October 20, 2009
We will be wrapping up our unit on California Geography in the next couple of weeks. Children are currently working on reports about California's four major regions. The students are working in groups of three to write about six topics about each region: Coastal, Mountain, Central Valley, and Desert. They have been using a webquest designed by Ms. Freeland to research their topics in the computer lab. They are working on webbing their ideas to turn into cohesives paragraph, which they will eventually put together.
The big event for California Geography will take place next week, as children use the Community Hall to "build" California out of blocks and butcher paper. They will be using the information they gathered for their reports to identify things and places they want to include in their section of California. As a team they have to not only collaborate to map out their region, they have to work with the other teams to make sure everything is placed where is should be. This is the first time I am doing block building with children and am very excited to have it as part of our curriculum for this unit. Any parent help during the block building would be wonderful. I envision the adults in the room supporting the problem solving as children work together to figure out how to make everything fit as it should. Please let me know if you are interested in participating.
I am excited to see the outcome....
Tags:
social studies
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October 06, 2009
The writers in Room 11 blew me away this morning. For the last couple of days we have been talking about story leads. Today we examined more closely the strategies published writers use to draw their readers into their stories in the first few sentences. We discussed that they often use dialog, small actions, descriptive language to describe the setting, or a combination of these things to create the mood of their story. After trying it out once while we were still gathered on the carpet, the children went off to try it out on their own. Below is what they came up with. Their story leads are truly amazing!! Please, take a look.
Clop. Clop. “Wait for me.” I was running down the plank.
“Wahoo!” I yelled. I was going to China Town.
“Yes!” I was getting ready to do the Rock Fest with my brother.
“Hey!” I said. That was it. I was out. I stomped out of the room.
It was dark. Thuddd. You could hear the running in the distance. “There,” I said. “You’re it!” I yelled.
Crack! Faster and faster down I fell. “Aaaaaah,” I screamed.
I stretched over the railing. Somebody pushed me. SPLASH! I fell in.
I threw the golf club instead of hitting the ball. “Oh no,” my dad yelled.
I ran up the stairs. I stopped, turned to the slide, and jumped on.
I saw a light. I went to the light. I tripped. When I got up I was on soft grass.
Finally. It was set. I was going to test it.
I was so excited my heart was pounding. I was going to pick up my mom from the airport. –
I went to the park and I saw a new swing. I got on it and said, “Woohooo.” –
I was watching t.v. when my dad suddenly said, “Get over here!” –
CRASH! The wave slammed on the shore! A little motor zoomed across the water. I jumped in. SPLASH! –
BOOM! A loud sound came from the car. BOOM! Again, the car made that sound. BOOM! We tried to go. Our car broke down.
“What! Why! No!”
I was cheerfully playing on the DS Lite. My little brother Calvin had just told me how to complete "Stand tall 4 pillars."
I was at the park playing soccer with my cousin. "Goal!" I said. I kicked the ball. POW! The ball went flying into the air.
"Dad, come down here. The football game is on."
I was running as fast as I could go! I was on the Wonders soccer team. All of the sudden THWACK, the ball hit me in the stomach.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! I was running as fast as I could go. "Tag, you're it," Rita said as she tapped me lightly on the shoulder.
We have great personal narratives on the way!!!!
Tags:
3rd grade
,
4th grade
,
writer's workshop
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