Mrs. Wood’s Classroom Blog

Opening: Students worked on DLR for Wednesday, week 13.

Math: We took our district math assessment today. This is quite a long test (40 questions) and we worked on it first thing in the morning. This is a test we are allowed to read to the students since there are so many math words that can confuse some of the students. Due to reading it aloud and going through the entire test together, it took us about an hour and fifteen minutes. The students were really good and patient with it despite it being long

Library

SSR

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading – We previewed our text organization worksheet so we would know what we were reading to find out. We echo read the story, Ant. Its a non-fiction story and the students really enjoyed it. They all made amazing connections to the story and had a lot to share about times when they had seen big ants or even had siblings who got bit by ants.

Working with Words – We worked on some word activities that correspond to our spelling pattern, with words that have certain endings. We also worked on making nouns plural by adding -s, -es or dropping y and adding -ies.

Read Aloud

Art

Writing: We continued to look at our MEAP rubric and score papers from our peers. We scored today on organization (does the writer try to use paragraphs? have complete sentences?) and voice. Voice is the easiest trait to learn because it just means to put your own personality into your writing, you can FEEL the emotion of the writer because their descriptions are so good.

Homework: Handwriting

Opening: Students worked on Daily Language Review for Tuesday, Week 13.

Assembly: We had a special Black History assembly in place of our regular anti-bullying assembly. Mrs. Jordan and students from all three 5th grade classes put on a great performance. We learned about different African American role models and the contributions they made to our world.

Social Studies: We managed to squeeze in our social studies lesson since it was really short anyway! We talked about the deserts and mesas in the southwest. We will be talking about the community of Mesa Verde later this week.

Interventions: Today all of the groups read the book and worked on a graphic organizer to help us look at Text Organization. Text Organization is a strategy to help students read through non-fiction texts: does it have headings? Does it have sections? Are their bold-faced or italicized words? What are the main idea and details? Today we focused on main ideas and details.

Math: Today we worked on Lesson 8.2 in our math book. This lesson continues to look at fractions but in a different way. We used pattern blocks to help us see how a big shape can be split up into smaller shapes and help us find fractions. They were amazed to discover ALL of the shapes on the first page equaled 1/3 of the big shape and ALL of the shapes on the second page equaled 1/4 of the big shape.

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading – Today we did a short-text story to help us practice the strategy of Text Organization. We looked at the organizer first (a strategy that will help them to know what they are looking for when they are reading if they put the strategy to use) and then the students read the short text piece called Amazing Beetles. Did you know what if we lined up all of the live creatures in the world, every fourth one would be a beetle?? (Ewww! ) Students learned that and other interesting facts and worked to pull a main idea and important details from each of the 4 paragraphs in the story.

Working with Words – We did a Guess the Covered Word activity and practiced our word wall words.

Read Aloud/SSR

Recess

Writing: Mrs. Beebe, one of our 3rd grade teachers, shared an awesome version of the IOVC chart with me today. I shared it with the students and we concentrated on IDEAS today. Last Friday when I was out sick, the guest teacher had the students write personal narratives on what they wanted to be when they grew up. I took 3 samples of these writings and shared them with the students (names covered to protect the identity of the author) and we read them together twice, then looked at the rubric to decide what score the student should receive. We only focused on Ideas because it would have been too overwhelming to try to do them all at once. They did a really good job at explaining why they thought a paper deserved a certain grade. My hope in doing this activity is that when we begin writing our own pieces again next week, the students will think about this rubric (they’ll all have a copy of it) as they are writing so they can make their writing the best it can possibly be.

Homework: Home Link 8.2, Reading Comprehension (this is due on Friday)

Opening: Students worked on DLR for Monday, week 13.

Music

Interventions: Students began new stories this week to go along with our new story in our reading book. We worked on the vocabulary words for the story and took a picture walk of our books.

Math: We began Unit 8 today which covers fractions. Today students learned how we can take a shape and fold it several times to make fractions. Each time we fold, we double the amount of pieces we had before (a nice connection with the double/half lesson we did in Unit 7). Students then practiced making fractions of their own by dividing shapes into a specified number of pieces and then shading part of it.

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading – Today we looked at the vocabulary and spelling words for our new story, Ant. We did a Text Talk lesson which allows the students to dig deeper into the vocabulary and interact with it a bit more, using just a few of the words. Then we looked at the big list of vocabulary words. There are a lot because this is a non-fiction story and they tend to have more complex vocabulary in them. We also completed a vocabulary worksheet to help us use the new words.

Working with Words – We clapped, chanted and cheered our new word wall words for this week: name, use, nice, again and slow.

Read Aloud/SSR

Recess

Writing: We spent our writing block today discussing the MEAP rubrics. I will begin grading the students’ writing using this rubric and during conferencing so they can see where they can make improvements. We use IOVC (Ideas, Organization, Voice/Word Choice and Conventions) to score. They can be broken down and scored separately or altogether, depending upon the needs of the class. This week we will be analyzing some of our former writing looking at each of these traits.

Homework: Home Link 8.1, study your new spelling words

I was out sick on Friday and we were very fortunate that Mr. Dykstra, who has subbed for me a couple of times before, was available to come in and be with the students. They  had a really great day together  

Opening: Students worked on the DLR and math review for Friday.

Math: Students played Array Bingo. This helps them practice their early multiplication skills.

Interventions: Students worked on Parts of Speech sentences. Fortunately Mr. Dykstra had done these as a student teacher so he knew exactly what to do with the students. They are getting better and thinking about whether or not the sentences they are making are making any sense!

Computer Lab: Normally I would not have a guest teacher take the students to the lab but since they know Mr. Dykstra so well, we decided to chance it. They did a really good job! They followed directions, they cleaned up as soon as they were asked and it was a really good time for them.

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading – The students worked on MEAP packets. They are working on reading two stories and answering questions about them. It is like the cross-text writing we do, except they answer multiple choice questions about the stories first and THEN write about it.

Working with Words – The students took their “ame” spelling test. All the words ended with “ame”.

Read Aloud/SSR

Recess

Writing: Students worked on a fun narrative writing prompt for writing today. We will revisit these during writing time this week as we take a look at the MEAP writing rubric (not as scary as it sounds, I promise).

Movie: Mr. Dykstra let me know they had a little extra time at the end of the day and the kids had been really good so he let them watch a short on-demand video from our video system. (This is a real treat because we do not usually do a Friday afternoon movie, there’s too much learning to do!!)

Homework: none

Opening: Students worked on DLR and math review for Thursday, week 12.

Math: We reviewed the math test that the students took yesterday. Many students did not do well. This is mostly due to the students not watching for the signs (trying to add more when they need to subtract, etc). Since they were all graded, I gave them the opportunity to look back over the test with me and we did the first one in each set together, then they did the next one or two of the same kind on their own. I will regrade those and get the new scores put together.

Physical Education

Social Studies: We are beginning a new unit looking at the first communities in the US. We reviewed all of the previous information we have been studying: landforms, bodies of water, goods, services, basic needs, etc. The students did a really good job of recalling this information.  Then we began to read about the Native Americans that lived in the United States before it was the United States. We learned about how the Plains Indians relied on the buffalo for food, shelter and clothing (they ate them for food and used their skins to make their homes – teepees – and their clothes).

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading -  We took a look at a multi-flow map again today. We did one of these when we read Big, Bushy Mustache awhile back. We read a phonics story today called Arthur’s Book about a boy named Arthur who wanted to write a book. We discussed the cause and effect event in the story and put it on the map.

Working with Words - We did a reading/writing rhymes activity with _eat and _eet words

Read Aloud/SSR

Recess

Writing – the students finished working on the Peer Response piece that we began yesterday.

Homework: Addition/Subtraction Review, Spelling Wagons

Opening: Students worked on Wednesday DLR and Math review.

Math: Students took the Unit 7 math assessment.

Interventions: Students finished up on their books for this week and turned in their work packets.

Library/SSR

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading – We reviewed our tests that we took yesterday. Then we read a phonics reader A Park for Parkdale and looked for the ar phonics pair words.

Working with Words – We reviewed our word wall words and then did a making words activity.

Read Aloud

Art

Writing: We began to review what a peer response is for the MEAP. We read a short student piece of writing from the MEAP released items. Tomorrow we will work on the actual written piece.

Homework: Handwriting

Opening: Students worked on the DLR for Tuesday and the math review for today as well. These review problems are right off of Unit 6 tests. I chose problems that the majority of students struggled with. It’s good practice for them and helps to reinforce concepts they have had trouble mastering.

Assembly: Today’s assembly focused on a review of behavior expectations for the whole school. All students, regardless of age, are expected to follow these expectations. Following directions, being respectful and listening and not fighting are all behavior expectations for all students at Harrison Park. We followed up the assembly today back in our classroom discussing how WE can show respect and have we been or not. Some of our students are very disrespectful to the paraprofessionals who come in during teacher break. It is unacceptable and the students know how to behave.

Math: Today for math we reviewed Unit 7. Students will be taking the test tomorrow. The test will cover finding missing numbers (eg. ___ + 38 = 60), measuring to the nearest centimeter and inch, completing number grid puzzles (which I can’t draw for you on here, sorry!) and finding the median numbers.

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading - Today students took the test on the story Officer Buckle and Gloria. The 2nd grade team decided to supplement the regular story tests with a test that focuses on the strategy each story worked on and a phonics segment. With this story our strategy focus was Drawing Conclusions and the phonics segment was r-controlled vowels, in this case ar. The strategy part of the test had the students read a short story and answer a few questions. The phonics part was all multiple choice. As I was looking over their shoulders during the test, MOST of them seemed to be right on track. Look for these scores to come home later in the week.

Working with Words – I realized I forgot to tell you our word wall words for the week yesterday. Sorry about that. I didn’t update the blog until about 10 p.m. and didn’t have them locked into memory yet!! They are eating, sports, very, green and why. Today we looked at our words and I asked the students Why am I eating very green sports? We also did a Guess the Covered Word activity that celebrated President’s Day.

Read Aloud/SSR – We finished Ramona the Brave today. I asked the students if they wanted to keep reading about Ramona and they did. We will read Ramona Quimby, Age 8 next and then move on to another book.

Recess

Writing: Today we took the district writing prompt. It is a little different than when we have given it before. Yesterday we built prior knowledge so we would be ready to write and today all I did was re-read the choices on how the students could write about the prompt, reminded them to use a graphic organizer and let them work. In the past we have allowed a day for planning and the following day for the writing. We are changing it so it is more MEAP-like since during the actual test, the students get the prompt, plan and write about it all at once. All but 2 students were here today so everyone should be made up with it by the end of the week.

Homework: Unit 7 Review page, Reading Comprehension

Opening: Students worked on DLR for Monday. I have also begun to include some math review items on the back. This allows the students continued practice on items they missed on the previous test.

Classroom Meeting: We discussed our goal levels and students set their goal for the week. We also previewed upcoming events for the week: its our writing prompt week and we have a math test this week as well.

Music

Interventions: The Frog and Froglet groups began working on a new stories this week to continue working with drawing conclusions. The Tadpoles group worked with me on a digraph roll-a-word game to help us work with onsets (the beginning part of words such as ch-, sh-, th-, wh-) and rimes (the ending parts of words). When we roll both cubes we may get a nonsense word or a real word and we discussed how the words looked and sounded to decide if they were nonsense or real.

Math: We finished lesson 7.9 which had us put our arm span measurements into a bar graph. Since we only have 20 students in our class, our bar graph was quite small. Students learned that frequency is the amount of times a number occurred (so if 3 students got 45, the frequency would be 3). We also reviewed median. Please note that students MUST circle the median on problems if it asks in order to get credit. I can’t assume they know which one is the median if they don’t circle it on homework/tests.

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading – Students previewed the questions at the end of Officer Buckle and Gloria before listening to the story on audio. Students then worked on answering the questions.

Working with Words – We practiced our new words for the week by clapping, cheering, chanting and writing the words.

Read Aloud/SSR

Recess

Science: We took a mini quiz to test what we remember about our vertebrate unit. Most of the kids did really well on this

Writing: We are taking the writing prompt this week so today we talked about the topic and built background knowledge. The topic is “A Loss”. Students could write about a time they lost something (a person or pet passing away for example), a time they got lost (separated from a parent at the store for example) or a time someone else lost something and they tried to help them find it.

Homework: Study Link 7.9, Study Spelling words

Opening: Students finished their DLR for the week.

Math: We continued to work with data sets today. We wrote down our arm span that we measured on Wednesday and got in line from smallest to biggest like with the jump data. Then we plotted our information on a chart. Afterward we made a line chart of the information we had compiled. Students got to use their sticky note on the board to make a line plot chart. We then worked on our math boxes.

Interventions: We finished our stories for the week. Students all read the story again and worked on comprehension activities.

Computer Lab/Make Up Work for Writing: We did not visit the lab today even though I really wanted to. We had too many students with work to make up and I didn’t feel that using the lab was a good use of our time when so many students owed important work from the week. Students who did have their work done got to play language center games.

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading – We previewed a Double Bubble Map which is another kind of thinking map. They can be used across all content areas. They are used for comparing and contrasting. Students read Officer Buckle and Gloria in Triangle Knees groups (asked your student what this means!) and then we did the Double Bubble Map as a whole class since we haven’t done them before.

Working with Words - We took our spelling test on words for the week. Students got to self-correct using my special double sided blue and red pencils.

Recess

Read Aloud/SSR

Classroom Meeting: We discussed our week and the goals we will have for next week.

Homework: none

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Opening: Students worked on the DLR for Thursday this week.

Math: Students wrote down their long jump from yesterday on a piece of paper. They had to get into a line from shortest length to longest length. Once they had done this, we pulled one student from each end at a time. Fortunately we had an odd number of students so we had one student exactly left in the middle. Students learned that this is the median number which is also known as the middle value. Both terms are acceptable but students should get used to median because it is what is used in the upper grades. I like to use the highway as a visual reference – you have the lanes on the right, the lanes on the left and the grassy area in the middle is the median. We then worked on a short measurement review activity and worked on our math boxes.

Physical Education

Social Studies: Students took the quiz for the chapter we have been working on dealing with communities and geography. Then they had a chance to work on some map skills with a fun map about sledding down some trails (like skiiing).

Lunch

Literacy Block:
Guided Reading - Today we echo read Officer Buckle and Gloria together. We have been talking about drawing conclusions — using information from the story (both the text and the pictures) to decide what is going on. We read the story and then students filled out an organizer that helped them to find the clues that would help them reach the conclusion given for us.

Working with Words – We did a rhyming activity today with _ide and _ied words. Our On The Back activity worked with dropping the e from certain words to add ing.

Writing – (Due to our Valentine party we moved writing up from this afternoon). Students continued working on their adverb and letter poems. Tomorrow both poems will be due.

Recess

Valentine Party – The students had an enjoyable party passing out cards to each other and enjoying treats. Thank you to those families who generously provided for us. Also a big thank you for the wonderful gifts received from the students to me. It was unexpected and is very appreciated. Thank you

Homework: Home Link 7.8 and Spelling words 5x