The Braces Blues

On the day we learned about song writing, Madison and Lizzie took a shot at writing their own "blues." Since they both recently had braces put on, they decided to let braces be the subject of their song. They did an incredible job - so creative (and you'll love the motions)...

The Rainy Day Recess Blues

As part of our wordplay unit in writer's workshop, we decided to write a class song. We sat down one morning and wrote "The Rainy Day Recess Blues." I was so proud of our kids! We found out that it is not easy to write a song. You have to think about rhythm, syllables, and rhyme. You have to make your words fit the rhythm and beat. You can listen to the song by clicking here.

As you listen, you can follow along with the lyrics:

Look out the window, see all the rain
Can't go outside, gotta stay in and play
We'll miss recess, it's so sad
Watching the raindrops, I'm getting mad
We've all got the rainy day recess blues

Drop off our trays, get in a line
Head back to class, not feelin' fine
Can our day, get any worse?
Recess is cancelled, we feel cursed
We've all got the rainy day recess blues

Walk in the classroom, go to our seats
Put my head down, feel like I'm beat
But Mr. Brown, pulls out his guitar
He makes us feel, like we're stars
There's no more, rainy day recess blues

Let us know what you think - leave a comment below!

Jada and Sloan - Chant Fanatics!

We're wrapping up our unit on Word Play. The kids have had a wonderful time during this study - we've written jokes, chants, songs, riddles, and even idioms. Each day I would teach strategies for these types of wordplay, and then students would have a "menu" of options to choose from as they worked in writer's workshop. Jada and Sloan really took to chant writing. Chant writing is fun - it has rhythm, rhyme, and is really silly (things kids love). I was proud of the effort and hard work these two students put toward their craft. Here are Jada and Sloan sharing a few of the chants they created...

Stop-Think-React

Good readers are active readers - they're not passive. Good readers constantly ask questions, make predictions, form inferences, and find connections. One way we've been practicing this stance is by using a strategy called "stop-think-react." You do just what it says! In this instance, partners were reading a National Geographic Explorer article together. At different places in the text, they would stop, think, and discuss their ideas with each other. Here are a few of our kids sharing their thinking...

Red Ribbon Day

"Show Good Character - Say No to Drugs!" was our class theme for Red Ribbon Week. We created a banner, and each student dressed up as his or her favorite book character. Our kids marched proudly in the parade, chanting slogans to the top of their lungs! After the parade, we had small group discussions where each student "became" his or her book character and talked to other characters in the class. It was fun to actually be some of the characters we've read about - and it was fun to watch and listen to the other "characters" share about their lives. Here is some video footage from our day together...

Space Facts from Room 241

After returning from our field study to Roper Mountain Science Center, we decided to do a mini-inquiry into space. We had learned so many new interesting facts about our solar system, and had a lot of new questions. We began this inquiry by developing our questions and wonderings. We then spent a lot of time reading through resources, trying to find the answers to our questions. We learned to read "big chunks" at a time; we learned to connect our new learning to our background knowledge; and we learned to stop, think, and reflect about what we're reading. We decided to showcase our new learning with a display on the outside wall of our classroom (it's currently being created). But I also got the video camera out and had a few kids share their learning on film. Hope you enjoy...

Studycast - Social Studies Chapter 5

Click here to listen to the studycast for our upcoming Social Studies test on Chapter 5. You can download the audio file to your computer by right-clicking on the link. Choose "Save Target As" and save the file to an appropriate place in your computer.

If you have any questions or thoughts, click on the "comments" link below this post and leave a message. You can also email me at any time. Hope this studycast helps!

Sustaining New Teachers

A Sense of Belonging: Sustaining and Retaining New Teachers
by Jennifer Allen

I’m not an administrator or an instructional coach. I’m just a regular classroom teacher. So when I picked up this book, I thought that it might be a bit irrelevant to me – I was wrong. The first chapter of the book brought me back to the fall of 1999 when I met my first class of third graders. That was ten years ago, and somehow I had forgotten how hard it was to be a first year teacher. But Jennifer Allen helped me remember - the assessments, lesson planning, pacing, and behavior management were overwhelming. It was a hard year. As I look back, I’m actually amazed that I survived! Did you know that almost half of all teachers leave the profession after 5 years of teaching? In this book, Jennifer tackles this important issue. She describes how her school has supported new teachers in their first three years. When I finished the book, I was excited about the possibilities. If more schools adopted these practices, I believe new teachers would be incredibly more successful. Jennifer describes how she supports teachers within the classroom, using a gradual release of responsibility. New teachers are able to see her demonstrate a series of lessons each week, and then build on those lessons at the end of the week. Jennifer also shares detailed descriptions of her meetings with new teachers. She shows us exactly how to set up an environment that is supportive, inviting, and challenging all at once. I was particularly impressed with the study groups that Jennifer initiates. She once again gives detailed descriptions on how to create successful groups – from how to offer the courses to how to set an agenda. This is one of the most practical and important professional books I have read. I recommend it to anyone in our profession.

Studycast - Electricity and Magnets

Click here to listen to the studycast for our upcoming test on Electricity and Magnets. You can download the audio file to by right clicking on the link and saving it to your computer.

The study guide for the test came home on Monday, October 19th; and the test is on Friday, October 23rd. If you need an extra copy of the study guide, visit our classroom website's homework page to download a copy.

Send me an email or leave a comment below if you have any questions!

Madison's Leads

Last week we learned how to write strong leads. Strong leads often include a small action, dialogue, or a description of a setting. We tried out these strategies in class, and each student wrote three different leads for his or her story. Madison wrote about her first time ice skating. Here are her three leads...

1. "Click, click," the skates went as I put them on. I can do this, I told myself. I waddled out to the nice. I took a deep breath and stepped on the ice.

2. There I was - staring at the ice as I walked closer and closer. You can do this Madison, I told myself nervously. I put my foot on the ice, then the other. I gripped on the side. I was ready.

3. My heart was beating fast, then faster and faster. "Aren't you coming?" said my brother. I was speechless. I had to do this. It was the only way I could learn how to do this. I closed my eyes, then I opened them again. I stepped on the ice. I was ready for this.

Can you see all the ways she used small actions, dialogue, and setting? Which one do you like the best? Which one "grabs" you as a reader and makes you want to read on? I'm sure Madison would love your feedback.