Happy Thanksgiving!

Long time, no news from Room 13!  That’s what happens when we’re working hard!  Here’s what has been keeping us busy:

GO Math

The students are doing great problem-solving in math.  Every morning, they complete a Problem of the Day (POD) before the main math lesson.  This week, we have been working on writing our own story problems.  Here are examples, when the direction was to "Write a word problem to go with the algorithm 5 x 3 = 15."

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Emily collects shells.

Payne buys hats.

Folktales

In language arts, we have been reading, enjoying and analyzing folktales from around the world.  Reading and retelling folktales is a great way to master several Common Core Standards.  Plus, it's fun!  The class favorite is Lon Po Po, a Chinese Little Red Riding Hood.  Today, we listened to an author read Petite Rouge (A Cajun Red Riding Hood) on YouTube. We are learning about the 6 main elements of folktales.

• A simple setting (Long ago in a forest, or "In a windy valley in the windy middle of nowhere..." from Willa and the Wind by Janice M. Del Negro)
• Strong characters that are good or bad.
• A problem that is solved by the main character
• Cultural clues (such as the gingko nuts and Chinese words in Lon Po Po)
• A message (For example, "Being clever is better than being strong," from "Jamila and the Tiger")
• Magic or Fantasy