Fun Friday… combining fine motor practice and writing workshop...

As we read stories in the classroom, we constantly talk about the different parts that make up a story.  We always identify the setting of the story, or where the story takes place.  We always identify the characters of the story, which can be people or animals.  Today we decided to start with a setting, then add characters, and finish with a story.

First,  each child had to choose the setting for their story.  These were the choices.  One of my teacher friends, Mrs. Knott, found these awesome pictures.  Not only is painting with q-tips fun, but it also helps to strengthen your fine motor skills.  These came from a sight called Therapy Fun Zone.  Click on the pictures to download the templates.

I told them we were going to paint our settings but we were not going to use a paintbrush.  Instead we used q-tips.  They had to dip the q-tip in the paint and then dab each circle.  The challenge was to not use the q-tip as a paintbrush.  They had to dip and dab.  This certainly was tricky, even for the teachers!!  When they were done painting their setting, they needed to create their characters.  They drew each character on a piece of white paper, added detail, and then cut them out to place on their setting.  Last, they wrote their story.  They came out FANTASTIC.. Take a peek-

What have the Zakar's been up to?.....

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at Beal School.  I cannot believe that it is already mid October.  Let me tell you about a few things we have been up to.  Daily 5 is off and running and the kids are really starting to understand how to choose books that are just right for them.  We have learned the IPICK song (ask your child to sing it to you), which helps us remember how to choose a just right book.  I- I choose my books?, P- Purpose: Why am I reading this book?, I- Interest: Do I enjoy the book I am reading?, C- Comprehend: Do I understand what I am reading?, and K- Know: Do I know most of the words?  The kids really enjoy this song and I will post a video of them singing it soon, so stay tuned!

Last week I decided that it was time to revamp my library.  I wanted all my books out and have them sorted by genre.  I have been teaching for 7 years, so you can imagine the amount of books I have.  This was a big job, so one afternoon, we decided to do the Great Book Sort.  I had all the kids help me sort our books so it would be easier to find books we are interested in.  I also added a brand new shelf to allow more books to be displayed.  Here are some pics of the process and the final product!

 All my literacy assessments are done and I am off and running with the Cafe.  This is what I base my mini-lessons on and how I keep record of my students progress.  My goal is to see 2-3 guided reading groups a day and to have 4-5 one-to-one reading conferences a day.  We will see how that works out.  Here are the strategies that I have already taught.  They are already constantly using these strategies while they are reading!  Soon they will have a tool belt of strategies to help them become better readers. 

Here is my new interactive Daily 5 Check in board.  They just drag their picture to their choice and if all the spaces are taken, they will know they have to make a new choice!  This is working extremely well and we talk a lot about making sure they get to every daily 5 choice by the end of the week!

Doesn't it look fantastic?  I love it and so do the kids.

For fun Friday last week, Miss Goulet read us the story "Fletcher and the Falling Leaves"  We used many strategies during this story.  We made mental images to better understand the story. We stopped in the middle of reading and checked for understanding.  We made predictions and made connections.  After the story we used the mental images we made about the fall trees and the winter trees to make beautiful pictures.  Take a look at some of their wonderful work.

That's all for now. Have a great week!