I am not stuttering, but I am being repetitive...in terms of helping some of the students in Room 503 understand - and remember - which words to use when.
This morning we went back over some words we had already covered, such as "to" and "too", "there" and "their", and "our" and "are". Consistently, these words get interchanged with one another in everything from journal entries, to stories, to Social Studies homework.
We also went over the difference between "were" and "was" and that both words are used in the past tense (some students tend to randomly mix past and present tense), but that "was" is singular and "were" is plural.
Our four new vocabulary words are words that we use almost daily, and yet almost half the class misspells them, and some students are not clear about - or can't remember - what the words mean. The words will be available on today's Homework post.
This afternoon the students were each given a marshmellow...to touch. "What!?," you ask. So did the students. In the first quarter, especially at the beginning of the term, the Sixth Graders engaged in a great deal of observation work. I intermittently try to squeeze more in, in order to give the students the opportunity to hone their awareness skills and to engage all of their senses.
Today, I asked the students to observe through touch. We all know marshmellows can be mushy, sticky, fluffy, etc. But what do they really feel like? What is the actual texture of a marshmellow? What does it feel like to squish between two fingers? Two hands? Can it bounce? What does it feel like when you rub it on your cheek?
After spending time with their marshmellow, I asked the students to draw what they felt...what a marshmellow feels like. "What?!," you ask (as did the students). I explained that I didn't want them to draw what they did with the marshmellow and I didn't want them to draw what the marshmellow looked like. I asked them to find a way to draw what it actually felt like.
Through this experience it is my hope that the students will 1) learn to express themselves and articulate their feelings, thoughts and observations, not only through words and concrete images, but also through images created from their actual experiences, and 2) acquire a desire to experience, think and express in different ways.
Above, at the top of this post (and the posting above this) are some images of what marshmellows feel like.
Cheers,
Ms. Pitman
This morning we went back over some words we had already covered, such as "to" and "too", "there" and "their", and "our" and "are". Consistently, these words get interchanged with one another in everything from journal entries, to stories, to Social Studies homework.
We also went over the difference between "were" and "was" and that both words are used in the past tense (some students tend to randomly mix past and present tense), but that "was" is singular and "were" is plural.
Our four new vocabulary words are words that we use almost daily, and yet almost half the class misspells them, and some students are not clear about - or can't remember - what the words mean. The words will be available on today's Homework post.
This afternoon the students were each given a marshmellow...to touch. "What!?," you ask. So did the students. In the first quarter, especially at the beginning of the term, the Sixth Graders engaged in a great deal of observation work. I intermittently try to squeeze more in, in order to give the students the opportunity to hone their awareness skills and to engage all of their senses.
Today, I asked the students to observe through touch. We all know marshmellows can be mushy, sticky, fluffy, etc. But what do they really feel like? What is the actual texture of a marshmellow? What does it feel like to squish between two fingers? Two hands? Can it bounce? What does it feel like when you rub it on your cheek?
After spending time with their marshmellow, I asked the students to draw what they felt...what a marshmellow feels like. "What?!," you ask (as did the students). I explained that I didn't want them to draw what they did with the marshmellow and I didn't want them to draw what the marshmellow looked like. I asked them to find a way to draw what it actually felt like.
Through this experience it is my hope that the students will 1) learn to express themselves and articulate their feelings, thoughts and observations, not only through words and concrete images, but also through images created from their actual experiences, and 2) acquire a desire to experience, think and express in different ways.
Above, at the top of this post (and the posting above this) are some images of what marshmellows feel like.
Cheers,
Ms. Pitman
