This week has been jammed pack with good things. Each day we have learned a different part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. We learned how to step by step make a portrait of him. They are fantastic. I will try to post a few pictures of them this weekend for you. (I have yet to post a picture so I will need some time to figure it out). Check back throughout the weekend for them. Everyone who walks by stops and gives a compliment to the class.
The step by step also helped reinforce our Writer’s Workshop. We have been writing how to’s and the drawing lesson helped our writers understand how important it is to include each and every step in the writing process. We also make pinecone bird feeders for our feathered friends and wrote about them. They are hanging outside our classroom window. The students are enjoying watching the birds come and snack on them.
In reading, we have separated into small non-fiction leveled book groups. We are working on finding the topic of the book and then supporting ideas that help out the topic. I related this to Santa Claus (as the main topic) and then all his elves (supporting facts). Santa cannot do his job without his elves as helpers. That visual has made it more concrete for some of our learners.
Place value with ones, tens and now hundreds is beginning in math. We are learning how to add 2 digit numbers using longs and cubes. Next week I will start to show them how the numbers look in a number sentence, not just in a pictorial manipulative form of longs (tens) and cubes (ones). This is a tough concept but is getting easier with more practice in class. I have been prepping the class for this unit since day 1. I think place value is so important and a solid foundation of it will make math easier in all areas in the years to come.
This week we learned the rule about making plurals with either adding s or es. Next week we will be learning about silent e. The long vowels are coming.
Valentine’s Day is coming and I am in need of help. I am looking to collect empty cereal boxes to use for Valentines holder for each child. If you have any empty cereal boxes at home, any size, please send them in to school. Thank you.
