What works one year, doesn't always work the next

So we're working away on our paragraphs this afternoon in Writer's Workshop. I look around the room and I'm not seeing enthusiasm. I'm not seeing spark. I'm not used to this level of ho-hum from this crew.  
They're not into it.  
The writing topics that were a hit last year are not working this year.  
You'll recall from yesterday's post that we're focusing on thinking about the questions our reader might have about a topic of choice.  Many kids were successful today in generating questions the reader might have about their topic, but I could tell they weren't excited about it. They need to be excited about it.  

Parents, would you please let your student know that tomorrow, I'll share new topics to choose from.  Those kids who were happy with what they created yesterday and today are welcome to keep their work, but if your student is looking to change, they'll have the opportunity to do so.  

If a writer is not enthusiastic or passionate about their topic, it's not fun, it doesn't produce great quality work and it's rarely creative. 

So hopefully tomorrow everyone will feel more inspired!  

Writer's Workshop Update

Today was a challenging Workshop!  

The boys and girls learned that a good writer thinks about the questions a reader might have about a topic and tries to answer them in their writing piece. 

As the kids will tell you, this is not easy!

For example, if I were to write about my Barbie collection, I think you might have these questions for me prior to reading:  

And she's still in the box! 

• How many Barbies are in the collection? 
• How old is the oldest one in the collection? 
• Are any of them very valuable? 
• Why collect Barbies? 
• Where do I keep them? 
• Which one is my favourite Barbie?  

After considering the questions a reader might have about my collection, I now move on to writing the actual paragraph where I make sure I address each of them.  

Today, the students were given four topics to choose from. They must first ask five questions a reader might ask about their topic of choice.  This is a whole new way to think about writing and it helps the child to focus on their reader, which is what good writers do.  

Everyone was all ready to jump in with both feet and simply start writing their paragraphs but when you have to pull back and think not as a writer but as a reader, it takes the task up a level. 

At first, I suspect it's not very fun to write this way, but I think once the kids see the high quality of writing they produce, they'll see their hard work pay off! 

Spelling Inventory

I'm not the biggest fan of spelling tests,  but at the same time, as we all know, there are some spelling rules in the English language we simply need to memorize.  It helps us communicate more effectively and it assists us with spelling unfamiliar words. For example, since I know how to spell "cries" I can use that to help me remember the rule about changing supply to supplies. 

On Monday, we're going to have a good ol' fashioned spelling test on these words. We've had this test before, at the start of the year and I'd like to see how the students do now that we are at the midway point of the year. We've done a lot of word study via our Morning Message and Poems of the Week and I want to see where we're at. 

Our goal is for all students to achieve at least 22/26 on the Spelling Inventory.  
By memorizing the spelling patterns for all of the words on the list, students of all learning abilities can be more successful writers and communicators.    

Coolest. Class. Ever.

Sit on down.
Turn up the sound. 
Be prepared to be entertained. 
This might just be the greatest video we've ever made.  

Your toes will tap. 
Your head will bob. 
Your smile will last long after this video is done.  

It's.
That.
Good. 

Please be sure to give us the "thumbs up" after you watch it. We want 100 thumbs up by the 100th day of school on Monday February 4. 

Are they the coolest class you've ever seen or what?  

Let The Good Times Roll!