Day Three

Hello,

Okay, they are getting a little more comfortable with each other.  There is good and bad that goes with that.  We are learning about our classmates and are eager to share about ourselves, which is great.  We also sometimes feel that our own personal voice is the most important, so we talk over people.  That isn't so great.  I would say that is the number one thing that we need to work on to be a good team:  one speaker at a time. 

The class took their first Sitton spelling test of the year today.  They are asked to spell twenty words on a cloze test.  All of the words are very common.  The Sitton program is based on learning the most highly used words in the English language.  From today's test, students will start being assigned specific high-frequency words that they need to learn.  New words will be assigned on Mondays with the quizzes taking place on Thursdays.  Tonight's homework, based on vowel sounds, comes directly from the Sitton book. 

The Homework in a Bag assignment has gone very well so far.  I got this idea from Ms. Boehm, a fantastic teacher from Jordan Acres who left us four years ago.  Our class got through about 2/3 of the bags today.  It's a fun way to see and hear about their strong interests and it is definitely helping me connect with some of them. 

Our first official Math in Focus day started with the pre-test.  This is a test that shows if students are ready for chapter one of the fourth grade book.  I haven't graded them yet, but I could see that many students have some gaps in their math knowledge.  Regrouping and borrowing were the major stumbling blocks.  We'll have to back up the bus for some, before we can move forward.

Our read aloud, Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, has been a minor hit, but wait until tomorrow.  I'll leave them for the weekend on a major cliff-hanger.  The story is about a boy who is the youngest of three children.  He lives in a country where the government only allows two children per family.  He spends most of his time hiding up in the attic.  It is a great story that I like to read while teaching government.  I think I'll have them clamoring for more tomorrow afternoon. 

FYI: I usually don't post anything on Fridays.  I put in a lot of time during the week, but I tend to get out of here pretty quickly after school Friday (only to collapse from exhaustion on my couch.)  I have found very few things that can compare with the amount of energy it takes to do this job.  I come in every Sunday recharged to pick up the pieces, correct papers and plan for the week.  So there will be no need to check for a new post until Monday after school.

Thanks for reading.  Please contact me with any concerns, queries, or comments. 

Mr. Shea