Today's lesson addressed narrative point of view. We studied a number of passages in the novel and identified the third person point of view. I then discussed the first person point of view and compared this perspective to reading a diary that included the writer's thoughts and emotions . For today's exercise, Atticus then rewrote a portion of a previously studied chapter from the first person point of view of the main character , Salva. Atticus did well with this exercise and included thoughts and feelings of the main character that the third person point of view chose to omit. We then reviewed Atticus' study guide homework. Although Atticus had some difficulty with the assignment, after I directed his attention to specific pages of the novel , he was able to complete the work successfully.
Atticus continued reading pages 85-101 of ‘The Book Thief,’ with a focus on fluent reading and its effect on understanding. Our comprehension conversation centered on finding evidence that supports the idea that Leisel’s mother isn’t coming back.
Atticus completed the rain table lab which explored how rain first soaks into the ground before flowing downstream and into the ocean. He answered the follow-up questions.
Atticus was given his canvas painting and we worked together to paint the background of his image. I worked with Atticus to mix the paints in a way to make the water appear muddy with light shining from above.
Atticus began class with a jump rope warmup. His goal was to complete 110 consecutive jumps. Atticus surpassed his goal by achieving 129 jumps. Next, he participated in a fun, competitive game of bocce ball, which the winner was determined by the final toss of the match.
Atticus completed writing down all the definitions for his new vocabulary words on India into his interactive notebook. We watched a video on the caste system in India.
Atticus completed the lab "Make it Rain" exploring how cloud saturation affects rainfall. He answered the follow up question and completed the collect evidence section. He read a scientific text discussing how rising global temperatures affect global precipitation and drought. We discussed.
After we reviewed and defined the terms: metaphor, foreshadowing , and theme, Atticus identified examples of each device from the novel. We then discussed what events in this novel ,while based on a true story, seem hard to believe and tied that discussion to the theme of perseverance . At one point in the novel, the refugees from the Sudan war cross the Nile River by making reed boats! I showed a short video from National Geographic demonstrating how this feat can in fact accomplished . We then reviewed Atticus' study guide homework and made spelling corrections and revised answers that were incomplete or inaccurate. Last, we completed a spelling exercise reenforcing the "doubling rule and drop the silent e rule.."
