Ahhhh...A New Week...

It has been a beautiful weekend!  The sun is out and the weather is nice.  I hope the kids are ready to work tomorrow and that the weather keeps them calm!

I did get to see "The Hunger Games", finally!  I thought it was really good.  I'm a "book first" movie-goer so, of course, I think the book is better.  My husband had to be filled in throughout the movie.  However, that being said, it was a great "follow-up" to the book; in other words, it supports the book well.  After Potter, I'm an unfortunate critic of books-to-movies.  Too critical.  But I definitely look forward to "Catching Fire" in 2013.

With "The Hunger Games" in mind, I've added a couple of new books to my favorites page.  They are dystopian-like and very good, I think.

Here are some pics of what our final lapbooks for persuasive texts looked like:

My students did a nice job on their own lapbooks.  I would say that the only problem with using large pieces of construction paper instead of a file folder is the glue.  Construction paper soaks up glue and things are never quite even.  Believe it or not, 4th graders STILL don't know how to use bottled glue!!!!!  They glued their fingers together, paper to desks, etc.  Some of them put so much glue that it soaked through the paper and stuck the paper to the desk!!!  Arrgghh!!  I think that is what I may change...GLUE STICKS!

Tomorrow, we will start "The Daily Scoot".  Quarters will move to a different table group every day and answer questions about a very short passage.  For example, Monday may be "Finding Details", Tuesday may be "Context Clues", etc.  Each day is a different skill set and a different story.  There are only 4 questions per story, so there is little time spent.  I think it's a great way to review and answer questions on our main skills.  The "scoot" part of it came from an idea I saw on a blog.  I'm so sorry that I can't remember which one!!!  If you know, please let me know so I can bookmark it!!

Yesterday, I finished "Divergent" by Veronica Roth.  It's excellent!  There are so many great lines in the book.  I end with one tonight, even though it really doesn't apply to anything in particular. 

“I think we've made a mistake," he says softly. "We've all started to put down virtues of the other faction in the process of bolstering our own. I don't want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest.” --Veronica Roth, "Divergent"




Always,