Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Today was another busy day! In the morning, our question of the day was: Do you have a red coat? We learned that only 6 of our friends had red coats, and that 35 friends did not have red coats. We also helped fill in words and letters in words during our morning message. We heard a funny joke: Why did the bat brush his teeth? Ask your child if they know the answer to the joke!

During writing workshop, we continued to elaborate with our How-To books. The children enjoyed helping Mrs. Helfer and Senorita Wesley make chocolate milk, and learned how important it is to tell specific details.

During Reader's Workshop, we learned about a new convention--the Index, which is found at the back of the book. We now know that the Index helps us to find specific words that might not be found in the Table of Contents. We had fun looking for examples of an Index in the non-fiction books in our room.

During word study today, we learned a new activity that we will do every Thursday, and starting next week will become a part of our weekly homework assignments. This activity is called Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check. The students practiced writing their words one at a time first in pencil, then in crayon, and finally in marker to help us study our words for our test tomorrow.

During our read aloud about Hippos, we learned that they have sharp, scissor-like teeth, and tusks to protect themselves. Many of our friends have been enjoying our non-fiction books, and learning about different animals. Please encourage your child to check out non-fiction books at the library and to read them at home during their nightly reading time.