I am pleased to say, as the kids are so excited, that we have build enough stamina in read to self and read to someone that I can start guided reading groups and strategy groups! Yeah! I realize the importance of setting the foundation for routine and practice the first month of school, as it will make all the difference through the rest of the year, but it felt like we were never going to get started with guided reading. The students have been begging me and reminding me that we are ready, and I agree, they are! Not only will I be doing guided reading groups, but I will be trying to utilize strategy groups as well. The difference is that in guided reading groups the students are usually reading the same book at the same level. In strategy groups, you can have students reading different books at different levels focusing on one strategy for all of them. There is importance in both types and students will be involved in both this year.
We are working hard on getting our writing stamina increased. After just starting "work on writing" last week, we are up to 10 minutes. I am hoping to see our writing stamina increase a lot this week now that we are done with MAPs testing and can get back to business. Many students say this is their favorite so far of the Daily 5 - work on writing. Super! Having "choice" is an important component of the Daily 5 and it helps build enthusiasm and independence.
I hope your 3B students has filled you in on all of our wonderful science critters! We have aphids, daphnia, fruit flies, and ants all venturing to stay alive. So far the daphnia and ants have been unsuccessful. I'm not sure what happened to the ants in the ant farm - this is the first year they have died so quickly. We never have much luck with the daphnia, but at least they made it a few days for the students to observe and learn about. We have been charting the population of the different insects and thinking like scientist do. Why are some of the populations decreasing while others are increasing? What factors can contribute to this? We have had some great discussions! Next week we will have more visitors - the predators of these insects!!! Should be interesting!
Looks like we will be ready for our first math assessment at the end of this week also. I am pleased with the background each of the students has carried over from second grade when it comes to math concepts! They retained a lot so it has made this math unit of review go very smoothly! Our next unit is on addition and subtraction so start practicing those facts at home as I have noticed there is a little weakness in that area for many students in 3B.
Finally, it looks like summer is over and fall has hit. The wind was terribly cold today and many students were chilly at recess. Just a reminder to think about the weather when helping your child decide what to wear to school. Dressing in layers is the best bet as they can easily take off a sweatshirt if get too hot in the afternoon but can't do anything to stay warm without extra clothes. I am hoping it warms up a little bit in the next few days as I am not ready for winter! Yuck!
Have a great week!
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