Week 1 (I Am Poems for Open House!)

As promised (too many weeks ago), I would post the first week of centers.  This was a VERY introductory week, as we worked out the logistics of centers.  "Where do I go?" "What do I do?" and "How does this work?" Were among some of the most frequently asked questions.  All in all, after tons of modeling and review, we were off for our first week to try working independently, with partners, and in small groups.  The focus of this week was to get them used to different tasks, the routine, the time limit, and how to monitor themselves.  Here is what we worked on:

Listening:  Students listened to a story about baseball on an audiotape and then quizzed each other on the comprehension/vocabulary words (highlighted in blue and yellow).  By the end of the week we figured out how the tape player works, where to sit, how loud it should be, and all of the other "good stuff" that we needed to!

Word Work:  Drawing out of my "Making Big Words" collection, I set up a station where students use the laminated clues to make words using letters individually cut out to manipulate.  The students recorded their word list in their folder paper.

 

Read To Someone & Read To Self: Reading in our class book in progress, Frindle.

Teacher:  I administered word lists from the BRI, Basic Reading Inventory as students filled out a student reading inventory survey.

Writing: Students finished their "I Am" poems and collages for open house.  We traced their faces using the overhead projector to make a silhouette.   They came out great for the hallway bulletin board!