Week 5:

Insect Observations

Our mystery insects are getting bigger and changing! We learned how to document our observations like scientists by drawing what we see and labeling our draw with what day it was. At the beginning of the week we observe that our insects looked the same, but got much bigger. By the end of the week, they were hanging from the top of the cups in a position called a "j-hang". This means they are getting ready to form a chrysalis. 

Reading Rotations

We have moved on from completing all of our reading work as a whole class to reading rotations. Every day students complete 4 rotations: teacher table, independent work, reading on the iPad, and a hands on activity. Each rotation takes about 15 minutes. The class did AWESOME on their first try! They were engaged, focused, and completed their tasks correctly all on their own. Rotations often don't go so smoothly right away, so I was super impressed! I like using the rotation method because it gives me to opportunity to meet with small groups, and work on targeted literacy skills, while the other kids are working on independent activities at their level. Here are photos and videos of some of the activities we are completing during reading rotations.