A Peek at My Week {2-09-14}

It's Sunday, and that means it is time for another edition of A Peek at my Week!

What have you got going on this week?

This week, we will begin another round of parent-teacher conferences.  However, in our 4th grade, these are student led conferences.  This is a great time for parents, students and me to sit around a table and hear directly from the student how their year is going, what their goals are for the remainder of the year, and what kinds of help they still need.  We also take time to celebrate the student's accomplishments too -- very important!  Have you ever tried student led conferences?  I would highly recommend them.

As a side note, I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was so funny.  Do you have any students like this???

Source:  http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a0/08/6a/a0086afbc57c4f9930d0a388ccaa18d8.jpg

Also this week, my 4th grade writers will be revising one of their drafts from their Writing Circles experience to be published.  This was a great experience for all of us and I can see how some of my more reluctant writers have grown through Writing Circles.  (You can read my original post here.)  They have asked for another round with a different response groups so we will begin those on Wednesday.

One of the things that I like the best about Writing Circles is how many of my students are taking the feedback they receive from a draft and are applying it to their next project.  They are trying new things and growing, growing, growing!

This week we are also going to do a little work with fluency.  I had each student pick out a poem they would like to practice.  On Friday, I hope to have a Poetry Cafe, where everyone reads their poem to the class.  Next week, I'm going to be smarter about this.  Instead of ME copying poems out of a book, I'm going to have my students go on Giggle Poetry and print their own.  Have you seen this site?  It is AMAZING!

Have a great week!

A Peek at My Week {12-15-13}

Here we are in the final stretch.  One more week, friends....We can do this!!  Welcome to A Peek at My Week, a place to link up to share what you've got planned for the upcoming week.

I don't know about your students, but mine have been rather rambunctious this past week.

With the upcoming break from school and a visit from you-know-who, keeping the kiddos motivated and on-task will be quite the challenge.

One thing we will continue to work on this week is our fluency using "'Twas the Night Before Christmas'."  I assigned students lines to read and every day, then they partner read the entire poem with a classmate.  Their fluency has improved dramatically.  Later this week, we will play "I Have Who Has" of lines of the poem using this fun activity from Mr. Hughes.

We will perform the poem for our kindergarten buddies at a buddy party on Wednesday.

Also this week, my writing students will be writing their own family holiday newsletter.  Similar to newsletters that many of us get in Christmas cards from friends and relatives, I am going to have my students think of the three most memorable events from their past year and put together a one-page newsletter. 

How about you?  What are you doing this week to stay sane?  :)

As a side note, there WILL be A Peek at My Week next week, even though it is winter break.  I thought we could share what we are doing over break to help refresh and rejuvenate ourselves.

Wishing you a great week! 

Tried it Tuesday -- Tumblebooks

I'm so happy to see that Tried it Tuesday is back with Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper.  With all of these linky parties returning to their regularly scheduled program, everything is beginning to feel "normal" again.  :)

This week I'd like to share an online e-book program called Tumblebooks. 

Like the product description says, Tumblebooks are animated and narrated picture books that students can watch on the SMART Board, computer, or iPad.  There are tons of stories to choose from, both fiction and nonfiction.  Many of the stories are even AR books (if that matters for your students.)

How do I use Tumblebooks in my classroom?

• During snack time, I will sometimes play a Tumblebook
• Students listen and follow along to a Tumblebook during DEAR time to hear fluent reading and to practice moving their eyes along a page faster
• Students can watch Tumblebooks at home (if your school allows this)
• We will watch some of the nonfiction stories to introduce a topic we will be studying in science
• I sometimes use Tumblebooks to spark writing ideas or "finish the story" writing

 

Tumblebooks is a subscription service, but there is a 30 day free trial.  This may be something to approach your school librarian about getting for the whole school, like our librarian did.

(And no, I am not receiving any compensation from Tumblebooks....just sharing a great reading resource!  :)

Tomorrow is the last day to enter my math Number of the Day Task Card Giveaway!  Two lucky winners will be chosen.  Good luck!

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Let's Get Acquainted -- My Classroom

Here we are...Off to start another week and linking up with Flying Into First Grade's weekly "Let's Get Acquainted" linky party.  This week's topic is my sweet home away from home -- my classroom.  I swear, sometimes I spend so much time there that it would be just easier if I moved a bed and some clothes in with me!  : )

So here are three of my favorite places in my classroom:

1.  Our Word Harvesting Wall

 

 

As we are reading a book or story, the kids listen for words they would like to harvest.  These need to be words that are beyond our every day words, but are likely to be seen in our reading again.   I learned about this activity from Tim Rasinski at a fluency workshop of his that I attended last year.  The idea is that as we read the Word Harvesting wall, the students are becoming familiar with the words so when they see them in their independent reading, they know the word, how to say it, and what it means.  The kids get especially excited when they do!  I will also ask students to use a word from the Word Harvest wall in their writing workshop and then share how they did.  This is a great way to get them to try out new vocabulary!

 

2.  My Accelerated Reader (AR) Race Track

 



 

Accelerated Reader is a super huge BIG deal in my school.  While I feel the goal of AR is not to earn points just to earn points (the goal is really to become a better reader), I like to use it to monitor who is staying on track with their independent reading.  Each quarter, students set reading goals that they would like to achieve.  I took a picture of each student and put them in these cute race cars that I found at the teacher supply store.  As students read and take AR quizzes, they move their race car up the track until they reach the "GOAL" flag.  The pink flag with the black arrow is what we call the pace flag and students need to try to stay at or above this point.  I'm happy to say that because our race track is a very visible reminder, students usually do not have a problem meeting their reading goals.

 

 

3.  Our Reading Rug

 

 

 

 

Like many of you, it is fun to have a place to gather as a group to hear a story, have a class meeting, or to read with a pillow.  I have two of these rugs in my room and they are always the go-to place for my reading friends.

 

I can't wait to check out other people's classrooms!  Head on over to Flying Into First Grade and see some for yourself.

 

Have a great week!