Today we did a couple of particularly interesting things. After all our usual opening business like journals and correcting homework, we worked a bit more on our Thinking Maps. Today we focused on the Bridge Map. This is a great graphic tool for introducing analogies to children. We used some easy ones at first like kitten is to cat as puppy is to dog.
Our writing assignment based on this is one of the most interesting of the unit. The analogy is based on “taking care of.” So the students have to think, “Who takes care of me?” and Who do I take care of?” This lead them into writing a two paragraph reflection on these questions.
After recess, we work more in Science on the idea of hardness as a property of minerals. The students took their four mystery minerals and scratched them – or at least attempted to – with a fingernail, a penny, and a paperclip.
Based on the results they were able to identify the minerals correctly as calcite, quartz, gypsum, and fluorite.
In the afternoon, we read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins, started looking at body percussion in music, and discussed how graphic organizers can help them solve word problems in math.
Homework: (1) Study spelling. The test will be tomorrow. (2) Do the cursive U and V papers. (3) Do the “Kid Reporters” review questions. This will prepare the students for all the quiz on these reading selections tomorrow. (4) Do the Island of the Blue Dolphins chapter 10 review sheet. (5) Do “Draw a Picture,” pages 44-46 and “Test Prep,” pages 48-49 in the math book. Also do “Flying High” on the back of the answer sheet.
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