Spring Climbing 2014

Collaborating with Preschoolers

So many great things happened on our first fieldwork with our new buddies over at the preschool.  It warmed my heart to see them reading books side by side.  I watched them collaborating as they gently led their preschooler from center to center and often is was the preschooler leading my children! My first graders learned what it is like to be a teacher!  A new found respect for Ms. Mary Beth, if even for just one day!

A Whole Lot of Reading Going On

The children have come so far as readers! My heart is bursting with joy as I watch each of them take off!  We are learning that reading happens across the curriculum. Here one group is collaborating on their expert text article about worms in Expedition. 

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We are doing such great things in Reader's Workshop and Guided Reading, too many for me to write about here, but this chart  is something to be thinking about and asking me about at Listening conferences.

Every day we use these thinking tools as we interact with the chapter book I'm reading, Anna Hibiscus, or in a guided reading group led by me.  I'd love to share this with you when we meet.  I know this is hard to read but you can check it out when you are in the room and we can chat about it.

Please ask your children about the chapter book I'm reading to them about a little girl who lives in Africa.  We are learning  some new African vocabulary words.  One way I'm teaching this is to "read around the word" to get context clues about what the word could mean.  Sometimes we have to search on google.  We decided to write to the author, Atinuke, about the meaning of a bubba and a wrappa.  We went to her blog page and are waiting for a response.  

Winter Voyage 2

Patrol 2's pictures are here for you to enjoy!