Friday Focus - April 5

Great things I Noticed this Week:

• 5K students making inferences while looking at pictures, sequencing them and then describing what is happening using sequencing words.  (Look out Common Core, we're not afraid of you!)
• 4th grade students visiting the middle school band period to see what band is like. They got to go right next to older students as they played to see what their instruments were like and ask all kinds of great questions as they consider band. 
• 1st graders SO excited to check out library books that they found their books right away and spent the final 10 minutes of library time reading!
• Several students excitedly telling me about what summer school classes they are signing up for. Thank you for your help in "advertising" their options and getting them so excited!

Events Next Week:
Friday (Today) - 3rd Qtr report cards go home
Tuesday - Grade Level Meetings (See "Nuts&Bolts" for details)
Wednesday - I will be gone all day at CESA 6 for Effectiveness Project Training
Thursday - I'm gone half day for AWSA.
  12:30-1:00 "Captain Wattage" presentation for 3-5th grades in the gym
   1:05-1:35 "Captain Wattage" presentation for K-3 in the gym
Friday - 3rd Quarter Dodgeland Pride Assembly 2:15
Looking further down the road...
April 15th-last date for expenditures
April 18th-Big Blast Family Fun Night (I'll be looking for help again!!!)
April 22nd-Leroy Butler guest speaker presentation to K-5 at 1:15

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Tuesday's grade level meetings will be on discussing formative assessment.  You'll find this article in your mailbox to read before Tuesday. Please also plan to bring one example to share with your grade level on how you formatively assess your students.  This could be verbal or bring a hard copy to share with us.

Blogs, Tweets and Pins...Oh My!
*Looking for series book ideas for transitional readers? HERE is a great list from Franki Sibberson at Choice Literacy.
*Great blog post/videos on Book Clubs- Book Clubs: In Our Kids' Voices 
*

Dr. Justin Tarte @justintarte: 

Blogging allows students to write for an authentic audience (rather than just a teacher), while also teaching digital citizenship. 
* Fun idea for partners or turn-and-talk...Peanut Butter and Jelly:

*An Expert Chart during a non-fiction reading/writing unit:

Descriptions of both these pins can be found at THIS BLOG

Blog Post on Summarizing found HERE