Mellow Monday

• 1st / 2nd Period - Math Block
• Today we started with number talks having students practice subtraction using mental math and patterns.  Then we did the problem of the day.  This was a continued lesson from Friday so we quickly broke into groups.  I took my 10 students out front in the hallway and we worked on lesson 4.6.  This lesson was getting them to understand that it doesn't matter the order you multiply, you get the same answer.  
• For example (2 x 3) x 4 you would multiply 2 x 3 first to get 6... then 6 x 4 would equal 24.   
• If you said 2 x (3 x 4) you would multiply 3 x 4 first to get 12.. then 12 x 2 would still equal 24.
• This is the associative property of multiplication.
• It is clear that only some of the students have been studying their multiplication facts because they are still not able to work the problems easily.  They need to be practicing nightly.  Third grade is the year to memorize their facts!  By holiday break, we want to start moving into division facts!!!!
• 3rd/4th Period - Literacy Block
• We wrote down the I can statements for the day and then started working right away on re-reading our text. Students paired off and re-read the entire text "Let's Classify Organisms".  They took turns reading pages until they finished.  We had another fire drill during the middle of reading, but the kids got up, lined up, and exited the building like pros! 
• During writing I modeled how to take your SUBTOPIC and make it your main idea or topic sentence.   Then I showed them how to take the notes they took from their articles to make a good solid paragraph.  You don't just write fact, fact fact.  You write a fact, then you comment on that fact.  This is called adding voice to your writing.  After modeling and explaining the process, we also wrote a sample INTRODUCTION paragraph.  
• We included:
• HOOK to get readers attention
• IMPORTANT FACTS to give a little information on the topic
• THESIS (What we will be discussing in the next paragraphs)

Here is the sample I co-wrote with the class - It shows a sample INTRODUCTION and First Body Paragraph.

• 5th - Lunch and Recess

• 6th - Dance with Mr. Nunez

• 7th - Catch-U
• We took the Spelling Pre-test.  Afterwards, students wrote down homework and packed up so we could end the day finishing our Art Contest for Schoolin.  While they finished their art project, Mrs. Avalos finished our class novel "Emma on the Air!"

Homework:

• Math Homework/Practice Lesson 4.6 - Page 227-228
• Writing:  Work on your DRAFT 
• Introduction
• Body Paragraph 1 (Fist Sub-Topic)
• Body Paragraph 2 (Second Sub-Topic)
• Body Paragraph 3 (Third Sub-Topic)
• Conclusion (restating introduction - proving facts)
• Spelling 2X Each