Maya read Giving Thanks while focusing on phonetics and new vocabulary. She then re-read it to better understand what was happening. She visualized and verbalized what was happening. One portion of the story talked about a culture and tradition she was unfamiliar with, so she illustrated the event to show how the author described it. Then, we watched a YouTube clip to become familiar with the differences.

Discuss the purpose of the experiment, hypothesis, procedure, and experiment. Plant in the six cups soaked peas seeds. Mark each and put on the sun or in the dark place. Discuss how to fill in the chart.

Exercise to warm up , practice different yoga positions, finish with relaxation-meditation, followed with relaxation music.

Maya practiced writing math word problems and solving multiplication problems with factors of 10. She did very well with this concept. Maya also took her 6X table quiz and scored a 100, completing her quiz in close to 2 minutes. Great work, Maya! She continued her FF program, playing Tomb Trek and Jumper Gym. Today in Jumper Gym she had to distinguish 4 consecutive pitches, as opposed to her usual three. This activity was a little trickier than usual, but Maya enjoyed the challenge and tried her best. Maya worked in her LB activity book, which demonstrated her ability to understand and visualize a passage. Have a great weekend!

Maya was introduced to new vocabulary words: pronounce, scared, classmate, contribute, admires, etc. We had a discussion where she continuously contributed and carried on the conversation in a meaningful way. We took turns initiating conversations on various topics. She looked at photographs of her vocabulary words, read the word in a sentence, and answered a verbal question by making a connection to her own life. Then, she came up with her own definition/meaning of the word. She read Room to Grow, with the words in context. We stopped and discussed the events as we read. She loved learning about another culture.

Maya reviewed her new vocabulary words by reading sentences, determining the word that would best fit, and then write a meaningful sentence using the word. She read Gary the Dreamer. We alternated reading and stopped and discussed what was happening. There were several double meaning phrases, (the bath tub water roared out of the faucet) but Maya did a great job of using context clues to understand the intended meaning.

We read more non fiction information on the costs and benefits of immigrating to the United States. Maya worked on identifying a cost or benefit that she noticed in the reading. We recorded this information into her graphic organizer. She did a good job of identifying examples during the reading, proving she was comprehending the topic. We talked to Snezana about her experience.

We read about the life of a 10 year old child named Carmen that moved from Mexico. Maya was very engaged and intrigued by the similarities they shared, despite their differences. We role played this experience, and Maya's job was to encourage and befriend Carmen. We only had enough time to begin illustrating this event. She has such a compassionate heart and really took to the role nicely. She told me all about our country's history that we learned in the previous chapter :) and was very appropriate with her suggestions and comments to the young girl.

Maya had a wonderful day. She joined in on a short game of dreidel since of our students was absent yesterday for the festivities. Maya practiced her 6X tables and will be quizzed tomorrow. Maya is having an easy time with Topic 5 so far, since we have been touching on this subject as we've been going along. She did a nice job writing her own multiplication stories. Today's lesson focused on arrays, drawing equal groups, and showing twice and three times as many. In LB, Maya read and visualized a story entitled, Slow Poke. She was able to demonstrate her understanding of the story and her visual skills by accurately answering comprehension questions after the reading. Intermittently, I have been teaching Maya some words in french. She makes me smile everyday, when she remembers these phrase and words and utilizes them. Her desire and ability to retain information so quickly are one of her finest assets. Maya continued her FF program, completing 2 modules- Cosmic Reader and Polar Planet. Cosmic reader has advanced to a new level, and therefore is more difficult. I am confident she will adapt and improve with further practice. Cosmic Reader reinforces listening skills and following directions. Great job today, Maya!

Maya learned in Lesson 5-3, how to use multiplication to compare two groups. She practiced counting objects and showing "twice as many" and "three times as many". She wrote the factors and products to demonstrate her new knowledge. Maya also practiced telling math stories using these concepts (ex: She had two dolls and Miss Dee had twice as many. How many dolls did Miss Dee have?). She did a great job and was successful in solving problems independently. Maya did not have LB and FF today since she took part in a Hanukkah celebration. She used a recipe along with her peers to make latkes. Maya also joined in on playing dreidel with Miss Judie and all. Maya was very helpful in teaching some of the others how to play. She also joined in with Judie and one of our teachers to sing a Hanukkah song and light the last candle on the menorah. Afterwards everyone had latkes with applesauce and sour cream, Hanukkah cookies, and jelly doughnuts. It was a fun-filled day and I could tell Maya really enjoyed herself, as did the rest of us!