Inspiring Individuals Unit
/We recently started a new unit called Inspiring Individuals. We have been reading about a plethora of amazing world leaders, change makers, and scientists. We are reading about artists, athletes, elected officials, and even inspiring children! As we are researching these individuals we’ve been learning how to take research notes and paraphrase in our words. This week our writers will be choosing their own individual for their research focus. They will be reading and using technology to acquire information about their chosen person. Then students will be compiling their research notes into a biography. For a culminating project students will use Google Slides to present their findings to the class. Our classroom has been abuzz with excited chatter as students share interesting facts with classmates and increase community interest in reading, history, and current events! We’ve also been learning to read and write timelines.
Our nature table and outdoor classroom have been teeming with life over the last two weeks. Last week we prepared an aquatic habitat for our tadpoles. Thanks for your help with this, Mr. Mark and Sawyer’s family! We’ve also been observing our painted lady caterpillars as they do massive amounts of eating and pooping. We were thrilled to discover several chrysalises in our caterpillar habitat when we returned to school on Monday. We have also been carefully observing our praying mantis oothecae, but haven’t yet observed any changes to the egg masses. In our outdoor classroom we discovered that our lupine has been blooming and it’s attracted several bumblebees! We’ve also noticed the mason bees busy laying eggs. Two Otters discovered a praying mantis ootheca near the pond.
In numeracy we are working on our number fluency and our ability to count change. Students have been setting up student stores to sell ice cream cones, donuts, gems, and other goods. Through their play at these stores students are learning the names and values of coins in addition to learning to count change. We have also been working on our money math packets, which will come home later this week.
In writer’s workshop students have been learning about the editing and peer review process. Students have been meeting in peer review groups to share their work and receive specific feedback about their writing. This process helps students become more comfortable with sharing their work and receiving constructive feedback that helps sharpen their writing skills. Students have also been editing peer science and social studies work. They are learning how to be careful writers and editors. Knowing that others will read and review their work has motivated many students to pay more careful attention to their penmanship and writing conventions. Students are realizing that it’s important that their readers can read their ideas and stories! Last week for spelling we learned how to spell several igh words. This week we are learning about ar words: art, far, start, park, sharp, darker, artist.
