We used 3 baby dolls to demonstrate Itsy Bitsy Yoga and talk about the benefits of yoga to babies. We then read part of the Piggy yoga book and practiced some of the poses (gate pose). We ended class with some work on the yoga ball and some free time for gymnastic practice.

Maya was introduced to new vocabulary words: educated, inspired, effort, improved, ached, concentrated, discovery, and satisfied. We created study cards with an illustration and a label to show the meaning of the words. She went on quizlet to practice the words on electronic study cards. She listened and repeated the definitions nicely. When it was time to play a matching game, it was difficult for her to match them. It seemed like she was just picking the first one she read as the answer each time. She practiced reading a passage with her vocabulary words, River Rescue. She made several accuracy errors throughout each sentence on familiar words. We moved to a couple different positions to make her reading more comfortable. She seemed very antsy today.

Maya continued her FF program. In Math, Maya decided it would be more helpful if she could take the 4X table quiz today. She did and scored a 100%. Great work! Maya did a lot of additional practice solving subtraction problems. She solved problems using 3 different strategies. Maya also used estimation to test if her answers were "reasonable". Tomorrow she will take her Topic 3 test. She should continue to study her times tables in school and at home.

I gave Maya a blank paragraph frame template that has guide words to keep her sentences structured. She needed additional prompting to stay on track with the thought to paper transfer. However, her final sentence in her paragraph was on topic and completely meaningful. The most interesting thing I learned was "all 4 presidents did something good for our country." Following writing, she began typing this on the computer. I noticed her ability to focus has been much more difficult for her this week and last.

We worked on dividing 3 syllable words into "chunks" to help decode each word. Maya still needs practice with this skill.

Maya read a non fiction article in her reading book, Mount Rushmore where she learned who, what, when, where, and why it was built. Throughout reading, we stopped and discussed text based (who built it/who's on it, where is it located, when was it built, etc.) and analytical reasoning (Why would they include those 4 presidents, why do so many people visit it, etc.) She began to write what she learned about it in a paragraph. She wasn't thrilled about writing today. But, we shuffled from one comfortable position to another, and that seemed to help, but was still ansy. She started with the main idea, "I learned about Mount Rushmore." When I asked her to independently include details, she said she couldn't remember. We stopped and looked at a photograph of it, and she was able to recall many facts and keep track of them on her fingers. We'll insert this information into a paragraph frame template tomorrow.

Maya was given a landmark fact card regarding Mount Rushmore. As an introduction, I asked her to read it and explain as much to me about it as she understood. She recalled the name of the mountain, she identified 2 president names, (which she was thrilled about, and impressed herself :) and the location. We read a short section in her social studies book telling the big idea, location, and distance of Mount Rushmore to our community. She identified it's location on her map in her workbook, and included an illustration and label. As an extension, she made a 3-dimensional model of the memorial.

Maya read a fantasy fiction story, Bruno's New Home. Her context clues are vocabulary are developing nicely, which help her determine unknown words. We stopped and recorded feelings and major actions of the main character. She came up with accurate describing words such as freezing, glum, serious about finding a place to hibernate, etc. She stopped and made predictions and drew conclusions. At times, her predictions were reasonable (Maya said, "I think the squirrel left to find other animals to help the bear get in his cave.") Other times, it was hard for her to resolve to make the connection. The text based understanding is developing, but we are continuing to work through analytical and cause and effect type questions. She compared pieces of this story to other stories she's read. (text to text connections) We re-read the section, stopped to visualize what it must've been like, and acted it out. When asked to explain, she was able to explain in much more detail.

We did the dictation portion of yesterdays lesson. Maya is still working on the spelling for 2 syllable words. She is having a hard time with it.

Maya practiced her 4X tables and completed another drill in preparation for Friday's quiz. She also practiced solving subtraction problems on the hundred chart. We have been spending time on this topic because I want her to be as prepared as possible for the Topic Test. We also began a Topic Review packet, so we can address any areas that may need additional revisiting. Maya continued her FF program. She did complete all three games, however, one game shut down at the end and did not register into the SciLearn system. In her V/V program she continued to work in her activity book on a short story called, The Clown Show. She completed a word summary and questions relating to the main idea and spelling using skywriting. She did a nice job today.