After Independent Literacy Time and Morning Meeting, we began Reader's Workshop. Today we had a 'guest teacher' - Mrs. Pershica, who is the Literacy Specialist for Burroughs, came in to teach the kids a mini-lesson about Independent Reading, and develop with the kids a rubric that they will use to evaluate their reading learning. They practiced reading, and then used the scores on the rubric to check in with themselves about their performance during work time in Reader's Workshop.
After reading, we had our song, which we had to not do before reading because of the schedule. Today we sang Down by the Bay, and the verses that the kids make up just get better and better, not to mention more creative, every time we sing that song. After the song, we had Writer's Workshop, in which the mini-lesson was a revisiting of the concept of writing stamina, and what writers do during their work time (write, plan their writing, or read their writing). The task during work time, then, was, of course, to write, but also to make sure that one of those 3 things was happening at all times during workshop. That was also our discussion at the end of the time.
After writing, we were off to lunch and recess, and then back up for Read Aloud - another couple chapters of Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery - it's getting exciting! We just found out that money was stolen ... ask your child about it!
When we finally had to put the book down, we went down to the gym, and the kids went to the beach again with Mr. Hill and Mr. Peterson. They had a great time (how can you miss, really?).
After gym, we went back up to our room for Math Workshop. I showed the kids a couple of games on the interactive white board - one in which they had to identify the number on the side of one or two dice (to develop a sense of number) and on that is a greater than/less than game on a number line - they guess a number and I tell them greater than or less than, until they have narrowed in on the number. We then worked on number bonds and decomposing numbers again (a continuation of yesterday's lesson).
After Math we had Social Studies. Today we finished the goats on a bridge story (which is this story, but without the last two lines) , which led to a discussion of manners and cooperation, which is the focus of the first unit.
After all of that, it was time to pack up and head home!
