Monday February 9, 2009

Just in case you were wondering tomorrow is the 100th day of school! Can you believe we will only have 80 days left? It all goes so fast and there is always so much to do. Our focus for this week in reading is to be able to determine the main idea of a short passage or chapter in a non-fiction text. Today I shared a chapter out of a book Animals in Danger, after I read the chapter students all shared facts that they learned. After getting some ideas down on a wheel graphic organizer we discussed what the facts were telling us. We determined that the facts were telling us that humans are destroying habitats and animals are becoming endangered because of it. Tomorrow I will read another chapter to them on habitats. As the week progresses students will try doing this with a partner and then finally by themselves! This method is called the "gradual release" model. This is when a teacher models a few times, then students work together, until finally they are ready to try on their own. Our focus in writing is continuing to be writing to persuade. We went over the elements of a friendly letter today because this is the format we are going to use for persuasive writing. It is easier for students to write to someone about what they are thinking rather than just using the paragraph format. Make sure if your kids are asking you for things now a days they are not begging for them. They should be able to give you reasons as to why they want it. Soon they will even be able to give you a counter argument!

Guided Reading - I am really trying to focus our attention on written responses. We are using a format called "When the Cookie Crumbs" a system designed by my teammate Ms. Wilkinson. Many students earned part or a whole cookie today based on their writing from Friday. I am going to try and put a link to the sheets we are using in class so you can use them at home if you wish. I just want you to be able to see the language we are using to help students formulate their answers.

Have a great night and please remember to bring in Valentine's Day money:-)

Hugs,
Mrs. Del Balzo