Here's to a bright and hopeful future!

Mascot madness

Sequencing details

Alliteration activity

Cross-Curricular Connection (3 C's!)

Last week I introduced watersheds to the fourth graders after they watched a demonstration from the Audobun Society. One of the essential questions connected to the students understanding of pollution and how humans impact and could reduce pollution on the watersheds.  The students were divided up into six groups so that there were four students in each group.  The students had to include the following: 

•  type of pollution and picture of the pollution
• point or nonpoint source pollution
• how humans impact the pollution
• how humans can reduce the pollution
• COLOR

For their writing prompt I introduced informative writing.  The activating strategy was a radio reading of, "The Lorax." Students brainstormed the different ways of pollution and how kids could help. 

Then the students watched a clip of Kid President, "How to Change the World a Work in Progress" As they watched the video they recorded the different ways a kid could change the world.  The fourth graders then had a write a five paragraph informative essay over the span of four days.  Their writing prompt was: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not."   

 

 

This past week I taught equivalent fractions.  As an activating strategy (after previous lessons on equivalent fractions) I created four posters with a different fraction at the top of each poster.  Each group had to use a different color crayon (which we identified before the lesson started).  The groups had one minute to write as many equivalent fractions that they could on the poster.  After the minute the students stopped and put down their crayons.  I rotated the posters around to the different groups.  The students were not allowed to repeat any fractions that were previously written. I encouraged the students to whisper to their group members so they weren't giving away any strategies.  The students LOVED this activity! They were actively engaged and enjoyed the competition!

Story Taco (Retelling Strategy)

I am in charge of the Retelling Group for reading intervention.  The first time I met with the students we made a story time taco! The students were very enthuasistic about creating their own taco with fillings!

I first started off with a paper plate and had the students write: Story Taco and Title of the Book.

Then I had the students label each part, the brown was meat: the setting (or where the story takes place).  The next color is green which is the characters.  Then the next color paper is red and red stands for the solution to the problem in the story (answer).  The final piece of the taco is the yellow paper.  Yellow paper is used for main idea.  The main idea has three parts: beginning, middle and end.

For the next time we meet the students will read their own silent reading book and answer the questions and record their answers on the graphic organizer. 

Precepts

March Precepts! The students asked for different ones so they could compare and share!