Day 11 – Language Arts
Spelling: Sorting According to Vowels and Blends
To begin today’s spelling practice, I reminded my student that words can have beginning and ending blends. He was given a word bank with several of his spelling words and noticed that they all had ending blends. He sorted his words by ending blend. Then, we looked at the rest of this week’s spelling words and sorted them according to their vowel sounds. My student noticed that all of this week’s words have short vowels.Guided Reading:
Today’s reading came from the book San the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley. After looking at the cover of the book, my student read the title and the names of the author and illustrated. We related the title and cover illustration to the information about the Minutemen in the article that we read earlier, Independence Day. We discussed the historical context of the story, and the time when Minutemen were ready to fight. After discussing vocabulary words from the text, my student read the first half of the book silently. We discussed why the church bells were ringing. Also, my student was able to tell me why the colonist fighters were called “Minutemen.” We discussed the plot of the story thus far so I could check comprehension.
Read Aloud: Chapter 11 from The Magician’s Nephew.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 11 – Math
In this lesson, my student was taught how to find the value of groups of coins or groups of bills by counting on in order from the coin or bill with the greatest value to the coin or bill with the least value. As a warm-up, I used play coins and presented an amount of money to my student, and he had to show the same value, with different combinations of coins. Next we completed an online animation, which could easily be adapted for an offline activity. The character in the animation presented change to the student. The highest valued coin was on the left, and the coins decreased in value. By clicking on the coin (you could set out the coins and point), the character counted the total amount of change. Different problems were presented in this way in order to practice counting money amounts with coins.In the next activity, we counted bills (up to $20) in the same way. Finally, we counted money amounts with bills and coins together. For an extra challenge, you could mix up the values and present them out of order. Day 11 – Science
Today’s science lesson introduced the scientific method, and then provided my student with an investigation to complete the steps of the scientific method. After reading some information about the scientific method, we learned that the steps are: 1) Ask a Question 2) Make a Hypothesis 3) Plan Materials 4) Write down the Procedures, and then follow them 5) Observe and Collect Data and 5) make a conclusion. After discussing each step, we were able to try it out with a Bouncing Balls Experiment. We pretended that my student was going to visit a friend’s house to play a ball game. He would have to test two balls so that he could take the one that bounces the highest to his friend’s house. To practice using the Scientific Method, my student formulated a question (Which ball will bounce the highest?). Then he observed the two balls he had selected and made a prediction, or hypothesis, based on what he observed. He noticed that the red ball was larger than the blue ball, which was smaller and ‘squishier.’ His prediction was that the red ball would bounce higher. Then, we discussed what he would need to do to test the ‘bounciness’ of the two balls. I explained that the way he threw each ball would affect the results of the test. Together, we decided that it would make it even if he stood on a chair, held each ball at the same height off the ground, and dropped them both at the same time. I mentioned that scientists usually try their experiment several times in order to make sure that their results are correct. He chose to repeat his test five times. He wrote down his procedures, and was ready to test his hypothesis. Once he collected his data in a chart, he made his conclusion. He concluded which ball bounced the highest, whether it matched his conclusion, why that one bounced the highest, and then he picked which ball he would take to his friend’s house!
Day 12 – Language Arts
Spelling: Practicing words and Writing sentences
To warm up my student’s brain for learning today, we started with an activity: Words with Blends that Rhyme. I made up riddles for him to identify (and spell) the correct rhyming word from a word bank. For example: “I am a word that rhymes with hand. (showing my hand, then wagging my finger and speaking in a silly voice) Don’t splash in the water, stay on dry ______” (land). After having fun with our riddles, I reigned my student back in by dictating three sentences for him to write on the whiteboard in order to practice spelling his words in context. Grammar: Recognize Irregular Plural Nouns
We made plural nouns game cards with irregular nouns (man/men, mouse/mice). We discussed which singular noun named one person, and which plural noun named more than one person. I explained that because it doesn’t end in -s or –es, but instead has a special spelling, it is called an irregular noun. We then played with our cards by sorting them into singular and irregular plural nouns. Then we mixed them up and played a memory-type matching game, just for fun and reinforcement.Guided Reading:
Today we read the second half of the book San the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley. To begin, I asked my student to summarize the story so far, looking at illustrations to refresh his memory. This was a great chance for us to interact with the text and each other. The discussion helped my student to better understand the historical context of the book. My student read the rest of the book silently. Then, I checked comprehension by asking questions. When he had difficulty, we reread the page where the answer was found. To wrap up, we discussed how and why the main character’s feelings changed over the course of the story.
Read Aloud: Chapter 12 from The Magician’s Nephew.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 12 – Math
In today’s lesson, my student practiced writing the value of a group of coins or bills using the dollar and cent symbols for money.It was more of a review for my student, but we discussed that the word cents describes money amounts that are less than one dollar, and that the cent symbol is located after the amount of coins. Using our play money, I gave him groups of coins to count, and then we practiced the two different ways to write change (25¢ or $0.25). Next, I explained that if he has a dollar or more, he should use the dollar symbol when writing the amount. I modeled 2 examples with our play money using dollars and coins. I pointed out that the dollar symbol always goes before the dollar amount. My student also needed clarification that when using the dollar symbol, the cent symbol is not used. Then, he had the chance to practice counting, telling the amount, and writing the total on his individual whiteboard.
Day 12 – History
In today’s history lesson, my student learned about the early Roman government. We left off, in the previous lesson, with Romulus, who was the first king of Rome. This lesson picks up seven kings later, with Rome’s last king. Together, we read a passage about how the last king was a cruel king and people had enough. They forced him to leave, which meant that they were without a king. When another king who lived across the Tiber River heard about the lack of leadership, he decided to bring an army across the river to take charge of the city. Next, we read an online version of a famous story about a Roman soldier named Horatius, who bravely faced the king’s army at the Tiber River. After reading the story, we discussed the story and what my student has learned about ancient Rome. As a final activity, my student illustrated the most memorable scene from today’s story. Day 13 – Language Arts
Spelling: Study, Cover, and Spell
Once again, we completed the ‘Study, Cover, and Spell’ activity. This week’s words were listed down the left side of a table, with blank spaces to the right. He read each word, and then covered it with an index card. Next he spelled it aloud before writing it. Then he uncovered the word and checked his spelling. He corrected mistakes before moving to the next word.Grammar: Using Capital Letters
This activity prepared my student to check for capital letters in his written work. I gave him a short (4-sentence) story that was written with no capitals. He figured out what the story was missing. I taught him the editing marks for capitalizing and we corrected the story. Then, he rewrote all the sentences with the correct capitalization. He even included a cute picture to illustrate the story. Read Aloud: Chapter 13 from The Magician’s Nephew. We’re close to finishing our first read-aloud of the year!
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 13 – Math
In this lesson, my student reviewed how to use decimal notation when writing money amounts. Using our play money, I had my student count out certain amounts of money (below $25). I explained that when we write money, we say the dollar amount first, then the word and, and then the change. On an index card, we made a decimal smiley face with a speech bubble that said “and.” We stuck a magnet to the back so it would adhere to our whiteboard. After counting the bills, my student practiced writing the dollar sign and the dollar amount. We used funny voices for our decimal-guy when he spoke and to separate the dollars and the coins. Then, we would finish with the change amount. After a few more examples using decimal-guy, my student practiced saying dollar amounts aloud that I would write on the board. He held up our decimal-guy when he said and. Then we reversed the activity. I said a money amount, and he practiced writing it correctly, remembering to leave off the cent symbol whenever the dollar sign was used. This was an interactive, and highly engaging reinforcement lesson for my student.
Day 13 – Science
(We skipped science today since I didn’t have all the necessary materials)Day 14 – Language Arts
Spelling: Unit Assessment
Today my student was tested on his spelling words: words with ending blends. I dictated two sentences for him to write, and then checked for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.Guided Reading: George the Drummer Boy
Today’s reading came from the book George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley. After looking at the cover of the book, my student read the title and the names of the author and illustrated, and then predicted what the story will be about. After discussing vocabulary words from the text, my student read the first half of the book silently. We discussed who the main character is, why he wanted to be friends with the people of Boston, why the colonists didn’t like the British soldiers, what General Gage wanted his troops to capture, and what the lights in the spire of the Old North Church meant. We discussed that this story is historical fiction. Then I explained that some of the characters were real (General Gage, Major Pitcairn, the Minutemen, and the British soldiers), and some of the characters are fictional (George and Fred).
Read Aloud: Chapter 14 from The Magician’s Nephew.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 14 – Math
Today, my student learned how to trade combinations of bills and coins of lesser denominations for bills and coins of greater denominations to find the fewest bills or coins to represent an amount.
We began by using an online learning tool to trade coins of lesser value for coins of greater value to show a specific value using the fewest coins. This activity could easily be adapted for an offline lesson. I explained that you can almost always show an amount of money in more than one way. Show 1 nickel and 6 pennies. Point out that the value of this is 11¢, but we used 7 coins. The student trades 1 penny for one nickel and then two nickels for 1 dime. Then you can show how the value is still the same, but only 3 coins were used! This was practiced with several different amounts of coins.
Then, we switched to finding the least number of bills. For our first practice problem, I gave my student 6 1-dollar bills, and he traded 5 1-dollar bills for 1 5-dollar bill. Finally, once my student was proficient with the bills alone, we practiced several problems that combined bills and coins. When my student had trouble finding the fewest number of bills and coins, I had him order them from greatest value to least and trade.
Day 14 – History - The Roman Republic and Cincinnatius
Today’s lesson taught my student how Rome’s government changed after their last king. We discussed what it would be like if nobody was in charge. At first, it sounded appealing, but then I posed the question, what would happen when two disagree on what the laws should be? My student agreed that it was good to have someone in charge. This led to our discussion about the Romans. They were certain that they didn’t want a king who would rule and inherit the throne. They decided that they would have two people rule who would share the power (consuls), and that those individuals would be elected by the people. My student learned that this was called a republic. The people also elected senators, three hundred men from important families in Rome, to help the consuls rule. Next, we read The Story of Cincinnatus, an online story about a Roman (Cincinnatus) who decided the republic was more important than anything – even than being king. For our wrap-up activity, my student created a triangular diagram of the government of the Roman Republic. He started with a 12” x 12” piece of white construction paper, and then folded it in half diagonally. Next, I instructed him to draw two horizontal lines to divide the triangle into three sections of equal height. Along the base by the fold line, he wrote “Roman People.” He labeled the middle section “Senators” and the top section “Consuls.” Last, he drew two (stick figures) consuls in the top section, several senators in the middle section, and a large group of people in the bottom section. We can stand the triangle up on its base to display.Day 15 – Language Arts
Spelling: Words with Short Vowels and Beginning Blends
This week’s list includes blends (two and sometimes three consonants, each making a sound) and short vowels. I explained to my student that a blend may be at the beginning or end of a word. My student read through his list, identified the blends by underlining each sound of the blend, and then realizing that they all occur at the beginning of the word. Grammar: Review Subjects and Predicates; The One-Two Noun Game
To begin today’s grammar lesson, I reminded my student that a sentence is made up of two parts. We reviewed that the subject, or naming part, is the part of a sentence that tells who or what the sentence is about. The predicate, or the action part, is the part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or did. I wrote some sentences on the whiteboard. My student told me whether the subject or predicate was missing, and then filled in the blank with an appropriate phrase. Guided Reading: George the Drummer Boy: Session 2
Today’s reading came from the book George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley. My student summarized the summary so far, looking at illustrations to refresh his memory. We reviewed several vocabulary words before reading. My student read the last half of the book silently. I checked his comprehension by asking some questions. (Does George want to fight the Minutemen? Does Major Pitcairn want the soldiers to shoot at the Minutemen? What do the soldiers do to the house? What happens to Fred?) We discussed how George the Drummer Boy and Sam the Minuteman are alike and different. Then, we compared the endings of the stories.
Read Aloud: Chapter 15, the last chapter, ¬¬¬¬from The Magician’s Nephew.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 15 – Math
In today’s lesson, my student used bills and coins to solve problems. In the first activity, an online animation, my student helped a character count his money. He was given a mix of dollars and coins, and had three choices to pick from for the value of the money shown. Next, we played a shopping game to help provide my student with a real-life application for counting money. I set up a miniature store (about 10 items that I had priced, using sticky notes). My student shopped in my store using play money. He chose what he wanted to buy, starting with one item, and then moving on to two items, until didn’t have money left. Then, we switched roles. After practicing this for a few rounds, I “short-changed” him. When he counted the money I gave, he realized my error and collected the rest of what I owed. My student was allowed to drink the juice box he “bought” at the store which, of course, thrilled him!Day 15 – Science Today, we took a field trip to a local nature center, and therefore, didn’t have a formal lesson.
Day 16 – Language Arts
Spelling: Words with Beginning Blends and Digraphs
I began today’s spelling lesson by reminding my student that blends are two or three consonants spelled together, that each have a sound. I gave him the example of the letters d and r in the word drum. My student practiced identifying beginning blends in words by sorting this week’s words according to their beginning blends.Next, I reminded my student that digraphs are one sound spelled with two letters. An example is the letters c and k in the word back. Words can have blends and digraphs. I gave him words (brick, splash, swim, neck, crash, stop, slip, brush, grab, speck, trot, and crush) and he identified the words that had both a blend and a digraph.Assessment Review
Today we had a question/answer session for my student to remember what he has learned in grammar this year. I set it up so to be like a game show. My student was the contestant and I was the host. I pretended to have a microphone, used my best Bob Barker voice, and gave him an excited “ding, ding” and points for each question answered correctly. We reviewed Kinds of Sentences: the four kinds of sentences, how to begin each sentence, and what mark is used for each kind of sentence. Next, we reviewed parts of a sentence: what are the two parts of a sentence, what does the subject tell you, what does the predicate tell you? Then we reviewed nouns: what is a noun, what is a proper noun, how does a proper noun begin? Finally, we reviewed plural nouns: what do we call a noun that names more than one person, place or thing? What letter do we add to most nouns to make them plural? If a noun ends with s, ss, ch, sh, or x, what letters do we add at the end to make it plural? We reviewed the irregular nouns we learned (mouse/mice, child/children, man/men, foot/feet, etc.) Once we finished the review, my student was assessed on all that we just reviewed. We pretended that the assessment was the super-duper-challenge round, and it was worth 1-million points!Read Aloud: Chapter 2 ¬¬¬¬from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 16 – Math
Today’s math lesson was a unit review. This was a very individualized lesson that was catered to the needs of my student. We had the opportunity to review previous activities in the Time and Money unit. Together, my student and I went through all the practice pages he had completed in order to refresh his memory, and then he completed a practice test. I could see from his practice test which areas needed more practice. Day 16 – History (Roman Gods and Goddesses)
We began by reviewing some of what we’ve learned so far about ancient Rome, including the geography. Next, my student and I discussed how the Romans borrowed ideas from their Greek neighbors. We read a selection that identified the influence that the Greek civilization had on the Romans. We read a fiction story online called The Captain and the Merchant that helped my student understand how ideas were often shared, even though Rome and Greece were located across a large body of water from each other.Then, we discussed how the Romans borrowed the idea of gods and goddesses from the Greeks. Romans simply changed the names and some of the stories. We compared the names of the Greek gods and goddesses with the Roman gods and goddesses. My student noticed that the Roman names are the planets in our solar system. I had to clear up the misconception that even though the planets existed before the Romans, the planets were named after the Roman gods and goddesses. He thought that the planets were already named and that the Romans used the names for their gods and goddesses.Day 17 – Language Arts
Spelling: Practicing Words and Writing Sentences
We started with Blend Bingo. I gave my student a bingo game card with blends in each square. Then, I read a list of words for my student. He identified the blend in each word and marked it on his bingo card. Next, I dictated two sentences to my student which contained spelling words so he could practice spelling words within sentences. Writing
After gathering a variety of newspapers, magazines, and books, I drew my student’s attention to the writers’ names. I helped him appreciate that a writer wrote each and every one of these works – and that he, too, can learn to be a writer! I explained that writing takes a lot of time and thought. Even the best writers have to think, plan, make mistakes, and rewrite, sometimes over and over, until they are satisfied with their work. I told my student that he would be learning a process to help him plan, write, and rewrite, just like the writers of the books, magazines, and newspapers he examined. We imagined what it would be like to see his name on the cover of a book.Next, I introduced the Word Web. We used it to brainstorm ideas about his favorite animal. When he was stuck, I encouraged him to use adjectives and verbs to describe his animal. Read Aloud: Chapter 3 ¬¬¬¬from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 17 – Math – Unit Checkpoint
After reviewing Time and Money concepts yesterday, my student was prepared to complete a unit assessment. Day 17 – Science
Today’s science lesson was about measuring mass. I started by giving my student a rock and a marshmallow that were about the same size. He compared them as he held one in each hand. He examined which one felt heavier. I prompted him to think about how one thing can weigh more when they are both the same size. I explained that the rock weighs more because it has more mass, which is a measurement of the amount of matter, or “stuff,” something contains. As we discussed mass, I introduced the balance. We used the balance and gram blocks to find the mass of the marshmallow and the rock. Finally, my student gathered a few household items that he wished to measure in order to practice using the balance. I had him predict the order of the mass, heaviest to lightest. He measured each one, recorded each measurement, and check his hypothesis for the item with the most mass. Day 18 – Language Arts
Spelling: Study, Cover, and Spell
To practice this week’s spelling words, my student completed the Study, Cover, and Spell activity. He read each word from a list, and then covered it with an index card. He spelled the word out loud and then wrote it. He uncovered the word and checked to see if his spelling matched. If it did not match, he erased the word and wrote it again.Writing
We revisited the word web that my student made from the previous lesson. Today, he used his word web to turn his words and ideas into sentences. I prompted him to write five sentences using words from his word web. After he finished, I read his sentences with him and had him choose his favorites. Next, my student copied his favorite sentences onto a fresh sheet of paper, to be used in an upcoming lesson.Guided Reading
Today, my student read The Pioneers Go West, a nonfiction article about westward expansion and the pioneers’ journeys. It provided background for an upcoming book. We reviewed the difference between fiction and nonfiction. I showed my student the article and told him that this article gives facts and information. He was able to tell me that it is a nonfiction piece. My student read the article silently first, and then he read it aloud so I could assist with pronunciation. After reading, we discussed the following questions: Who were the pioneers? Why did the pioneers go west? How did they travel? How would you describe their trip west? Was it easy or hard?Finally, we discussed that authors write for various purposes: to entertain, to persuade, or to give information. We discussed that the author’s purpose in writing the article on the pioneers was not to be funny or to convince us to do or believe something. The author wanted us to know how the pioneers went west, and how, despite all the hardships didn’t give up. We came to the conclusion that the author’s purpose was to inform.Read Aloud: Chapter 4 ¬¬¬¬from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 18 – Math – Real life application – Shopping with mom
Today, to sum up all that my student learned about time and money, we did some shopping together. As we went through the grocery store, I would ask my student which bills and coins he would use to pay for different items. He also helped me total our items. We discussed elapsed time. I gave him different scenarios, for example: I start baking this cake at 12:30pm and it finishes at 1pm, how long did it bake? I made the questions harder as we went. It was a fun review for my student.Day 18 – History
Today, my student learned the myth of Ceres and Proserpina. To begin, we discussed that the ancient Romans believed that their gods and goddesses controlled what happened on earth. They told stories about their gods and goddesses to explain why the world worked the way it did. I told my student that those stories are called myths. We discussed that the myths aren’t true, but we still enjoy them because they are entertaining stories. The Myth of the Seasons is a Roman myth about why we have different seasons – spring, summer, fall, and winter. In this myth, my student met Ceres, the goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Proserpina. We visited the online reading room to read, and then we discussed the story. To wrap up, my student created a picture to show the ancient Roman explanation of seasons. We folded a piece of 9” x 12” construction paper in half, and traced the crease on the inside. Along the top of one half, my student wrote, “Spring and Summer.” Along the top of the other half, he wrote, “Fall and Winter.” He illustrated each box with information from The Myth of the Seasons to demonstrate his understanding of spring, summer, fall, and winter.Day 19 – Language Arts
Spelling: Unit Assessment
Today my student was tested on his spelling words. I dictated two sentences for him to write, and then checked for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.Guided Reading
Today’s reading comes from the book The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr. We began by previewing the book cover. We related the title and cover illustration to the information about pioneers in the article The Pioneers Go West. We recalled that at this time in history, pioneers made the difficult and dangerous journey west to build homes and start new lives for themselves and their families. I asked my student to describe the cover illustration and predict what the story will be about. Together we read and discussed vocabulary words for this session. Next, my student silently read pages 5-27. When he finished, I checked his comprehension by asking the following questions: Who is Josefina? What does Faith like about Josefina? Name three things Faith’s family packs in their wagon. What is Faith making from the rags in the ragbag? What picture is she sewing into her patch?I reminded my student that The Josefina Story Quilt is historical fiction. We identified the characters as real or fictional: pioneers were real, but Faith and her family were fictional. Read Aloud: Chapter 5 ¬¬¬¬from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 19 – Math
Our new unit in math is ‘Add, Subtract, and Number Composition.’ Today’s lesson is Addition and Subtraction. We started by learning how to add numbers with sums up through 500. A prerequisite for this lesson is that students already know how to add numbers up through 100. We used an online tool that displayed an addition problem at the top left and the place value mat with the base-10 blocks for each number. It walked the student through each problem step-by-step, starting with the ones place. Regrouping was allowed. My student learned that if he has 10 or more in one place, he has to regroup.Next, my student practiced subtraction (without borrowing) in the same way as the addition problems. My student then modeled addition and subtraction problems using the place value mat and base-10 blocks. On the place value mat, I wrote addition or subtraction problems (vertically, one at a time) for my student to model with the blocks. Then, he added or subtracted, beginning with the ones cubes. This was a very kinesthetic activity to help the student understand addition and subtracting, especially when regrouping was necessary.Day 19 – History
Today’s history lesson was about Roman expansion and some of Rome’s early inventions. Through reading text, my student learned that the Romans build roads throughout the empire using a new method that hadn’t previously been used: concrete. They built roads and apartment buildings using concrete. We also discussed that they built extensive aqueduct systems to transport water into the city. They invented public baths and a sewer system to dispose of waste water as well. Throughout the interactive text, we viewed pictures of the architecture and saw an animation of how roads were built. My student completed an activity sheet where he matched the name of the Roman invention in the first column to its picture in the second column. Then he matched the word and picture to the definition in the third column. It was a nice review of the inventions that helped the Romans expand further into the Italian peninsula.Day 20 – Language Arts
Spelling: Short Vowels and Beginning and Ending Blends
We began today’s spelling lesson by reading this week’s spelling list together. I reminded my student that a blend has two and sometimes three consonants. I explained that a blend may be at the beginning and the end of a word. This week’s lesson presents words with beginning and ending blends. I reminded my student that each consonant in a blend has a sound. The words in this week’s lesson have five sounds. I instructed my student to write the word plant on the whiteboard. I pointed to the letters pl and nt. My student noticed that these letters formed the beginning and ending blends in the word. He underlined each letter separately to show the different sounds. We counted the five sounds in the word plant. Finally, using the spelling list, my student underlined all the sounds in the words on his list.Writing
Today I introduced proofreading. I explained that writers proofread their work when they finish writing. They read their work carefully to find mistakes. I told my student that he will be like a detective with a magnifying glass, searching for clues when he proofreads his work. We practiced proofreading first on an activity sheet with four sentences that had missing capitals and punctuation marks. Then, I encouraged my student to think of another word that he could add to one or more of the sentences to make it better. Then, he rewrote the new sentences at the bottom of the page. Together, we carefully reviewed the sentences my student wrote in a previous lesson about his favorite animal. I encouraged him to add words to one or more of his own sentences to make them better. He used a proofreading checklist to help him know what to look for, and I helped him use a dictionary to check the spelling of the words he was unsure of.Guided Reading
Today was the second session from the book The Josefina Story Quilt by Eleanor Coerr. We began by summarizing what my student has read so far. He was encouraged to look at the illustrations to refresh his memory. We discussed the new vocabulary words for the rest of the book, using examples to help illustrate each word. My student read silently from page 28 to the end of the book. When he finished, I checked his comprehension with the following questions: What happens when the dog scares Josefina? Why does Josefina fall into the river? Who jumps in after her? What words would you use to describe Adam? Why does Josefina warn Faith’s family about the robbers? What does Faith do to help her remember where Josefina is buried?To wrap up, we discussed some of the problems that Faith and her family solved on their journey west. My student identified some of their problems and explained the solutions. Read Aloud: Chapter 6 ¬¬¬¬from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Read to Self: My student selected his own book to read independently.
Day 20 – Math
In today’s math lesson, my student added two whole numbers with sums up through 500. We started by modeling problems and recording the answer. Then my student solved problems without models using numbers only. To learn modeling addition, I gave my student the base-10 blocks and a place value chart like the one to the right. We practiced one sample problem together. He wrote the numbers, with each digit in the correct column. Then he used his place value blocks to find the sum. After we practiced 3 problems, with regrouping, I took away the base-10 blocks so my student could practice without the blocks. Once he was proficient with the chart, I wrote some problems for him on the whiteboard, without the place value chart, for further practice.Day 20 – Science
Our final lesson in this measurement unit allowed my student to work with another scientific tool: the spring scale. I reminded him that he has seen one of these at the grocery store when we weigh our produce. Before using the spring scale to measure weight, we discussed the difference between mass and weight. I told him that when scientists say mass, they are referring to how much “stuff” is in an object. A ball made of Styrofoam has less mass than a baseball. Mass is a measurement of how much matter is in an object. But weight is a measurement of how much gravity is pulling down on an object. Scientists measure weight in Newtons using a spring scale. To further illustrate the difference, we talked about going to the moon. Our body mass wouldn’t change, but our weight would because the moon has less gravity pull than earth. Next, we got to use the spring scale to learn how to measure with it. We hooked on a cup with a handle. Once we put the cup on, we had to calibrate it by adjusting the spring back to 0. Then, we could use it to weigh different objects around the house. For each object that my student weighed, he recorded the measurements. He said that he felt like a real scientist!