This week Abby is our superhero! She did a fabulous job on her poster and has been wearing her own cape from home. It even has her name on it! I am so glad she is in our class!
We learned on Friday that good readers are owls when they read because they Observe the pictures, Wonder about the story and what is going to happen next, and Link the story to their lives by making connections. We then practiced being an OWL as we read the amazing book called Adopted by an Owl: the True Story of Jackson the Owl. This book have students a lot to wonder about! We then started drawing and painting our own owls to hang up as decoration in the hallway as a reminder to always be an OWL when we read! We have some artists in our room and I love how all the owls are so different. Students were a little surprised on the first week of school to see a "no watermelons allowed" sign. I hung it up to make them a little curious. . . and it worked. They were itching to know what it was all about. And last week, they learned. A watermelon story is one that is a HUGE topic. Some examples might be my best friend, our camping trip, my birthday, the beach. These stories are often boring and lack details. Watermelon stories are so full of many seed stories that would make wonderful stories. For example, in the watermelon story about a camping trip, a student could instead write a seed story about setting up the tent, roasting marshmallows, or riding bikes around the campsite. Seed stories force us to zoom in with great details and are often more enjoyable to read. Students displayed their understanding of watermelon vs. seed stories by creating a poster with examples of each. They worked in groups of 2 or 3 and had to divide up the tasks needed to be done in order to have a completed, correct poster. Here are some beginning pictures! So far, I have enjoyed having Superhero of the week. I am learning so much about each student through their posters. I love when they come up to me with a smile and say, "Can I wear the cape?" This week's Superhero is Gabe. Even though I missed him presenting his poster due to a doctor's appointment for my boys, I learned a lot about him when I looked at it once I returned. What an awesome kid! Beginning this week, your child will have reading homework that will have to be logged at home. A book bag, a note explaining it, and a book log will be coming home. Students are to keep books at their level in these book bags. That way they are guaranteed to have books at their "Just Right" level even when they are home. If you still have questions after receiving and reading the letter, please don't hesitate to email me, or ask your child. Your child knows because it was all explained in the classroom, too! We discussed what a successful reading conversation should look like. Group members should face each other, use eye contact, speak one at a time, ask questions, and allow everyone the opportunity to talk. Here are some pictures from their conversations about their books. I can generate ideas for a story by thinking of important people in my life and moments I've had with them. We have been making lists in our writer's notebooks of people who are important to us and then listing below their names moments we have had with them that we remember with crystal clarity. Students then met with a partner to tell the stories of some of the moments they listed. Students are soon going to be asked to pick just one idea and write about it, using dialog, a catchy beginning, and a clear beginning, middle, and end. I look forward to the end of this unit where I can read about many special memories. Here are some pictures of students sharing their lists and stories with a partner. Next, we are going to focus on writing with great detail and zooming in to tell the story, not just summarize what happened. That is a huge step for young writers! Hopefully, their stories will be ready to share with you at conferences at the end of October.
This week, we got to know each other a little bit through games and activities, we learned about the 6 keys, we discussed qualities of a superhero, and we practiced our procedures. Students are really beginning to settle in. Next week, they will be with Mrs. Woller for half the day (11:45-2:45 with lunch/recess in the middle of that). We discussed the 6 keys and what that looks like in our classroom. We read books that portray each key and did an activity that helped students understand it a little deeper. See if your child can name all 6! We also discussed superheroes and ended the week making a goal for this year, thinking about what our superpower might be, and crafting! Under the front of the shirt, is a writing prompt for students to complete about what their goal is for this year. They are hanging up in the hallway by our classroom. Come in and check them out!
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Mrs. Ellis's Class
Learning & laughing our way through third grade. Archives
June 2020
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