This week we wrapped up Unit 2, Understanding Characters. We came to know the main character, Opal, very well from our read aloud Because of Winn-Dixie. Students learned that secondary characters play an important role. They often influence the main character or teach the main character something important. We also talked about how readers learn vicariously alongside the characters in stories. We thought of the lessons our character, Opal, had learned and wondered how our book might change the way we behave in our own lives.
We also began a new unit of study--Mystery. Each student picked a mystery chapter book from our class library to add to his/her book box. As we teach the lessons for this unit, students will need to read from their mystery book to complete the independent reading tasks. Students learned new vocabulary words which will help them better understand their mystery book as well. Below is a screenshot of our "Detective's Dictionary."
Writing Workshop
This week students learned how to properly punctuate dialogue. We also reviewed writing a good story ending. Our writers have been working really hard on adding to their drafts to make them their best piece of writing yet. Students are currently publishing their drafts. We will compile these published personal narratives into a class book. Each student will have a turn bringing the book home to read all of the great narratives written.
Math Workshop
We focused on word problems this week. There was a homework assignment in which every student but one missed a particular problem. Students were asked to solve the same problem one morning this week. All students solved the problem correctly! The point was to show students they need to read the word problems on homework carefully. At this point many students are looking for the two numbers in the problem and multiplying if they see two smaller numbers or dividing if they see a larger number with a smaller number. Because students took the time to read the morning work word problem, they realized the problem was a simple subtraction problem ;-)
Students also learned how to solve two-step word problems. These were a little tricky, but we will continue to practice them in class. The more difficult part of solving the two-step word problems was writing the first-step question. Students literally had to write a question before solving the problem. By the end of the week, many students were able to solve the problem but still struggled to write the first-step question. See an example below...
Lily baked 3 batches of cookies. There were 12 cookies in each batch. She gave 16 cookies away to friends. How many cookies did she have left?
Students were expected to write the first-step question and solve the problem...
How many cookies did Lily bake? 3 x 12 - 16 = 10 cookies
Science
Our next science unit is divided into two parts. The first part of the unit we will learn about Light & Heat. During our first lesson, students sorted pictures into two categories: objects that produce light and objects that do not produce light. Many students were surprised to learn the moon does not produce its own light! Students also discovered light travels in a straight path. They used flashlights to learn more about shadows too. They discovered shadows grow bigger when you move the light closer and shadows grow smaller when you move the light farther away. Students also had an opportunity to make their own shadow puppets. The pictures didn't come out great since it was dark in the room, but there are a few below...
All-Star of the Week
We enjoyed listening to Jack's read aloud and looking at the pictures he posted in the classroom, but our favorite part of Jack's week was his parent letter. We loved watching the videogram his parents sent! Students loved viewing the pictures of "Daredevil Jack" and listening to the song so much they wanted to watch it again! Jack also enjoyed a special lunch with his dad on Thursday!
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