Pair Share

We are going to be reading independently and then sharing about what we've read with a partner. We are doing this so that we can practice checking in for understanding and practice speaking and listening to others about things that we are thinking about.

You'll know you have this if you are staying on task and completing all of the steps. You'll also know you have it if you are listening to your partner and can understand and repeat what they've talked to you about.

This should also help you to dig deeper into your reading.

When we do this, you will read for 10-20 minutes. Then, you will get together with your partner and do all three of these things:

1. Summarize what you read during their independent reading time.
2. Read a page aloud to your partner.
3. Answer the posted comprehension question.

When we finish, we will get together as a group and a few of you will:

1. Summarize what your PARTNER read to you that day.
2. Explain how your PARTNER answered the comprehension question.

Updates

We have decided to invite Shauna's class to help us put together this year's Haunted House. Now we just have to plan a theme and get started.

In ECLIPSE, we've added a third activity. This one is called Reading to Someone. Here we are sitting EEKK (elbow elbow knee knee) and checking with each other for understanding.

We have also already connected with one class for our Comparing and Contrasting Communities project with Instagram. Our first month's theme was "School Meals". We met with a class from Iowa using Skype. We found out they all eat in the cafeteria. They have one student who has a peanut allergy in their whole school! They have cards they scan to pay for their school meals. They also have a law that limits the kind of food they can serve but it also effects the kind of snacks they share on their birthdays. We picked next month's theme together which is going to be "Physical Activity in School". 

 Here we are doing a Mystery Skype. This class is from Hull and we are going to do some activities with them throughout the year and then try and meet with each other live and in person!

 We are doing our second entry in our Reflective Math Journals. This one is on Place Value.

 We have started our Global Read Aloud. You can read more about it here. Most of us are really enjoying this book about a girl named Melody who has a lot of obstacles and gifts in her life. We are looking forward to connecting with some global classroom partners to discuss the book.

Indoor recess antics.

This Thursday we are going to the Parliament Hills to participate in the Rolling Rampage. 

Look at the amazing gift that Katie shared with Tiiu! She cried. For reals.

Run Fox Run

All students from grades 1-6 ran their little hearts out at the Terry Fox Run at Dovercourt today. It was a lovely sunny day and perfect to be outside together. The grade 6 students will miss going to Dovercourt to do the Terry Fox Run next year.

We have been doing ECLIPSE almost every day. Today was a great day in ECLIPSE. One friend was having trouble because she didn't feel like reading. Some of us helped her with great advice. Here it is:

What To Do If You Don't Feel Like Reading:

1. Find the most interesting book that you have in your Book Box
2. If you don't feel like reading a lot of words, pick a book where you can read the pictures
3. If you don't feel like reading, pick a book that you have already read and re-read it
4. Try to have a book in your Book Box that you will always feel like reading

The advice was great and it really helped the student out. She ended up reading a picture book that we had already read in class and also looked at a book about animals that had a lot of pictures with good captions.

In ECLIPSE, we also reviewed Text Busting. In Text Busting you figure out the following about the text you are reading:

1. Genre
2. Purpose
3. Target Audience
4. Message/Big Idea/Moral/Main Idea
5. Evidence: 3 pieces of evidence to support the main idea
6. Summary: Somebody Wanted But So Then

Hop on Edmodo tonight and keep us in the loop about that thing that we talked about. You know what I mean.