We are asking the question, "What Makes A Map?"
Here we are in library, Mrs Maurier is giving us a talk about "Just Right" books. When you read a book, a good way to tell if it is just right, count each word that you don't know on each page. If you get to five words, that book may be a food one to put back on the shelf. The other important thing in finding just right books is that it should be fun. I hope you try lots of different titles and genres this year, but to grow as a reader you must find books that you like We both know lots of great books, and so do our classmates. If you are having trouble finding a book that's just right, please let someone know. Fifth graders can check out three books. Please put Monday night on your family calendar for packing books in your backpack. I'll be setting a reminder on my phone right after I publish this post. Hello Parents and Students! Our writers workshop is kicking into full gear! We have such a exciting year planned, and during our writing time we are currently working to develop topics in our students high interst and expert areas. This is important, it is much more effective to develop writers who love writing while writing about what they love. Some of our students are so excited, they have drafted multiple pages and are eager to share with myself and others. Further, I love to write, and I network with others who do as well. Greg Pincus is an author and poet who I connected with a bit during last spring's poetry month. Since then I have become a fan, and reading one of his poems made me smile. When we read and write, finding this joy is important. This piece made me smile, mainly because, as teachers we take reading and writing very seriously. So does Greg in this poem, and I picture this poem from the point of view of the young reader who is just about to be inspired to read: I read two dozen comic books. Three graphic novels, too. Hope you enjoyed it! Today we worked on designing some of our classroom storage space, and took some ownership of the materials. We asked the question, 'How should we design our space?' I believe that students who have a voice in how the room is set up will take better care of it. Here is a peek at how we organized our math cards. |