Estimation, Ten Marks, Meeting Clarissssa, Personal Narrative Titles, Grounders

 This second and third week the kids are learning to estimate. We used the plums and tomatoes from my garden. Ten Marks and Khan Academy are program tools that can be used to learn and reinforce math concepts in class and at home. Clarissssa felt comfortable and came out for a long time. The students have been working on their first writing-- the criteria list was generated awhile back and the titles you see are some representing the topic of "One Important Event from Summer".

This is one of the areas where Grounders is played. It is a game where the IT has to
catch the others by tagging and can say "Grounders", and if you are on the ground, you are it.
We did a big class meeting about how to play fairly, morph a game, and keep play--playful. It was an important class discussion and problem solving because they talked to and with each other to create a better and more fair game.

Criteria List for Narrative

4 Corners in Morning Meeting and Partner Work in Writers' Workshop

 We are in the activity portion of
Morning Meeting-- Ms. Buehler, our Reading Specialist, was able to
join us. The kids went to the corner that had the color they liked best. Once they got to their corner, they discussed why that color appealed to them.

 Each group shared their reasons.

Building community is why we meet. Enjoying each other and getting to know each other better comes
from sharing with each other. The kids found the two prompts very interesting and were glad to learn
more information about each other. When they feel comfortable, our discussions go deeper, their questions are of higher order, and they become very invested in the learning--no matter what we are doing!

 These students are sharing the rough drafts of their narrative writing in Writers' Workshop. They are learning the required parts as we delve into each. They learned about criteria. And RAFTS. And rubrics. And really listening. And how to revise-- redo--and like it because they see their communication in writing get better.

We have had 8 really full days. And, it is going very well. I am proud of their effort.

Four days of focus for these 4th Graders!

      It was a very full first four days of school as the kids learned how to use the Planners (they did great with getting them signed-- 18/22 for the week), learning how to move our tables and making circles for MM, Writers Circle, getting used to writing more, showing math work and thinking, and doing class jobs.
      One of the most fun things was to hear their connections to any reading material with text, self and world connections. They grew stronger at recognizing the text they were connecting to and the example they were giving. This method of thinking while reading really helps retention by alerting the kids to how much background they may have with the material they are learning.
      Math had some absolute moments of smiles when they showed me how to remember the meaning of whole numbers that I taught them-- make the zero sign and say as Bud Lightyear would-- "To infinity and beyond!"

The pictures below are from the activity we did in Morning Meeting. 
Using chalk and working with their Class Job Partner, they wrote a positive messages on the basketball court for other students to see. The messages were okayed by me and then written. The goal was to be more thoughtful than simply to say, "Have Fun!". 
Like all work for this year, these students demonstrated what we want to do each day--that is to work thoroughly, thoughtfully, and carefully. 

 Spread out creating good vibes!

Day 2, September 2, Together :) --some of the learning...

Morning Meeting-- After the formatted meeting-- Planners were explored and filled out
with " Fun Facts" about each person. These we shared. I learned about lots
of new movies and t.v. shows. We had a good discussion about expressing
opinions and understanding different types of programs or foods is what makes
everyone different and unique. 

One of the students doing her job as Board Wiper. The kids were learning about
how to do a Writers' Circle. A graphic organizer was created to define terms that
will be used. It was a great discussion. After this,they did mini Writers'
Circles about a piece of writing we did yesterday.

This is what a typical Think Back and About looks like. I scribe as the kids remember the content and way we
did things. It is the best place for parents to ask specific questions about what is being learned and how they are learning it.
This reflection is of my creation, but it is like any type of cooperative technique where information is generated and facts
remembered and then sent to long term memory. These pages provide notes too. There are lots of ways to do this-- this is just one example.
Parents did a great job signing the planners too. We were 18 for 22 !!

Thank you.