We had so much fun studying various versions of The Gingerbread Boy in Reading Workshop this week. We read a classic version and then many others, most of them very different and silly. We compared these versions using a venn diagram. We also made our own gingerbread crafts.
We also did a lot of partner work in Reading Workshop this week. Sometimes, we didn't even read with our partners, but discussed the books we had read on our own. We learned how to give an introduction to a book, without giving away the ending ("This book is called___ and it's all about___")! You can practice this at home, too.
We began a new unit in Writing Workshop called "Writing for Readers". We are returning to writing narrative pieces, telling true stories from our lives. This time, we're really going to work hard to make our writing readable for everyone! This week, we thought about topics, planned out our story and jumped right in! We are really trying to write with spaces between words and maybe even include some punctuation.
Our math unit on patterns came to a close this week. We learned how each pattern is made up of repeating "units". We had fun dividing one another's patterns into units and recording our work. We also did another exemplar this week about bicycles. If there are 3 bikes outside of the school and each has 2 wheels, how many wheels in all? This was very much like our previous work with pairs of cat ears.
In Second Steps we did one of my favorite lessons- how to use self-talk to avoid distractions. I refer to this lesson all year long. Focus on your work. Ignore distractions. Repeat directions in your head. Tell yourself what you have to do. We're getting pretty good at it!
We have learned all of the capital letter formations and are moving on to lower case! Ask your child about "Magic c".
News and Notes:
- Next Friday is Polar Express/Pajama Day! Your child may wear pajamas to school and bring a cozy towel or small blanket to snuggle up while we enjoy the story and some special activities! Please make sure the towel is labeled with your name.
- Book sleeves are due every Monday. You may send them in the Friday before if that is easier.
- Please let me know if your child will be leaving for the holiday break early. We want to make sure each child brings his/her treats home!
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| Our Exemplar this week |
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| Making our own venn diagrams |
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| Readers read back-to-back while reading independently. We use POINTER POWER! |
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| Separating patterns into units |
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| Using toothpicks the "break" up the units |
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| Gingerbread friends! |
