Rocks, RAK and RTI

  Rockin' and a Rollin'

Lots of testing this past week! Our students took the CoGAT, plus they had a Words Their Way and a fraction test. Perfect timing...for a little Peanut Butter and Jelly Geology!

I started with a sequencing story about the formation of sedimentary rock. As they listened to the story, they drew (in their science notebook) what they heard...top part of the anchor chart. As they finished each section, they would build that part of the model. Once we finished creating our model, the students drew a core sampling of the sedimentary rock and answered question in their mini lab book. Right after the story, I showed my students beautiful pictures of actual sedimentary rock. I wanted them to be able to make the connection with the process and the creation of the layers. Thank goodness I did...the priceless comment of the lab... "Ohhh, sedimentary rock is real."

My RAK (Random Act of Kindness) ...thanks Farley (Currently- December)  for pushing me to get it started!
The "Clean Team" got started this week. My students started cleaning the computers around our school. This has been a huge success! The teachers are excited, my students are even more excited! The kids have felt like Rock Stars walking into a teacher's room to clean their computers.

Notice the pink eraser...secret weapon for cleaning!!!

Teacher comments...

"Dear Mrs. Dolat's Awesome Class, 

Thank you so much for cleaning our laptops! Our students are so excited to be working on "sparkling computers" rather than "dingy computers"! You are the best!!!"

"OMG... your class is awesome!!!! "

"What a great service!"

RTI

Our RTI...is called "Walk to Learn." Walk to Learn comes from the fact that every student on our grade level walks somewhere during our 30 minutes of intervention. No matter if you are in an intervention group or not, everyone goes somewhere. We really have a great thing going. Of course, we are always trying to perfect it. 

Quick low down...

• Based on inventories, students are placed in small group or big group.
• Small group-needs intensive instruction.
• Big group-changes all the time- Exemplars Math, Science Vocabulary, Poetry, Grammar, Moose Science...really these change based on student need. 

I have one of the small groups for reading intervention. We have been working on the PLORE reading strategy and prefixes and suffixes. These slider cards from Lakeshore have been highly engaging. They provide a reading passage on the front and then ask questions relate to prefixes and suffixes. Slide to get your question, flip to get your answer! The backside (see the card on the right) provides the answer. Love them!

Thursday, we played some online prefix/suffix games. Just sayin'...we won a million dollars!!! Don't be jealous! You too, can win a million!
Here's how...
Rags to Riches


Then we played Short Circuit.




It's cookie bake day! Can't wait!
Happy Saturday!