Happy Constitution Day!

We had a great week this week...did you know Thursday was "Constitution Day"? Our entire morning was devoted to the constitution...we started off the morning with a coloring sheet that had the Preamble (one child called it the "bramble") of the Constitution printed on it. We then discussed what the kids already knew about the constitution...next we visited a website that had information about the constitution and it's history. I read the Preamble aloud and we all decided that it was full of a lot of big words and was kind of hard to understand. So I partnered them up, gave them phrases from the Preamble and let them at it! They were really into it...they grabbed dictionaries and began pulling apart the meaning word by word. We reconvened on the rug and I shared a book titled We the Kids with a forward written by David Caltrow (he also did the illustrations.) It was the Preamble "for kids"...I showed them the pictures and asked them to think about what they had decided their phrase represented and whether or not it matched the pictures. THEN...they revisited their phrase with their partners and made final changes. When everyone was ready I read the forward to the kids...it's about how when David Caltrow was in fifth grade and his teacher was talking to him about the constitution, all he heard was "blah, blah, blah"...too many big words and big ideas. So he translates what each line means in a kid friendly way...and we compared ours to his...it was WAY COOL...the kids did an amazing job figuring out what "insure domestic Tranquility" and "secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" actually meant. It was a "light bulb going off" kind of lesson and I LOVED it. See what I mean when I thank YOU for sending THEM to ME...that's what I got to do ALL morning on Thursday!

We did so many other things this week...here's the rest in a nutshell...

MATH...we worked with the formula of finding the area of rectangles this week...we worked on properly labeling measurements, we worked with measuring using both sides of our rulers...standard and metric. Yesterday and today we completed a project entitled "Redecorating Inchy's House" where the students had to figure out the area of each wall and floor of "Inchy's" house, measure the perimeter of certain walls, and decide what type of decorating element each wall/floor would need...you see, paint was one price and wallpaper was another. They had to calculate the price per square inch and figure out how much it would cost to redecorate. I heard some of my favorite words this week, "THIS IS HARD"! Music to my ears.

Social Studies...the mapping portion of our geography unit saw it's end with a test yesterday...the kids did a wonderful job on their assessments...they'll come home Monday or Tuesday. It wasn't a regular old "label the continents and oceans" test...they took a trip around the world and were asked questions along the way...I heard kids saying..."this is fun" (more of my favorite words)! Next week each child will be picking a state from our country and doing research in order to make a travel brochure. Their research will focus on the physical geography, climate, and natural resources found in their state. They will also be researching the state flag and other important and interesting facts. Their mission will be to develop a travel brochure that entices people to visit their state...I believe they will LOVE this project and be very excited to see it through.

Language Arts...we continue to work on "during reading" strategies...we focused on Inferring and Synthesizing this week...I shared different books when modeling the strategies, and they put the strategies to work while reading their novel, Frindle. It is a fun story of a boy who is trying to outsmart his teacher (I just hope none of my SEVENTEEN boys get any crazy ideas!!) :-)

Writing...we have "free" writing time during the week, and we have "not so free" writing time. "Not so free" writing time is when I give the kids a particular writing assignment. This week the kids had a writing assignment where they had to pick the best route for me to take from Maryland to Yellowstone Park. They were asked to write a well written paragraph (we discussed the particulars) using geography vocabulary, mentioning the states in my path, and possible interesting stops along the way. I got their FIRST drafts on Tuesday and instead of grading them (be happy I didn't), today I returned them with a lesson on REVISING and EDITING. They wrote their SECOND drafts today and most of them are very improved. When I send those home I will send them for you to view, but then I will need them back to keep in their portfolios. I believe you will be very impressed with your child's writing. Don't look for them very soon...writing takes the longest to grade (and because I left early today, they're still in the IN box back at school!)

Speaking of leaving early...I figured I could only escape "it" for so long...my middle school son has the flu. :-( I was out this afternoon to take him to the doctor and he tested positive for it, so we'll be washing our hands even more now (I didn't think there was an "even more"!) That being said, hopefully my other kids will stay healthy and I will be back with your kids on Monday (knock wood).

I promise to have pictures the next post...I am still waiting on ONE form (no pressure) to be returned and then you can view their bright smiling faces!! Have a great weekend...enjoy the weather...enjoy your families...AND STAY HEALTHY!! :-)