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  "And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." -Roald Dahl ----------------------------------------------------- "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can." -John Wesley

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Good readers are like…..spiders?!

Ew! Gross!

But really, they are! Just as spiders spin their webs, connecting each thread to another…good readers connect the threads in their minds when they read. They take what they are reading, and weave a web with what they have stored in their schema. This week, we have begun spinning our reading webs, and notating on our webs what is connecting to our schema.

     

Every Friday, first graders pair up with fourth and fifth grade students for reading buddy time. The “big buddies” enjoy modeling fluency and comprehension strategies for the “small buddies,” and the “small buddies” enjoy showing off their developing reading skills. It makes for a very enjoyable time!

 

One of our friends makes us laugh all the time. His name is Darby. We always find ourselves saying, “Oh, Darby!” Well, today as we were completing our morning work, I look up and see the following:

 

…anyway, we thank Darby for all of the joy he brings into our classroom! Sometimes people just need to laugh!

Our super sleuth readers have been working on some amazing reading-skeletons! Each student was challenged to fin the “Just Right” mystery book…then they read their books and used what we have learned about plot, characters, setting, and many other things to create a fun display! Sorry the picture is a little bit dark. The flash would not work on my camera! But below you’ll see Kendall’s Mystery Skeleton. She did a fabulous job with details! I am so proud of her and all of the students!

Today we tried our hand at re-creating blue and white Chinese art.  It was so awesome! We practiced painting rainbow bridges, pagodas, dragons, and other Chinese symbols. We will be pairing up with Mrs. Ross’ kindergarten this week to finish our Ming Dynasty vases. Stay tuned!

One of our reading lessons involved something really unusual: shoes. Mrs. Self compared her boot to Gray’s sneaker. She then asked the class to take notes on how the shoes were similar and different. Everyone came up with different (and interesting!) responses!

We learned that readers’ schemas are a lot like the shoes we wear. We wear different shoes in different situations.  The shoes we wear “experience” different elements of our lives.  Readers’ schemas are all different from each other. One person’s schema is very different from another person’s schema. That doesn’t mean that one person is smarter or better than another….it just means they are different.

Different readers bring different schemas to what they read. This, in turn, helps them to connect with what they read.

We then compared and contrasted ourselves with other students in the classroom. We made Venn Diagrams where we explored how we are alike, and how we are different. We also explored how our schemas are different from each other….and how that affects how we interpret what we read.

 

For our unit of study on China, we paired up with Mrs. Ross’ kindergarten class one day. We taught the little kids that the Chinese invented porcelain, and while we aren’t able to make porcelain at school (that would be a little bit dangerous!)….we mimicked the look by using paper mache. Once our vases dry, we will research Ming Dynasty designs and try to re-create what we find. We have enjoyed seeing the blue and white porcelain, and trying our hand at making something just as beautiful!

              

The past two days have had the fourth grade students beginning their new Core Knowledge unit: Chinese Dynasties and Chinese Culture. It is a fascinating unit of study! We began by brainstorming what we already (thought) we knew about China, and watching a very cool movie that introduced us to the idea of Chinese culture.

Today, we began our webquest about Ancient China. Students were broken down into small groups, and within the groups each member had to pick from a list of five Chinese dynasties. Some groups are smaller than others, so they had to really think about where they placed their “man-power.” Most groups decided that people who had to research two dynasties would study the shorter dynasties to balance the work load. Others decided to use their knowledge of how quickly certain members can work (and those who have computers at home) to determine who took on the extra material.

After our webquest, we began looking into the geography of China. Its climate is very diverse, much like our own country. There are many similarities and many differences.

Finally, we began our Chinese picture books. Students were given different Chinese calligraphic characters and charged with the task of creating a picture book. Many of them want to make several books….so be on the lookout!

Chinese Picture Book Samples 1-28-2010

After about 2.5 months of excuses, Mrs. Self finally paid up. She got us pizza for lunch. She owed us pizza because last fall we had a vocabulary challenge. We all mastered our vocabulary words!!!! So, she ordered three pizzas….and yes, they were delicious!

 

 

 

 

Today in reading, Mrs. Self started off by being her usual crazy self. (No pun intended! Haha! Self, self!). Anyway, she started off by having us watch her and take notes / observe as she randomly started throwing an inflated globe around the room. She then asked us to share with her what we thought she was doing. Most of us said things like, “You were randomly throwing an inflated globe around the room.”

She then asked if it seemed as if she had a particular target. We all agreed that she seemed to not have a target.

She then told us a story about how she was (and, presumably, still is…) the worst basketball player….ever. She talked about how if she wanted to become a better basketball player, she needed to have a target (or goal).

Just as with sports, in reading we need targets. A soccer player needs a soccer goal to hit the ball into, a basketball player needs a basket to “swish” the ball into….and a reader needs a goal to guide his/her reading. All of our goals are different. Some of us have goals of being more fluent readers. Others of us have goals of reading different genres of books. Still others of us have more specific goals (such as to read a longer book, or a religious book, etc.). The goals we have will constantly change as we become better and better readers. However - the fact remains - we need targets as readers. Otherwise, we just wander around aimlessly in our “readerly life.”

Read the notes the kids took today:

Having a Reading Target 1-27-2010

 

 

We started off our afternoon activity with an odd request: someone was needed to do push-ups. What?! That’s right…push-ups!

How on Earth would push-ups relate to writing?

Actually, they relate more than you would think. We talked about building muscles, and how to do so you have to “exercise” and “work out.” When you write, it’s no different. Your brain, in order to perform at optimal levels, needs to be exercised and worked out in every subject area. Revising is an exercise that can grow your writing muscles. Writing muscles are necessary to polish your thoughts.

I cannot wait to scan in the samples from “before” and “after” our newest revision lesson. The kids’ work is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!  Especially Darby’s piece about bacon. Who knew bacon could be so fascinating?!

Good readers know how to take their mind on an adventure when they read. They become the characters they read about. Today we read “Swimmer,” a story about a fish and her adventures during her lifespan. While we read, we practiced letting ourselves be one with Swimmer….and discussed ways that we could take our minds on similar adventures when we read our own novels.  At the end of the activity, each student completed a “Quick Write” about the lesson. In the “Quick Write,” students were encouraged to write anything that was on their minds from the lesson. They were encouraged to write whatever it was they were feeling.

Mind Adventures 1-26-2010

 

Sometimes, good readers get in a reading fog. What does that mean? It means that sometimes we read a book and get a bit lost, confused.

Yesterday we talked about what a “Reading Fog” is, and strategies readers can use to find their way back into the reading sunshine. We came up with the following: re-read, relax, skim over what you just read, make some notes in the margin of your book, ask a friend, ask a teacher….and many, many more! I was very proud of our good readers for coming up with these helpful strategies.

We then conducted a quick-write about the lesson…kids were encouraged to write anything they wanted about the lesson. Some reflected about times they had been in a reading fog, some reviewed strategies that could help them…we then shared with each other. It was very insightful! Great job, guys! I am very proud of you!

 

In our class, we frequently talk about how words can build our peers up. We talk about ways that we can be kind and gentle to others, helping them along in their educational and personal journeys.  Apparently this lesson resonated with them, because Gray wrote me the sweetest note. He wrote me another note last week, but I already displayed it in my room so I was unable to scan it for our blog. 

Some examples of things I have heard / ways our kids are using their words to help build others’ self-esteem:

-”Thank you, Cassidy, for helping me with math. I appreciate that you took the time to help me.” -Jo’Nae

-”Great job, Darby! You are really becoming great at math!” -Gray

-”Thank you, Kendall, for being my friend!” -Stephanie

To all of our students with such open and loving hearts, thank you for being so great to one another! I am very proud. Remember: when you treat others the way you would like to be treated, it makes your heart grow! And it makes your life a lot better….

Gray 1-22-2010

I was so proud of Stephanie and Gray for participating in the Clarity Spelling Bee on Saturday! They did a great job. The competition was fierce…but our kids seemed to have nerves of steel. I would have been shaking if I had to stand up on stage in front of a bunch of strangers!

Great job, guys! I am so very, very proud of you!!!!

On Friday, we greatly enjoyed another installment of NFF. We focused on Science texts.  This week we will focus on newspaper and current events. The kids do have a recommendation for me, though. They feel as if it should be “Fiction Friday” and “Non-Fiction Monday.” I told them they would need to put together a business proposal, and that I would consider it. Darby is the ring-leader of this movement….so we’ll see what happens! I have determined that when my children put their minds to something….there’s just no stopping them!

January 22, 2010 NFF Samples

 

January 22, 2010 NFF Reflections / Quick Writes

Here is the most recent time our class was in The Greenville Journal….a brief discussion about our intergenerational service learning project with Senior Action:

The Greenville Journal: January 8, 2010

We love our NFFs….they are so much fun! We love having the chance to dive into non-fiction, learning all about science and history as we go! We also love trying our own hand at writing non-fiction. See the pictures below to get a small glimpse into our Non-Fiction Friday world!

        

We had a wonderful presentation for our senior friends. Read more about it:

SeniorAction Newsletter

              

We were so excited today when we found out that we would have a new friend joining us for the rest of the year. Our family is expanding! We are thrilled to welcome Kendall to our class. She had lunch with us today and plans to start tomorrow. We couldn’t be any happier about our new addition!

     

Great job, Jo’Nae! Please check out Mrs. Burns’ Blog: http://burns.palmettoprep.net for more information. We’re proud of you!

One of my favorite times as a teacher is at the beginning of a unit when I assess my students’ prior knowledge. When assessing what students “already know,” it never fails that someone is SURE about something they THINK they know. So rather than do a Know-Want to know - Learned chart throughout the unit, I start with something called “What I Think I Know.” We all have beliefs that we are convinced are 100% true, but sometimes when we read and research we find out that what we THOUGHT we knew was wrong (or misguided). 

On Monday, I asked students to draw out what they think Africa looks like. Here are their responses:

What I Think Africa Looks Like…

And afterwards, we worked in partners to create the following maps of what Africa ACTUALLY looks like. The kids then compared what they thought they knew about the geography of Africa with what actually exists in Africa / the shape of the continent.

Kids’ Maps of Africa

I am very proud of the students!!!

Today in class we read a very cool book that Mrs. Self’s nephew, Ben, and her niece, Maggie, gave her as a present. Yes, even at the young ages of 2 and 4 months, they both have already had lectures about when to use apostrophes and commas. We get a kick out of Mrs. Self bringing in everything from Christmas cards to newspaper articles where commas and apostrophes are abused and used incorrectly. Just yesterday, Mrs. Self got yet another Christmas card addressed to “The Self’s.” The Self’s what? The Self’s house? Anyway, we NEVER abuse apostrophes and commas in our classroom, because we know that it would send our poor teacher over the edge!

We read our elementary school version of the famous book entitled Eats, Shoots and Leaves. We all laughed hysterically as we read the differences between such phrases as “Let’s get a big hot dog” and “Let’s get a big, hot dog.” Darby’s made us all laugh: “Let’s eat, Grandpa!” and “Let’s eat Grandpa!” Fun was had by all.

Yesterday, students in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 went Christmas Caroling at Bellaire, a residential facility for senior citizens. Students sang songs they had practiced, and even demonstrated how to use recorders. Our senior friends were very excited to see our friendly faces, and we were happy to do what we could to bring a smile to their faces. We also enjoyed being able to practice performing!

On Friday, Mrs. Self and Mr. Ramsdell were asked to speak on Your Carolina about integration of our Core Knowledge units into a 5-day a week physical education program. They were interested in how a physical education program such as ours can reinforce concepts taught in the classroom, as well as how it can develop leadership skills and help with behavior management. We all enjoyed our 4 minutes and 55 seconds of fame! If only the papparazzi would stop following us….

     

Sometimes, a change of scenery helps us with our writing. Sometimes, it helps to edit the writing of a buddy you don’t go to class with day in and day out. Mrs. Burns and Mrs. Self decided to come together and team teach a writing lesson for third and fourth grade students.  On Monday, students selected a famous work of art to serve as their inspiration piece.  From that, they generated stories.  Tuesday, we focused on opening sentences.  On Wednesday, we focused on similes and metaphors. Today, we’re going to focus on dialogue.  All of the students have greatly enjoyed this time together. The fourth graders peer-edited the third graders’ work, and gave them valuable feedback that will help them with their writing. They loved getting to be the “Teachers” and helping students a bit younger than themselves. View the peer-editing and letters….you’ll be amazed at how insightful fourth graders can be when faced with the task of guiding third graders!

Peer Editing

Letters from Fourth Graders About Writing

On Monday we were fortunate enough to have Ms. Amy Clarke, a famous Greenville writer, visit our classroom and teach us her tricks for valuable and successful writing. We were very excited to host our first famous FEMALE author….our girls were very, very inspired by Ms. Amy’s visit. Stories that had stumped them for months were finally finished, as Ms. Amy knew the perfect way to get them excited.

Notes from her visit:

-Talk to people (Call, meet, take notes, research)

-Sit down….and WRITE!!!! (use music, or go to a quiet place….it’s up to you how you like to write!)

-TAKE A BREAK (gather a new perspective…..it’s ok not to finish a story in one setting. Don’t get bogged down).

Quotes about Ms. Amy’s visit from our girl writers:

“I thought it was nice of her to visit. She gave me good ideas.” -Cassidy

“Ms. Amy said she liked my story…she said never quit when you get stuck…and I won’t quit.” -Jo’Nae

“Ms. Amy gave me clues about how to keep adding stuff to my writing. I liked her!” -Stephanie

        

Due to a glitch with our school scanner, I haven’t been able to upload the clips from our newest showcasing in The Greenville News. Here you go! Great job, guys!

Eli and Dr. Pulver

Veteran’s Day with Lt. Thornton

It was amazing! It fit in perfectly with our Core Knowledge standards and gave us a sneak peek at next year’s Renaissance unit. We highly recommend it, if you are interested!

Wow. Yesterday we had the absolute BEST time while visiting Upstate Cardiology. They treated us like royalty! When we arrived, we had many nurses and assistants give us a special tour of the office. Then…..several of us were able to have Echo-Cardiograms (Echos). It was awesome! We got to see Eli’s and Darby’s hearts…and see the valves, too! We were able to see how the valves keep the blood flowing in the right direction. We also were able to hear their hearts on the machine. So cool!

After the Echos were taken, Gray was able to demonstrate how a patient receives a special kind of test. They are injected with nuclear material, and a scanner views where the molecules travel. WAY COOL!  Stephanie, Cassidy, and Jo’Nae were able to experiment with heart rates and oxygen content in the blood stream. Finally, we were able to learn about pace-makers, and how they have evolved over the years.

We owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to Ron Eskew, the manager of Upstate Cardiology. We also LOVE Nurse Connie and Nurse Bill, who took so much time out of their day to show us how the circulatory system works. You know it’s a success when you have to literally drag your students out of the doctor’s office!