5PA Update

5PA students will be completing their annotations for "The Hemulen Who Loved Silence".  We will then review Socratic Seminar expectations by completing a one-day training.  Socratic Seminar is a discussion forum that allows students to engage in conversations with one another.  The goal is that ALL students contribute thoughtful ideas throughout the seminar in order to obtain a clearer understanding of the text.  The teacher acts as a facilitator and is responsible for ensuring that the conversation stays on track.  After our seminar, students will take time to reflect and discuss what went well and what improvements need to be made in the future.

On Thursday, October 31, we will be having a "Glow Day".  Students may wear white or neon clothing.  We will take this opportunity to analyze Harris Burdick portraits and interpret what they think is occurring within the photograph.  Students will also be brainstorming questions about the images.  If time permits, students will use one of the images to write a short story.  I know the students will have LOTS of FUN!

3PA Update

3PA will be wrapping up their annotating for the story "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant.  We will be filling out a graphic organizer to explore the change in the main character. Students will be analyzing the character's dialogue, thoughts and actions to determine the change.  We will also be having an in-depth discussion regarding the text.  The use of higher-level questions will be used to encourage critical and inferential thinking skills.  If time permits, students will be investigating shells and thinking about what they notice and what they wonder. We will then make the connection between a literal shell and a metaphorical one.  The goal is for ALL students to understand the various "shells" that were preventing the characters from creating a strong bond.

On Thursday, October 31, we will be having a "Glow Day".  Students may wear white or neon clothing. The activity is TBD.  I know the students will have LOTS of FUN!

4PA Update

During the upcoming week, students will be reading a story entitled "Lenny's Red-Letter Day" by Bernard Ashley.  Learners will be reading, discussing and annotating the text throughout the week.  They will be receiving direct instruction regarding the annotation process as I will be modeling and completing think alouds to assist students in understanding this learning task. We will be exploring the following concepts while reading and annotating: big ideas, details, ethics, character traits and inferential thinking.  Students will also be responsible for identifying when the main character, Prakash, is showing concern for himself and others.  

On Thursday, October 31, we will be having a "Glow Day".  Students may wear white or neon clothing.  We will take this opportunity to engage in the writing process and create spooky or mystery stories.  I know the students will have LOTS of FUN!




5PA Update

Last week was a memorable week which I hope students will remember for years to come.  They were extremely invested in the process and took pride in their work. I was so impressed with their toothpaste making abilities, and all of the students were good sports when tasting their creations.  I even tried a few of the products!  If you ever find yourself in need of toothpaste, I'm sure that your child can provide you with this service for a minor fee.😁

This week, students will be taking a pre-assessment before moving into our first major literary piece.  Afterward, students will be reading a story entitled "The Hemulen Who Loved Silence". Each student will be responsible for completing text annotations during the upcoming week. The annotations will be linked to the Depth and Complexity framework. We will be exploring big ideas, perspectives, ethics, etc...  Please be aware if they do not complete these annotations during class, they will be responsible for completing them at home.  We will be spending 2-3 days on the annotation process.  

Please be on the lookout for the first quarter progress report which will be sent home on Friday, October 25th.



4PA Update

Last week, I was so impressed with the rich discussions that took place in relation to literary conflict.  The level of student engagement blew me away!  We have learned about character vs. self, character vs. character and character vs. society.  During the upcoming week, we will wrap up our conflict study by learning about character vs. nature.  We will be reading The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and looking for characteristics that connect to character vs. nature conflict.  Students will also be viewing the video of The Lorax (original version).  

Later in the week, students will be introduced to our first major literary piece entitled "Lenny's Red-Letter Day". During our literary analysis, learners will be responsible for completing annotations which will be linked to the Depth and Complexity framework.  Social and Emotional Learning will also be integrated and students will be discussing the importance of friendship and factors that influence how they choose their friends. 

Please be on the lookout for the first quarter progress report which will be sent home on Friday, October 25th.

3PA Update

During the upcoming week, 3PA will continue to explore a literary piece entitled "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant.  The students will be introduced to text annotation and will be responsible for identifying generalizations of change examples within the story.  We will also be discussing and identifying various themes within the text.  Theme is often referred to as the "big idea" and is inferred by the reader.  The students will be encouraged to look for clues to determine what the author wants the reader to understand (e.g. honesty, compassion, trustworthiness, etc...).  Towards the end of the week, learners will be participating in a literary discussion about the story.  The goal will be for ALL students to contribute ideas that represent critical thinking.  Interpretive questions will be posed that will allow students to use their personal experiences and evidence from the text to support their thinking.

Please be on the lookout for the first quarter progress report which will be sent home on Friday, October 25th.

4PA Update

Next week, 4PA students will be learning about the various types of conflict found within literary pieces.  They will be focusing on character vs. self, character vs. character, character vs. nature, and character vs. society.  We will explore different texts and use short clips to become familiar with conflict.  If time permits, we will begin reading our very first literary piece entitled "Lenny's Red Letter Day."  I would like to remind parents to download the Seesaw app in order to view your child's work. Have a good weekend!

3PA Update

3PA will continue to practice identifying generalizations of change by reading a humorous book called The Taking Tree by Shrill Travesty.  This is a selfish parody and a twist on the picture book entitled The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  Students will engage in conversations about change and be required to identify examples within the text.  Each learner will also be completing a pre-assessment to help determine their knowledge of specific literary concepts.  We will also begin reading the story "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant.  

5PA Update

Next week, we will be wrapping up The Toothpaste Millionaire.  The ideas shared during our conversations about the book have been absolutely outstanding!  I have been so impressed with the students' critical thinking and the engagement they have exhibited during the past couple of weeks.  We will continue to focus on ideas that relate to depth and complexity during our final days reading this text.  We will also be completing a culminating activity which is sure to be the highlight of the week.  Students will be creating their very own toothpaste!  Please be sure to respond to the email regarding this activity which will be sent on Thursday, October 10th.  It is extremely important that I get written permission in order for your child to participate.  Students will also be given a pre-assessment to determine their current knowledge of literary concepts.  If time permits, we will begin reading a story entitled "The Hemulen Who Loved Silence". Have a great weekend!

5PA Update

We, unexpectedly, had to cancel PA classes for 2 days last week because of CogAT testing.  Therefore, we did not get very far in our novel.  Next week, we will continue to read Toothpaste Millionaire.  We had some wonderful conversations which have been enhanced by the use of the Depth and Complexity framework.  We have focused on details, big ideas, ethics, and multiple perspectives.  Students also focused on contradictions within the text (i.e. paradox) and connections (i.e. parallels).  I am looking forward to our continued study.

4PA Update

This week, students will wrap up their learning regarding how to identify various themes within literature.  Students will then transition to learning about the concept of conflict.  We will explore the four different types of conflict: character vs. self, character vs. character, character vs. nature and character vs. society.  Students will be completing an in-depth study of the various types of conflict through the use of picture books and short video clips.  If time permits, learners will be required to write a short story depicting a specific kind of conflict.  

Last week, students went on a scavenger hunt to apply their learning of point of view. They were responsible for finding examples of various points points of view within books found in our classroom. Students used an online tool called Flipgrid to record videos of themselves identifying the POV.  I was extremely pleased with their workmanship.  Please click below to view your child in action!

Diya and Giovanni
Eli and DJ
Aaron and Ian
Andrew and Ibrahaim
Mark and Achyuth
Nishka and Katie
Ben and Yusuf

Finally, this year we will be using Seesaw as an online digital portfolio.  On Friday, I sent home an informational packet that you can use to assist you with downloading the app onto your phone or tablet.  Please click HERE to be taken to the digital version.  Students were told that they would receive two gator golds if you download the app this weekend!

3PA Update

Students in 3PA have been hard at work learning about generalizations.  Each learner should now understand that they are broad statements about a subject based on information, observations, and experiences.  They are logical but unproven. During the upcoming week, students will be reviewing generalizations and taking a brief assessment on Monday.  

We will move on to learning about generalizations of change.  They are as follows: change happens over time, change can be predictable or unpredictable, change can be positive and/or negative, change is everywhere, change may happen naturally or be caused by people.  Students will brainstorm examples of change and categorize their ideas based upon the aforementioned categories.  Students will also apply their learning by identifying examples of change in picture books.  If time permits, we will begin our first literature piece entitled "Shells" by Cynthia Rylant.