"Then summer fades and passes and October comes. We'll smell smoke then,
and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a
sense of sadness and departure."
- Thomas Wolfe
This kind of descriptive language is part of what my third graders are learning to comprehend in reading and use in their own writing. Our current Unit of Inquiry, How We Express Ourselves, provides a canvas for learning thinking and reading strategies, descriptive language, perspective and international research.
As we study and discuss poetry in our daily routine, we talk about the questions that arise in us, connections we make with the text, and inferences that help us comprehend the poets message. In reading we are using the writing of several mentor poets to identify the main ideas and themes of certain poems and to begin our year long genre study in which poetry crosses both fiction and non-fictional organization. By practicing the writing process we are being risk-takers by applying the elements of poetry to our own writing and learning to stick to the topic. Right now I am introducing my kiddos to the inquiry cycle by providing them with just enough information about how other cultures around the world express their beliefs so that they can choose a culture to research and present during the end-of-unit celebration. The end-of -unit celebration will be held on October 16th. Time and location TBD.
This month of school has gone by so fast and I have really settled into a comfortable groove with this group of wee ones. I like em...I like em A LOT!
Enjoy,
Diane
and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a
sense of sadness and departure."
- Thomas Wolfe
This kind of descriptive language is part of what my third graders are learning to comprehend in reading and use in their own writing. Our current Unit of Inquiry, How We Express Ourselves, provides a canvas for learning thinking and reading strategies, descriptive language, perspective and international research.
As we study and discuss poetry in our daily routine, we talk about the questions that arise in us, connections we make with the text, and inferences that help us comprehend the poets message. In reading we are using the writing of several mentor poets to identify the main ideas and themes of certain poems and to begin our year long genre study in which poetry crosses both fiction and non-fictional organization. By practicing the writing process we are being risk-takers by applying the elements of poetry to our own writing and learning to stick to the topic. Right now I am introducing my kiddos to the inquiry cycle by providing them with just enough information about how other cultures around the world express their beliefs so that they can choose a culture to research and present during the end-of-unit celebration. The end-of -unit celebration will be held on October 16th. Time and location TBD.
This month of school has gone by so fast and I have really settled into a comfortable groove with this group of wee ones. I like em...I like em A LOT!
Enjoy,
Diane