It has been an exciting two weeks! My oldest daughter graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, my son was playing tennis for UNCW in the NCAA tournament in Georgia, and my youngest daughter was busy preparing for her confirmation....Whew...life is fun! Oh yeah, one more thing....I completed my Master of Library Science Degree (MLS) which took over three years to finish...But of course, lessons must be developed for the students at Highcroft so they can reap the benefits many years from now as well.
Fifth graders on track two completed their Iditarod Power Point Presentation and the other tracks are about a week away from their completion date. Most of the students were delighted when we presented their projects for others to view.
Fourth graders on track one were introduced to the joys of completing a bibliography for their county fair project. The other tracks were exposed to a booktalk in the media center and enjoyed an original version of "How to Eat Fried Worms" by Thomas Rockwell. Another follow up to this video production is the book by Barbara Robinson titled, My brother Louis measures worms.
Third graders on track 4 have completed their research and are in their publishing stage for their biography (famous person) reports. Tracks 1, 2, and 3 have spent the past two weeks comparing life as it was in the 1950's to students of today through previewing The Doughnut Machine and The Cosmic Caper. Both stories can be found in Robert McCloskey's, Homer Price and other stories. Be sure to ask your child if they would have liked to live in the 50's...I think you'll find they are really hooked on their video games, remote controls, and high definition television. Many were amazed that entertainment in the 50's consisted of sitting around a radio listening to, not watching, a baseball game.
Second graders took a break from Bill Peet books to learn a little about folk tales/tall tales through previewing John Henry: Steel driving man and King Midas. We learned about exaggeration and to be careful what you wish for...it may come true!
First grade have enjoyed Arnold Lobel 's Frog and Toad books. We practiced retelling stories and using transition words like...first, next, then, finally...These words really help to move the story along without using the same phrase over and over again....and then, and then, and then, and then....
It's been a doggone good year in kindergarten. There are so many readers! We have enjoyed reading about Harry, the dirty dog. He is so funny, but his family is always there for him. The students have discovered many books on dogs in the library. They are checking out books about Clifford, Biscuit, Sally, Riptide, Mudge, Muldoon, Maxi, and McDuff. If these names aren't familiar to you...ask your child about them...or better yet, visit the public library and check some out for yourself! It's nice to relax with your child and a book :-)
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