Describing Characters

As we were learning about how authors describe characters using descriptive language, we focused on the author J.K. Rowling and how she described the characters in her books. We studied several sections of text in which she described the characters in her story. We created webs of information including the character and the descriptive language used to describe that character.

Dobby

• large, bat-like ears
• bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls
• his long, thin nose touched the carpet
• looked like a large and very ugly doll
• wore an old pillowcase with rips for arms and legs
• respectful of wizards

Harry Potter

• jet-black hair
• stubbornly, untidy hair
• still rather small and skinny
• glasses
• the eyes behind his glasses were bright green
• scar shaped like a bolt of lightning
• jeans were torn and dirty
• baggy and faded t-shirt
• soles of his shoes were peeling away from the uppers

Mad-Eye Moody

• long, grizzled, gray hair
• large chunk missing from his nose
• squinting suspiciously
• one of the eyes was small, dark, and beady
• large, round, and electric blue eye

Severus Snape

• thin man
• sallow skin
• greasy, shoulder-length black hair
• disliked by everyone
• hooked nose
• cruel and sarcastic

Hippogriffs

• part-horse, part-eagle
• large, brilliantly orange eyes
• steel colored beaks
• deadly looking talons
• big, gleaming coats

Place Value Mystery Numbers

We have been working on place value into the millions and identifying the value of each digit. We practiced creating and solving 7, 8, and 9 digit numbers throughout the week. The students created their own mystery number problems with clues to help solve the problem.

My mystery number has 9 digits.
5 is in the thousands place.
0 is in the tens place.
3 is in the millions place.
7 is in the ten thousands place.
1 is in the ones place.
8 is in the hundreds place.
2 is in the ten millions place.
4 is in the hundred thousands place.
9 is in the hundred millions place.
What is my number?

923,475,801


My mystery number has 9 digits.
1 is in the ones place.
9 is in the hundred thousands place.
4 is in the thousands place.
6 is in the hundred thousands place.
7 is in the millions place.
8 is in the ten millions place.
2 is in the tens place.
3 is in the hundreds place.
5 is in the ten thousands place.
What is my number?

987,654,321


My mystery number has 9 digits.
It has a 4 in the ten millions place.
8 is in the one millions place.
6 is in the hundreds place.
9 is in the tens place.
2 is in the one thousands place.
1 is in the hundred millions place.
5 is in the ten thousands place.
0 is in the ones place.
7 is in the hundred thousands place.
What is my number?

148,752,690


This mystery number has 8 digits.
It has a 4 in the tens place.
5 is in the thousands place.
8 is in the ones place.
6 is in the ten thousands place.
2 is in the hundred thousands place.
1 is in the hundreds place.
7 is in the millions place.
3 is in the ten millions place.
What number am I?

37,265,148


The mystery number has 9 digits.
4 is in the ones place.
8 is in the hundred thousands place.
5 is in the tens place.
7 is in the ten millions place.
6 is in the hundreds place.
1 is in the hundred millions place.
2 is in the ten thousands place.
9 is in the millions place.
3 is in the thousands place.
What is my number?

179,823,654


My mystery number has 9 digits.
4 is in the ten thousands place.
8 is in the hundred thousands place.
6 is in the ten millions place.
5 is in the millions place.
9 is in the ones place.
1 is in the hundred millions place.
3 is in the thousands place.
2 is in the hundreds place.
7 is in the tens place.
What is my number?

165,843,279


This number has 7 digits.
9 is in the millions place.
1 is in the tens place.
3 is in the hundred thousands place.
7 is in the one thousands place.
2 is in the ones place.
1 is in the hundreds place.
5 is in the thousands place.
What is my number?

9,357,112


My mystery number has 8 digits.
5 is in the hundred thousands place.
7 is in the millions place.
8 is in the ones place.
6 is in the hundreds place.
3 is in the ten thousands place.
1 is in the thousands place.
4 is in the tens place.
9 is in the ten millions place.
What is my number?

97,531,648


My mystery number has 9 digits.
3 is in the hundred thousands place.
8 is in the hundred millions place.
7 is in the ten millions place.
2 is in the hundreds place.
5 is in the thousands place.
4 is in the ten thousands place.
0 is in the tens place.
9 is in the millions place.
1 is in the ones place.
What is my number?

879,345,201


This number has 8 digits.
4 is in the millions place.
1 is in the ones place.
4 is in the thousands place.
2 is in the hundreds place.
2 is in the tens place.
0 is in the ten thousands place.
9 is in the hundred thousands place.
2 is in the ten millions place.
What is my number?

24,904,221


My mystery number has 9 digits.
0 is in the ones place.
2 is in the hundred millions place.
9 is in the tens place.
8 is in the hundreds place.
1 is in the thousands place.
7 is in the ten thousands place.
5 is in the hundred thousands place.
4 is in the ten millions place.
6 is in the one millions place.
What is my number?

246,571,890

Descriptive Language

As we worked on descriptive language in text, we began to focus on how authors use descriptive language to describe characters.
We studied several authors and their examples of describing characters in their text.
We discovered that authors use descriptive language to describe a characters' appearance, their personality, and their feelings.
We searched in our own books to look for examples of authors describing characters in those three ways:

But Shel Silverstein looks more like a burglar or a pirate than a guy who should be writing books for kids.

Darth Vader always wore a black suit of armor and mask because his body had been almost destroyed in a great battle.

George and Harold are actually very clever and good-hearted boys.

Holly is the fourth prettiest girl in class.

He was dressed in a worn robe trimmed with dirty fur. He had a rugged weather-beaten face, a bushy beard, and a black eye patch.

And so this morning, my eyes felt very saggy.

Descriptive Language

We have been studying authors and how they use descriptive language in their stories. We have focused on how authors describe places to help us get a mental image.

We listed our favorite places, chose one to focus on, and wrote a paragraph about one of our favorite places, using descriptive language to help our readers get a mental image of each place.

The Zoo by Abby

At the zoo there are tigers roaring loudly and elephants are stomping their heavy feet. Penguins are waddling on the cold ice. Zebras are running in the tall grass. Polar bears are scratching the shaggy icicles. I saw hippos swimming in the clear, blue water. Monkeys are chattering in their barred cages. The lions are running in the dirty path. Rhinos are snorting in their mucky areas.


Hawaii by Paige

The sound of the sea turtles swimming make the children laugh. When we were walking to the beach I saw the blue, sparkly water. When I got there I felt the sand tickle my feet. I saw the fat coconuts falling and they tumbled down and the funny looking people made me laugh. The salty water made my eyes water.


Lake Ponderosa by Lucas

I can look off the deck and it looks like the water is made of shattered glass. When I touch the water it numbs my toes. My canoe rocks in the water because of the waves from the boats. I hear crickets chirping. I see the birds swooping through the trees.


Chicago by Connor

Chicago is like a big pool of tall buildings. The street is like an ocean of cars. There are lines of stores with people going in and out. Cars are busily driving around the streets of the city.


Colorado by Jack

There are a lot of fun things to do in Colorado. The snowy mountains are huge. It is both warm and cold there. There are big animals at the zoo. There are lots of busy traffic.


Mississippi by Ellie

When I was at the Mississippi River I could smell oreo cookies, cake, pie, hot dogs, and more. I could hear people saying "beautiful" and "gorgeous" and "nice". While we were there my brother said, "supercalifragilisticespecialidocious". There was this cool sliding computer. I also heard little splashes. The rushing water tickled my fingers. I saw little colorful fish swimming around.


Adventureland by Isabella

I see slow, clear water with orange fish in it. The funny ducks flapping their wings make me laugh. Exciting roller coasters way up in the sky are going so fast. Everywhere I look I see delicious, tasty food. I hear laughing and screaming from kids all around me. The sound from the amazing, awesome rides hurts my ears.


Worlds of Fun by Solon

I hear kids screaming and laughing on super fun rides. I feel cold, wet water on my face. I hear loud, noisy roller coaster chains. I hear loud, noisy fans blowing on my face. It was so super hot that day that I felt very sweaty and sticky.


At Pella by Dawson

When the boat motors are running, it feels fun. The boats are towing other boats and it's natural and fun. The grass growing in the beach is very tall. My mom is washing me in the lake. The waves are hitting the shore. The weeds in the beach are growing very tall. Pella is very fun.


My Cat's Vet by Magdalen

Fish are splashing in their tanks. Noisy dogs are barking at the top of their lungs. Cats are meowing loudly to get out of their cages. Birds are flapping as fast as they can. Restless cats are waiting to be fed.


My Trip to Disney World by Josie

My trip to Disney World started like this....
it started when I went on the airplane. The plane was very fast so it felt weird. Once we got there my brother and I were bouncing on our hotel bed while we noticed Mickey Mouse everywhere.
So I first went to Epcot. There was a giant spikey ball. I went in the ball. I went to the Wall of Names. My Dad and Mom were on the Wall of Names. Next stop was the Country Place. There was candy and stuff like that. We went to Mexico last. There was a cool boat ride. I went to watch fireworks when a ball floated over the lake. Then I went back to my hotel.
Now it was time for rides. I went on Go-Carts. I was turning 8 and I got car number 8! How lucky is that?! I even got to ride the fastest roller coaster in Disney World. I got to ride Splash Mountain. It's a water roller coaster and it drops 50 feet straight down!! I also got to ride Space Mountain. It's really dark  and it took my picture. Splash Mountain took my picture too. I went to dinner there and the mascots Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, and Daisy were there. There was an all you could eat buffet. We also got a lot of toys (lightsavers, Minnie Mouse, and little toy cars). Then at 5:00 we got to the airport and left for home.

Mysteries

We have started our Mystery genre unit. We are learning about the elements of mysteries and focusing on mystery vocabulary words: plot, clues, suspects, and mystery. As a class we read the book Chet Gecko: The Mystery of Mr. Nice. We are currently reading two different mysteries: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones and Nate the Great and the Sticky Case. As we read these books, we are working on identifying the elements of the mystery, increasing our knowledge of our vocabulary words, and practicing fluency as we read the books aloud with our partners/groups. After finishing these books, each student will individually choose a mystery to read and then write their own mystery using the elements of a mystery.

Addition and Subtraction Strategies

We started the year with addition and subtraction review. We have been working on strategies and tricks to help us add and subtract more efficiently. We came up with the following strategies:

addition strategies

• adding zero: the number stays the same
• adding one: the number is the next one up (one larger)
• doubles: the answer is an even number
• doubles plus one: the answer is one more than the doubles fact
• turnaround facts: turn the numbers around and the answer is the same

subtraction strategies

• subtracting zero: the number stays the same
• subtracting one: the number is the next one down (one less)

Friday Folders

Each Friday (or last school day of the week) the students will bring home a red Friday Folder. This folder will include work from the week as well as important notes and information from school. Please return this Folder each Monday!

Thanks!

7 Habits

We have been learning about becoming a leader and incorporating the '7 Habits of Highly Successful People' into our lives. We have begun making goals to help us become in charge of our lives and learning. We have also used a lot of literature to help us learn about and reinforce the concepts of the 7 Habits. We have focused on Habits 1, 2, and 3 so far:
1. Be Proactive: I am in the driver's seat; I am in charge of my own learning, attitude, and behaviors.
2. Begin with the End in Mind: Have a vision and make goals to get where you want to go/where you want to be.
3. Put First Things First: Work first, then play; Make priorities and focus on the most important things first.

Here are some of the books we have used to learn about the 7 Habits:

The Very Busy Spider
The Little Red Hen
Froggy Gets Dressed
Jamaica's Find
Arthur's Pet Business
Swimmy
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room

Spelling

Each week we will have 15 spelling words; these spelling words will always have a specific pattern or commonality among the words on the list. So far was have focused on words with the short a sound, short e sound, short i sound, and short o sound. This week's spelling words have the short u sound, spelled with a u or an o, such as bubble and nothing. Each student brought his/her spelling list home today to practice. We will continue to practice these spelling words throughout the week, with our test on Friday.
The following website, Spelling City, is a good resource to help students practice their spelling words at home. Check it out if you get a chance!

http://www.spellingcity.com/

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!! I am very excited about what we will learn this school year. Here are some of the highlights to look forward to this school year:

Mysteries Unit
Tall tales/folktales Unit
Informational text
Flat Stanley Year-Long Unit
Rocks & Minerals
Electricity
Moon & Space Unit
Multiplication & Division
PreK Reading Partners
Pen Pals
Cursive Writing

and much, much more!!