Monday, September 14, 2009

Fourth week

PreK3 and PreK
Guiding Questions: What are my body parts?  How does my body move?




Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes, by Judy Hindley
What can we do with our eyes, nose, fingers, and toes?  We'll read along and think of other things we can do with our important senses.  Like, sing! and Laugh!



Grades K-2
Guiding Question: How can I choose a book that's right for my reading level?
A book has to "fit" like a pair of shoes - just right...not too easy, not too hard!  We read different versions of Goldilocks and talked about how we know when a book is "just right."
             1) It's interesting
             2) We can read almost all of the words or
                  we're choosing to have someone else read it
             3) We have some idea what it's about before we start


Kindergarten read Goldilocks and the Three Bears, by Valeri Gorbachev
When Goldilocks happens upon a little house in the woods, she tries everything inside: the porridge, the chairs, the beds.  It always takes a few tries, however, to find the "just right" one.  Porridge that is not too hot or too cold.  A chair that is not too soft and not too hard.  In this retelling of the classic story, cute fuzzy bears are surprised but not angry when they discover the blonde little girl sleeping in their home. 




Grade 1 read Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians, by Jackie Mims Hopkins
Goldie Socks happens upon a house in the woods, but it's not a bears' usual kind of house...it's made of books!  She searches through lots of genres for one that's "Just Right" and when the bears discover her, they're thrilled to see her reading!




Grade 2 read Goldilocks and the Three Martians, by Stu Smith
Goldilocks is sick of her mom's overly strict expectations, so she jets off to find herself a new planet to live on. Well, sure enough, none of the planets is 'just right' - except for Mars. Silly story told in rhyme with vivid painted illustrations.









Grade 3
Guiding Question: How can what we're studying in class tie in to a fiction story?
Grade threes are learning about butterflies, so we read a story about butterfly migration.


Ghost Wings, by Barbara Joosse
A young Mexican girl and her grandmother share a close relationship, and one of their favorite events of the year is the return of the monarch butterflies to the "Magic Circle" of trees.  After her grandmother's death, the girl takes some strength from the return of the butterflies the next year, feeling her grandmother's spirit in their wings. 



Grade 4:  Mrs. Ducharme gave booktalks about new books and then students checked out books for pleasure reading. 

Grade 5 had time to check-out books for pleasure reading and see what features our new library website offers.  We also continued to read personal narrative picture books in Mr. Derby, Ms Woolacott, and Mr. Brown's classes, and modeled how to write a "book blurb" with Mr. Dickson's class.

The Wednesday Surprise, by Eve Bunting
A girl and her grandmother are planning an amazing surprise for Dad's birthday.  They meet every Wednesday to prepare it.  When it's revealed, the reader is just as surprised as Dad!