Writer's Workshop
Last week we wrapped up our personal narrative unit! The students are now in the process of illustrating their final drafts and sharing their completed stories with the class.
This week in writer's workshop we will begin a new type of writing: How-to (also known as procedural writing). How-to is a type of informational writing in which an author teaches his or her audience how to do or make something. The students will explore various types of how-to texts and together create a list of important features this type of writing includes. The students will discover how-to books contain a materials list, illustrations or photographs for each step, numbers to sequence the steps, transition words, and clear directions.
This week in writer's workshop we will begin a new type of writing: How-to (also known as procedural writing). How-to is a type of informational writing in which an author teaches his or her audience how to do or make something. The students will explore various types of how-to texts and together create a list of important features this type of writing includes. The students will discover how-to books contain a materials list, illustrations or photographs for each step, numbers to sequence the steps, transition words, and clear directions.
Reading Workshop
Many children's books include an important lesson or lessons the author wants us to learn. In reading workshop, we have begun to practice identifying the lesson or lessons portrayed in various stories. In addition to describing the lessons, we have been focusing on explaining how we know by providing evidence directly from the book to back up our thinking. Last week we read the text Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe. Then, the students identified and wrote about the lesson the main character learned as well as provided evidence to defend their thinking. When reading to or listening to your child read, challenge your child to describe a lesson/lessons presented in the book and provide examples.
In reading workshop the students have also been practicing using the strategy visualizing. To visualize means to make mental pictures that change as we read, like a movie playing in our brain! This is an excellent strategy for readers to use when recalling details in the text. Making a picture or mental image assists readers in understanding what they read by creating images in their mind, based on the details in the text and their prior knowledge.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
1. Remind your child that when making a picture or mental image, readers put themselves in the story or text by making a mind movie. They also look for important details that help them make pictures in their minds.
2. Explain that there are many ways pictures help readers remember what they are reading. They can do this by:
3. Read to your child and model how you make pictures in your mind. Then, give your child a chance to try it. Read a selection to your child and ask:
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
1. Remind your child that when making a picture or mental image, readers put themselves in the story or text by making a mind movie. They also look for important details that help them make pictures in their minds.
2. Explain that there are many ways pictures help readers remember what they are reading. They can do this by:
- thinking about what they know about the text before they read
- using sensory details to create mental pictures (what did it smell like, feel
like, look like, etc.) - looking back at the picture in their brain after the story to remember
what has happened
3. Read to your child and model how you make pictures in your mind. Then, give your child a chance to try it. Read a selection to your child and ask:
- What do you see in your mind as I read this selection?
- Can you see yourself in this selection?
- Explain to me the picture in your mind.
Students may also want to draw their visualizations :)
Phonics
In phonics we are currently reviewing the VCe syllable pattern. The VCe syllable pattern, also often referred to as silent-e, magic e, or mean king Ed, contains a vowel followed by a consonant followed by the vowel e. While the vowel e at the end of the syllable is silent, the other vowel is long and thus, says its name. For example, wake, pine, hope, cute. Check out this short video starring silent-e! http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/silent-e/load.htm?f Also, these fun games to practice building silent-e words: http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/silent-e/load.htm?f http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/long-i/load.htm?f http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/long-o/load.htm?f http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/long-u/load.htm?f |
Math
Prior to winter vacation we began and finished up Topic 3: Five and Ten Relationships! A ten-frame is a hands-on and visual model that teaches number sense and mental math. Ten-frames are designed to help the mind organize numbers into chunks of five and ten to match our base ten-number system. For example, the most “efficient” way of seeing 7 with a ten-frame is one column of 5 dots and another of 2 dots equivalent to thinking of 7 as 5 + 2. Ten-frames are an excellent way to help children recognize numbers without having to stop their thought processes and resort to counting.
Understanding that numbers are composed of tens and ones is an important foundational concept, setting the stage for work with larger numbers. A strong sense of "ten" is a prerequisite for place-value understanding and mental calculations. Using a ten-frame, students can easily see that 6 is 1 more than 5 and 4 less than 10, or that 8 can be seen as "5 and 3 more" and as "2 away from 10." Once students are able to visualize the numbers 1 through 10, they begin to develop mental strategies for manipulating those numbers, all within the context of a number’s relationship to ten.
Check out this online Ten Frame Game: http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=75
Or, try this YouTube video to help your child instantly recognize numbers on a ten frame before they disappear from the screen! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRR9LK3zfho
In math we are currently on Topic 4: Addition and Subtraction Facts to 12. Addition strategies are a bridge to fact mastery. Once children are able to quickly and accurately recall the basic addition facts, strategies may no longer be needed. For many children, its takes hours of practice to reach the point where strategies can be dropped and fact mastery achieved. Other children can do this quickly, and in some cases, may not need to use strategies at all. Below, you’ll find descriptions of the strategies your child will learn in class.
Doubles: Almost all children naturally remember the addition doubles. Strong visual images in day-to-day experiences facilitate memorization of these facts. For example, children quickly recognize that the five fingers on each hand demonstrate 5+5=10 or that the rows of eggs in a carton demonstrates 6+6=12.
Understanding that numbers are composed of tens and ones is an important foundational concept, setting the stage for work with larger numbers. A strong sense of "ten" is a prerequisite for place-value understanding and mental calculations. Using a ten-frame, students can easily see that 6 is 1 more than 5 and 4 less than 10, or that 8 can be seen as "5 and 3 more" and as "2 away from 10." Once students are able to visualize the numbers 1 through 10, they begin to develop mental strategies for manipulating those numbers, all within the context of a number’s relationship to ten.
Check out this online Ten Frame Game: http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=75
Or, try this YouTube video to help your child instantly recognize numbers on a ten frame before they disappear from the screen! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRR9LK3zfho
In math we are currently on Topic 4: Addition and Subtraction Facts to 12. Addition strategies are a bridge to fact mastery. Once children are able to quickly and accurately recall the basic addition facts, strategies may no longer be needed. For many children, its takes hours of practice to reach the point where strategies can be dropped and fact mastery achieved. Other children can do this quickly, and in some cases, may not need to use strategies at all. Below, you’ll find descriptions of the strategies your child will learn in class.
Doubles: Almost all children naturally remember the addition doubles. Strong visual images in day-to-day experiences facilitate memorization of these facts. For example, children quickly recognize that the five fingers on each hand demonstrate 5+5=10 or that the rows of eggs in a carton demonstrates 6+6=12.
Doubles Plus 1 and Doubles Plus 2: A doubles plus 1 (or 2) fact includes an addend that is 1 (or 2) more than the other addend. For example, in 6+7, 7 is one more than 6. If a child knows that 6+6=12, s/he can use this information to find the sum of 6+7.
Making 10: The making-10 strategy allows children to create a “friendlier” problem, one in which a number is added to 10. To add 9+5, the child might reason, “I can take 1 from 5 and put it with 9 to make 10. Then I can add 10+4 to make 14.”
Making 10: The making-10 strategy allows children to create a “friendlier” problem, one in which a number is added to 10. To add 9+5, the child might reason, “I can take 1 from 5 and put it with 9 to make 10. Then I can add 10+4 to make 14.”
Excellent Effort Award
Each day Ms. Lafleur and I look closely for students that are displaying their best effort by working hard and trying their best, not giving up even when something is challenging, doing whole body listening, following the classroom rules, and being kind and helpful to others. At the end of each day, one or more students receives the excellent effort award. Our goal is for every student to aim for excellent effort every day!