Reading
unit 4 inquiry- We went over in our reading log time. The students will have an entire hour tomorrow.
Reading Log- The students will have one entry from today and then will need to complete an entry for tonight. Please see below for details regarding a change in the assignment.
Asking Questions with Galileo's Journal- page 223-230
English Language Arts
The Great Mail Race Letter- AAAHHHH! We will get this out tomorrow morning.
Spelling
unit 21 sort- spelling test will be Friday 2/19
Math
Chapter 4.10 Place the First Digit- We worked in groups today. There will not be an assignment as students still need more time to work with division.
Science
Science Fair Questions- The students took home the question plan. Please review with the students and return.
Energy Review- We will finish later this week.
P.E./Health- The menu project will be due 2/17.
Music
Reading Log
The students are really improving with their reading logs. I can tell that they are doing a great job with understanding what they are reading and recording their understanding. I have changed the last task for the students for their "at home" entry. The students have been working on asking questions in our reading instruction. The students are now tasked with asking one question and then answering that question based on evidence from the text they read. I have told the students to identify one important detail and then ask a question that will lead to the answer they found in the text. If the students are unsure, I have identified the instructions and given an example at the top of each Reading Log document. Also, I ask that students try to stick with a book and only record entries for books they have not read yet. My purpose for the reading log is to record comprehension based on books the students are not familiar with.
Thank you From a Soldier
We received a wonderful gift today from one of the soldiers we sent well wishes to during the holiday season. The students were honored with receiving a class flag that was flown on 14 January 2016 aboard Afghan Air Force C-208B aircraft on a combat mission over Afghanistan during Operation Resolute Support. The students want to replace our flag in the classroom with this flag so that we can remember our soldiers. I am going to check to make sure that is how I handle this flag and then do what I can to display the flag for the class. We were all very touched by this kind gesture and are appreciative for the honor of receiving this flag.
Asking Questions while Reading Galileo's Journal
We continued our space discovery today as we began learning about the impact Galileo had on understanding space. The students learned how Galileo designed a spyglass using his understanding of convex and concave lenses. The students used the strategy of asking questions to gain a deeper understanding of what we have read. As readers we ask questions for these reasons: 1.) Check to make sure we are understanding. For example, "Does this make sense?" 2.) Find text evidence. We ask a question where the answer can be found in the text. 3.) We ask wondering questions. We may wonder how we would feel if we were the character or we may want to know more about a topic that was presented in the text. The students are showing great growth in this comprehension strategy. This will allow students to pull out pieces of evidence and dive deeper into what they have read.
Valentine's Card Boxes
The students will be sent home with a note tomorrow regarding their boxes. The boxes can be made at home out of recycled material. The only stipulation is that the box has to fit in their area on their classroom table. Also, please make sure that each student sends a Valentine for each student. Please do not send special treats for friends to school. If a student wants to give their friend a special gift, they can do so outside of school hours. If you have any questions, please send me an email.
Science Fair Questions
We finally got to identifying our science fair questions in class. The students were sent home with a half sheet of paper for you to discuss their question and then send the paper back to school so I can discuss their plan and process with each student. The important pieces to a science fair question is for the students to be as specific as possible and to only have one variable (one part of the project that changes). An example we discussed was: How can the material of 3 different balls of the same size change the sound the ball makes when dropped from the same distance on a tiled floor? In the question, I identified what was being changed and what we going to remain as the constant. The code for tonight, is for the students to identify their question. I hope you all have a great night and I look forward to another great day of learning!