Welcome back, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful vacation full of fun, relaxation, and family time!
As Room #7 continues to delve into number sentences and comparisons, we are also investigating shapes, both 3-dimensional and 2-dimensional.
- Worm to 5 and 10 – At this partner game, students worked with numbers to equal either the number 5 or 10. The goal was to cover all the spots along the worm. The kiddos had to choose 2 circles to equal the target number. This station was great to work on different number combinations!
- Pattern Block Barrier Game – At this fun-filled station, partners sit near each other with a barrier between them. Player 1 puts one to three pattern blocks somewhere in his/her grid playboard. Next, he/she tells the partner how to put pattern blocks to match his/her grid. The mathematician uses the names of the pattern blocks and positional language to describe where to place them. Next, the barrier is removed and the partners discover if the two grids match! Finally, they swap roles and play again.
- Copycat – Using geoboards, a teacher made various shapes and then the students copied the shapes! As they worked, the groups talked about the various shapes, how many sides, and how many vertices/points each shape had!
- Building Shapes from Shapes – At this tricky station, the boys and girls of Room #7 used various pattern blocks to make certain shapes. There were many challenges at this center, but they persevered!
- Dozen Domino Dilemma – This partner game gets the kiddos comparing numbers to determine which is greater, less than, or equal! Each partner was assigned a title: Dominos less than 6 and dominos greater than 6. Each person then chose a domino and determined who should get it. First person to a dozen dominos won!
- iPad – you pick! Students got to choose what game they wanted to play from the ones we have already learned. What fun and great extra practice!
- Hide-it – Using between 8 and 12 cubes, a teacher hid some and left some out. Then, the mathematicians had to figure out the number that was hidden based on the number of cubes they saw. Last, they wrote the corresponding number sentence!
We have started a new unit in Reader’s Workshop entitled: Avid readers! After learning what the new word meant, our readers came up with many ways one can be an avid reader: having stacks of books in waiting, reading in various places, never stopping, and really paying attention to the details. We also added that avid readers sometimes feel the way their characters feel. The boys and girls started marking pages in their books where they recognized a feeling. Keep it up, avid readers!
We have also started a new unit in Writing: Persuasive Writing. Room #7 has been talking about problems that they see at Hastings: outside at recess, at lunch, in the hallways, in Room #7, etc. They learned that they can use their pencils as magic wands to help solve issues around the school. After identifying a problem, the kiddos thought about what some possible solutions are to the problem and then started writing. They could choose how they wanted to write to solve their problems. Writers could pick from letter paper, regular paper, or they could even make signs! Next, in order to persuade their audience, they had to explain why the problem needed to stop! This is tricky work, but the cherubs are very excited to exact some changes in our school!
Have a great weekend!