A Minute to Win It - Valentine's Style

We had a fantastic time celebrating Valentine's Day in the Lily Pad.  

Students created Valentine's Creatures to collect their valentines.  Then we enjoyed all the wonderful treats brought in by the students.  We had a variety of treats from homemade scones, to pomegranate seeds to fresh fruit and mini-heart shaped sandwiches with butter and strawberries.

After reading our Valentine's cards and eating our treats, we then played Minute to Win It - Valentine's Style.  Students competed in 5 different stations: Cookie Face, Candy Heart Stack, Marshmallow Toss, candy transfer and M&M vs the Straw.

Math Workshop

This week students were measuring objects to determine the length of each side and then calculating perimeters.  We used the metric system (centimeters) as well as the US Customary (inches and feet).

Students have also been solving perimeter problems using Geoboards.  They were given a perimeter (for example 14 units) and then they created various rectangles that have perimeters of 14 units.

Fiction Writing

For the past several weeks students have been busy creating complex, believable characters to star in their own fiction story.  Students developed characters paying attention to internal and external characteristics, hopes, dreams and struggles.

Student writers learned that in order for a character to be believable they had to have both positive and negative characteristics.  A character that is all good or all bad is flat and uninteresting. Then the writers wrote a few scenes starring their character thinking about how he or she would react on the playground or the lunchroom.  Finally, students brainstormed some story ideas for their characters, chose one and then began planning their story.

Synonyms and Antonyms

We have been working with synonyms and antonyms in both Language Workshop and during our Reader's Workshop.  Students created "Synonym" Rolls and Antonym pictures.