Day 3

Day Three was a busy day! (Did I start with that sentence yesterday?!) We started with Student of the Week (SOTW). Ms. Leom was the SOTW. She modeled our experience. First you introduce any guests (her parents were busy today and unable to come). Then you share your poster and any treasures. There is a question and answer opportunity. Next, each member of your class shares something they appreciate about you. You are presented with a certificate and a Student of the Week book, filled with paragraphs about you (our writing assignment from yesterday). Finally, you select a new Student of the Week. There weren't any pictures, because Ms. Leom was busy speaking.

Ms. Leom's Student of the Week Book Cover

We had Passsport Training next (see a previous post).

Then it was time for Mr. Grenigner's class to arrive. We spent most of our time getting organized. We decorated our Flex Reading Journals with duct tape. Ms. Leom walked around the room making sure each students had the materials they needed for class and helping make sure they have their materials labeled (she provided printed labels). She collected the duct tape. We will use it for a future fourth grade reward.

After duct taping our journals, getting organized, and some time to write and share our thoughts about books and reading, Ms. Leom introduced Mr. Greninger's class to Student of the Week. It will take all year for students to have their turn. We are excited to learn more about each student!

Our next learning activity was learning about the Types of Sentences. Several years ago, Ms. Leom felt that fourth graders didn't have as many "cutting and crafting" learning activities that they enjoyed and missed from younger grades. So she took a lesson, "learning about the types of sentences" and made it into a cutting, and crafting opportunity. 

Students start with a "Types of Sentences" page, and cut out all of the pieces: the title, four circles, a rectangle, and a "snake". Ms. Leom uses this time to pass out the rest of the materials.

Next, we start to assemble our "Types of Sentences Poster".

We weren't able to finish today. We ran out of class time. We will define each type of sentence. We will create an example of each. Students will write their own example. We will talk about punctuation and capital letters. Ms. Leom is check and reteach. Then we will post them in the hallway to share our learning and teach others about these important terms: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences. We will be using these terms all year. Stay tuned for some images of our finished results!!

Ms. Leom's class returned today. We were able to pull out our crisp and shiny cursive books and model what we remember from last year.

After lunch, Ms. Leom introduced her class to the Types of Sentences Project.

We also ran out of class time, but we had a lot of fun working. We will finish tomorrow.

Please note that students are welcome to stand, kneel, or sit. Our classroom offers opportunities for talking and interacting with each other. We know that student attention spans for a speaker are about five to seven minutes, then some type of movement or activity is helpful to their learning.

We are also beginning to build our community of learning. We are developing the ideas that making mistakes is ok (giving up is where there is a concern). We take every opportunity to welcome questions and clarification about directions. We recognize when students problem solve ("I threw out my Types of Sentences title, may I write it on my paper?" YES!!). We verbally recognize the questions and connections that support our learning, even giving out initials when students begin recognizing and supporting each other. It is magical to see the connections created in class.

We are also beginning our discussions about "being smart". We will be developing that idea that "being smart" is not just "knowing" and a "high score" on a test. Being smart is working hard, trying, asking questions, clarifying, and engaging in the learning, because if you "just know" and have "high scores", but don't try and don't apply what you "know" ... how is that helpful to you?!

Fourth grade teachers are also planning for Parent Night on Monday September 14 at 5:30-6:30 PM. We are preparing for our iPads. We hope to see you in the Elementary Media Center!!!