"Tech-Free Tuesday"!

Today was "Tech-Free Tuesday" at Village. We participated in a variety of ways throughout the day. First, we spent some time at the Library looking for a really great book that we could jump into. Students were very purposeful with their selections and found novels that would be engaging, just challenging enough, and fun to read! Next, we came back to the classroom, put on some classical music (we decided that despite having to use technology to play the music, that it was OK to help create a quiet, serene ambiance!). Students kicked off their shoes and found cozy places to get lost in their books.

Yesterday, we voted as a class to determine what special activity we would do in order to unplug and connect with one another (art activity, reading to our buddies, board games, crafts). The students chose to bring in board games! We dedicated part of our morning to having fun with our friends and getting away from those screens! 

When reflecting on our experiences today, I shared with the students that Mr. Carr & I have "Tech-Free Wednesdays" every week. I told them how nice it is to take a break from technology and to really talk to one another; sharing stories, reading books, etc. We decided as a class that we would like to implement a "Tech-Free" day weekly and focus on building relationships with one another. Love these mature, open-minded kiddos!!! 

Teaching our Buddies Research Strategies!

Mr. Carr's class is beginning to research animals for informational writing. In order to help our buddies learn how to research, we worked to make a second grade version of the strategies we have used all year long. 

Students worked in small groups and focused on one of the research strategies. They worked together to create a Google slides presentation for Mr. Carr's class. 

Next, we worked with our buddies to help them gather information on their animals using our Chromebooks. Another great activity to build communication, leadership, and presentation skills! Great work! 

Using Teamwork to Build Our Garden!

Mrs. Finke has received permission from Dr. Rudd  to start a class garden in the HJ Entrance at Village! All vegetables produced will be collected and given to local families in need. Students have been working during science to map out responsibilities and to brainstorm research questions in preparation. All of the signs and labels were made by our classes as well. We received many donations from our wonderful families to help make this idea a reality! Talk about team effort!

Today, the planting started! We brought both classes together and all got our hands dirty planting seeds and watering the soil...I can't wait to see their hard work start to grow! If you are in the building, please stop by to admire what they have accomplished. A BIG thank you to Mrs. Finke for all of your efforts!

Buzz Word Explosion!

In addition to our daily buzz word lessons, students participate in bi-monthly competitions to see which table group can use the most buzz words in their speaking and writing. Each time a word is used, they add a sticker to their poster. These contests have really motivated the students to go above and beyond with their vocabulary! 

A week ago, I started noticing students pushing their brains even further by creating "buzz word" stories where they challenged themselves to see how many vocabulary words they could accurately incorporate into a narrative. THEN, buzz word posters started popping up too! Students would think of a person or topic and connect as many buzz words that applied. WOW!

 We have been posting their work in our vocabulary area and I am SO proud! Keep up the great work!

The Columbian Exchange-What were Positive and Negative Aspects of Trade During Exploration of the Western Hemisphere?

In Individuals & Society, we participated in two trade simulations that allowed us to experience the positives and negatives of trade before and after European explorers arrived in the New World. First, students were separated into two groups; one representing Europe and the other representing the New World. Each student was given a card with a food on it. Students could trade for other foods but only with members of their groups.

Positives Identified:
*"It was easy to find people to trade with."
*"It was organized and didn't get too crazy."

Negatives Identified:
*"We were limited in the foods available"
*"I couldn't find what I wanted."
*"Nobody in the small group wanted the food I had."

Next, both groups were brought together and students were open to trade with anyone. This represented how trade expanded with the arrival of the European explorers.

Positives Identified"
*"There were more food options available."
*I had more people who were interested in trading with me."

Negatives Identified:
*"I couldn't meet with everyone to see what was available, so I might have missed something."
*It got really busy and hectic!"
*"A bunch of people wanted my food, and I didn't want what they had."

After the two simulations, we discussed how ideas, diseases, and even slaves were also traded during the Columbian Exchange. Next, students worked in pairs to explore various resources on the topic and to identify positive and negative aspects of trade. This was a great opportunity to use our synthesizing strategy from reading groups to collect facts and information to deepen our thinking! Our next step is to research our expert explorers through the lens of trade!

Say WHAT??-Working on Elaboration in Writing

This week's goal in writing is for students to elaborate on the facts and ideas within their informational essays in order to clarify the topic for their readers. We discussed how an essay with straight facts can sound robotic and be difficult to comprehend at times. In order to practice this skill, we worked together to elaborate on facts pulled from texts we read during reading groups.Since our writing skills are always building on one another, we also tied in our work with transitions and discussed good ones to use for elaboration.

After practicing together, students edited their informational essays through the lens of elaboration. They worked to find facts that needed explanation/clarification and added elaboration sentences to their essays. Our next step is peer editing!

Synthesizing to Change and Deepen our Thinking as We Read!

Last week, we began to work on our synthesizing strategy during reading groups. Synthesizing involves gathering and collecting information from one or more texts and changing or deepening our thinking as we go along! Synthesizing requires students to ask themselves questions before, during, and after they have read a passage in order to help them identify what they now understand and any new thinking about the topic.To help us, students were given a variety of prompts to guide their thinking as they read.

 These lessons are a great way to get us back in the "swing of things" after break helping us to dig deep into texts. Synthesizing will also lead into next week's lessons; understanding an author's point of view and analyzing multiple accounts on the the same historical event.