St. Patrick's Day: Wednesday, March 17, 2010

This morning we reviewed our adjective activity from yesterday. Everyone came up with words that described us and school. Ms. Stern took our words and put them on the Smartboard. We looked at them and found words that didn’t belong (like girl, glasses, and learnful). Then we looked again and found words that were tired and boring (words that get used ALL the time): cool, good, awesome, fun, and nice. Next, we looked for colorful, interesting words: challenging, helpful, hyper, friendly, creative, brave, and talented. These words make our writing more enjoyable for the reader. Thinking about colorful and tired words, we then had to stretch our minds and thinking to describe two new nouns: homework and the Tooth Fairy.

We revisited our mealworms again. Last week time, we noticed some white mealworms. Today, they were nowhere to be found…but we did see something else that changed. There were things that looked sort of like mealworms but they were lighter in color, curved, and they didn’t really move. Each table had conversations about what they observed, how things changed, and what might happen in the future. Everyone was expected to draw and write about the things that we saw (or noticed were different from other times), make a prediction, and ask a question.
Our work was interrupted by the sound of bagpipes. A parent in Mrs. Kuhn’s class came to play. Everyone was invited in the hall to listen and watch as he played and marched. Yesterday we also got to see and hear bagpipes being played. Miss Beglin’s brother-in-law came and talked to us about these beautiful musical instruments, answer questions, and play a few songs.

After lunch, we went to the library. Mrs. Cornelius wasn’t here today so we didn’t stay the whole time. Everyone who brought their books back got to have book exchange. Those who didn’t were allowed to browse, go to the listening center, or read with a friend. The next star reader is going to be Nancy.

At gym, we practiced on the scooters again. We need to make sure that everyone knows the rules and stays safe. We went forward and backward and used different muscles and body parts. Once, a girl with long hair got caught in the scooter and Coach Hudson had to cut her hair. Gym City is coming next week!

During Reader’s Workshop we practiced asking questions before, during, and after reading. We ask questions to get to know the book better. Before we read we think about our schema and make predictions. While we read, we ask questions to check for understanding and to make more predictions. After reading, we might have some unanswered questions about things that happened or about what happens after the story ends. Today we used a paper to record our thinking instead of using post-its so that Ms. Stern could see the proof as we practiced. Lots of great questions were asked!

Don’t forget about this week’s blog challenge! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!