Well we actually made it through a real Monday:-) It was so great to see everyone back and ready to go for a full week, I hope... You never know with these conflicting weather reports. Today we did do spelling tests in both classes and I will give students their results tomorrow. Students are going to have the choice to retake their tests on Friday if the did not do well. It is going to be up to them to study since we also need to get on to our next skill working with compound words. We also started using our new planners for the first time today. Students will be bringing these home each night to stay organized. It is something we are trying to do to help them get ready for third grade! During whole group reading time we discussed test taking strategies and how to answer multiple choice questions. TN2 will be here before you know it and we need students to understand how to take a test like that. We need to build their stamina and let them experience an actual testing experience. I know it may sound a little corny but students really do need to practice testing situations and how to pace their work. Many of the sections on TN2 are timed and students will need to budget how much time they spend on each question. We are working on strategies to help them with that and other skills as well. During guided reading we are constantly working on BCR responses. I have all students in the afternoon class now on chapter books:-) Our focus is going to be on vocabulary and story elements (sound familiar doesn't it) In the morning class we are also working on fluency and how to write BCR responses. Two groups are reading non-fiction to review text features and one group is reading "The Great Outdoors" about a camping trip. We are going to see if the title of that book is really a good one for the story. In writing we have begun persuasive writing using an opinion statement, facts, and strong language. It is my own personal teaching goal to get students to use vocabulary with more substance. No more tired words like (like, nice, good...) we need to jazz it up! Well as I watch the snow fall it isn't sticking to the pavement so make sure to get that homework done and I'll see you in the morning!
Hugs,
Mrs. Del Balzo
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