Getting Smart on Nonfiction Topics
During reading this week, the students continued to practice how to preview nonfiction books and are taking time to stop and study each page, writing about what they're learning (study the words, labels, pictures, etc.).
The class also learned that while reading nonfiction books, we should get our brains ready for the next page/part. We can do this by thinking about what we've already learned (What happened before this page?) and what we think we will learn about next (I bet the next page will tell about...).
Once we've finished reading a nonfiction book, we can ask ourselves, "What have I learned about this topic?" Then we can read the book again and think about what we learned from rereading it. Students practiced this by rereading one of their nonfiction books with a partner and retelling facts they learned from the book.
How to Write a Teaching Book
This week we also started our next writing unit all about teaching books. To begin, students thought about topics they know a lot about (I am an expert!). After choosing a topic, they took turns teaching a partner about their topic. We practiced "saying it on our fingers" and using a teaching voice to share at least 5 important ideas. Students also filled in mind maps to organize the information they want to include in their teaching books.
Air and Weather
During science we used the two-syringe system again to talk about our observations and answered the question, "What happens when air is pushed into a smaller space?" We also explored how water can be used to show that air takes up space. First we used a vial, a napkin, and bucket of water. We put the napkin in the vial and pushed it under the water. The students observed that the napkin was still dry afterwards. Next, I put a foam ball on top of the water, put a vial over it and pushed it under the water. I let some of the air out and we saw the water level in the vial change. Together we practiced drawing pictures to show what happened.
Numbers to 20
This week we completed our shape unit. Our new math chapter focuses on numbers to 20. To start, we practiced reading and writing numbers to 20, then used ten frames to arrange counters into groups of 10. Students worked on counting on from 10 to find the total (Ex. 10....11, 12, 13, 14). We also used place value charts to show numbers to 20 (e.g. 15 = 1 ten and 5 ones). To end the week, students reviewed number patterns and practiced finding 1 more, 2 more, 1 less, and 2 less than a number.
- Ms. Allison