Brothers in Hope

We are now reading a powerful story called Brothers in Hope. It is helping us to deepen our understanding of the rights of a child which we have been learning about...Food...Water...Protection...Identity...Education. Children were very moved by the story. They learned how many children in Sudan lost their rights when war came to their village. We were inspired to make a mural about the journey the children had to take.

Selecting Pieces to Publish

Our writers have been looking through the many (piles for some!) true stories from their lives which they have drafted so far this school year. They have especially looked for stories where they chose a small moment to zoom in on. Writers will soon begin revising and publishing these stories. One thing we have been working on in our writing is using different story starters like "One time..." or "It was..." instead of "I..." We have also learned about transition words such as "After that..." "Finally..." to help flow from one sentence to the next. Writers are even adding feelings and speech bubbles to help the reader picture the story in their minds. We are frequently sharing and discussing our stories with our partners to help us get ideas for more details to ask. Partners have practiced asking each other questions to coax out these details.

Right to Protection

Recently students wrote thank you cards to someone in their lives who helps care for them on a daily basis. We spoke about the different ways adults help protect children and keep them safe, healthy and happy. Students identified people in their lives, from moms and dads to nannies, bus drivers and nurses, who all help care for them. They chose someone to say "thank you" to by writing a card. Students are developing a sense of awareness and appreciation for the roles these caring people play in their lives. They are also building a sense of empathy for those children in the world who might not have as many people protecting and caring for them.

Reading with Raz Kids at Home

Have a wonderful Eid holiday, everyone! You'll notice that this week a Raz Kids notice was taped inside your child's home/school folder so you will always have the link handy. We have been practicing using this resource "mindfully" in class and now students are ready to practice these skills at home. In class we use Raz Kids daily (listening, reading, and answering questions about stories.) I ask that children only do one story at a time in class, and I ask that you do the same at home. What we don't want is children spending 40 minutes on Raz Kids reading several stories, possibly rushing through them and not remembering anything! Instead, we have practiced careful, attentive listening and fluent reading. There is now a recording option available even when using the app on the iPads. This is an excellent tool for children to practice reading fluently (in their best "storyteller" voice with expression) and then listen to how they sound. They can try recording again if it didn't sound as smooth and expressive as they wanted! I also can go in and listen to any recordings the students leave. So, again, please support your child in using this resource "mindfully" at home, rather than as a game where you are trying to quickly reach the next level... though it is of course fun, too! Here are the steps to reading a book on Raz Kids: First, Listen to the story. Second, read the story silently to yourself (thinking and making sure you understand it along the way.) Third, answer the questions carefully, thinking about the story. (I can also see when a child has been rushing or guessing, as attempts at questions are recorded, too.) Finally, record to hear your beautiful storytelling voice. Enjoy!

More Rights...Identity! Clean Water! Shelter!

Recently students learned a song all about rights. It is called All I Really Need by Raffi. Mr. Mongardi joined us to teach us the song and accompany us on the guitar. It is all about rights...from clean water to food and family. This week we have also talked about the right to identity, especially focusing on how people all over the world practice different religions and how we can learn about and respect them all. We learned about how religions all have their own symbols, places of worship and traditions. Next we are looking at the right to shelter and we have started looking at some books about homes all around the world.

Number Bonds and Number Sentences

This week students have taken the next step from number bonds...number sentences! We continue to model these number combinations with cubes, counters and pictures and now students have practiced completing number sentences with plus and equals symbols.