Blast Off!

Our word of the day today was "love". It was a rule breaker, because the "o" said the sound of "short u". The "e" couldn't do any magic. After recess, we had reading workshop. At game time, we practiced playing stretching solar system words by syllable. Mrs. Myers is still reading with each of us. She's read with many of us several times. After lunch, we worked in our partner solar system groups to read and research about our planets. We conferenced with Mrs. Myers and Mrs. Lauber after we filled out our research journals. After that, Mrs. Myers got our beach ball models of the solar system. We learned that the sun is the center of the solar system. Mrs. Myers helped us order the planets from the closest to the farthest away from the sun. Using the planet balls, we orbited the sun, just the like planets to in the solar system. Orbit means to go around. When each planet orbits, it stays in it's own path, just like a runner does on the track. We drew a model of the solar system with the sun as the center in our Solar System Journals. After our lesson, we started our math lesson for the day. We got into groups of four and designed rockets using paper bags. Next, we took our rockets outside and lined up on the sidewalk. Mrs. Myers blew up a long balloon and put it inside of our rocket bags. We counted down for each group and launched the rockets. Then, we measured how far the rocket flew using a measuring tape. We recorded the data in inches. Tomorrow, we are going to look at the data for each group on a graph. At the end of the day, we watched a Magic School Bus in the Solar System movie. We are having so much fun during space week!

Solar System Week

Our theme this week is solar system. Our word of the day today was "read". You can pronounce it two different way, but they both are verbs that mean to say words in a book. It was a rule follower when you pronounce it in it's present tense form. There were two homonyms - reed, red. It can also be someone's name. Later in the morning, we had reading workshop and Mrs. Myers kept reading with us one at a time. At 11:00, we practiced solar system poems and songs and also played word of the day spelling games. After lunch today, we got into groups for different parts of the solar system. Some of us are planet groups. Each group had a reader, reporter, writer, and illustrator. We watched short DVD about the solar system and the planets. Then, we worked in our groups to record three facts we learned about our own groups' part. Next, we read a fiction story called Poor Pluto. It taught us that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Then, we did a nonfiction book activity. First, we named the 5 nonfiction story parts (table of contents, caption, heading, glossary, index). Next, we matched the parts to what their job is. Then, we matched the parts of the nonfiction book to our groups. Last, we read part of the book, The Book of Planets. We learned a little bit about Mars and the size of planets. We have to chunk what we want to learn, when we are reading nonfiction, so our brain can focus and remember it. For fun, we read another fiction space story called, The Soccer Mom from Outer Space. Mrs. Chase came for a guest lesson, while Mrs. Myers read with us in the hallway. At the end of the day, we had phys. ed.

Set Sail Pirates

The handwriting winners today were Maddy, Abby, and Elle. Our word of the day today was "Mr." It was not really a word, because it was an abbreviation. We learned other words that are abbreviations, too. We worked on more of our math assessment packet before recess. After recess, we had library and lunch. After lunch, we heard the story, Jolly Mon. It was written by JImmy Buffett and his daughter. We listened to hear the character traits of the Jolly Mon, the main character. We completed a character report with a partner to show describe the Jolly Mon using verbs and adjectives. Next we worked independently on lots of different projects - finishing centers, finishing our pirate treasure hunt stories, doing a pirate rebus, and last reading workshop. Mrs. Myers read with lots of us one at a time. Just before recess, we played the Overboard sound stretching game. After recess, we had another pirate math game. Mrs. Myers had a pirate treasure chest. Inside were coins with math topics on. We worked in teams to answer the questions in telling time, shapes, place value, fractions, and money. It was fun, but Mrs. Myers had to stop the game early, because we weren't showing self-control. Next week, our theme is the solar system. We will try harder to show self control and do our best work ever! Happy birthday to Grace tomorrow!

Treasure Hunting

Our word of the day today was "went". It was a rule follower, because all the words said their own sound. There was a consonant ending blend "nt" in the word. This word was a verb. We added words to the "tent of -ent". Don't confuse this word with "when" or "want". Lots of us worked during morning meeting with Mrs. Bashada on math skills today. After recess, we had music class. After lunch, Mrs. Myers had us brainstorm questions that we could have answered in a nonfiction book about pirates. After we had a list of questions to focus our listening, we read Pirates, Robbers of the Seas and Pirates Don't Take Bathes. Then, we gave the answers for the questions on the list. After that, we had our fourth center for the week. We also worked on our pirate rebus and glossary project. Then, we went to work on writing our pirate treasure hunt stories and maps. We are getting finished. Later in our writing time, Mrs. Blake and Mrs. Minkin came to our classroom to help us write letters to the solders in Iraq. We started our Overboard spelling game, but ran out of time. We will finish our game tomorrow at morning meeting. At the end of the day, we had pirate math! Mrs. Myers made a pirate treasure hunt. We had to find the chest around the room using clues and our north, south, east, and west directions. In each chest, there was money. We had to count the money. Mrs. Myers helped us add up the money for each chest by doing double and triple digit addition. At the end of our treasure hunt, we had found $1,006.59. We were so excited! Too bad the money wasn't real! We would've been rich!

Lots of Pirate Learning

Our word of the day today was "ask". It was a rule follower. It had the "sk" consonant blend at the end. The word ask is a verb. It can be used as a tag during quotation sentences, if you add an -ed ending. After recess, we worked on our reading workshop. For game time, we finished our pirate stretch or read a pirate book with a partner. Mrs. Myers is still reading with boys and girls one at a time. After lunch, we had fun language arts activity. Before the story, Mrs. Myers showed us 14 new pirate vocabulary words. We each got a card and predicted what the pirate vocabulary word meant. Then, Mrs. Myers read the story. We learned what the word meant by using the meaning of the sentences in the story. After the story, we checked and corrected our new vocabulary words to match the parrot to the pirate with the word. After this, we had our third center. In the bonus center, we are reading a pirate rebus story. We are making a glossary of the new vocabulary words in the rebus. At writing time today, we brainstormed a pirate treasure hunt story. We made a plan that will match a treasure map and treasure hunt. We also began making our treasure maps. Our maps must show the places on our treasure hunt, a compass with directions, and a title. We are so excited about this project. Tomorrow, we will write the story. We also worked today on our math assessment packet. At the end of the day, we had art.

More Pirate Fun!

ARRR! We really like being pirates. Our word of the day today was "why". It is a question word. This word has a consonant digraph - wh, and it has a "tricky y" at the end. It is a rule follower, and it belongs in the "cry of -y" word family. We read the words in our word family. After recess, we had reading workshop, and Mrs. Myers began reading with us one at a time. At game time, we played the pirate word stretch game. We practiced spelling pirate words by their syllables. After lunch, we heard the story, Pirate Girl. We listened for the most important event in the story. This is the event that changes the story. After the story, we listed four very important events. We picked one and recorded it. Then, we told why it was the most important event. Next, we visited our second center. We wrote letters back to our pen pals after we finished our center. Mrs. Baker came during centertime today. She wanted to watch Mrs. Myers' centertime. Next, we did a making words activity. We used our letters to make 2, 3, 4, 5, and even 6 letter words. Then, we made the "super-jumbo-bonus word". It was "treasure". We also played the word detective game using the words me made. It was fun! Next, we had music class and recess. When we got back to the classroom, we had a writing dictation test. Mrs. Myers read two sentences, and we had to write and spell the story. Then, we read a fun story called, Ooey Gooey, Pirate Delight. It was about this gross recipe that a pirate made on his ship. Mrs. Myers gave us a recipe to read for fun pirate delight. We can read the recipe at home and make the ooey gooey pirate delight to play with. (It's like slime or gooey play dough). At the end of the day, we began our math assessment packet for the end of the year. We will work on it a little bit at a time, so Mrs. Myers know what we need to practice before the year ends. WOW! It was a very busy pirate day!

Pirate Week!

Our theme this week is PIRATES! We are so excited for our theme. Our word of the day was "bed" It was a rule follower. We read the -ed family on the "sled of -ed". The word bed is a noun. Later in the morning, we had reading workshop. Mrs. Myers had a meeting, so Mrs. Vaughn was here reading with us. When Mrs. Myers came back from the meeting, we read the story, Shiver Me Letters, A Pirate ABC. After lunch and recess, we predicted the author's purpose for the story, Pirates Don't Wear Diapers. Then, we listened to the story. We check our predictions. The main purpose was to entertain us. Then, we heard another story by the same author, How I Became a Pirate. We wondered if the purpose would be the same. After the story, we agreed that the main purpose was to entertain us. It was another silly book, but this book also had a lesson to learn and some new facts for some of us about pirates. We liked both books. Next, we had a center tour. We have four new pirate centers this week. At the library center, we are working in our groups to read a pirate reader's theater. Then, we are rating our reading speed, expression, and fluency with a partner. In the listening center, we are listening to the story, Night Pirates. Then, we are retelling the story elements using the questions - who, what, when, where, and why. In the first games center, we are sorting jewels with pictures on into ending consonant blends treasure chests. In the second games center, we are dressing pirate teachers to match the word families on their faces. They are fun centers this week! After center time, we had a fun math pirate game to practice our double digit addition and subtraction. We made three ships, and we had to add and subtract and then check with our crew, before Mrs. Myers threw us "overboard". For writing time today, we got our pen pal letters . We read them and looked for the questions and connections we would use when we write back tomorrow. At the end of the day, we watched two short pirate movies, based on books - Madeline and the Pirates and Curious George Meets a Pirate. It was a busy day. Mrs. Myers announced the Fabulous Five Handwriters for Wednesday's lunch together - Elle, Madison, Evan, Macy G, and Abby. YAY!