Day 90- Short and sweet

The title sums up today. We began school on a 2-hour delay, so by the time everyone got into the classroom, settled, announcements made, and attendance taken- it was 10:15.

For whole group reading we watched the BarinPop and BrainPop Jr. videos on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and answered the questions at the end. (click on the links and you can watch the videos too!) I don't think  my students fully understand what Dr. King was fighting for, but I wanted to introduce his works to them. I'm planning a little activity for them on Tuesday when we get back.

After the videos we had a few minutes before lunch, so I read a book from our Rockin' Readers area. (The Rockin' Readers are rocking chairs and reading area that was donated to the school a few years ago by Cracker Barrel.)

The book is titled What Does Peace Feel Like? It was written (and illustrated, I think) by kids.

I like that this book made my students really think. Not all of the  answers that the kids said in the book were your 'typical' answers for describing peace, but I think my students liked it that way. After reading the story we had to go to lunch, but when we came back we filled out a chart of how we would describe peace.

If you really check out the chart, you'll notice that my students are convinced that 'peace' and 'popcorn' are related. When we finished the chart I assigned my students a writing and illustrating activity to complete while I tried to finish F&P testing.

A BIG shout-out to my students today who moved up 4 and 5 reading levels! I can tell they are practicing their reading at home as well as at school!

 This soldier moved from a level 'D' to a level 'H'!

This soldier started the year on level 'D/ E' and when I tested her on level 'I' she still was reading fluently with 98% accuracy and a great comprehension rate! I'm thinking she was holding back at the beginning of the year, and now she wants to shine!

After our writing and testing it was time for our Winter Quarter Awards Ceremony. We split the ceremony in half, with grades K-2 going first. (It simply takes too long if everyone in the school has to sit through all the awards) Here are my students who earned awards! I had 2 students absent to day that also earned awards.

 The first grade awards consist of the Citizenship Award- for students who consistently stay on the top level of behavior, the Perfect Attendance Award- for perfect attendance for this quarter, and the Most Improved Award for the most improved in math, reading, and behavior.

After the awards ceremony, we came back to the classroom and started Rewards Plus for the week. Students who stay on a good behavior level the whole week get to have free time. (blocks, games, coloring, etc) However, looking back through our papers for the week, I noticed that quite a few of my students had work that needed to be finished. So, most of my students had to finish their work before getting to play.

These guys managed to finish their work just in time to be creative!

** There is NO SCHOOL on Monday in memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day.**

**Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Celebrity Story Saturday! And there is going to be a SPECIAL EDITION of Celebrity Story Saturday on Monday!**