Placemat Book Projects

Tuesday was a long morning in the classroom. The cold temperatures had students in the building before the school day officially started. We had MAP Reading tests, so students missed the opportunity to switch for flex reading. We had indoor recess due to the continued cold. Knowing these factors and wanting students to MOVE and be kids, Ms. Leom announced she was postponing Book Project Placemats Lunch until another day, so kids could be kids. There was a loud outcry and some disappointed students. They begged for a vote. 14 of the 17 students in class at the time wanted Book Project Placemat Lunch on Tuesday, despite the less active morning. Ms. Leom tried one more time ... the masses had spoken.

Ms. Leom wasn't able to get all of the speakers, but she tried to get several. We had formal speaking projects where students stood in front of the class and spoke to the whole group. On Tuesday, students presented to a small group. They shared as their peers ate, and they ate as their peers shared. We were able to talk about some basic manners. Students could choose to stand up or sit down as they presented in this less formal setting. It was fun to hear about all the books students have been reading.

Mr. Greninger's class was scheduled to present on Wednesday. They had an indoor recess day on their presentation day too. Ms. Leom suggested that they postpone for another day. They voted, a tied vote. Ms. Leom rescheduled for a day that they are outside for Recess. Having some down time to talk with friends without an academic focus is valued and important. She reminded the class that she has meetings on Thursdays with the fourth grade teachers, so it can't be on a Thursday. The day hans't been scheduled, but it is coming! All placemats are completed and piled near her desk, waiting for their special lunch in her classroom!

MAP Reading Test

We took the MAP Reading Test on our iPads on Tuesday morning. If you are interested in learning more about MAP, it is also known as the NWEA (assessment). At Milaca Elementary, our students participate in this assessment three times a year. We use it to determine growth and areas to develop our curriculum. It also is a factor in determining our flex groups, our after school tutoring recommendations, and summer school participants.


Mrs. Notch, our  Director of Student Achievement, and Mr. Bistrup, who heads up our technology in school were in my room helping with a glitch. Fourth grade was the first grade to attempt to take the test on the iPads. It went smoothly, and we are excited to be able to use the iPad for testing.

 

Our students worked very hard. SO proud of their hard work and efforts!

We have students who were absent and another day of testing for Math. Test results will be shared when they are available. 

We are already compiling the data and preparing to meet for flex group changes and updated guided reading levels for students.

Benchmark

This week, the Title One staff has been working hard to benchmark the entire school. This morning we had benchmarking.  Fourth grade students sat in the hallway, outside the media center and waited their turn.

In each of the two Title One classrooms, students read to a Title One staff member. The teacher tracked the student's reading on-line, using the AIMSweb program. 

This test assesses students's oral reading fluency (ORF), or how many words students read in a minute.

It matters, because students who read fewer words, or read slowly, have a more difficult time comprehending. Their brains are so busy figuring out each letter sound and word, they are not able to focus on the ideas. In converse, students who read more words per minute, having a higher ORF score, have more "brain space" to predict, question, clarify, and summarize as they read. Of course, ALL of our students are individuals, and their brains all have their own style and pace. This is just a tool we use to add to our data and make decisions for our students.

These decisions include, flex groups, after school tutoring, summer school, and more importantly, in class instruction.

We did Benchmarking during our Core Reading class this morning.

PML

There is a new club at fourth grade recess, the PML ... Protect Marine/Mammal Life. These students (not in our classroom), work during Recess for their cause. They put up posters in each classroom, and this week are sporting shirts, inviting anyone interested to join them in their cause. They are currently considering their fundraising ideas.

Although I am not aware of all the details and am not in a position to endorse the group, I was impressed by their efforts to include everyone, and I admire their enthusiasm for something that matters to them.

This is another reason I love being part of the Milaca School Community. We have great students who are changing their corner of the world one moment at a time!

SE Project

It is time for a project. This week, students selected a state in the Southeast. There were enough states, so only two people were able to select each state. Students who had the same state became partners. Students who had states without a partner were given the option to change their state to have a partner.

Students are working to "make a movie" on the iPads. I will admit, this is NEW to me, and once again, I am not sure exactly what this will look like. As a teacher, I will be working alongside my students to learn more how to do this. Here is a peek of our first day of researching ...

Stay tuned for more details ...

Summarize

This week we are talking about summarizing. We have practiced all week. We took notes.

These are strategies students can use to summarize. This is perfect for those weekly reading logs!!

Hats

This week, we met more hats (that Ms. Leom wears).

Sunni Summarizer

Madame Prediction

Clara Clarifier

Queenie, the Queen of Questions

The characters represent "reciprocal reading", four processes successful readers use as they read. Readers predict, ask questions, clarify, and summarize as they read. In Ms. Leom's world, each of these skills is represented as a hat. The many hats of a reader.

The characters also have a voice. MADAME Prediction speaks with a slight (poor) French/German/European sound. Queen of Questions speaks fast Midwestern. Clara has a southern accent, and Sunni Summarize is Midwestern calm and collected. It helps later, when Ms. Leom wants to prompt students, she can switch her voice, and students are immediately cued to our learning.

Our focus this week is summarizing and clarifying (fix-up monitoring). These are important skills, and students use summarizing daily, most notable, on their green, weekly reading logs. 

These pictures are "stock" images from previous years. When students are surveyed at the end of every year, they often remember these characters. When students enter sixth grade, and they are working on these four roles, rumor has it, these hats are remembered and mentioned. Hats off to learning!!