Chatty Thursday

I don't know if it was the day off yesterday, or the fact that it is grey and raining out... but the students were a little too talkative today.  Only with focus and hard work will they be ready for the challenges that face them on the state tests in April.  We can't afford to have days like this!

• 1st / 2nd Literacy Block
• First we started the day writing down our I can statements and then practicing vocabulary with our Word Ladder.  We then moved into reading pages 10-15 of our new text "Let's Classify Organisms".  We are still working on using text features and the text to understand main idea and key ideas that support it.   After working with the text, I broke the students into their groups to start doing research on their animal for their Performance Based Assessment we are staring.  They had 25 minutes to read their articles, use highlighters, and get an understanding about their animal.  Tonight for homework they have to finish reading their articles so tomorrow they can decide on what 3 aspects of their animal they want to focus on for writing.  
• In writing we talked about the process of planning and pre-writing.   We went over the steps and looked at the organizers we will be using to put our information in an organized manner and be ready for drafting.   We talked about having to read all the articles first to be able to pick the aspects to focus on, then when you are done, pick the three most important or interesting aspects and then go back through the articles, this time to move the information to the right planning document.
• 3rd/4th Math Block
• First we started with a 2 minute timed multiplication test.  The only student to get all 30 problems correct in 2 minutes was Marlena!  She will get to use the ipad during future fact checks since she showed she knows em!  Way to go Marlena!
• Mrs. Avalos did number talks today, still working on using mental math to subtract.  
• After that, Mrs. Avalos went over the problem of the day and had students think about different ways to solve it.  
• Students then broke into independent work which was the mid-chapter review. 
• When they finished they turned in their work and were allowed to take AR tests for books they read, check out new books from the library, or work on reading their articles for their PBA in literacy.
• 5th - Lunch
• 6th - PE
• 7th - Housekeeping
• We passed out and went over homework.   We then passed out and went over the book order forms for November.  They are due back by 11/17/2015.  The more you read, the better you become.  Finally, Mr. Johnny read from the class novel "Emma on the Air!" as students colored quietly for a Thanksgiving Coloring Contest from Schoolin.  We can win a class prize and also individual prizes.  Fingers Crossed!!

Homework:

• Reading:  Read and highlight all your articles for your Animal PBA
• Math:  Assessment Task (3 - Half Sheets)
• Math:  Study 2's and 3's Multiplication Facts
• Spelling:  Practice Sheet (Test Tomorrow)