Matilda

What a wonderful book!  Matilda is an amazing character.  She’s strong, smart, clever, kind and overcomes many very difficult situations.  We spend a lot of time talking about the book as we read, but before we read too.  We make prediction, we discuss character traits, and delve into the meat and potatoes of the book.  It’s a lot of fun.  We practice something called RESPECTFUL BLURTING (my back is turned to them as I’m writing on our anchor chart, so they politely blurt out things they want me to write on the chart) and it’s a great way to hear from a lot of people in a short amount of time.  Use our chart to ask your child some questions about the book!  Having them explain the book is an outstanding way for them to practice skills we are practicing at school. 

Reading NONFICTION using

Time For Kids

Time for Kids is a great way for kids to learn more about what’s happening around the globe.  There was a lot of learning going on yesterday when we read about OCTOPUS (so many cool facts!) and CUBA (such a rich history!) in particular.  Kids soak up information like sponges and are able to rattle off facts after they’ve read with one another (they could also choose to read by themselves).  We read a fair amount of nonfiction in room 306.  I was always more of a fiction fan, but now have nonfiction authors I LOVE (Steve Jenkins is my favorite!) and I think it’s fun to learn about new animals, places, cultures, etc. with my kids.  Nonfiction is a great way to lure reluctant readers too.  So many fun facts to learn!  Who knew an octopus has THREE hearts or 262 suction cups PER arm!?  Did you know that the bongo drums originated in Cuba?  Totally cool. 

What’s Going on in Math?

We continue to practice our basic facts by taking our timed tests.  Kids are in completion with themselves as they try to beat their last set of scores.  Practicing at home (Xtramath.org is a great way to practice!) is helpful for kids who need to boost their scores.  Knowing these facts will help them in every area of math and it makes other things we are working on easier for them too. 

We are focusing on MATH VOCABULARY and are working on ways to remember the meanings of key vocabulary words.  I have words displayed on the back cabinets that help kids remember meanings and we refer to them a great deal during our math lessons and rotations.  I’ve taken pictures of the words we have on display so you can talk about them at home too. 

SYMMETRY

OhhhHhHhh boy!  This was a fun one!  After learning a bit about SYMMETRY, we tried our own hand at creating something symmetrical.  Kids folded a piece of paper in half and drew a line of symmetry down the center.  They then created HALF of a picture using a template.  I collected the drawings and handed them a new one, in order to complete the drawing that was started by someone else.  This was SO fun!  Kids did a fantastic job!  WooOOoT!

Graphic Novels and Comics take over Reading Groups!

Some vocabulary words from Big Nate Blasts Off

I love reading groups.  Ask anyone, they’ll tell you how much I love to talk about books.  We do a wide variety of things in our groups and this year, I’m doing something I’ve never done before…graphic novels and books with comics with the pages.  So.  Much.  Fun.  I have a few tricks up my sleeve and I’m hoping kids will learn a few things about how to take their time with books that are easier to read.  Although they don’t seem as complex, in fact, they can be quite in-depth and complex.  The illustrations are wonderful and we are really enjoying discussing the story lines, cast of characters, problems within the story, and the use of great vocabulary words. 

Here are some of the things we are talking about:

New words to use in their own writing

Illustrations and how they interact with the story (In Big Nate Blasts Off, the text goes into a comic to finish a thought and is quite fun to read)

Use of color (in Hamster Princess, they only use grey and purple in the illustrations…why!?)

What makes you keep reading this book?

What makes the characters interesting?  (In The 13-Story Treehouse and The 39-Story Treehouse, the characters are based on the writer, illustrator and the writer’s wife.)

We are really having fun reading all of these books.  There is one reading group that will start their graphic novel next week (we are just finishing the book Hatchet) and I’m eager to have them tell each other about the books they’ve read.  

YahoOOoOO!