October

Hello, parents!

Sorry it has been so long-- I do plan on blogging more often than this! It's been a crazy few weeks!!!
 
Many of your students came to class excited about watching the links I posted, so that tell me a lot of you are peeking on our blog! :) Thanks!
 
 
Over the past two weeks, we have been learning SO MUCH!



=*Spiders*=

 
We started the week with a Spider Walk, where we observed photos all around the room of spiders.  We also get excited after watching cool spider videos:
 
Itsy Bitsy Spider:
 
National Park Spiders:
 
World's Weirdest Animals:
 
 
Our favorite was this one:
Tarantula vs. Wasp
 
We have watched it every day at lunch by popular request!
 
After learning a little something about spiders, we came up with sentences about what we learned.  Then we posted six of them around the room like this:

 

and

 

 

Finally, we were each able to choose one that we liked to copy and draw about.  We are really working hard at illustrating what our sentences say.
Here was my example:

 

 

Here was a fabulous student example (earning 3 stars!):

 

 

As always, we did our Pictoral Chart on spiders.

 

 

We learned the Spider Parts song:

 

 
And we did our first Direct Draw! I was SUPER anxious to do one (it's very strict, very step-by-step work), but it was the BEST work I've ever seen the kids do!! I even have a video somewhere of how quiet our room was during this because they were working so hard to do the right thing.  Below is my example of a finished product.  We started really basic, with the head, then the eyes, then the smile, etc.
 
Our drawing rules are strict because they get points on drawing on the District Writing Assessment.  They always need a SUBJECT (in this case, the spider), and a SETTING.  The setting has to include something ABOVE, BELOW, and BESIDE the subject.

 

 
Here are some fabulous student examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
The week before that...
 

~*~PUMPKINS~*~

 

 
We started off with our Pictoral Chart.  I lecture and draw one first; then, the kids match words and pictures to create an even better chart. 

 

Here is the completed chart! We refer to it often and keep it posted during the whole month.

 

 

 

Our 5th grade helper is playing "Where's the Cucumber Beetle?" with the kiddos.  Same as "Where's the Worm" last month, only new theme :)

 

 

 Cucumber beetles are the pumpkin's biggest pest.
 

 During center time, the girls take turns being the "teacher."

 

 Can't do a single unit without a life cycle!

 

 Fist-print pumpkins for the bulletin board!

 

 

 Pumpkin writing!

 

 

*~*Bats!*~*

 


 
They did such a cute job making bats from circles and ovals as we were focusing on curves. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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