Valentine's Day Party Thanks

I am sorry I missed the Valentine’s Day lunch. It was my turn to stay home with my sick child. I heard it was very yummy and FUN!! Thanks to all of you who helped by donating food and/or your time to attend. With such a great group of parents, I knew the kids would be well taken care of. Thanks especially to Sheila Washio, our room parent, for coordinating everything so beautifully.

Posted at 1:34 PM| Permalink

Nonfiction Writing Cycle

The class is finishing up their third writing cycle - individual research reports. In this cycle, each child chose their own topic of interest and then generated five questions about the topic. The next step was to gather information using books and/or websites. By this time of year, the children have all grown as readers and have at least one inquiry unit under their belt. This helps them be more independent in reading for information and following the writing process. Once the children have answered their questions, they write a rough draft, get comments and suggestions from their peers and teacher for revision, and then write a final draft and edit. During the cycle, there are whole-group and individual lessons given, such as creating a interesting lead to hook the audience, note taking, writing a conclusion, using commas in lists, and using a natural voice. I am pleased with the progress I see in each and every child.

Posted at 1:31 PM| Permalink