The Smithosians Mrs. Smith Grades 3 and 4 Snow and ice were unexpected but highly anticipated events that shaped our winter months at CTL. From a snow day at school to ice days at home, our chilly experiences along with exciting learning activities in the classroom will make this school year memorable to say the least. The minute we arrived back from our Thanksgiving break and fresh off our student led conferences, we hit the ground running with holiday themed learning. It truly was a winter wonderland in our reading workshop. In December we finally finished our read aloud novel, Wonder by R.J. Palacio. We loved the story so much we decided to see the movie on opening day. The story of Auggie was brought to life on the big screen, and we were not disappointed with the film adaptation of the book. Thank you to all of the parents who not only brought your students to the theater but stayed to watch as well. A few parents even requested to check out the book from our library to read themselves. We’ve now moved to the story of Melody, a young girl much like Auggie but struggling with Cerebral Palsy. In Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper we are learning what it’s like for the smart and funny eleven-year-old to live a life full of knowledge about so much but unable to express any of it because of her physical limitations. Students are continuing to read daily their own books of choice with the popular series of Sister and Smile being constantly circulated. Amulet, the Hardy Boys series, Harry Potter, and I Survived remain our class favorites that also get a fair share of being passed around. It is wonderful to see students share the books they love and hear students say, “Can I read that after you?” In writing workshop students began the final stages of the writing process in December as they choose a piece of their writing to publish. We now have so many published books from our class full of authors, two full shelves in the front of our classroom have been filled with only our own books! Interestingly enough, our class is divided fairly evenly among the pieces students enjoy composing. About half of the class love to write fiction. Students have been exploring developing their plot lines by adding depth to their characters. The characters’ actions, thoughts, and dialogues have helped readers feel more connected to these often funny fictional stories. Students writing fiction are honing their cliffhanger skills as well. Many of the stories have developed into chapters with each chapter leaving us hanging and wanting more. The other half of the class who love to write expository have presented us with a variety of pieces that explain topics ranging from fishing to playing with Beyblades, to explanations that give us an indepth look at their families. We will continue to hone our writing craft by sharing our writing daily. Feedback from our peers 11
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