Happy 100th Day of School

After celebrating 100 in as many ways as we possibly could the children ended the day by making Fruit Loop necklaces . . . 10 groups of 10. Podcasts are coming along. The question of the day is "How many takes did you have before you actually had a keeper?"

Welcome Prince

I would like to welcome our new student, Prince, to our classroom blog. Prince has come to us via the Congo in Africa, speaks only french, and is already teaching us as much as we are teaching him. It is my good fortune to have Camille who speaks fluent french and Sophie who is right behind her with thousands of words and phrases, not to mention an incredible ability to pantomime just about anything, both acting as interpreters. Everyday has brought on new challenges in translation. We couldn't have asked for a better way to add spark to the mid winter doldrums. Who needs Phil the groundhog? We've got our very own Prince!

This week the children will be creating podcasts from a variety of sources; poetry, excerpts from stories, their own writing, etc. Check the new gadget on the sidebar and click on student names to hear them reading their latest selections.

We are beginning 2 new units of study in literacy. Writers Workshop will focus on "trouble stories". The children will focus on describing how their characters feel, go in to greater detail with setting, and build tension into their stories. Readers Workshop will delve deeper into story comprehension, building stamina, and fluency.

Wednesday marks the 100th day of school. We'll be attempting to read 100 poems all about the number 100 and creating 100's in hundreds of ways.

Happy Groundhog Day! Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? I sure hope not!

Check it out for yourself - www.groundhog.com .