10th Rotation - the author is coming!

We are gearing up for Linda Sue Park's visit to the school in March.

Kindergarten - We read, The Squeaky Door, by Margaret Read McDonald. This is a great book for patterns, repetition, and audience participation. I usually have instruments for the kids to do the click, squeaky door, animal sounds but tried something different this time. I used the iPads and downloaded the app, Sound Touch Lite, that had animal sounds. As the grandma adds animals to the bed the students push the button of the animal to play the sound.

This was an interesting experience. I accidentally did it with a first grade class and the lesson didn't work. The students weren't using the iPads and didn't have any self-control. Other teachers have set parameters and students know to only use apps. I had to have the 1st graders stop and flip the iPads over because they wouldn't listen to the story and play the sounds on cue - they just wanted to play with the iPads. I then read the same book to several classes of kindergarteners and the lesson went great. I didn't have to have them flip the iPads over because they were under control. They were engaged with the story more than the app so they would look up when I resumed reading it. Below is a clip of me teaching and them using the iPads:

Grade 1: I read Martina the beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy. I love this book and can read it a bazillion times without tiring of it.

Grade 2: I read one chapter each of Linda Sue Park's biography. It was too hard for them and I was either defining words or standing on my head trying to get them enthused.

Grade 3: Lesson 3 of book trailers. I made a video so the sub could show it when I was gone coaching in Manila. It seemed to go better than last year with the additional graphic organizer.

Grade 4: Read Tap Dancing on the Roof by Linda Sue Park. These are sijo poems a form of Korean haiku. The are 3 lines with 14-16 syllables. We wrote one together as a class. Here's an example:

Pizza. Salad. Dessert. Chicken legs. Dumplings. Spaghetti. (14) Splat! Food dumped on my tray. Tastes good, tastes bad. Looks like a picture. (15) Revenge! Toss food in the garbage. Yuck, I got some on my shoe. (15)

Grade 5: Students wrote a book review and got an Edmodo badge for completing. About 1/2 of the students finished in each class. Here's a video of the lesson: