Five for Friday: In Like A Lion!

This is probably getting redundant, but it's another snow day.  Seven and counting, to be exact.  I've definitely appreciated the extra time to catch up on some things and keep up with my two masters classes.  The downside is, I've only been in the classroom two days this week, so there hasn't been a whole lot going on.  

This is what I woke up to on Monday.  I thought that we'd seen the last of winter, but given the fact that we're now getting the biggest snow of the season as I write...nope. 

   

We continued practicing Read to Self this week AND THEY ARE GETTING IT!!  We went over the three ways to read a book the other day and it was great to see them take off with this.  I saw it make the most difference with my lowest readers...demonstrating how to "read" pictures and retell really unlocked the books for them.  They are doing so well that I am going to introduce another component of the Daily 5 on Monday. 

Such good readers! 

  

These are from a couple weeks back, but they are too cute not to share.  We read the book Little Cloud by Eric Carle as an extension at the end of our weather and seasons unit.  We talked a lot about how the illustrator made beautiful pictures using just a few colors.  Then, they created their own cloud pictures and worked on sentence writing.  They did a draft sentence at the teacher table in pencil, then copied it onto their picture in marker (lest you think we always write in marker- we don't!)  I gave each student 6 cotton balls and showed them how to stretch and form them into different shapes.  Initially they wanted more cotton for their pictures, but as they saw everyone's creations, it really drove home the point of how many different shapes a "little cloud" can make.  

We DID read my all time favorite children's book, Horton Hears a Who this week.  And we WERE going to make a really cute craftivity bulletin board, writing words to describe Horton.  But the cold stuff falling from the sky changed all that.  

AnyWHO....we're still waiting, but you can get my quick little writing frame below to use as you'd like, and hopefully I'll have some pictures of the finished product soon! 

  Horton Hears a Who Writing Prompt

This is my new favorite TV series that I've been watching this winter...yes, it is a cheesy romantic Hallmark one, but I watched the pilot movie then bought the whole series!  It's about a new teacher working in a Canadian coal mining town.  I'm hooked...and halfway through the series now, so I hope there is another season coming! 

Happy March!!!  Think spring thoughts!