Compare & Contrast

Our current genre study in Writers Workshop is Compare & Contrast. Students have been eagerly working through the same writing process as previous genres, only with these modifications:

Prewrite - matrix instead of a storyboard

Draft - 2 paragraphs instead of 3, utilizing topic and conclusion sentences

Edit - eliminate tag & quote (dialogue)

Revise - adjectives & verbs, and now learning to add similes!

Here are some of our first completed drafts for compare & contrast, courtesy of the writers in room 302! They will all tell you that there may have been a tear in my eye since I was SO incredibly proud as I listened to them sharing this morning. We have only been modeling how to write similes to enrich our writing for 3 days, and already students have implemented this without me even using it in the context of a draft! This truly is a special group of students!!!!!

HERE ARE OUR FIRST DRAFTS!!!!!

          Here are some ways that China and Flower are different. China is fat and Flowers is skinny. China nibbles while Flower Licks. China has cowlicks, and Flower has slick fur. China has a big nose, while Flower has a small nose. China weighs about 40 grams. Flower weighs about 30 grams. 

          Here are some of their personalities. China acts like a snail, while flower acts like a normal Guinea pig. They both like to cuddle. They are cute. They both like juicy lettuce. They are also both lazy.

By: Kaiden

          Here are some ways cheetahs and rabbits are alike and different. Cheetahs are fast and so are rabbits. Cheetahs have orange and black spots, while on the other hand rabbits are gray with white on their butt. The cheetahs live in Africa. Rabbits live all over the world. Cheetahs live in groups. Also, rabbits live in groups too. 

          Cheetahs stalk their prey. Rabbits steal your food out of your garden. Cheetahs play with their babies, and rabbits do too. Cheetahs run for entertainment. Rabbits hand out Easter eggs on Easter. Cheetahs teach their babies to survive. Rabbits teach their babies to steal. Chetahs run, and rabbits like to hop all over. 

By: Caedon

          Here are some ways boys and girls are alike. Boys are pretty funny, and so are girls. Girls are really good, and boys are also good. Boys are sometimes happy, on the other hand girls are like that too. We are both children because we have moms and dads. Both of us argue because we have fights with our friends.

          Here are some ways we are different. Boys have short hair and girls have very long hair. Girls are amazingly clean, on the other hand boys are pretty gross. Boys are very strong and girls are kinda weak. Boys definitely talk a lot. Girls talk less than boys talk. There were some ways that we're different and the same.

By: Raegan

          Here are some ways Abby and Renata are alike. Both cool girls are really funny. Also, they both are really crazy. In addition both are really, really smart. Those were some ways Abby and Renata are alike. 

          Here are some ways Abby and Renata are different. Active Abby has ditry blonde hair, and Renata has dark brown hair. Also, Abby has 2 brothers and awesome Renata has 1 brother. In addition, Abby has blue eyes and Renata has brown eyes. 

By: Alexus

          Here are some ways a dog and a lion are the same. Dogs are quick and so are lions, and they are both hairy. They have big teeth like sharp pencils. They are good guards and fun to take care of. In addition, they can chew things. 

          Here are some ways a dog and a lion are different. A dog is fuzzy and a huge lion is hairy, and a dog is a little strong and the lion is very strong. A dog can be a rescue dog and the lion is an excellent hunter. The dog you can play with, and the lion you can ride on. That's how they're different and the same.

By: Justin

          Here are some ways that adults and kids are alike. First, both have a family to live with. Also, adults and kids have clothes to wear. Both people are good when it comes around to something important. Last, everyone likes to have an awesome time at a party. Those are some ways that adults and kids are alike.

          Here are some ways that adults and kids are different. First, adults are tall and of course kids are short. Also, adults have important jobs and kids like to play. A lot of adults like to be very serious and most kids like to be really crazy and loud. Those are some ways that adults and kids are different.

By: Haley

Antarctic Ice

Recently, we have studied a story called Antarctic Ice  about the life cycle in Antarctica. Our current reading comprehension study is on cause and effect. This video ties both of those topics together. We watched it in chunks over the past few days. Please enjoy at home!!!

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/under-antarctic-ice/video-full-episode/1430/

Slide Shows & Quick Reminders

Apparently I'm on a posting craze to catch up from a busy week of conferences! Last post for the night!!!

Do you remember those ancient projectors we all used to have in school? My memory brings me back to elementary school watching books on cassette tape while the teacher clicked through the slide show, or watching a series of photographs of various living organisms in biology. Did you ever thing you'd see one again? Well, from out of the depths of my disastrous cupboards one has emerged! Our reading comprehension skill for the last two weeks has been sequencing, which means putting events in a story in order. This is important because, of course, if a story went out of order it wouldn't make much sense. Students made many connections to other "real life" sequences as well, such as our daily schedule, time lines, tv shows, movies, cooking with a recipe, plays in several different sports, etc. 

To extend this skill to our literacy project, I asked students to first summarize a story in one sentence to identify the plot line of the story, then list the important events that created that plot, and finally recreate it on blank filmstrip (which also came out of my cupboard in the form of one gigantic reel...pretty sure I have miles of it!!!). We used Sharpie to prevent smearing, and I gave students the option to use pictures or write events. Now that we are finished, it's time to sit back and enjoy the show! Literally!!! And the irony in this whole situation? Everyone thinks this archaic technology is the greatest thing we've done all year!!!

Now for the reminders:

• Redhawks Reading minutes must be turned in ASAP to earn 1st Base (Pizza Hut personal pan pizza). If these are not returned on time and students don't earn 1st base it will limit their opportunities to earn the rest of the bases!
• March book order due either online or Mrs. Clarey's desk first thing Tuesday morning! 
• Wednesday - wear a readable t-shirt!

Ruby Holler

This month at Westside we are celebrating reading month, and tomorrow's task is to decorate our door to look like a favorite book. We chose our very first read aloud from last fall...RUBY HOLLER!!! When I went back Friday night to finish I ran out of dark green leaves (so it isn't quite finished), but I wanted to give you a chance to see it before inevitably someone accidentally rips one part or another. I'll post another picture once we finish adding the rest of our details!!!

I have always wanted to turn my door into a tree, and now that I've done it once I have a feeling it will be repeated. LOVE IT!!! Oh, and the yellow circle is actually a Newberry Medal, but the exposure on my phone makes it hard to see the design and title written around the perimeter.

REQUEST FOR READERS --- I'm sure many of you have a long list of favorite books, and probably a few that you still fondly remember from your childhood. We have two requests:

1. Email Mrs. Clarey a list of your favorite books from when you were growing up so that she can compile a list to share (click on the email link on the top of the right-hand column of the blog).
2. Visit our classroom to read one of your favorite books to the class as a read aloud! Times to visit can be scheduled at 8:30, 9:40, 11:10, or 2:10. Contact Mrs. Clarey for a time to be a guest reader!!!

And There was Light!

We are just beginning the electricity phase of our Magnetism and Electricity Unit in science, and to begin we are exploring energy sources. Our energy source for our experiments are D-cells (aka: D batteries), and on Friday we began to experiment with designing circuits. Allissa and Andre were the first to successfully light their bulb!

Last Look at Personal Narratives

The first several months of the school year we studied and wrote in the genre of personal narratives. This study allowed us to dive into the writing process and become comfortable moving through it regularly. What does the writing process look like in third grade, you may wonder? Here it is in 4 basic steps: PREWRITE, DRAFT, EDIT, REVISE. And now you're thinking, that's exactly the writing process I use as an adult! Yep! Your little writers will be well-prepared for their coming careers!!! The following pictures are all based on copyrighted curriculum courtesy of Steve Dunn, who my students have fondly nicknamed "The Writing Dude."

Here's a closer look:

Recent Learning Goals

Learning, anchor chart style! Our favorite!!!

Junior Achievement

Thursday morning marked our first visit by Jason Opp of AT&T through the Junior Achievement Program. Our first lesson focused on understanding how a city is designed and built in zones. After first learning what a zone is and discussing some of the zones in West Fargo, students worked in teams to design zones for our classroom. Here's a look at what they came up with!

Quick Announcements

Just a few more things to get you up to speed!

• Return the February calendar for Fargo Force minutes! March will be our last month, and we want to finish strong!!!
• March is also REDHAWKS READING month. Students can "double dip" with their minutes for both reading incentive programs. For Redhawks, students will earn a different prize each week. Weekly prizes are completed by reading 200 minutes. Each week that students meet their goal they earn a base
• 1st = Pizza Hut personal pan pizza
• 2nd = Subway 6 inch sub
• 3rd = Redhawks poster
• 4th = Free DQ Blizzard & a free ticket to a Redhawks Game
• As in baseball, you can't get to second if you haven't gone to first. So students need to be sure to be tracking their reading daily and bringing in their tracking sheets every MONDAY!
• March is reading month, and to celebrate here is what we're doing the next few days:
• Wednesday - Hat's off to reading, wear your silliest hat!
• Thursday - turn off the television and read!
• Friday - Cozy up with a good book! Wear your pjs to school!
• Tuesday (the 12th) - Read with a family member
• Wednesday - Reading is EVERYWHERE! Wear a readable t-shirt.

I'm sure you've noticed that mastering multiplication and division is taught very differently now than when we were all in school. Many of us are the product of the "drill and kill" method of mastering facts, and many of us grew up without a true understanding of what multiplying really meant, or we figured it out on our own later. Thankfully students are taught and encouraged to understand strategy prior to memorizing nowadays. We have spent tons of time discussing strategies for multiplying, and boy can our kiddos figure out problems. (ie: 2x4 is the same as 4+4. 2s facts are the same as doubles in addition! 4x4 is the same as (2x4) x2. Multiplying by 4 is the same as doubling a double!) Now that we have such a great understanding of what it means to multiply (combine equal groups) and divide (share equally), we just need to practice them to get them quick and fast. In this we need your help!  Be sure to practice multiplication and division facts at home 3-4 times each week until your child can use strategies quickly! Be creative! Make it active! There are also games online, apps for phones and ipads, etc, and don't forget to utilize the time you spend driving around quizzing any fact you can thinking of!

Dr. Seuss Character Day

Thanks for your patience as during this busy conference "season," I should be back to posting regularly after this week! Here are a few photos of those of us dressed up as a favorite character from Dr. Seuss!

This morning we are also working on Explorations in math, which means we are exploring concepts. 

Exploration A: What fractional part of the shape is covered by a specific pattern block(s)?

Exploration B: How do you cut apart two squares to create 1 larger squares? It's possible to do this by cutting each square only once, or by cutting apart each little triangle.

Exploration C: How many combinations of different colored pants and socks can you make?