When the kids got here this morning, they had Independent Reading Time, and then we had Morning Meeting. During Morning Meeting we read the morning message, talked about the calendar, and learned two new ways to keep track of how many days we've been in school - ten frames (.pdf) and a little number sign that we post on the wall each day. We also had another birthday celebration (happy birthday, Caroline!!), which means singing and instrument playing.
After Meeting, we started Reader's Workshop. The workshop format in one that we follow in Reading, Writing, and Math. The structure in the same - first, a whole group meeting, which we cal the opening, in which I give a mini-lesson for the day; second, work time, in which the kids go off to practice the skill that I just taught them; and third, a closing, in which we all gather to share and discuss the work that they have done during the workshop that day. We spent today in Reader's Workshop learning the format for workshops - that was the mini-lesson. Work time was independent reading.
For Writer's Workshop, the mini-lesson that I taught was about adding to writing. the kids learned about adding to pictures, to words, or beginning a new piece (all things that writers do when they write). The main focus of this first unit is to get the kids to see themselves as writers (and, of course, to write). The kids then went off to practice that skill by revising the writing that they started yesterday. We then gathered for the kids to share "what they worked on as a writer" today - whether they added words, pictures, or began a new piece (or all three!).
After writing, it was down to the cafeteria for lunch and then out for recess. When we got back up to our room, we had Read Aloud - we started a book called Jigsaw Jones and the Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster (I'm trying to get them hooked on series books). Then we headed upstairs for art class with Mr. Fairbanks.
When we got back down to our room, we had Math Workshop. the mini-lesson today was about making tens (figuring out the combinations of numbers that add to ten). During work time the kids used unifix cubes in two colors to make sticks of ten blocks, and then recorded their combinations on a paper. We'll revisit it tomorrow to make number sentences (3+7=10, for instance) out of their drawings.
After math, we had an art project. We have been talking a lot about how each of them is special and unique, so today each child created a 'doll' that looks like him/her out of paper, dressed them, and added yarn hair. We'll hang them in our room as a reminder of the fact that we are all different, but all equally wonderful.
We had just enough time for Caroline's birthday snack before we packed up to head home.
