I'm thankful for Jackson Elementary School:)

 FIRST GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

We finished our Pig Latin persuasive paragraph! Ip-hay ip-hay ooray-hay!  Hip hip hooray! Each student put a title on their project in the Pages app.  They also recorded themselves reading the persuasive paragraph we wrote as a class (audio only).  I'm proud of them for staying focused and determined throughout the process!  We did some more deciphering with an over/under decipher.  I also worked with the students on some letter replacement that changed words.  They are all familiar with how changing one letter can change a word.  I took that to the next level by giving them specific content for the word change.  For example, given the word best, change one letter so the word means the same thing as crooked.  The topic of middle names came up.  One of the first grade HA students knows his/her middle name and how to spell it, but the others do not.  I challenged them to learn how to spell their middle names.  I loosely called it homework.  So if your student has sudden interest in his/her middle name, you  will know why.

SECOND GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

I'm so proud of these second graders.  They are rising to the challenge of reading and understanding The Tale of Despereaux.  We made some personal connections to topics in the book such as comfort, holding a grudge, and forgiveness.  Their homework due Monday is to read chapters 42-46.  We are nearing the end of our book!

THIRD GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

We started our time together by watching the Paul Bunyan video that I referred to in last week's blog.  The students enjoyed the exaggeration of a tall tale in video form.  We started a Venn diagram on myth/legend vs. tall tale.  The students are becoming more familiar with the definitions and differentiating between the different types of folklore.  I gave the students some time to work on their folklore posters.  This Preposition Rock video is something we have watched a few times: Preposition Rock. 

FOURTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

The students are working on research for our Anne Frank project.  I have encouraged them to watch some videos and do some reading on their own time.  This is the only website I am permitting them to use at this time: annefrank.org.  There are wonderful videos on the site.  We had time to watch just a couple in class, so I do hope they watch some outside of HA class.  They are welcome to take notes and bring them to class next week.  

FIRST GRADE MATH

Visualization and spatial reasoning are important geometric processes.  To help develop these skills, we played a game that requires students to view a shape composed of two or more shapes, create a mental image using spatial memory and visualization, and then describe/compare a new shape that resulted when one of the shapes was moved or removed by another.  The students rose to the challenge and were patient with one another:)

SECOND GRADE MATH

As you may recall, the students spent last week creating tessellating murals with their own geometric patterns.  They were able to identify the types of transformations within their repeated patterns.  This week, we answered a Think Deeply question that challenged us to analyze a geometric mural.  We worked to identify shapes that were used to create the basic unit, how the pattern was put together, and what transformations were used to create the mural.  After that, I introduced the students to hundreds chart riddles.  We did two riddles in class today.  Each riddle has at least 15 steps using a variety of math skills in word form.  To solve the riddle correctly, students must be attentive and thorough.  It is a good lesson in following directions.  The riddles will increase in difficulty, so it is important the students master the process and pay attention to detail.  

THIRD GRADE MATH

As you know, we have been exploring/analyzing multiples on a hundreds chart.  This week, we put two sets of multiples on one hundreds chart and answered a five part Think Deeply question.  Using a think frame graphic organizer, we thoroughly analyzed the multiples.  This led us into division, so we spent some time on division.  Whenever the opportunity arises, I fit in mini division lessons.  The students did their first hundreds chart riddle.  Each riddle has around 15 steps and a variety of math skills in word form, so the students must be attentive and thorough.  The riddles will increase in difficulty.  

FOURTH GRADE MATH

The 4th grade HA students understand that they must work backwards/undo operations to isolate a variable to solve equations.  This week, I showed them the cover-up method.  The students didn't find this method necessary with the one and two step equations we are currently doing.  The strategy may be something they appreciate/use as they further their study of algebra.  It is a useful approach that focuses on the correct order of operations.  As we progress in our study of algebra, I will continue to help guide them in the methods that suit them best.  We also spent time doing algebraic word/story problems.  We practiced interpreting problems, assigning variables, setting up equations, and solving for the answers.  They wanted to jump right in and get to the algebra of the word/story problems.  We had to exercise patience to properly interpret the problems to set ourselves up for success.  If we do not interpret the problems correctly, we cannot set up the variables or equations correctly.  It was a great and productive lesson.  These kids are so great to work with:)

HA Blog

 FIRST GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

Working as a group, we edited our persuasive paragraph.  Being that we had consulted the rubric last week, the students were understandably confident in our paragraph as it was.  When I told them that we can make it even better, they were taken by surprise.  After our editing session, I introduced them to Pages.  It is an app on their iPads that they hadn't used before.  I hope to have them record themselves reading the paragraph on Pages.  We started a "page" by adding pig photos.  The next step is to add Pig Latin as the title.

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SECOND GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

We sure had fun in class this week!  We played two online trivia games to review content/test our comprehension of Despereaux.  I introduced the students to the game Blooket, and it was a hit!  We are heading into the fourth and final section of The Tale of Despereaux.  Homework due Monday: read chapters 34-38.  Please remind your students to do their HA reading.  Thank you so much for your continued support:)

THIRD GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

The students completed a vocabulary map on tall tales.  They also added tall tales to their folklore posters.  Comparing and contrasting tall tales to the other types of folklore will be our next step.  Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox is a well-known tall tale.  It is full of fun exaggerations kids enjoy.  You may want to watch this video with your child.    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5mgQ35sEKZk

FOURTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

I showed the students an outline of what our biography project will include.  There will be research, writing, technology, and public speaking.  We began researching Anne Frank's life.  If you happen to have any books about Anne Frank at home, please send them in for us to borrow.  

FIRST GRADE MATH

Using words to answer math problems is a challenge.  Writing in math is something we work on repeatedly in HA.  Referring to the shape we created in class last week, we did some writing in math.  We explained how the shape we created and the shape that was given as an example are similar/different.  This also helped them exercise their knowledge of shape attributes.  We had a lot of fun playing Blooket!  It is an online trivia game we used to test our knowledge of shapes.  

SECOND GRADE MATH

The students continued with the geometric patterns they created.  They were successful at identifying the sliding, flipping, and turning within the patterns.  We briefly touched on parallelograms.  I taught them a trick to remember what parallel means.  The trick involves them looking at the word parallel.  

THIRD GRADE MATH

As you may recall, the students filled in several number charts with multiples.  They observed visual/geometric and mathematical patterns with partners.  This week, we came together as a group to compare the different multiples.  We discussed their similarities and differences.  We speculated what the charts would look like if they continued past 100.  The students were thinking aloud, comparing thoughts, and explaining things to each other.  It was great to hear them interacting in such a productive manner!

FOURTH GRADE MATH

As you may recall, after solving variable puzzles, the students were working on explaining how they solved the puzzles.  Writing in math is a difficult concept that we repeatedly work on in HA.  This particular assignment involved them explaining algebraic thinking and strategy!  We also solved several equations.  These student mathematicians are loving algebra! 

November already!!!

FIRST GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

We worked as a group to finish writing a persuasive paragraph.  Using the rubric for reference, we worked to write a paragraph that convinces readers that all first graders should learn pig latin.  We discussed and included transitional words.  The first graders took home a pig latin packet they can do for fun.  Ave-hay a-way ice-nay ay-day!

SECOND GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

Everyone did their reading over the weekend, so nobody was banished to the dungeon:)  They need to read chapters 29-33 before Monday.  Please remind them of their HA homework.  The word ominous is in chapter 31.  When they get to that part, they will have a good understanding of what it means in context.  Using a dictionary, we completed a vocabulary map graphic organizer on the word ominous.  They seemed to really enjoy their dictionary lesson.  

THIRD GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

We had a brief discussion about prepositions and nouns that are objects of prepostions.  The students watched Preposition Rock.  We are moving on to tall tales in our study of folklore.  I read one tall tale to them to introduce the genre.  We will thoroughly discuss tall tales next week.  

FOURTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS

The students started researching Anne Frank by reading about her.  They read about her for our entire class period.  

FIRST GRADE MATH

The pictures below show the students playing our review game Grupo.  It was such a productive review session!  Grupo involves finding 4 similarities between shapes that are made up of smaller shapes.  The day after we played Grupo, we took our review to the next level.  The task was to look at a shape and create our own shape that has 4 similarities.  We created a shape that has 5 similarities!   Our next challenge will be to explain ourselves using words.  

SECOND GRADE MATH

Our week started with some review of triangle transformations via sliding, flipping, and turning.  Working in pairs/small groups, the students analyzed a series of transformations.  Taking it to the next level, the students have begun designing their own patterns using two or three different types of shapes.  Some students found that being ambitious with intricate patterns proved too complicated.  By the end of our time together, each student found a manageable pattern that makes good sense.  We will be working with the patterns of their own creation again next week.  

THIRD GRADE MATH

The students worked in pairs/small groups to color in number charts with counting patterns.  After that, they identified at least 3 generalizations about each chart.  They wrote down their geometric and mathematical patterns.  The students really put their heads together to put their observations into words.  As you can imagine, some of the patterns of multiples are much harder to explain than others.  I look forward to having the students share some of their observations with the class.  

FOURTH GRADE MATH 

Last week, the students solved variable puzzles using algebraic thinking.  This week, we worked on using words to explain how that was done.  Explaining ourselves can be challenging at any age.  Explaining mathematical thinking and writing it down is something we work on throughout the year.