Take Note

Today we talked about the attributes of "good notes".  Then we had an opportunity to look over our notes and compare them to the list below:

Good Notes...
* are NOT copied from the book
* are in your own words
* are concise (short and to the point)
* are not full sentences
* are taken carefully and accurately
       (This means names and places are spelled correctly and dates are copied down accurately)
* make sense to the person who wrote them
* are legible (neat writing)
* are organized/sorted under the right headings
* contain enough details
* focus in on the important facts/Key details

If our notes didn't go along with this checklist, then we needed to use the rereading strategy discussed previously in class to make changes and adjustments.  Remember, the more your notes follow the guidelines on this checklist, the easier it will be to write your first draft of your report.  Use this checklist to make sure you have good notes!!! :)

Book BINGO Bonanza!!!

To celebrate those students meeting their Readers to Leaders goal for the second nine weeks, Mrs. Phillips hosted a BINGO party in the dining room today!  Students were eager to receive their BINGO card and begin the competition/festivities!  Prizes up for grabs included books, toys, pencils, erasers, and notepads, to name just a few.  Children sat on the edge of their seats, waiting with bated breath, as the BINGO wheel turned and the next combination was called. 

Eventually, shrieks of joy a could be heard as students with winning cards dashed to the front of the room to confirm their victory and claim their prize.  Shouts of support for winning classmates echoed through the dining room as joyous readers selected their reward and headed back to their seats for another round of fun! 

We want to congratulate everyone who participated this morning, on their efforts as readers and hope to see them, along with some new faces, at the next Readers to Leaders celebration!

Being a reader is fun!

Interesting stories and characters!
New worlds and adventures!
Growing my knowledge!
Outstanding job; keep it up!

Biography Guidelines

Your biography should include a table of contents and the following chapters:  early life, education or training, and awards & achievements.  Each of these chapters should include at least 3 paragraphs with a topic sentence, supporting details, and relevant information.  In addition, your biography will also need to include a timeline with 6-10 events and a fun facts page with at least 3 fun facts.  Each of the chapters listed above, including the timeline and fun facts should have a heading and at least 1 picture or drawing.  Each picture or drawing should have a caption.  You may include a glossary if you wish for extra credit.  In order to earn the extra credit points, you will need to have at least 5 terms in your glossary.  You do not need to create an index for your biography.

Two of the most important parts of writing a good report are research and note taking.  It is VERY IMPORTANT that you choose research materials that are at your level a.k.a. you have to be able to read them!!!  Make sure you can read and understand the books or articles you decide to use. 

Once you have books or articles about your topic, you will want to begin taking notes.  Note taking is a way of recording information that you want to include in your report.  You will want to take notes in this booklet, keeping the headings on each page in mind, so that you can keep your notes organized.  Remember that copying sentences and paragraphs from a published piece is considered plagiarism, which is illegal!  One way to avoid plagiarism is to only write down short phrases or quick facts, rather than whole ideas or sentences.  

It Was An Awesome Day...Yes In"Deedy"!

Last Friday we had the amazing experience of meeting published author and storytelling extraordinaire, Carmen Agra Deedy!  Immediately after the morning bell we gathered in the Dining Room and eagerly awaited her arrival.  As a class we had spent the earlier part of the week enjoying some of her wonderful books, including The Library Dragon and The Yellow Star.  Carmen was greeted with a well-deserved eruption of cheers, before whisking us away with a magical story about a young man named Juan Bobo.  We followed Juan Bobo as he ventured off in search of his fortune.  We were instantly enamored with this endearing, kindhearted character.  Carmen Agra Deedy sure knows how to captivate an audience!  She has become an inspiration to our class as we continue to grow as storytellers.  We topped-off what had already been an exciting day by meeting with Carmen Agra Deedy to get our books autographed and share a few brief words with the talented author!  What a day! 

Poetry Practice

Our poetry is blooming
We learn more types each day 
Acrostic, haiku, cinquain
These formats guide our way
We think of something simple
Then add music to each word
To say that we're not poets
Would just be plain absurd!
Now if you're at home thinking
What would a poet do
Why not use words to paint a picture
And click the links I've found for you!


Links:
Cinquains
Poetry Inspiration: Shel Silverstein
Acrostic Poem Maker
Haiku Examples
Just for Fun: Jack Prelutsky