Determining Story Elements and Summarizing Plot

It may be a little hard to see in our picture.  We read the book The Snowsuit by Robert Munsch as a whole class.  We then went with our buddies to determine what the beginning, middle, and end of the book was (in essence, we were summarizing!!).  Each student wrote either the beginning or the end based on which side of the paper we were sitting.  Then together the pair decided what happened in the middle.  This is something that you could easily do at home.  You don't need to mat to record on.  Just as you're reading together you share what happened in the beginning and have them tell you what happened in the end.  Together decide on the middle!

The Water Cycle
Watch our video below to hear our Water Cycle song!  Listen for our three vocabulary words: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Number Grid Game

In math we have been using our number sense and place value knowledge to play the Number Grid Game.  This would be an easy game to replicate at home.  Use the number grid that was sent home in homework packets (or Google a hundreds number chart and print one off), one die, and any item that can mark a place on the grid.  Students roll the die and move that number of spaces on the grid.  If they roll a 1 or 2 they may decide if they will move 1 or 10 spaces and likewise, 2 or 20!!!  The first person to get to the end of the grid wins!  Winning is all about strategy!  Ask your child to sit down and place with you.  They really like this game and it's quick and easy!

Welcome!

We will use this blog as a way to share ideas, strategies, as well as what we've been doing in class with all of you.  Please check back periodically or subscribe to the blog so that you can see each update!

Writing
We have been learning about writing a narrative focusing on a small moment in our lives.  We have talked about picking something simple to write about, such as going to get pizza, and beginning at the main action of the story and telling as many details as possible.  We have recently begun to revise these pieces, moving them toward publishing.  In the revision process we have conferred with our writing buddies.  In the conferences we ask our buddies to tell us the story and then we ask questions to our buddy about the story in the hopes of learning and adding more details.

    

Knee to Knee with our writing buddies we ask them questions to stretch our our details!

 Showing P.R.I.D.E.
Remind your student at home they can show P.R.I.D.E. as well.  Stay in-control, stick-it-out, be dependable, while being respectful and doing the best they can.  It's a lot to ask but your students are doing it every day!

Beat the Calculator
Here's a great game you can play at home to practice your Fact Power.  Here the students are playing in groups of three, but you can easily adjust this at home to more or less participants.  One person is the "Brain", one the "Caller", and one the "Calculator".  The Caller calls a fact out (ex. 4+5=).  The Calculator types it into the calculator as fast as he can.  Meanwhile the Brain calculates mentally.  Whoever gets the answer first calls it out and if they're correct they get a point.  Is it possible to Beat the Calculator?  With Fact Power, anything is possible!