Week 3

This week we were busy learning new math games, bus safety guidelines, behavior guidelines, what real reading is, checking out good fit books from the media center and finishing up our first read aloud book.

As we finished up the book The Tiger Rising, by Kate DiCamillo, students were on the edge of their seats waiting to see what would happen to Robb, Sistine and the tiger. It is a wonderful story about friendship, loss, and finding strength within ourselves. The students participated in a Cats and Fishes discussion activity where they were able to share their thoughts and ideas about the characters, events and themes in the novel. I was amazed by the insightful and smart comments that these bright young minds shared with their classmates.

Our reading time this week was filled with learning about  "real" reading (text + our thoughts = real reading), schema, and our frame of reference. The students created their own frame of reference using Google Drawing. They shared their experiences, thoughts, feelings, beliefs and culture.


The students continued to work on their reading stamina and found comfortable places to read every day. The last few pieces of our new furniture arrived on Friday! The classroom looks great and we can't wait to enjoy our new set up.


The students worked together on a shared Google Doc to show their knowledge about the behavior tiers. Students worked to put the correct behaviors in the appropriate tiers.  The students were able to collaborate and communicate while learning about our Alice Smith behavior tiers and expectations.

During math we were busy learning about prime and composite numbers, rectangular arrays, and factors of a number. Ms. Bonnie, a senior volunteer, came in to meet the students on Wednesday, she was so impressed with their respectful behavior and strong work ethic. She will be volunteering in our classroom two days a week during our math time. She has worked with me for the past 4 years, is a retired teacher and a valuable part of our class community.



It wouldn't be the start of school if we didn't involve bus safety training. Even though many of the students have heard the bus rules and procedures numerous times they sat and listened respectfully.