Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Everyone took a trip down to the nurse’s office this morning. We had to get our eyes and ears checked. Mrs. Spiro said that everyone’s eyes and ears are working just fine. Ms. Stern realized that this news means that sometimes people are choosing for them not to work when children aren’t listening carefully! We’re going to keep trying!

We used bean bags in music today. Not everyone got one. If someone got one they said, “This leg…that leg…toss it in the air. This leg…that leg…pass it over there.” We had movements to go along with it. At the end, everyone got a chance to have a beanbag. We also played freeze dance. Before that, we were using scarves and waving them up and down while we listened to the Russian music from the Nutcracker. At the end, we had to throw the scarves up in the air and catch them before they fall on the floor.

The class read for 24 minutes during Reader’s Workshop. Before we read, we talked about retelling. Sean said that we retell to know more about the book. Isabella said, “Our partners can help us with our reading by asking us questions about the book.” Mia said that retelling is, "When you think back into the story that you read, you think about the book." Joshua explained that to be a good reteller, "You tell about what happens at the start, in the middle, and at the end."

We made cards for people who are serving in the military. We are making the cards so people who are away from home and their families will have something to smile about. Together, we brainstormed ideas that we could write and draw about. We wrote a practice letter so that everyone knew what to do. Sammy wrote about himself and wished his reader a Happy Holiday. On the front, he drew a menorah and made lots of stars. Darren also wrote Happy Holidays . He wrote “Thank you for saving our country.” His card had a drawing of the Fourth of July on the front.