A lot of learning has been going on since the start of school.  We did have an unexpected delay due to Sandy, but we are back on track.  We just finished our first unit of study:  What distinguishes childhood from adulthood?

The students provided me some feedback about the unit of study.  One of the questions asked:  Two important pieces of new learning from this unit for me are……………………. Some of the responses are as follows:

I learned…………..

• how to grab the reader’s attention by writing a great title
• what a snapshot is and how to use it in writing
• adults can learn from kids
• new vocabulary (impeccable)
• suffixes (ible/able)
• how to speak up in a Socratic Seminar
• the author study
•  about different authors through the Gallery Walk because now I want to read some of their books
• how to read aloud more fluently with Readers Theater
• no matter what your age, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to
• about authors (Anthony Horowitz, Judy Blume, Erin Hunter- really four different authors, Mike Lupica, Suzanne Collins)
• Thoughtshots in writing
• how to write a detailed Memorable Moment
• how to have a good discussion

Now that we have wrapped up the first unit of study, we are onto to Unit 2- “How is folklore simultaneously revealing and limiting in understanding a culture?”  Through this unit we will be studying folk tales, myths, legends, and fables.  Students will be participating in a web quest:  Passport to Other Cultures (students will be reading folklore from other continents).  Students will also be presenting their favorite piece of folklore and a little bit about the culture it came from. (In other words- continue to improve research skills)

Some of our favorite learning activities will be reappearing- literature circles, Socratic Seminar, and Readers Theater.  Additionally, students will be creating their own original piece of folklore (a myth, legend, fable, etc.)

In spelling, we will be examining Greek and Latin root words, along with prefixes and suffixes.  We will be continuing our grammar lessons on pronouns, along with looking at verb tenses and utilizing verbs properly in writing.

I am excited to dive into this next unit and look forward to keeping everyone updated on our progress.

Here’s to new and exciting learning happening in our class!