"How to...read my blog post...."

Yup, that's right...we're heavy into "How to" essays, so I thought I might write a "How to" essay myself....here goes...


Have you ever clicked on a blog and wondered, "Why should I bother reading this?" Well, I have and I'm here to tell you that you SHOULD read it and there is an art to reading a blog. Read on to find out the best way to peruse (like my word choice?) the blog of your choice!


Before you start reading, you need to be in front of a computer and you should try to have the room quiet. This will help with your concentration. You may also need your weekly calendar and possibly reading glasses, this of course depends on your age!! It's very important to make sure you have an uninterrupted five minutes so that you can read from beginning to end. This will make your reading more enjoyable and informative. It may be helpful to have a pillow, too. Wondering why? Read on to find out.


Now that you have all of your materials, it's time to get started. First, read the title of the blog post to get an idea of what the blog will be about. Often my blog title includes the word "Friday" since it is the end of the week and I am giving a summary of the way the students spent their days in my classroom. Secondly, you should peruse the sub headings. For instance, to find out what we did in Language Arts this week, you would read the sub heading "Language Arts" which is always in blue. What order you read the sub headings is your choice...maybe you enjoy math the most, then by all means, go straight to that section! But don't forget to make sure to cover all the sub headings! After reading all of the subheadings and their information, check to see if I have included an important dates section. Take out your calendar and mark all of the dates on it right away...this is extremely important. You wouldn't want your child to show up on picture day in his/her pajamas or on pajama day in his or her "picture" clothes! Last, but not least, always read the last sentence. That is the place where I try to send a personal message to all of you because you are important to my students, therefore you are important to me. Oh yeah, and the pillow...it has two uses. You can put it over your mouth to stifle your laughter when I am hilarious, or you can use it to nap if the blog is a little wordy and you get tired. :-)


Reading blogs can be informative, but can also be fun. I hope this information helps you enjoy reading our blog for many months to come!


There you have it...I plan to show this to the kids on Monday to use as a model. They have become very good at using the Six Traits rubric to score writing pieces...against my better judgement, I will let them score my piece!


Language Arts
I'm guessing you've got a good handle on what we've been focusing on in writing! This week in our novel unit we have been focusing on identifying the conflict and resolution. This is a difficult concept for some...finding the solution that matches the problem. We've also been working hard on becoming excellent discussion participants...my class is full of kids who love to share their thoughts...these same kids are not always willing to listen to each other's thoughts...and furthermore, they are not always willing to accept questions from their peers about their own thoughts...is this making any sense? Anyway...we're working on being able to alter our thoughts based on other people's thoughts and ideas...sounds easy, but its really not!


Math
We finished our mode, mean, median unit with some tough problem solving..."Which is a more accurate average: the mean or the median?" The answer to this question depends totally on the data...but the kids have become very successful in figuring this out. We are also working on a new math investigation..."How does the weight of 1/2 an apple change as days pass?" We are making predictions and verifying them using scales and standard units of measurement.


Science
We have wrapped up fossils...we are moving into soils.

Personal Body Safety
For four of the five days this week we have had lessons on personal body safety. Your children have been extremely mature and have asked excellent questions. We have discussed safe touches, unsafe touches, and unwanted touches. They have been introduced to new vocabulary: victim, sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and have been taught the difference between an OK secret and a not OK secret. The students created a Trusted Adult Directory so they know they have more than one person to turn to with a question or concern. At the end of each lesson the students are given a file card to jot down a question that they are wondering about...even if the kids do not have a question, I require them to write something down...this way, all questions are confidential since everyone has dropped one in the box. Again, I have been extremely impressed with their maturity handling this subject.

Other News
We went to the high school on Tuesday to see "Bye, Bye Birdie"...what a treat! We spent some time when we returned to school talking about all of the different jobs required for a successful production...it will be wonderful common ground for our plays unit.

Last, but not least...our own Allie Majadly was one of three third graders at UES that represented our school last Friday at the Frederick County History Bee! She was one of over 120 students in the county that participated in Round One, and she did sooo well, she made it to Round Two. Only 40 kids made it to the second round!! This round included a lot of information that third graders had not learned yet, so the second round was her last round...we are VERY PROUD of her!! CONGRATULATIONS, ALLIE!!

Important Dates:
March 29 Have novel finished for book report
April 2 - 5 No School
April 12 Book Report due/presentation to class
April 22 Math Night

Have a wonderful weekend! Let's hope the warmer weather returns soon!