our numbers (4, 40, 400, 4000, 40000, etc.). We ended the day finishing up our fairy tale STEM challenges. We'll find out if they "work" on Monday!

Say Cheese!

Today was picture day! Every student gets their individual picture taken for the yearbook and their library card. Re-takes are November 10 if you choose to have pictures retaken--check out your kiddo's library card for a preview of their picture. You can order pictures online at hrimaging.com if you didn't send in your order today. You can also still send order forms in tomorrow. However, you do not need to order pictures for your child's picture to go in the yearbook.

Our day began with cleaning. They left the room a MESS! Mr. Dave had to even come down and vacuum up dirt from a spilled plant. Geesh! So, we took some time to tidy up and organize our star boxes and binders. Every paper has a home! No homeless papers! Help your kiddo stay organized by going through their binder with them. You can check out all the work we've been completing and stay involved in what's happening by doing this. Then, we learned about Kidblog and got logged in and blogging! Thanks, PTO for purchasing subscriptions for us! :) After Kidblog, we went and had our pictures taken, did not earn a painting in Art :( , ate our lunch and played at recess. After recess, we decided to try a little Quiet Time to instill a calmness to begin our afternoon. Ask your child about quiet time. Then, in Math we went over our Exemplars Rubric and read what our math should look like. During Math Workshop, we completed or revisited our Exemplar, looked at what 1,000,000 looks like, solved some math problems and some may have played ST Math. We ended Math chatting about how to read and write math numerals. Finally, our day concluded with working on our fairy tale STEM projects.

*I tweeted a lot of pictures today...check them out! @ADE4thGrade

Assessment Day

Well, I was out in the hall the entire day reading with your children and assessing where they are in their reading abilities. This is only one snapshot of your child as a reader but every student is at or above grade level! Your child will be able to better tell you what they did in the classroom. I can tell you what I put in my plans for the sub to complete. Hopefully, they match!

In Meeting, students played, "Just Like Me." Mr. Smith also taught them some Japanese! They sorted their words in Word Study and found that this week's generalization is also short vowel sounds but with multiple syllable words. In Writer's Workshop, they continued with the writing process and focused on paragraphing while drafting. Mr. Smith read, The Name Jar and they talked about the main character but also what the author did to make us know this about the character. Then, in Reader's Workshop, they looked at non-fiction text features, read independently and Wednesday people visited the library. They came in from recess sweaty and gross smelling so they must have had a good time! In Math Workshop, they worked on an Exemplar-a real world problem that takes problem-solving, reasoning, partner work, etc. They also completed some other problems and activities during choice time but with the level of the volume coming through the door, I'm not sure how much work was completed. Finally, in Science, they worked together to create structures for their fairy tale STEM challenges.