Happy Friday! The sunshine is lovely, but we have hated being stuck inside all day.  We're hoping for some fresh snow and a warm-up next week.

This week started with some finishing up. The students took one last look at their writing pieces and then published them. As you can see, they are just "works in progress...." We are learning that writers must have deadlines and decide they need to be finished, even when it frustrates them. The most important part of the unit was learning how to organize our thoughts into paragraphs or sections. Elaboration is difficult in nonfiction writing!

We have moved into our new reading and writing units. In reading, we are doing a unit I call "Social Issues Book Clubs." Today we discussed what is meant by social issues (poverty, divorce, bullying, pollution, etc. These aren't exactly uplifting topics, but important for kids to be able to identify in books.  For now, we are reading picture books and learning strategies for recognizing the issues in the books. Next week we will begin reading books with others in a "club" format. The challenge is finding enough multi-copy books at appropriate reading levels that actually have issues in them!  I am almost there, and look forward to passing the books out to the class and having them get started.

At the same time, we are starting our persuasive writing unit.  This week the students "flash drafted" a speech about why recess should be longer, and then Ms. Graf came in to listen to them.  Today we started thinking about ways we can find topics to write about.  One way is to think of problems that exist in the school, or in the world (social issues come in handy here!) and write about those.  We are brainstorming!

These units go well with our social studies work. This week we learned about the 3 branches of government and the importance of the balance of power. Next week we will begin to learn about how a bill becomes a law and how ordinary citizens can make a difference.  Once again, thinking about social issues comes in handy!

Our geometry unit is getting more challenging. Third graders are learning about how to measure the area of irregular shapes. Fourth graders are starting to examine angles and learning to identify what is a right angle and what is not.  We will begin using protractors soon!

The students have been asking about bringing in items to put into our centerpiece for our Connection Circle.  I have told them that they are welcome to do this, BUT... the items need to be small (fit in the palms of 2 hands) and be something they are willing to leave her for a few weeks. They should also be items that represent them in some way.  If they have items that fit those criteria, they are welcome to bring them. If you aren't sure what I mean by the centerpiece, talk to your kids!  They are experts.

Finally, many of the students have gotten really interested in finger knitting. I am happy to have them do this while we are having read aloud, or during snack or indoor recess. If you have any yarn lying around that needs a home, we'd be happy to take it in the classroom! 

I hope you all have a warm and cozy weekend.