This is where you will post your explorer biography. Use the different biography strategies we created and employ other Writer’s Workshop strategies to make the biography come alive for the reader.
This is where you will post your explorer biography. Use the different biography strategies we created and employ other Writer’s Workshop strategies to make the biography come alive for the reader.
Have your child share/demonstrate how they discovered the relationship between diameter and circumference. Login with your child and leave a comment about their lesson!
Polar Express kicked off today. We read a text only version as a class today. We made a chart listing the different characters in the story. Afterwards, we used random picker so the children could pick their part in the production.
Your will flip. The audience will be delighted. We are performing an amazing reenactment of the Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. It will be beautiful. We are so excited. Everyone will be mesmerized, I think you will have a hard time realizing it was really fifth graders doing it. When you watch the 1st scene , you will be transported into another world and the whole audience will join you in the North Pole. I really think you are going to enjoy watching it. I don’t have any doubts about it. Our performance date will be posted soon . Do you want to be transported to the North Pole??? Hope to see you aboard the Polar Express!!!
Check out the Polar Express Forum page located on the right side of the website.
This page can be used to make observations and suggestions about our Polar Express production.
Below are a couple of emails I have received regarding the website.
Hi LearningCoach. I just wanted to let you know that I love the Web site. Because lil d knows that his writing will be public and his peers will be reading it, he is thinking about his writing so much more than he has ever done in the past…trying to use better vocabulary, adding details, and working on his voice. lil d has never enjoyed writing and struggles to get his ideas down on paper, but tonight as he was working on his personal narrative he said, for the first time ever, “I really like writing.” That was so great for me to hear! I have also enjoyed reading the other student’s writing and seeing their comments…it makes me feel like I am part of the community of learners in your classroom and gives me the advantage of knowing what is going on.
Happy Thanksgiving!
lil d’s mom
Hi LearningCoach,
Your classroom website is awesome!
Thanks,
slugger7’s mom
Egg Drop Day was a blast! The students were hyped from the minute they entered the classroom up until recess. There were some clever designs that worked against gravity to protect the egg. The students still need to do a project reflection on this project. The project reflection questions can be found using the search engine located on the top right column. I will be passing out hard copies tomorrow. However, I know some of the children worked with a parent(s) on the project, so feel free to discuss the questions with your child. If any parent took photos, please email them to me.
WC of Math was a success! The students made some tight scaled down fields using the real dimensions of a World Cup field. Every meter on a real field was a centimeter on our fields. The children were introduced to the compass and protractor during this project. We began to solve for perimeter using our fields. This will lead into investigation with circumference. The Shodor website was used to help build understanding of perimeter with the students as an extension of our project. The link to interactive practice is below.
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/PerimeterExplorer/
Congtatz to our WC of Math Champion mooboy!! Photos of the fields will be uploaded tomorrow! Come back and check them out!
Personal Essay Rubric
The children have written two personal essays. Both have been evaluated for management/effort thus far. The following rubric will be used to evaluate the actual writing piece. Each child picked their best personal essay. The personal essay should be posted on their writing page with a note to LearningCoach about this piece being the one they want graded/evaluated.
Personal Essay Title:_________________________________
CATEGORY 4 - Extending 3 - Satisfactory 2 - Progressing 1 - Needs Improvement
Attention Grabber
E=The introductory paragraph has a strong hook or attention grabber that is appropriate for the audience. This could be a strong statement, a relevant quotation, statistic, or question addressed to the reader.
S=The introductory paragraph has a hook or attention grabber, but it is weak, rambling or inappropriate for the audience.
P=The author has an interesting introductory paragraph but the connection to the topic is not clear.
NI= The introductory paragraph is not interesting AND is not relevant to the topic.
Evidence and Examples
E=All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author’s position.
S=Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author’s position.
P=At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author’s position.
NI=Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.
Audience
E=Demonstrates a clear understanding of the potential reader and uses appropriate vocabulary and arguments. Anticipates reader’s questions and provides thorough answers appropriate for that audience.
S=Demonstrates a general understanding of the potential reader and uses vocabulary and arguments appropriate for that audience.
P=Demonstrates some understanding of the potential reader and uses arguments appropriate for that audience.
NI=It is not clear who the author is writing for.
Grammar & Spelling
E=Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.
S=Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.
P=Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.
NI=Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.
Capitalization & Punctuation
E=Author makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read.
S=Author makes 1-2 errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read.
P=Author makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and interrupt the flow.
NI=Author makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and interrupt the flow.
Peer Edit with Perfection! Handout
There are three steps to good peer editing:
1. Compliment the author
• What are a few things that you liked about the author’s writing?
2. Make specific suggestions regarding the author’s
• Word choice
• Use of details
• Organization
• Sentence length
• Topic
3. Mark corrections on the writing piece
• Look for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes.
In addition, remember to:
• Stay positive!
• Be specific!
Copyright 2004 IRA/NCTE
Report Card Reflection
1.Tell me about your report card? What is your impression?
2.Describe a typical day at school.
3.What have you learned from the jobs you have held in the classroom?
4.What motivates you to be successful?
5.How do you define success?
6.What makes a student successful?
7.What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in school?
8.What do you expect to get out of school?
9.Where do you see yourself in the 2nd Quarter?
10.What is the most rewarding aspect of school?
11.What are your weaknesses and your strengths?
12.What were the three most important events (positive or negative) in school during the 1st Quarter?
13.How would you describe your work style?
14.Do you prefer to work independently or with others?
15.What makes a good leader? Do you consider yourself to be a leader?
16.Where do you want to be ten years from now?
17.If I were to ask one of your teachers to describe you, what would he or she say?
18.What changes would you make in classroom?
19.What were your favorite classes besides recess? Why?
VIDEO Reflection
1. What were you learning during this video (Topic)?
2. What are some of the most important words related to the topic, and what do they mean?
3. List a few things you learned from this video.
4. Were there any parts of the video that puzzled
you?
5. Why is this topic important for you to learn about?
6. What have you experienced in your own life that helps you understand this topic?
7. What is your interest level in this topic?
8. Does the video explain how facts were arrived at? What did they do to explain it?
9. What surprised you about this topic?
10. Do you have any questions related to this topic?
1. What were you exploring during this activity?
2. What steps did you take to succeed on this activity? How is your project unique?
3. List a few things you learned from this project.
4. What was the easiest part of this project for you?
5. What was the most difficult part of the project for you?
6. How can you improve your project?
7. What do you understand more clearly as a result of doing this project?
8. What would be the next exploration you would do related to this topic? Explain.
9. What did you learn about yourself by doing this activity?
10. What grade do you think you earned? Why? Give TWO examples to support your evaluation of your project.
Step 1 What is the task?
Step 2 Determine whether or not you need all the information that is given or if there is information missing. If so, what information is missing? How will you get the needed information?
Step 3 Draw a picture of the problem.
Step 4 Pull the math from the problem. In other words, set the problem up to be solved.
Step 5 Estimate what is a reasonable answer to the problem.
Step 6 Do the math. Show your effort. In other words, solve the problem and show your work.
Step 7 Explain in words how you solved the problem.
Paragraph 1 (Intro): Share what made the person famous or unique.
Paragraph 2: Share what they did before they were famous or how they became famous.
Paragraph 3: Contains details about their fame or accomplishments. Share how they influenced others with their fame or unique talent.
Paragraph 4: Shares a quote about the famous person or shares an experience from their life in detail.
Paragraph 5 (Closer): Shares last known facts about their life and reinforces how their influence lives on today.
Personal Essay Ideas
• Sometimes called opinion piece or personal narrative
• Allows you to have your say (gripes and raves)
• Strong feelings, you really care about it
• Readers want to know what you know
• Readers should feel what you feel
• Conversational topics that get you excited
• News stories that get your blood boiling or cause you to laugh out aloudPersonal Essay Tips
• Be evocative (persuasive)
• Employ ALL senses…convey ideas and images through sound, taste, touch, hearing and sight
• Take ideas from wherever you can
• Note your reactions to EVERYTHING
• Consider what makes you glad, sad, angry, passionate
• Consider what you read, see, hear, taste, smell, feel
• Search your own past for incidents
• Gripes and observations make offer good material
• Allow your reader to identify with your feelings
Personal Essay Strategies
The hook is the device you use to get your reader’s attention. It’s the doorway through which you welcome and orient them to the piece. Try using:
* A question. (“When was the last time you went without a meal?”)
* A quotation from someone famous or something you’ve read/overhead. (“Be careful” were the last words my father said to me each time I left the house.)
* A strong statement that your essay will either support or dispute. (“If you eat enough cabbage, you’ll never get cancer.”)
* A metaphor. (“The starlings in my back garden are the small boys in the playground, impressing each other with their new-found swear words. The crows all belong to the same biker gang. You need to know their secret sign to join their club.)
* A description of a person or setting. (“Michael once mowed the lawns around Municipal Hall wearing a frilly apron, high heels and nylons, with a pillow stuffed under his sweater so he looked pregnant. And it wasn’t even Halloween.”)