What better way to find out how to write well than to research "the best!" House of Rowling students are also writing inquiry questions and doing research to find out how the author of Harry Potter learned to write so well. We are also learning about how to pick credible sources and then credit our own sources as we research. This house will also be writing their own short story as a culmination of this reading/ writing unit.
Because they have finished their book and earned over 100 house points, House of Rowling had a game day today. Guess what their choice of games was....... Harry Potter game, of course. This awesome game was lent to us by the Weisbergers and the box contains 7 different/variations of games based on the entire series. (Sounds like a great Christmas present to me.) Anyway, yes, of course it is complex- just like the books, but the girls loved it. Tomorrow they will begin a research project on JK Rowling herself!!!!
After our benchmark Star Reading test today, we will be doing activities that will finish up Harry Potter. Tomorrow we will do our last blog - questions on chapter 17. Next week, we'll have an assessment over the whole book. It is both multiple choice and writing. This Friday is the Leadership Muffin Morning. If your child comes home with a ticket tomorrow, they are invited to our session at 7:30. A student will be at the back door- Kinder rooms, to let them in with their ticket.
Our House of Rowling group is really enjoying our reading of Harry Potter. The girls are reading at least 3 chapters a week and doing a vocabulary keeper to help them. Please help them keep up as they are lost if they haven't read. We do read in class, however, because time is so short, we need the time to do other activities. Last week we read for fluency and answered questions on our blog. To see those, you can go to https://bcesrowling.edublogs.org
This week we will be participating in a Socratic Circle. In this strategy, students will discuss what is happening in their text with each other. Most students really like this strategy because they get to express opinions not just facts. We will also do more blogging. This past week we set the stage for the book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. We've been establishing characters and the "before the book "plotline." We did do some short answer questions to see how well we read. We've committed to read 3 chapters per week, from Thursday through Tuesday. We will also do reading in class for fluency, but to be able to plan for activities, we will be checking for completion of reading assignments. With each new assignment they have a vocabulary list to help them find words and by reading "around" the words predicting what they mean. Ask about them.
This week we will be doing illustrations for what we have read, putting the very well-written descriptive passage about Diagon Alley into illustration. Ask them about their drawings on Wednesday. Happy reading! |
Blog Author, Mrs. Albrecht
Mrs. Albrecht is a 30+ year educator. Having taught in both Texas and here in Eagle County, Colorado, she brings years of teaching expertise and technology to her classrooms. Archives
December 2017
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House of Rowling
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter, the Rowling House has been named for J K Rowling, author of the adored series. This group is comprised of 3 3rd grade young ladies. Hopefully, each one will catch "Potter Fever!"