Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A Wondrous Wednesday
Our day began in the auditorium with Mr. Pratt in our theater class. Today we worked some more on our tableau skills. After the usual "Be Our Guest" warm up, Mr. Pratt reviewed the basics of tableau with the students and did a demonstration using three scenes from The Wizard of Oz. He then broke the students into groups, and assigned each group a fairy tale to dramatize. I took pictures of these tableaux later in the day, and this will be working on the film shortly. Coming to a screen near you soon....
In Tech Center, Ms. Richards broke the students in to two groups. One group worked with her assistant, Ms. D., on an introduction to PowerPoint lesson. The other group worked with Ms. Richards. This group was exploring the idea of analogies. The students reviewed analogies using Mr. Anker's wonderful website. These were pretty simple verbal analogies like kitten is to cat as puppy is to dog. Ms. Richards then had the students create visual analogies using the PhotoBooth program on the Macs. You can see an example above. This one is: up is to down as left is to right.
After lunch, we corrected homework. I normally try to be positive, but the math homework was a disaster. Almost none of the kids has a clue about determining elapsed time. We will work on this more in class, of course, but it's an good skill to constantly review with your child at home, too. If a movie starts at 5:00 and ends at 7:10, how long is it? Unlike 4x - 1 = y, this kind of math is really essential for everyday life.
Homework: (1) Do the spelling wordsearch. This is review for the Open Court unit test. (2) Do the "Desert" study questions. Students will need their California history book for this. (3) Do "Sequence Information," Math, page 125, numbers 2-8. (4) Do "Elapsed Time on a Calendar," Math, pages 127-129, all problems.
Also, we will be doing collages tomorrow in Art. Students should bring in old magazines, advertisements, etc to cut up for this.
In Tech Center, Ms. Richards broke the students in to two groups. One group worked with her assistant, Ms. D., on an introduction to PowerPoint lesson. The other group worked with Ms. Richards. This group was exploring the idea of analogies. The students reviewed analogies using Mr. Anker's wonderful website. These were pretty simple verbal analogies like kitten is to cat as puppy is to dog. Ms. Richards then had the students create visual analogies using the PhotoBooth program on the Macs. You can see an example above. This one is: up is to down as left is to right.
After lunch, we corrected homework. I normally try to be positive, but the math homework was a disaster. Almost none of the kids has a clue about determining elapsed time. We will work on this more in class, of course, but it's an good skill to constantly review with your child at home, too. If a movie starts at 5:00 and ends at 7:10, how long is it? Unlike 4x - 1 = y, this kind of math is really essential for everyday life.
Homework: (1) Do the spelling wordsearch. This is review for the Open Court unit test. (2) Do the "Desert" study questions. Students will need their California history book for this. (3) Do "Sequence Information," Math, page 125, numbers 2-8. (4) Do "Elapsed Time on a Calendar," Math, pages 127-129, all problems.
Also, we will be doing collages tomorrow in Art. Students should bring in old magazines, advertisements, etc to cut up for this.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Red Ribbon Week
Today I had a chance to see most parents for the Back-to-School Breakfast activity. If you were not there, feel free to stop by the room whenever you can to sign up for parent conferences in December. I will, of course, send reminder notes right before conference week begins.
This was the second day of Red Ribbon Week. We will be focusing all this week on the dangers of drug use. Today we focused on the dangers of misusing and abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs. We made some posters about this, and you can see a couple of them above.
Other than that, just a bit of this and a bit of that today. We corrected some homework, practiced our Native Californian songs, read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins, and started compiling our reading journals.
Homework: (1) Do the final draft of the fantasy story. (2) Do the proper and common nouns worksheets. This is preparation for the "Writing Skills" section of the Open Court Test. (3) Do "Elapsed Time," Math, pages 121-123, numbers 2-33.
Also, finish the drug poster if not already done and turned in.
This was the second day of Red Ribbon Week. We will be focusing all this week on the dangers of drug use. Today we focused on the dangers of misusing and abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs. We made some posters about this, and you can see a couple of them above.
Other than that, just a bit of this and a bit of that today. We corrected some homework, practiced our Native Californian songs, read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins, and started compiling our reading journals.
Homework: (1) Do the final draft of the fantasy story. (2) Do the proper and common nouns worksheets. This is preparation for the "Writing Skills" section of the Open Court Test. (3) Do "Elapsed Time," Math, pages 121-123, numbers 2-33.
Also, finish the drug poster if not already done and turned in.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wrapping up Risks
Every 6 weeks or so we come to the end of a unit in Open Court Reading. There are a number of things that happen about this time. The most important is that the students take a test which the Sacramento County Office of Education developed. It's not perfect, but it does help give a sense of where the students reading and writing skills are at a moment in time, and it gives a sense of what skills they have mastered in the course of the unit, and what skills still need more work. Much of our work this week will be either taking this test or reviewing for it. Two of the homework assignments tonight help the students review for the test.
The other significant assessment is the conclusion of the writing project connected with the unit. The students were required this time to write a fantasy story. We spent a lot of time discussing the structure of stories and the elements which make a story a fantasy (instead of realistic or historical fiction). Students wrote rough drafts, and then they worked in small groups to assess and revise their work. After completing revisions - second rough drafts in this case - today they worked again in small groups doing peer editing. Tonight they will start to complete their final drafts. These are not due until Wednesday.
Final drafts need to be in cursive. I know that more than a few tears flow whenever I require cursive, but the ability to read and write cursive is a state standard. And whenever I receive any paper perfectly typed I really wonder who did it. I know it's hard to believe, but children do manipulate their parents to do an awful lot of work for them. And the parents aren't the ones in fourth grade. At least I hope not!
Tomorrow is Back-to-School Breakfast. I have nothing special planned, but will obviously be available to talk to any parents who would like to stop by. You can also sign up for conferences in December at this time if you wish.
Homework: (1) Do the Vocabulary crossword. There are clues provided already, and the word bank is on the back of the Spelling jumble. (2) Do the spelling jumble. The words are at the bottom here. (3) Do the Review questions on the bottom of page A79 in the Harcourt Science textbook.
Also, finish the ecosystem energy flow map (we had a lot of time to start this in class). You can see a good example of this assignment above. Also, continue, if time permits, with the final draft of the composition. Again, this will not be due until Wednesday.
The other significant assessment is the conclusion of the writing project connected with the unit. The students were required this time to write a fantasy story. We spent a lot of time discussing the structure of stories and the elements which make a story a fantasy (instead of realistic or historical fiction). Students wrote rough drafts, and then they worked in small groups to assess and revise their work. After completing revisions - second rough drafts in this case - today they worked again in small groups doing peer editing. Tonight they will start to complete their final drafts. These are not due until Wednesday.
Final drafts need to be in cursive. I know that more than a few tears flow whenever I require cursive, but the ability to read and write cursive is a state standard. And whenever I receive any paper perfectly typed I really wonder who did it. I know it's hard to believe, but children do manipulate their parents to do an awful lot of work for them. And the parents aren't the ones in fourth grade. At least I hope not!
Tomorrow is Back-to-School Breakfast. I have nothing special planned, but will obviously be available to talk to any parents who would like to stop by. You can also sign up for conferences in December at this time if you wish.
Homework: (1) Do the Vocabulary crossword. There are clues provided already, and the word bank is on the back of the Spelling jumble. (2) Do the spelling jumble. The words are at the bottom here. (3) Do the Review questions on the bottom of page A79 in the Harcourt Science textbook.
Also, finish the ecosystem energy flow map (we had a lot of time to start this in class). You can see a good example of this assignment above. Also, continue, if time permits, with the final draft of the composition. Again, this will not be due until Wednesday.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Just the homework for now
In case I don't get a chance to tell all the fabulous things we did today until this weekend, he's the homework.Homework: The first three assignments are handouts related to the final Open Court Reading selection of the first theme. They are: (1) "Drawing Conclusions", (2) the comprehension questions for "Tickets", (3) "Joke" and "Theme Connections". (4) Also, do "Before and After" Math pages 116-117 and (5) AM/PM, pages118-119 in the same book. (6) Finally, make a cover for OCR unit materials on "Risks and Consequences".
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Typical Thursday
We began today with music with Mr. Lawton. The students had their introduction to using the Orff instruments today. It was noisy, but they had fun. Quite a few of our students had also taken part in the Orff ensemble this morning, too. You can check out more about Mr. Lawton's programs, including some of our students' lyrics and a picture from last week, at his blog. Returning to the room, we reviewed the elements of fiction, and students did a story analysis of "Two Tickets to Freedom." A few may need to finish this tonight.
After recess, we turned our attention to Science. We have not done much here, but we will be doing quite a bit in the next few weeks. Today we discussed the idea of how energy moves through an ecosystem, and we made food chain diagrams. You can see a couple of these below. After lunch, we finished making the food chains, read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins, and practiced some of our Native California songs. We did an art project - we'll have pictures of those tomorrow - and then it was time to go!
Homework: (1) "Draw Conclusions," Math, page 111. (2) Review Test and Cumulative Review, Math, pages 112-113.
After recess, we turned our attention to Science. We have not done much here, but we will be doing quite a bit in the next few weeks. Today we discussed the idea of how energy moves through an ecosystem, and we made food chain diagrams. You can see a couple of these below. After lunch, we finished making the food chains, read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins, and practiced some of our Native California songs. We did an art project - we'll have pictures of those tomorrow - and then it was time to go!
Homework: (1) "Draw Conclusions," Math, page 111. (2) Review Test and Cumulative Review, Math, pages 112-113.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wednesdays are Special
When I was young, there was was a campaign by some spaghetti sauce company to make Wednesday special because everybody was supposed to eat spaghetti on that day. And the ads featured some little Italian waif running home because he knew that it was Wednesday and that there would be spaghetti. Well, in room 19 we do not need pasta to have a great Wednesday. We have Theater and Tech Center! Those fabulous activities make Wednesdays special for us.
Today in Theater Mr. Pratt introduced the concept of tableau, or theatrical group statues. Although it seems like it would be easier for students than improvisation - after all, you do not have to invent dialogue - fourth graders have a hard time picking a position and staying frozen in it. It's hard for 9 and 10 year olds to not giggle. But tableau is a great tool for story analysis, and Mr. Pratt linked it clearly to identifying the conflict or problem in a story and identifying the exposition, where the problem in introduced, the climax, where the problem reaches its most exciting point, and the resolution, where the problem is finally resolved in some way. Students did a couple different tableaux (yeah, we're even teaching them French plural forms in fourth grade now) and you can see one of them below.
In the Tech Center, Miss D. had the children explore analogies using some of the clever quizzes and other related matters on Henry Anker's website. Mr. Anker is the district ITAF (no, I have no idea what those initials stand for) assigned to our school, and he has been very helpful to the parents who are sponsoring our computer lab. After this, they did their own kind of tableaux using the Photo Booth program making pictures of themselves looking up, down, left, and right.
After lunch, we read and discussed a long chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins. We went out to PE where we did our warmups, but skipped our laps (just a tad too hot, don't you think?) and then rotated between activities. We returned to the classroom where we corrected homework and I gave them the following light assignments for this evening.
Homework: (1) Do "Choose an Approriate Graph," Math, pages 106-109. Students can skip question 23. (2) Do the music assignment for Mr. Lawton's class tomorrow morning.
Students are highly encouraged, but not required, to watch tonight's debate between Senator Obama and the other guy. Not that I have an opinion here....
Today in Theater Mr. Pratt introduced the concept of tableau, or theatrical group statues. Although it seems like it would be easier for students than improvisation - after all, you do not have to invent dialogue - fourth graders have a hard time picking a position and staying frozen in it. It's hard for 9 and 10 year olds to not giggle. But tableau is a great tool for story analysis, and Mr. Pratt linked it clearly to identifying the conflict or problem in a story and identifying the exposition, where the problem in introduced, the climax, where the problem reaches its most exciting point, and the resolution, where the problem is finally resolved in some way. Students did a couple different tableaux (yeah, we're even teaching them French plural forms in fourth grade now) and you can see one of them below.
In the Tech Center, Miss D. had the children explore analogies using some of the clever quizzes and other related matters on Henry Anker's website. Mr. Anker is the district ITAF (no, I have no idea what those initials stand for) assigned to our school, and he has been very helpful to the parents who are sponsoring our computer lab. After this, they did their own kind of tableaux using the Photo Booth program making pictures of themselves looking up, down, left, and right.
After lunch, we read and discussed a long chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins. We went out to PE where we did our warmups, but skipped our laps (just a tad too hot, don't you think?) and then rotated between activities. We returned to the classroom where we corrected homework and I gave them the following light assignments for this evening.
Homework: (1) Do "Choose an Approriate Graph," Math, pages 106-109. Students can skip question 23. (2) Do the music assignment for Mr. Lawton's class tomorrow morning.
Students are highly encouraged, but not required, to watch tonight's debate between Senator Obama and the other guy. Not that I have an opinion here....
Tableaux of a Simple Story
Getting an unexpected present.
Discovering it's an unpleasant surprise.
Getting revenge for the practical joke!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Reading Rules
This was a pretty good day with literature. We read "Two Tickets to Freedom" in the Open Court reader. This is the story of William and Ellen Croft who escaped from slavery in Georgia in 1848. Ellen, who was light-skinned, dressed as a man pretended to be a white slaveowner and William accompanied her on their trip to Philadelphia and freedom. We had a really good discussion about what slavery was and what it was like to be a slave and modern parallels to slavery. Then, in Island of the Blue Dolphins, we read chapter 8 today, the part where Karana and her brother are left behind on the island. At first this seems like fun, but then she discovers his body, ripped apart by a pack of wild dogs. Students just never expect this turn of events in the story.
The rest of the day was pretty ho-hum. We did a bunch of follow-up skill activities in language arts, we checked homework. The usual. Nothing as good as escaping bounty hunters or not escaping savage beasts.
Homework: (1) Do the crossword puzzle. The words are all taken from the "Two Tickets" story. (2) Do "Line Graphs," Math, page 105. (3) Do the second draft of the fantasy story. This should also be at least three pages, skipping lines, front side of paper only, just as the first rough draft was. Students should make significant revisions between the first and second drafts. The second draft should be stapled to the top of the first draft.
The rest of the day was pretty ho-hum. We did a bunch of follow-up skill activities in language arts, we checked homework. The usual. Nothing as good as escaping bounty hunters or not escaping savage beasts.
Homework: (1) Do the crossword puzzle. The words are all taken from the "Two Tickets" story. (2) Do "Line Graphs," Math, page 105. (3) Do the second draft of the fantasy story. This should also be at least three pages, skipping lines, front side of paper only, just as the first rough draft was. Students should make significant revisions between the first and second drafts. The second draft should be stapled to the top of the first draft.
Monday, October 13, 2008
An Ordinary Day
A pretty ordinary Monday. Probably the most important thing we did today was to take the Chapter 5 math test. The results of that test is on the gradebook along with several other new scores. More to follow. In fact, I think I'll go back to grading right now....
Please remember that tomorrow is our first shortened day. Students will be dismissed at 1:30 tomorrow.
Homework: (1) Do "Double Bar Graphs," Math, page 101 and "Read Line Graphs, Math, page 103. (2) Do the "Simple and Compound Sentences" worksheet. Please put your answers on a separate sheet of paper. (3) Do the "Word Knowledge" and the "Vocabulary from Context" sections for the next Open Court Reading story.
Please remember that tomorrow is our first shortened day. Students will be dismissed at 1:30 tomorrow.
Homework: (1) Do "Double Bar Graphs," Math, page 101 and "Read Line Graphs, Math, page 103. (2) Do the "Simple and Compound Sentences" worksheet. Please put your answers on a separate sheet of paper. (3) Do the "Word Knowledge" and the "Vocabulary from Context" sections for the next Open Court Reading story.
Friday, October 10, 2008
"Hey! You! What?"
Sorry this post did not get published until Monday. I am in such a hurry to leave on Fridays - I have my piano lesson at 3:00 pm - that I sometimes forget I have only drafted but not published the post.
We started today with the spelling test. We went to the library where Mrs. Koneff taught the students more about how the books are organized and read them "Taily-Po," a famous African-American scary story. Returning to the classroom we took some reading quizzes, did our independent reading, and worked on our journals. After recess, we corrected our homework, practiced our Indian acorn-grinding songs, and read and discussed a chapter in the History book about Central Valley and foothill natives.
After lunch, we had a makeup lesson with Mr. Lawton. We usually have music instruction with him on Thursdays, but we missed yesterday because of the Yom Kippur holiday. He did some great stuff with the students today. Building on some work by Keith Terry, a famous Oakland performance artist, students learned a cool "Hey! You! What?" sequence using body percussion an alternative 5/3 and 3/5 patterns.
At PE, we started work on basketball skills. Returning to the classroom, we read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins and got a chance to start on homework.
Homework: (1) Do the chapter reviews in Math, pages 96-97. (2) Do the handout pages for the History packet.
We started today with the spelling test. We went to the library where Mrs. Koneff taught the students more about how the books are organized and read them "Taily-Po," a famous African-American scary story. Returning to the classroom we took some reading quizzes, did our independent reading, and worked on our journals. After recess, we corrected our homework, practiced our Indian acorn-grinding songs, and read and discussed a chapter in the History book about Central Valley and foothill natives.
After lunch, we had a makeup lesson with Mr. Lawton. We usually have music instruction with him on Thursdays, but we missed yesterday because of the Yom Kippur holiday. He did some great stuff with the students today. Building on some work by Keith Terry, a famous Oakland performance artist, students learned a cool "Hey! You! What?" sequence using body percussion an alternative 5/3 and 3/5 patterns.
At PE, we started work on basketball skills. Returning to the classroom, we read a chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins and got a chance to start on homework.
Homework: (1) Do the chapter reviews in Math, pages 96-97. (2) Do the handout pages for the History packet.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Fun and Easy
Today was a pretty fun day for the students, and a pretty easy day for the teacher. We started off with our Theater class with Mr. Pratt. The students worked today more today on improvisation skills. After leading the class through some warmups and reviewing the basic improvisation rules they learned last week, students were paired up for two improvs. The first had students pretending they on a playground where one students was on a swing and the other student wanted to take turns. The second dealt with a child who came home with an animal which he or she wanted to adopt as a pet. In both cases, Mr. Pratt stressed the idea that all characters have objectives or things that they want to accomplish, and that these objectives tend to create some kind of conflict. The essence of drama, students learned, is that the characters have to overcome or resolve this conflict. In improvisation, some kind of negotiation is the best way to do this. By the way, that often works in real life too.... I filmed a few of these later in the day and after I'm finished editing them I'll post them here on the blog again. It may be a couple days, however.
After recess, we went to Tech Center. As most of you know, our technology program at Third Street was not all that successful last year, and the booster club, Friends of Third, has worked to improve it by hiring a near teacher and an aide. They have also provided these teachers with a decent budget to buy software and other needed supplies. Today was our first day there, and I think that the computer lab will be a favorite activity for students this year. Ms. Saran Richards, the new teacher, greeted the students and went over rules and expectations. She then had them work on an educational website while she observed their skill levels in preparation for some upcoming lessons.
After lunch, we did this and that. We checked homework. I filmed the improvs. We went out to PE. We came back and discussed what they needed to get accomplished by Friday. I then gave them a solid 45 minutes to get started so they could take home as little as possible. Most worked very, very hard!
Homework: (1) Finish the music paper for Mr. Lawton. Finish the 8 stories for "All About Me" and do the cover page. (2) Do "Quiz Time!" paper over Island of the Blue Dolphins, chapters 1-5. (3) Do Math, pages 92-93, numbers 1-14. Do Math, pages 94-95, all problems.
After recess, we went to Tech Center. As most of you know, our technology program at Third Street was not all that successful last year, and the booster club, Friends of Third, has worked to improve it by hiring a near teacher and an aide. They have also provided these teachers with a decent budget to buy software and other needed supplies. Today was our first day there, and I think that the computer lab will be a favorite activity for students this year. Ms. Saran Richards, the new teacher, greeted the students and went over rules and expectations. She then had them work on an educational website while she observed their skill levels in preparation for some upcoming lessons.
After lunch, we did this and that. We checked homework. I filmed the improvs. We went out to PE. We came back and discussed what they needed to get accomplished by Friday. I then gave them a solid 45 minutes to get started so they could take home as little as possible. Most worked very, very hard!
Homework: (1) Finish the music paper for Mr. Lawton. Finish the 8 stories for "All About Me" and do the cover page. (2) Do "Quiz Time!" paper over Island of the Blue Dolphins, chapters 1-5. (3) Do Math, pages 92-93, numbers 1-14. Do Math, pages 94-95, all problems.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Too Darn Hot
Yikes! Where did this heat come from? When will it go away? Twenty-seven fourth graders were wilting a bit today and so was their teacher!
Despite this, it was a pleasantly productive day. We did our independent reading and we read another short story in the Open Court Reader, "The Girl who Loved the Wind." Since this story, like "King's Fountain," is a kind of modern folktale, it works well to take them out of the order in the book and read them together. Plus, they're both pretty short.
We continued work on our Thinking Maps writing project, and a couple students have actually finish the final drafts and bound their books. All the rough drafts submitted to me have been returned (well, except a couple which are missing names), and there will only be limited time to work on this project in the classroom in the future. As these are turned in, they will be graded and the grades posted on the gradebook.
We postponed checking homework until after lunch, and we took a lot of time to discuss both types of plots. I have to admit that I doubt the students will ever see a stem-and-leaf plot in real life, but at least line plots are easy and useful. The math homework tonight, as a results, ought to be pretty easy.
Since we have no school on Thursday, our usual art day, we did our art today. This was a hard lesson - watercolor portraiture. Still, as you can see above, many students did a pretty decent job with it. At least the heat was a bit helpful here - our paintings dried in no time at all!
Homework: A little bit light tonight so that students can have an opportunity to watch the debate. (1) Do the spelling scramble. (2) Do the study questions over "King's Fountain." Be sure to use the dictionary or glossary as necessary to properly use the vocabulary words. (3) Do the sections on "Line Plots" and "Stem and Leaf Plots" from the Problem Solving Workbook, pages 25-26.
Despite this, it was a pleasantly productive day. We did our independent reading and we read another short story in the Open Court Reader, "The Girl who Loved the Wind." Since this story, like "King's Fountain," is a kind of modern folktale, it works well to take them out of the order in the book and read them together. Plus, they're both pretty short.
We continued work on our Thinking Maps writing project, and a couple students have actually finish the final drafts and bound their books. All the rough drafts submitted to me have been returned (well, except a couple which are missing names), and there will only be limited time to work on this project in the classroom in the future. As these are turned in, they will be graded and the grades posted on the gradebook.
We postponed checking homework until after lunch, and we took a lot of time to discuss both types of plots. I have to admit that I doubt the students will ever see a stem-and-leaf plot in real life, but at least line plots are easy and useful. The math homework tonight, as a results, ought to be pretty easy.
Since we have no school on Thursday, our usual art day, we did our art today. This was a hard lesson - watercolor portraiture. Still, as you can see above, many students did a pretty decent job with it. At least the heat was a bit helpful here - our paintings dried in no time at all!
Homework: A little bit light tonight so that students can have an opportunity to watch the debate. (1) Do the spelling scramble. (2) Do the study questions over "King's Fountain." Be sure to use the dictionary or glossary as necessary to properly use the vocabulary words. (3) Do the sections on "Line Plots" and "Stem and Leaf Plots" from the Problem Solving Workbook, pages 25-26.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Quick Post
I've been busy correcting work and putting it on the gradebook, so just a quick homework post here. As one of our candidates might say, "Catchin' up with the doggone gradin' is takin' me a mite longer than I think it otta!"
Homework: (1) Do a Tree Map to sort the spelling words by long vowel pattern. All have the long o sound. (2) Do the Open Court Reading packet papers. These include "Word Knowledge," "Vocabulary from Context," "Folktales," and "Subject-Verb Agreement". Use a dictionary if needed for the word knowledge. (3) Do two math lessons here - "Line Plots," Math, pages 88-89, numbers 2-14 only, and "Stem and Leaf Plots," Math, pages 90-91, numbers 1-12 only.
Finally, if not completed this afternoon, finish the "King's Fountain" Flow Map. Be sure to label the exposition, the rising action, the climax, and the falling action.
Homework: (1) Do a Tree Map to sort the spelling words by long vowel pattern. All have the long o sound. (2) Do the Open Court Reading packet papers. These include "Word Knowledge," "Vocabulary from Context," "Folktales," and "Subject-Verb Agreement". Use a dictionary if needed for the word knowledge. (3) Do two math lessons here - "Line Plots," Math, pages 88-89, numbers 2-14 only, and "Stem and Leaf Plots," Math, pages 90-91, numbers 1-12 only.
Finally, if not completed this afternoon, finish the "King's Fountain" Flow Map. Be sure to label the exposition, the rising action, the climax, and the falling action.
Friday, October 03, 2008
No Freaky Friday Here
It was a pretty ordinary, yet productive Friday. We began with Independent Work Time. Here we finished up some pages from the Reading Writing Workbooks and had some time for independent reading. We then went to the library. Mrs Koneff continued instructing the students in that all-time favorite topic of librarians, the Dewey Decimal System. Returning to the classroom, we took a spelling test, a reading quiz, and a reading skills quiz. Results will be on the gradebook soon.
After recess we check and discussed homework. I taught the students a Native California acorn grinding song. They thought it was weird, but that will pass after we practice it more and add percussion and hand gestures. We started to read about north and central coast Indians. Students will need to finish this as homework, however.
After lunch, we read and discussed another chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins. We did some followup on the music activity for Mr. Lawton, and I introduced the students to transitional rhythmic notation and the Kodaly rhythm syllables. More on that next week. We went to PE. When we returned to class, we did the second lesson in the Hands-On Equations program. This went well, and I look forward to doing this every week or two. It really does build good mathematical thinking.
The very end of the day was a bit hectic as some of the students took off for the LACMA trip. But that will be a fantastic opportunity for them. Thanks Ms. Nunez for arranging this!
Homework: (1) Finish reading the section "The Coast" in the hardcover California book. Then do the study guide questions and an "Indian Legend." Both of these are handouts. (2) Do review pages 78-79 in the Math book. These also teach some useful facts about California! (3) Also do "Median and Mode", pages 86-87 in the hardcover Math book. We did not have a chance to discuss this until the very end of the day, so those people who went to LACMA need to read page 86 carefully.
After recess we check and discussed homework. I taught the students a Native California acorn grinding song. They thought it was weird, but that will pass after we practice it more and add percussion and hand gestures. We started to read about north and central coast Indians. Students will need to finish this as homework, however.
After lunch, we read and discussed another chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins. We did some followup on the music activity for Mr. Lawton, and I introduced the students to transitional rhythmic notation and the Kodaly rhythm syllables. More on that next week. We went to PE. When we returned to class, we did the second lesson in the Hands-On Equations program. This went well, and I look forward to doing this every week or two. It really does build good mathematical thinking.
The very end of the day was a bit hectic as some of the students took off for the LACMA trip. But that will be a fantastic opportunity for them. Thanks Ms. Nunez for arranging this!
Homework: (1) Finish reading the section "The Coast" in the hardcover California book. Then do the study guide questions and an "Indian Legend." Both of these are handouts. (2) Do review pages 78-79 in the Math book. These also teach some useful facts about California! (3) Also do "Median and Mode", pages 86-87 in the hardcover Math book. We did not have a chance to discuss this until the very end of the day, so those people who went to LACMA need to read page 86 carefully.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Music and Art
We started our music program today with Mr. Richard Lawton. This is the music program which is funded by Friends of Third. Most of the students worked with Mr. Lawton last year. This year he is only working with third through fifth graders and is also starting an ensemble program. You can find out details of his program by checking his blog, thirdstreetmusic.blogspot.com. Mr. Lawton began with teaching the students a fun, but rather challenging round. They will continue working on this for several weeks. They used this song and its lyrics to explore beat and rhythm. This complemented many of the activities we have done in class here nicely. We will be following up in class on a composition assignment he gave the students.
We did a number of other routine things: we checked and corrected a couple homework assignments, we read and discussed the second chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins, and we did some followup work on "Mae Jemison." We studied our final thinking map, the Bridge Map, which focuses on analogies. We discussed simple analogies like "puppy is to dog as kitten is to cat" and discussed what a relating factor is. The students were then challenged to think, "Who takes care of me?" and "Who do I take care of?" They made a bridge map out of this and then created a short composition which will conclude their All About Me book. We will be doing our last couple final drafts here and binding them in the next couple days. They will be on their desks for Back-to-School Breakfast later this month.
Thursday is Art Day in room 19, and we built on our work in line and contour this week. As you can see above, students again used pen and ink to create a contour drawing. This time they were allowed to look at their paper, though they were encouraged to spend more time looking at our still life. For our still life I took a variety of ethnic percussion instruments and place them on top of a plastic tub so that they could be seen more easily. The students really got the idea of looking at the edges to create the shapes of the different objects. I think you'll agree that they did a wonderful job here.
Homework: This seems longer and more complicated than it really is. Plus, they had time to get started on assignments in class. (1) Do the spelling wordsearch. The test is tomorrow. (2) Do the four pages of the Open Court packet. They are "Jemison Vocabulary" and "Long Vowel Patterns," "Main Idea and Detail," "Types of Sentences" and "Features of Biographies." This sounds like a lot more than it really is. Most of these can be done quite quickly. (3) Do "Collect and Organize Data," Math, pages 83-85, numbers 1-23 only.
We did a number of other routine things: we checked and corrected a couple homework assignments, we read and discussed the second chapter of Island of the Blue Dolphins, and we did some followup work on "Mae Jemison." We studied our final thinking map, the Bridge Map, which focuses on analogies. We discussed simple analogies like "puppy is to dog as kitten is to cat" and discussed what a relating factor is. The students were then challenged to think, "Who takes care of me?" and "Who do I take care of?" They made a bridge map out of this and then created a short composition which will conclude their All About Me book. We will be doing our last couple final drafts here and binding them in the next couple days. They will be on their desks for Back-to-School Breakfast later this month.
Thursday is Art Day in room 19, and we built on our work in line and contour this week. As you can see above, students again used pen and ink to create a contour drawing. This time they were allowed to look at their paper, though they were encouraged to spend more time looking at our still life. For our still life I took a variety of ethnic percussion instruments and place them on top of a plastic tub so that they could be seen more easily. The students really got the idea of looking at the edges to create the shapes of the different objects. I think you'll agree that they did a wonderful job here.
Homework: This seems longer and more complicated than it really is. Plus, they had time to get started on assignments in class. (1) Do the spelling wordsearch. The test is tomorrow. (2) Do the four pages of the Open Court packet. They are "Jemison Vocabulary" and "Long Vowel Patterns," "Main Idea and Detail," "Types of Sentences" and "Features of Biographies." This sounds like a lot more than it really is. Most of these can be done quite quickly. (3) Do "Collect and Organize Data," Math, pages 83-85, numbers 1-23 only.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Improvisation
Today started out, as our Wednesdays will until Winter Break, with our theater class. We had the usual fantastic time with Mr. Pratt. Our topic today was improvisation. We began, like usual, with the pantomime exercise to the song, "Be Our Guest." After that, the students reviewed the vocabulary and key concepts from the previous lesson. We also practiced pantomime and the cooperation skills learned last week in the Machine exercise by doing tug-of-war. (Of course, the rope was invisible!) After that, Mr. Pratt discussed the idea of improvisation and the key rule, do not deny! The students then paired off to do their own improvisations. You will see a couple examples of these shortly when I edit and upload the video. These concerned a customer coming into a shoe store to buy some new shoes and also bargaining over the price. The students had a great time, and maybe learned some haggling skills which could come in handy on a visit to a foreign country!
Later in the day, we corrected homework, finished reading the "Mae Jemison" story, and we did a little PE. (We did skip running laps, however, because of the miserable heat.) We also started reading Island of the Blue Dolphins today. Again, a big thank you to the parents who contributed to the class fund which allowed us to buy copies of this book for each child. We had a math test. More fun for the students, we had a drum circle exercise to work on listening skills. This is called "audiation" in the music pedagogy world, and it's considered the foundation of music education. But if I told the students that maybe they would not have enjoyed it so much....
Most of you have already received an email giving access to our gradebook. If you haven't yet, let me know. It will take a few days to get the backlog of grades posted, but I promise you when the system is up and running you will love it!
Homework: (1) Write the rough draft of the fantasy store. The students have already done some prewriting in their Inquiry Journals and they can use these to help them write the first draft. Please write only on the front side of each paper and skip lines. The rough draft should be a minimum of three pages long. (2) Do the Unit 1 review in Math, pages 76-77.
Later in the day, we corrected homework, finished reading the "Mae Jemison" story, and we did a little PE. (We did skip running laps, however, because of the miserable heat.) We also started reading Island of the Blue Dolphins today. Again, a big thank you to the parents who contributed to the class fund which allowed us to buy copies of this book for each child. We had a math test. More fun for the students, we had a drum circle exercise to work on listening skills. This is called "audiation" in the music pedagogy world, and it's considered the foundation of music education. But if I told the students that maybe they would not have enjoyed it so much....
Most of you have already received an email giving access to our gradebook. If you haven't yet, let me know. It will take a few days to get the backlog of grades posted, but I promise you when the system is up and running you will love it!
Homework: (1) Write the rough draft of the fantasy store. The students have already done some prewriting in their Inquiry Journals and they can use these to help them write the first draft. Please write only on the front side of each paper and skip lines. The rough draft should be a minimum of three pages long. (2) Do the Unit 1 review in Math, pages 76-77.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Gradebook Coming!
This will be a pretty short post today because I want to get busy and set up the gradebook. All the parents who gave me an email address will soon be receiving a username and a password shortly by email. This will allow you to check on your students grades. Now, it will take me a few days to get all our scores posted! So be patient. But this will be an amazing tool to help you keep track of your child's progress.
I am working on getting Friday's blog entry to post correctly. My apologies for anyone who was not sure what the weekend homework was.
Homework: (1) Do the spelling sort using a tree map. All the words have the long i sound. (2) Do the Open Court Reading packet. This includes the circle map, the word knowledge section, vocabulary from context, and a long vowel worksheet. (3) Do the "Early People of California" study sheet. Be sure to answer questions in complete sentences. (4) Do the chapter review section in the large Math book, pages 72 and 73. There will be a math test on Wednesday. (5) Do pages 21 and 22 in the Problem Solving Workbook.
I am working on getting Friday's blog entry to post correctly. My apologies for anyone who was not sure what the weekend homework was.
Homework: (1) Do the spelling sort using a tree map. All the words have the long i sound. (2) Do the Open Court Reading packet. This includes the circle map, the word knowledge section, vocabulary from context, and a long vowel worksheet. (3) Do the "Early People of California" study sheet. Be sure to answer questions in complete sentences. (4) Do the chapter review section in the large Math book, pages 72 and 73. There will be a math test on Wednesday. (5) Do pages 21 and 22 in the Problem Solving Workbook.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Hands-on Equations
Today we started a new program which we will be using throughout the year. It's called "Hands-on Equations" and its a nifty program designed to help students master algebraic concepts by using objects that students can touch and move about. In this program, students use small game pieces to represent variables like x or y and number cubes to represent the numbers. The pieces are placed on a board which looks like a balance with the center column of the balance representing the equal sign. This way the students can manipulate equations by adding or subtracting pieces.
For example, suppose they are solving the equation 2x + 6 = x + 8. The students place two game pieces on the left side of the balance along with a cube with the number 6. On the right side they place one game piece and a number 8 cube. Now to solve the problem first they take away one game piece from each side. Although they do not write it down, they have actually simplified the equation to x + 6 = 8. They further simplify the problem by subtracting 6 from each side. On the left side, the number cube just disappears, and on the right side the 8 cube is replaced by a 2 cube. Now they have the answer: x = 2. They then return to the original equation to test whether x = 2 is correct. They calculate (2 x 2) + 6 = 2 + 8. Since 10=10 they know that the answer is correct.
Now this may seem complicated when I write it down step by step. But, think about it, can you imagine how complicated washing the dishes would seem if we read a written description of how to do it? It's the same with Hands-on Equations. It's easy and fun just to play with the pieces and get the answer.
At first some bright students can be frustrated because they are able to solve the problem using mental math and a "guess-and-check" strategy. But, as the program progresses, the problems become harder and harder, and the only way to solve them is to use the pieces. So we make an issue of actually using the pieces even if they already know the answer. Really, today's problems were pretty easy and we mostly concentrated on learning to set up the pieces instead of solving the problems.
Homework: Just a little math review here. Do page H35 in the back of the math book. This reviews the lessons for chapter 4.
For example, suppose they are solving the equation 2x + 6 = x + 8. The students place two game pieces on the left side of the balance along with a cube with the number 6. On the right side they place one game piece and a number 8 cube. Now to solve the problem first they take away one game piece from each side. Although they do not write it down, they have actually simplified the equation to x + 6 = 8. They further simplify the problem by subtracting 6 from each side. On the left side, the number cube just disappears, and on the right side the 8 cube is replaced by a 2 cube. Now they have the answer: x = 2. They then return to the original equation to test whether x = 2 is correct. They calculate (2 x 2) + 6 = 2 + 8. Since 10=10 they know that the answer is correct.
Now this may seem complicated when I write it down step by step. But, think about it, can you imagine how complicated washing the dishes would seem if we read a written description of how to do it? It's the same with Hands-on Equations. It's easy and fun just to play with the pieces and get the answer.
At first some bright students can be frustrated because they are able to solve the problem using mental math and a "guess-and-check" strategy. But, as the program progresses, the problems become harder and harder, and the only way to solve them is to use the pieces. So we make an issue of actually using the pieces even if they already know the answer. Really, today's problems were pretty easy and we mostly concentrated on learning to set up the pieces instead of solving the problems.
Homework: Just a little math review here. Do page H35 in the back of the math book. This reviews the lessons for chapter 4.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Drawing Blindly
Our students education in the arts classics continues. Yesterday they learned The Machine, a classic theater game. Today we learned a classic visual arts exercise, blind contour drawing. Students in art school spend a lot of time doing blind contour drawing. The results are never displayed in galleries or showcased in portfolios, however. Why? They look awful. Blind contour drawing is not about a great product. Instead, it is about learning to observe.
Our students read a bit about the lines and contours. They then practiced drawing their hands without ever looking at the paper or lifting the marker from their papers. What they draw usually did not look much like a hand. But they really look at their hands intently, maybe for the first time ever. After doing this a couple times, they worked with a partner. They tried drawing their partners, again never looking at the paper or lifting their pens from the paper. There was a bit of nervous giggling here, but there was also a tremendous amount of concentration and observation. You can see some pictures of the students involved in this above.
Homework: Enjoy a light evening. (1) Do "Equals," Math, pp 62-69, all problems. (2) Finish the final drafts of the All About Me paragraphs.
Our students read a bit about the lines and contours. They then practiced drawing their hands without ever looking at the paper or lifting the marker from their papers. What they draw usually did not look much like a hand. But they really look at their hands intently, maybe for the first time ever. After doing this a couple times, they worked with a partner. They tried drawing their partners, again never looking at the paper or lifting their pens from the paper. There was a bit of nervous giggling here, but there was also a tremendous amount of concentration and observation. You can see some pictures of the students involved in this above.
Homework: Enjoy a light evening. (1) Do "Equals," Math, pp 62-69, all problems. (2) Finish the final drafts of the All About Me paragraphs.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Input and Output
Wednesdays are great days in room 19 because we begin the day with our theater class. Our school's theater teacher, Mr. Pratt (he's the tall guy who stopped by at Back-to-School Night) does amazing things with the students. For the past two weeks he has been working with them on their pantomime skills. Today he taught them about the Machine.
Now those of you who have taken some theater know what a machine is. For everybody else, let me explain. The Machine is a classic theater game which helps actors learn to focus and cooperate. The idea is simple. The actors have to pretend to be parts of a complex machine. The different parts of the machine must work together to accomplish a task. The actors have to be aware of each others movements and the purpose of those movements. Mr. Pratt led the students through a series of exercises designed to build the skills needed, then, inspired by Shel Silverstein's poem "The Homework Machine" he had the students create a machine which would do their homework for them! (If you haven't read the poem, I'll give away the ending. The machine doesn't quite work like it is suppose to!) It was great fun! And the students learned a lot. I took some video, and I'll be posting some of it as soon as I have a chance to edit it.
We worked on a kind of machine in Math, too. Students had their introduction today to functions. As I noted before, students are now exposed to concepts in math that we adults did not learn until much later in our career. Functions are an example of this. Students are learning to solve problems like x +7 = y by solving for the variables which make this equation true. They are just creating function charts right now, but they will soon learn to graph these, as well. The math book avoids the use of the word functions and instead calls it "input and output." I like that because it helps the students to see that this kind of math creates its own sort of machine, one which processes numbers as raw materials.
Homework: (1) Do spelling sentences. Students can combine words, using two or three words in a single sentence, as long as the sentence makes sense. (2) Do the pages from the Open Court packet. These include the "Sarah Plain and Tall" study questions, the vocabulary crossword puzzle, and the "Silly Sentences" page. (3) Read pages 3-18 in Our California. This is review for the test. There are a few simple questions to answer as students read. They can mark in the book. (4) Do "Find a Rule," page 65 in the big Math book. Do only problems 4-16.
Now those of you who have taken some theater know what a machine is. For everybody else, let me explain. The Machine is a classic theater game which helps actors learn to focus and cooperate. The idea is simple. The actors have to pretend to be parts of a complex machine. The different parts of the machine must work together to accomplish a task. The actors have to be aware of each others movements and the purpose of those movements. Mr. Pratt led the students through a series of exercises designed to build the skills needed, then, inspired by Shel Silverstein's poem "The Homework Machine" he had the students create a machine which would do their homework for them! (If you haven't read the poem, I'll give away the ending. The machine doesn't quite work like it is suppose to!) It was great fun! And the students learned a lot. I took some video, and I'll be posting some of it as soon as I have a chance to edit it.
We worked on a kind of machine in Math, too. Students had their introduction today to functions. As I noted before, students are now exposed to concepts in math that we adults did not learn until much later in our career. Functions are an example of this. Students are learning to solve problems like x +7 = y by solving for the variables which make this equation true. They are just creating function charts right now, but they will soon learn to graph these, as well. The math book avoids the use of the word functions and instead calls it "input and output." I like that because it helps the students to see that this kind of math creates its own sort of machine, one which processes numbers as raw materials.
Homework: (1) Do spelling sentences. Students can combine words, using two or three words in a single sentence, as long as the sentence makes sense. (2) Do the pages from the Open Court packet. These include the "Sarah Plain and Tall" study questions, the vocabulary crossword puzzle, and the "Silly Sentences" page. (3) Read pages 3-18 in Our California. This is review for the test. There are a few simple questions to answer as students read. They can mark in the book. (4) Do "Find a Rule," page 65 in the big Math book. Do only problems 4-16.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Connections and Coats of Arms
One of the strengths of the Open Court Reading program is its stress on reading strategies. We have been working on practicing these strategies as we have been reading the stories in the "Risks and Consequences" theme. In "Mrs. Frisby" we practiced making predictions. In "Toto" we worked on visualization. In our third story, "Sarah Plain and Tall" we worked on making connections. This is one of the most fun strategies for the students, partly because it is an easy one. As they read the text, all they have to do is to monitor their own thinking. When they read a word or see a picture in a story, what experience in their own lives do they remember?
In room 19 we use sticky notes to help with our reading strategies. We make notes on the post-it notes and stick them right next to the word or picture which prompted the prediction, connection, or other thought. This mimics the margin notes which good readers often make in their own books, less any wear and tear to the book. As we read through the story this morning, students made predictions and connections. After every two or three pages we shared these with the class. When we finished, the students took them out of the book and created a kind of response log by writing the textual reference on one side and placing the sticky note on the opposite side. You can see an example of this below.
In math, we started algebra! Students in middle and high school are often so intimidated by algebra that we now try to introduce them to the key concepts and skills when they are younger and have less math anxiety. Today we discussed variables. We talked about how they solve algebra problems all the time without thinking about it, and just showed how we can represent these every day problems using variables in an expression.
Also, in Health today we had a fun little assignment and you can see some of these above. We were reading about self-esteem and discussing good character and character traits. The book suggested creating a "coat of arms" with at least six symbols showing individual interests and strengths. The students had a great time doing this and you can see some examples of their work above.
Homework: Students had a lot of time to get started on these assignments during the day. Although this list seems long, they should not be doing that much at home tonight. (1) Look at the spelling words. All have the long e sound. Sort the words using a tree map to show which letter combinations create the long e sound in each word. (2) Do the chapter review worksheet for history. The chapter was divided into five lessons. On the visual organizer - the boxes with the circle in the middle - students are supposed to write the main ideas for each lesson. (3) Do the Open Court Reading packet. This consists of the Word Knowledge, Vocabulary from Context, and "The History You Are Making." (4) Do "Variables," Math, pages 62-63, numbers 7-20 and 24-26 only. (5) Do page PS18 in the Problem-Solving Workbook.
In room 19 we use sticky notes to help with our reading strategies. We make notes on the post-it notes and stick them right next to the word or picture which prompted the prediction, connection, or other thought. This mimics the margin notes which good readers often make in their own books, less any wear and tear to the book. As we read through the story this morning, students made predictions and connections. After every two or three pages we shared these with the class. When we finished, the students took them out of the book and created a kind of response log by writing the textual reference on one side and placing the sticky note on the opposite side. You can see an example of this below.
In math, we started algebra! Students in middle and high school are often so intimidated by algebra that we now try to introduce them to the key concepts and skills when they are younger and have less math anxiety. Today we discussed variables. We talked about how they solve algebra problems all the time without thinking about it, and just showed how we can represent these every day problems using variables in an expression.
Also, in Health today we had a fun little assignment and you can see some of these above. We were reading about self-esteem and discussing good character and character traits. The book suggested creating a "coat of arms" with at least six symbols showing individual interests and strengths. The students had a great time doing this and you can see some examples of their work above.
Homework: Students had a lot of time to get started on these assignments during the day. Although this list seems long, they should not be doing that much at home tonight. (1) Look at the spelling words. All have the long e sound. Sort the words using a tree map to show which letter combinations create the long e sound in each word. (2) Do the chapter review worksheet for history. The chapter was divided into five lessons. On the visual organizer - the boxes with the circle in the middle - students are supposed to write the main ideas for each lesson. (3) Do the Open Court Reading packet. This consists of the Word Knowledge, Vocabulary from Context, and "The History You Are Making." (4) Do "Variables," Math, pages 62-63, numbers 7-20 and 24-26 only. (5) Do page PS18 in the Problem-Solving Workbook.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Whole and Part
We're working right now on what should be one of the easiest thinking maps -- except, it's not! It's called the Brace Map, and you can see an example of it above. The Brace Map helps students deal with the idea of whole and part. Now this strangely seems to pose difficulties for students. They have problems separating things into component parts which can be put together again. The Brace Map always deals with a tangible object, never an idea.
The assigned topic for this map in the Thinking Maps curriculum is "My Best Outfit." I've discovered that the boys really HATE this as a topic (well, most of them) and some of the girls do, too. It was a hard one for me when I was doing the training as well. (You may have noticed that your child's teacher is not the nattiest dresser on the planet.) So I decided that "My Favorite Meal" would do just as nicely. And that one was easy for me!
Homework: (1) Finish the Brace Map about "My Best Outfit" or "My Favorite Meal". Be sure to break each category down into its component parts as much as possible. Then do a rough draft of a paragraph on this topic. Be sure to add descriptive language. Your rough draft should be one full page, front side only, skipping lines. It can be longer. (2) Do "Parentheses", pages 56-57 in the big Math book, numbers 2-27 only. (3) Also do the same lesson in the math Problem-Solving Workbook, page PS17.
The assigned topic for this map in the Thinking Maps curriculum is "My Best Outfit." I've discovered that the boys really HATE this as a topic (well, most of them) and some of the girls do, too. It was a hard one for me when I was doing the training as well. (You may have noticed that your child's teacher is not the nattiest dresser on the planet.) So I decided that "My Favorite Meal" would do just as nicely. And that one was easy for me!
Homework: (1) Finish the Brace Map about "My Best Outfit" or "My Favorite Meal". Be sure to break each category down into its component parts as much as possible. Then do a rough draft of a paragraph on this topic. Be sure to add descriptive language. Your rough draft should be one full page, front side only, skipping lines. It can be longer. (2) Do "Parentheses", pages 56-57 in the big Math book, numbers 2-27 only. (3) Also do the same lesson in the math Problem-Solving Workbook, page PS17.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Mopping Up
Not the most exciting of days, I'll admit. But some days have to be like this in fourth grade.
We spent a lot of time today "mopping up," just finishing off the work for one section or unit and reviewing some of the things were learned. In Independent Work Time, we completed the "Apply" sections for a couple pages of the Reading Writing Workbook. During Open Court Time, we worked on the vocabulary and the study guide for the "Toto" story. After recess, we corrected and discussed a couple days of math homework and generally reviewed for the test. After lunch, students asked for more time to work on the "Toto" materials, and, wanting to reduce the homework load, I postponed the music until Monday. We went to PE, and when we returned we took a math test. But, even though it was not the most exciting of days, it was productive.
Homework: (1) Do the Natural Resources Crossword and Land Use Map handout. Sorry for the clues being upside down on the crossword. (2) Do "Expressions," Math, page 55, #2-37. Be sure to read the directions carefully for each section!
We spent a lot of time today "mopping up," just finishing off the work for one section or unit and reviewing some of the things were learned. In Independent Work Time, we completed the "Apply" sections for a couple pages of the Reading Writing Workbook. During Open Court Time, we worked on the vocabulary and the study guide for the "Toto" story. After recess, we corrected and discussed a couple days of math homework and generally reviewed for the test. After lunch, students asked for more time to work on the "Toto" materials, and, wanting to reduce the homework load, I postponed the music until Monday. We went to PE, and when we returned we took a math test. But, even though it was not the most exciting of days, it was productive.
Homework: (1) Do the Natural Resources Crossword and Land Use Map handout. Sorry for the clues being upside down on the crossword. (2) Do "Expressions," Math, page 55, #2-37. Be sure to read the directions carefully for each section!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Children Playing
Thursdays is Art day in room 19. I picked Thursdays because it seemed a forlorn day -- no Tech Center, no drama, no Library, not even any PE! Yet Thursdays have become one of my favorite days because of Art.
This afternoon we did a particularly nifty art lesson. We began by looking at a couple of pictures, particularly on by Pieter Breughel called "Children's Games." We discussed how the artist uses a "bird's eye" point-of-view to create a scene of dozens of children playing in the square of a Renaissance town. We discussed other points-of-view and how each can give a different sense to a scene of children playing games. We then took paper, mounted on chipboard, and went out to the playground to sketch what we saw. I was surprised by how varied the drawings were. After about 20 minutes of observation and drawing, we returned to the room where the students went over their drawings in fine tip black markers. This gave the effect of a traditional pen and ink drawing without the danger of spilled ink. I think you'll agree that the results are marvelous when you see them posted tomorrow.
Homework: I had to leave early today to look at tile for my new bathroom. So, since I had to cancel homework club with no notice, I figured the best thing was to give as light load today. So, (1) do the "Natural Resources" study guide. Just about everyone started this in class already and several finished it. (2) Also do the chapter reviews, pages 50-51 in Math (the big book, not the Problem Solving Workbook).
This afternoon we did a particularly nifty art lesson. We began by looking at a couple of pictures, particularly on by Pieter Breughel called "Children's Games." We discussed how the artist uses a "bird's eye" point-of-view to create a scene of dozens of children playing in the square of a Renaissance town. We discussed other points-of-view and how each can give a different sense to a scene of children playing games. We then took paper, mounted on chipboard, and went out to the playground to sketch what we saw. I was surprised by how varied the drawings were. After about 20 minutes of observation and drawing, we returned to the room where the students went over their drawings in fine tip black markers. This gave the effect of a traditional pen and ink drawing without the danger of spilled ink. I think you'll agree that the results are marvelous when you see them posted tomorrow.
Homework: I had to leave early today to look at tile for my new bathroom. So, since I had to cancel homework club with no notice, I figured the best thing was to give as light load today. So, (1) do the "Natural Resources" study guide. Just about everyone started this in class already and several finished it. (2) Also do the chapter reviews, pages 50-51 in Math (the big book, not the Problem Solving Workbook).
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Pantomime, part 2
Today we started off with theater class with Mr. Pratt. Our students did a truly exceptional job here today! I was so proud of their focus and willingness to take risks without hiding behind acting silly. I will film some of their pantomimes this week and put them on the blog by the weekend.
When we returned to class, we continued our work on visualization that we started yesterday. The students took out the post-it notes they wrote yesterday and reviewed the descriptive language which they had picked out of the story. They then created a picture based only on the words on the post-it notes and their memories of the story. They were not allowed to look at the illustrations. Fourth graders have a terrible tendency to just try to copy what the illustrator did if they have the opportunity. When deprived of the book, they do interesting and creative work as you can see above.
In the afternoon we checked homework, went to PE, corrected last week's math test, and practice our body percussion pieces. These too will be videotaped and posted on the blog as soon as I can. They look like they will also be excellent.
Homework: I decided they deserved a lighter than normal night tonight. My friend Ann Kim, who works in Turkey for the Department of State, is coming to visit today, and I figured if I wasn't going to do any work tonight, they could also have an easy day! So just two math assignments: (1) Do "Greater Numbers," Math, page 46, number 7-33 only and (2) do pages 14 in the Problem Solving Workbook, numbers 1-6 only. That's just 32 problems and it should not take more than a half hour if they're working hard!
When we returned to class, we continued our work on visualization that we started yesterday. The students took out the post-it notes they wrote yesterday and reviewed the descriptive language which they had picked out of the story. They then created a picture based only on the words on the post-it notes and their memories of the story. They were not allowed to look at the illustrations. Fourth graders have a terrible tendency to just try to copy what the illustrator did if they have the opportunity. When deprived of the book, they do interesting and creative work as you can see above.
In the afternoon we checked homework, went to PE, corrected last week's math test, and practice our body percussion pieces. These too will be videotaped and posted on the blog as soon as I can. They look like they will also be excellent.
Homework: I decided they deserved a lighter than normal night tonight. My friend Ann Kim, who works in Turkey for the Department of State, is coming to visit today, and I figured if I wasn't going to do any work tonight, they could also have an easy day! So just two math assignments: (1) Do "Greater Numbers," Math, page 46, number 7-33 only and (2) do pages 14 in the Problem Solving Workbook, numbers 1-6 only. That's just 32 problems and it should not take more than a half hour if they're working hard!
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