Monday, September 30, 2013

A Rounding Rhyme, Hamburger Paragraphs, and a BBQ Buck Class Store

As we wrap up Topic 2 this week, we review some important concepts like estimating sums, differences, and balancing equations. It's important that students begun to internalize our rounding rhyme as they gain experience rounding to the nearest ten or hundred. (It's crucial that mathematicians read the directions carefully before they begin rounding.) 

Rounding Rhyme

Underline, look behind.
5 or more, up the score.
4 or less, let it rest.

Here, Owin and Bryan are estimating differences.


Our final lesson in Topic 2 involved equations and making sure each side balanced. When solving for an unknown value, we can use fact families and counting up. Pop Quiz: n - 4 = 14 What must n equal? 

Below, Allison solves for n. Remember, both sides must equal 12 in this case!


In Writers' Workshop, we've discussed a few different prewriting strategies--writing bulleted jots, a web, or a timeline. Below, Lilly uses a timeline before she drafts a narrative about a trip to Florida.


We also discussed the importance of topic sentences to inform the reader what the paragraph is about. 




The topic sentence is a bit like the top bun of a juicy hamburger! It wouldn't be a juicy hamburger without the bun!



A Friday treat was meeting our Buddy Readers from Miss O'Day's first grade class. We shared fables and folk tales in books AND on the iPad mini! First graders shared poetry with us!


The end of September marked our first BBQ Buck class store. We spent our hard-earned money on prizes, school supplies, and special treats like wearing slippers in the classroom, lunch with the teacher, and a day in the teacher's chair! 




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