I think we're finally really back from Winter Break! Last week, we took a reading comprehension test with our last science fiction story. The day after is when we really learned a lot - we were able to revise each answer by finding the evidence in the text - close reading, for sure! We then introduced a type of discussion format called the "fishbowl discussion." There are many formats out there, and we tried different strategies so this type of discussion works for us. We will continue to reflect on our discussions in order to improve.
In this short week, we heard students' Genius Hour pitches, and gave helpful feedback. We also had another fishbowl discussion after we read and analyzed poems that relate to war. Our question was, "Is war ever justified? Why or why not?" Students are getting better at giving evidence for their opinions, and are being very respectful of each other in the discussions. We ended the week writing about these poems using a prompt that will be similar to something students may encounter on the PARCC tests in March.
My personal favorite part of the last two weeks, however, was seeing THREE parents in our classroom! See the book talk page for two parents who gave book talks, and we also had one that came to read us a picture book today!! This was thrilling for me, and the students as well. Please pass along the sign up link to grandparents, too - one student asked about this, and his grandma is coming in soon - why not share one of your favorite books to share the love of reading?!
In this short week, we heard students' Genius Hour pitches, and gave helpful feedback. We also had another fishbowl discussion after we read and analyzed poems that relate to war. Our question was, "Is war ever justified? Why or why not?" Students are getting better at giving evidence for their opinions, and are being very respectful of each other in the discussions. We ended the week writing about these poems using a prompt that will be similar to something students may encounter on the PARCC tests in March.
My personal favorite part of the last two weeks, however, was seeing THREE parents in our classroom! See the book talk page for two parents who gave book talks, and we also had one that came to read us a picture book today!! This was thrilling for me, and the students as well. Please pass along the sign up link to grandparents, too - one student asked about this, and his grandma is coming in soon - why not share one of your favorite books to share the love of reading?!