Back in the Saddle

Well, yesterday was pretty brutal, and I am glad I went home and went to bed and, well, stayed near the facility. Today the teacher was feeling a little weak and more than a little grumpy, but we still had a productive day.

We started out by reviewing the elements of plot and by discussing how stories have a predictable form: exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action. I admitted that “The King’s Fountain” is a bit lame as a story, but that it was great for identifying this pattern. Sure enough, the students had little difficulty in figuring out the problem – the king plans to build a fountain which will deprive the city of all its water – and the two major characters. They identified the steps in the rising action where the problem is not solved. They were quick to point out the climax where the poor man stands up to the king and saves the city. Identifying the falling action was a bit harder, but the denouement is always the dullest part of any story.

We then took these insights and created a Flow Map. You can see what a great job some students did on this.

After recess we checked and corrected our math homework. We also read about the Mojave Indians and how the native peoples of the California desert used agriculture to meet their needs.

After recess, we read a chapter – well, most of a chapter – of Island of the Blue Dolphins. The students practiced and presented their body percussion pieces.

Thursdays are our normal art day. We are starting our second unit – Shape. Today I talked briefly about geometric versus organic shapes. We’re practicing the organic shapes first. The students were asked to create an underwater scene. They had to sketch this out in pencil and then use oil pastel and water color to complete the scene. Many students will be finishing this tomorrow, but some of those that have been finished already are fantastic!

Homework: (1) Do the second group of spelling words in sentences. The words are fraction, location, notion, nutrition, objection, population, production, recollection, and subtraction. (2) Do “Test Prep,” Envision Math, pages 84-85. Since there are only fourteen multiple choice problems here, I am not supplying any special paper. (3) Do the “Multiplication Practice” worksheet. (4) Do the “Desert” study sheet and the other skill sheets that go with this. These are “Activities in the Central Valley and the Mountains,” “How to Use Tables,” and “Trade Among Native Californians.”