What do you mean "So What?" I thought this was something important!!

Howdy do to all of you!

      Today is Friday, December 17, 2010.  What is "So what?" thinking.  Well, it's a PROCESS.  Oh no there is one of those evil twins again.  We will never escape their grasp!  Epic!  Where have you seen the words "so what" before?  It's on our extended DED's, and it does just that.  "So what" thinking extends and builds our understanding of what we read.

      The past few weeks that we have been reading text like Wolf Girls we have been practicing our "so what" thinking.  Now it's time for the end folks.  We will look at a rubric today that will bring all of our thinking and hard work together.  Use it as a checklist so that you know you completed everything.   

A TEACHING POINT is something a teacher (like me) thinks about when planning learning experiences for students (like you).  I have four today that I thought a lot about to see if they were something I believed as a teacher.  I also asked the question: "Are these teaching points something my 5th graders need to know for their future?" 

TEACHING POINT #1  Good readers use reading, writing, talk, and technology to deepen their understanding of information.
TEACHING POINT #2  Good readers use a variety of ways to think about text.  (Connections, inferences, visualizations, sift and sort, questions)
TEACHING POINT #3  Good readers don't need end-of-the-chapter questions or worksheets.  Good readers ask their own questions and take their own notes (graphic organizers).
TEACHING POINT #4  Good readers reread and return to text to build and extend their knowledge.  This enhances their enjoyment of texts they have read before.

Have fun reading, writing, talking, and using technology today.  You are all good readers. Share your good reading habits with others today.  

Paz Afuera,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.  
DO your best and forget the rest! 

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Howdy do!

      Today is Thursday, December 16, 2010.  It was great to see so many parents and families here to visit.  Today as we revisit wolf girls one of your tasks is to take a third look at your INFERENCES/THEORIES/and HYPOTHESES.  It is your time to reread, self-correct, or clarify confusion you may have.  We have already seen and read the text Wolf Girls.  We have already read other pieces of text that are connected to Wolf Girls as well.  You are always able to revise your inferences based on new information you come across.  I have a great piece of text I was reading last night and this morning that shows what its like to make an educated guess. 
      
Let's look at our learning targets again to give us purpose:
        2c Use comprehension strategies to guide thinking within the text, and beyond the text (schema, connections, questioning, mental images, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing)
        2d Monitor reading by rereading, self-correcting, and clarifying confusion
      The other task I would like you to complete is to go to the blog yourself.  I would like you to read the comments of other 5th graders in the class to see what they are thinking.  After you have found one you would like to respond to, post a comment to that 5th grader.  LEARNING IS SHARED.  Our 5th grade blog is an unbelieveable tool to share thinking, even when we aren't in school.  Have fun reading today, and remember to support your INFERENCES/THEORIES/HYPOTHESES with proof.  

Paz afuera,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest! 

Welcome Parents!

Hey Gnarly Newbies!

      Today is Wednesday, December 15, 2010.  For the past couple of weeks we have been looking at a type of text called EXPOSITORY TEXT.  It's non-fiction text that we use to learn from as we read.  You are going to get a chance to try some out on your own today. 

Our learning targets as we read today are as follows:
          2b I can preview text before reading to set a purpose for reading, generate questions, and locate specific information.
        2c I can use comprehension strategies to guide thinking within the text, and beyond the text (schema, connections, questioning, mental images, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing)
        
      That word in red should be a familiar word by now.  You watched a short video clip during your science rotation yesterday in Mrs. Lamberts rotation.  The video was about AIRPLANE DYNAMICS.  Anything you remember from that video is part of your SCHEMA now.  It is your memory.  Your background knowledge.  We will start today by watching a similar Brainpop video to access that SCHEMA you have stored in your memory. 

      After the Brainpop we will INTERACT WITH TEXT today through the use of a KWL graphic organizer.  I will be coming around with my observation checklist to see the thinking that is going on during your PRE-reading and DURING-reading.  Make sure you are asking questions and checking your understanding.  At the end of our rotation today I hope we save some time for a neat Tribes activity to check our understanding as a class.  Have fun practicing your comprehension strategies.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/motionsforcesandtime/flight/


Yours Truly,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest!
     

Tuesday is our day for a break.

Welcome to Tuesday Crazy Kids.

      Today is Tuesday, December 14, 2010.  We are going to take a little break from our feral children and wolf girls inquiries.  Today's guest teacher will be presenting you with what we call EXPOSITORY TEXT.  Say that three times to the partner to your left or right.  Expository text is non-fiction text we read to learn something from.  Good readers know how to navigate expository text and use it as another teacher. 
      You will be reading a selection from our Social Studies books and answering some comprehension questions. There is a brainpop to go with the reading to help you make connections as you read.  The 5 pages you will read start on 483 and end on 487. 
     
Our learning target for today is:
2b I can preview text before reading to set a purpose for reading

      Your purpose for reading the expository text today is to understand the answers to some important questions.  Each question is based on a different part of the reading.  If you preview the text first, you will see which subheading goes with each question.   Without further ado, here are your questions.

1. Why did people invest money in RAILROADS?
2. How was Andrew Carnegie able to make more STEEL for less money?
3. How did John D. Rockefeller get a monopoly in the OIL BUSINESS?
4. Why did inland CITIES become important in the late 1800s?

      I will return this afternoon so I hope you do your best work and choose a positive attitude.  If you finish before the end of the rotation you may read your self-selected text.  If you are interested I have also printed out an additional article on Child Labor.  You may read that for your enjoyment as well.  (Child labor isn't really an issue to enjoy.  I don't know why I said "enjoyment".)  Have fun reading.

Yours Truly,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand. 
Do your best and forget the rest.

9 children raised by animals | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Hey Kiddies!!

Here is a GREAT site I found that has 10 stories including our own from India. Even though we are taking a break from our feral children inquiry tomorrow, look at some of these and see if you can use the information TO SUPPORT YOUR INFERENCES/THEORIES/HYPOTHESES.

Remember, use your SCHEMA (prior knowledge) to make an inference. Also remember to support your inference with clues/evidence.

9 children raised by animals MNN - Mother Nature Network

MONDAY! MONDAY! MONDAY!

Happy Monday Kiddies,
 
What is a hypothesis? 
What is a theory? 
What is an inference? 

      Today is Monday, December 13, 2010.  I'm hoping by the end of today's rotation you have a basic understanding of what these words mean and how they are related.  All three of these words are related because they are a type of thinking we all do based on SCHEMA.  There is that tricky word we've seen in our learning targets.  Think back and remember...
      2c Use comprehension strategies to guide thinking within the text, and beyond the text (schema, connections, questioning, mental images, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing)
      We use what we know to gain an understanding of what we don't know.  THE LAW OF ASSOCIATION.  We make an educated guess based on prior knowledge or information we have gathered.  You have read Wolf Girls.  You have read The Wolf Girl.  You have watched the video on feral children.  All that information you have read and seen is now part of YOUR SCHEMA.  From the SCHEMA we make a theory, hypothesis, or inference. 

      Now here is the trick that confuses 5th graders.  We need to find evidence/clues by doing experiments, researching, talking with others, and READING INFORMATION to support our theories, hypotheses, and our inferences.  Today I am going to hand back your inquiry proposals and summaries of our first book.  Reread what you have and start by organizing your thoughts in a way that supports your theories.  Try your best and have fun reading. 

Sincerely,
C
P.S. I hear and forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest.