We read a picture book a day during our community time. Today, we read Elmer by David McKee. After a discussion, the students came to the conclusion that the author wants us to learn to be ourselves. We are all different and that is the best! Don't try to change who you are for anyone. Be proud. Be yourself! We colored elephants, like what was found in the book, and are hanging them all around our classroom to remind us to be ourselves. I love how different they all are! |
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This week, we are looking more deeply at the signpost of Contrasts and Contradictions. Basically we tied this into real life. Imagine you eat lunch with your friend every day at the same table. All of a sudden, one day, your friend has their lunch,looks right at you, and then goes and sits at another table. That would be the opposite (or contradiction) to what you thought they were going to do. Author's put these contradictions in their writing. Characters act in a way that may surprise us or may be contradictory to the way they've been acting all along. Once we spot this in a book, we need to stop and ask, "Why is the character doing that?" That will help us think more deeply about a book. We read together the short story, "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes and spotted many in there. I had students jot one that they found and stick it to our Jot Lot. That is an easy way for me to assess how they are doing finding the signposts.
Yesterday, we watched this short video clip. I loved the students' reactions! There was even some clapping when he made the three-pointer. We used this to review what it means to have a growth mindset. I had students think of something that they find challenging or a struggle and think about what they can do to accomplish it. Sometimes, just that positive talk in their minds is all it takes! Ask your child what struggle he/she thought of. While the kids in my afternoon class are working on their letters back to their pen pals, my morning class is moving forward on their opinion essays, at least, until they get their letters from their pen pals. Last week, we studied the introductions of essays by looking at mentor texts and learning from them. We learned that authors start essays with a question, a description, or a strong statement. We took our ideas for our opinion essays and came up with three different introductions for them. We used this paper to help. Here is my example that I modeled for the students. Students then chose their favorite one that they wrote and copied it into their notebooks to start their essays! If you think of it, ask your child what topic he/she chose to write about. Ask what two reasons are he/she using to support the claim being made. See if your child has any stories from his/her life that can be used to make these reasons even stronger.
Today, we learned how to have a SUPER conversation with our reading partner. We practiced making eye contact, listening, questioning, and speaking one at a time. Students got with their reading partners to discuss things like their reading logs, the books they've read, the genre they like, where and when they do their homework, and their current books they are reading. I eavesdropped on some very meaningful conversations today!
Students then had to assess themselves on how they did on the two learning targets for today. Addison was our super hero last week. She proudly wore her cape as she was safe, responsible, and respectful. Thanks for always being a super hero, Addison!
I was out of the classroom last Thursday. It is always difficult to be go e, wondering if I left clear lesson plans, wondering if I forgot to include anything, and wondering if my students are behaving in a way which will make them feel proud of themselves. I returned on Friday to a wonderful not from a very seasoned guest teacher. She wrote, “your morning class might have been the best class I have ever subbed for.” I couldn’t wait to share this with the students. It means a lot to have a class of third graders who have integrity and make good choices, even when I’m gone. I love random rewards, so we might have a foam frisbee fight or a little treat this week. It deserves a celebration!
We have been enjoying a picture book a day, along with our chapter book read aloud. The messages in these books and the discussions we’ve had because of them are rich and meaningful. Students are making connections between the books and influencing the atmosphere in our classroom. During these discussions, it’s been pointed out many times that our words and actions are powerful. Little acts of kindness have a ripple affect. Kindness is contagious. We have choices every day about our attitude, the words we say, and what we choose to do to make the best of it. Today, we talked about what it means to have s good reading attitude and how your attitude can influence your progress as s reader. After 30 minutes of reading, students wrote a jot for our “Jot Lot.” They jotted down how they feel about reading and why they feel that way. We have a lot of wonderful reading attitudes and just a few that I am on a mission to change!
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Mrs. Ellis's Class
Learning & laughing our way through third grade. Archives
June 2020
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