The Great Ball Game was read, prepared, rehearsed and performed last week in Room 108. The story is a play about animals and birds that are having difficulty deciding which group is better, while a confused bat struggles with his identity as either a bird or an animal. The story was a great opportunity for students to practice oral reading and fluency skills. In the pictures, you will see each student made their character out of construction paper and taped them on popsicle sticks to use during the performances. The final picture is a shot of our "Storyteller" sitting next to the day and night scenes that were created collaboratively by all students together. 
Unit 8 is over in both reading and math. The new theme for reading is "Being Afraid" and focuses children on stories relating to fear. Students are going to be engaged in constructing story diagrams and charts of all kinds to activate comprehension skills and make story connections. Personal experience and thoughts are going to prove most valuable for children as they discuss selections with their peers throughout the unit. Math is becoming a bit more challenging on a daily basis as the direction of Unit 9 heads into place value and fractions. The number grids (hundred charts) are going to be utilized on a daily basis as a strategy to solidify awareness of place value, for most it will be ones, tens, and hundreds. For others, the sky is the limit as numbers will be explored forwards and backwards, up and down, as well as diagonally. Fractions hopefully become more engrained in children's mind as they use pattern blocks and paper strips to identify equal parts, comparing fractions, and dividing wholes.
The Great Ball Game was read, prepared, rehearsed and performed last week in Room 108. The story is a play about animals and birds that are having difficulty deciding which group is better, while a confused bat struggles with his identity as either a bird or an animal. The story was a great opportunity for students to practice oral reading and fluency skills. In the pictures, you will see each student made their character out of construction paper and taped them on popsicle sticks to use during the performances. The final picture is a shot of our "Storyteller" sitting next to the day and night scenes that were created collaboratively by all students together. 
