Reading ourselves awake.

In the reading workshop, students have been learning how we read ourselves awake. In essence, we are spending a great deal of time learning about how readers--when truly reading--are constantly reacting to and interacting with the text. We have talked about when we read, we each have a voice inside our head to which we need to listen and train. In our effort to do this, we spend bits of time recording our thoughts on Post-its each day. Students have learned many ways to read themselves awake, and many lend themselves to recording on paper. The types of activities in which we can engage while we read include the following:

• ask questions,
• make connections--between the text and yourself, another text or the world,
• make predictions,
• read between the lines and unveil the author's unwritten message,
• describe a feeling, and
• have an important thought.

Students are working to avoid writing down facts from their books that are ultimately not really important. Simply restating an event, without giving a reason for doing so, would be something we might consider less than important! All of these Post-its are being collected and organized in their reading binders, easily accessible from day to day.

Reading really is a social activity. When we read, we often talk about what we read with others. As students become more adept at recording relevant thoughts on Post-its, they are also now learning about how to effectively and productively confer with their reading partners. Two strategies we have learned to help us initiate conversations with our partners include reviewing our reading logs together, looking for patterns, and using our Post-its to guide conversations. As the week continues, students will learn more strategies to help initiate these very important conversations about what they are reading.

On Monday Mrs. Smay introduced the students to the fifteen 2011 Sunshine State Readers. Any student who reads at least three of the books from the group may vote in the spring for her/his favorite. I created a glog that you will find on a page tab above that will lead you to short synopsises of the books. Once on the page, just move your cursor over the poster title and click when the red circle appears to be directed to the list of book descriptions. Book trailers also get created for each of the books. As of today, five are complete. To view those trailers, move your cursor over each book; those with a red circle appearing are linked to their trailers. As more trailers are created, I will update the glog.

In writing, we took a brief hiatus from writing our personal narratives to create our peace poems, which we finished today. Our poems will be published in two ways. First, on Wednesday, they will become part of a Lower Division art installation as we celebrate International Peace Day. Each student illustrated today a peace symbol with nods to their poems, and tomorrow they will inscribe their poems on the back of their art. To these art pieces will be attached a small stake, and during our Lower Division gathering on Wednesday, students will place their pieces in the ground where we meet for town meeting. Then on Thursday, students will be recording their peace poems in a Voice Thread with the help of two parents. Their art pieces will be part of the Voice Thread as well. I will post a link to the Voice Thread as soon as it is completed.

In science today, student began experimenting with circuits. Partners were given a length of wire, a battery and a small light bulb and asked to consider all that they have learned about electricity thus far to make their light bulbs light. After a great deal of experimentation, students were able to light their bulbs. What they learned was that in order to light their bulbs, they needed to create a complete circuit, which meant both ends of the wire needs to touch each end of the battery, and the bulb base needed to make contact with the exposed wire to be a part of the circuit. Students during their explorations all at one time or another connected their wires from one end of the battery to the other without successfully including the battery within the circuit, creating a short circuit. "Ah! That's warm!" was my cue that a short circuit had been created. After some work, however, groups began finding ways to include the light bulb within the circuit in such a way to allow the bulb to light. At those moments, chirps of "We did it!" or similar declarations resounded. Later this week we will predict and test how many D batteries it will take to light a 40 watt bulb.

Math has been quite a challenge lately! Students have learned new algorithms for solving multi-digit addition and subtraction problems. Students have worked diligently to try the various new algorithms for addition and subtraction designed to better help them understand the more traditional algorithm--to which many of them have been previously introduced. Now that they have learned multiple ways to solve problems, they may choose which method works best for them.

I explained to the students that when I was in school, I learned to borrow and trade when doing addition and subtraction, but that I did not truly understand why I was crossing out digits and recording new digits in various locations--I just followed the steps as I was taught. These alternative algorithms are terrific for students who may struggle to use the traditional method effectively, or who do not truly understand why they are borrowing and trading digits. Understanding the reasons behind the steps allows students to be more thoughtful about their process and more aware of mistakes.

Click here to view our Frames projects!

Hooray! Mrs. Baralt published our Frames Important Poems. Please click the link on the bottom of Aliyah's frame to view the projects!

In honor of International Day of Peace on Wednesday, Lower Division students may wear peace shirts with uniform bottoms. Please join us for our celebration at 8:10 if you are able!