Tonight we have a LOT of writing to do!
So this morning we had another assembly where a gentleman came and did a lot of neat science experiments for the students.
While awesome, it does mean that we had even less time in the classroom, so of course, we got to rush through things…..AGAIN.
Today we got a nice round of Math centers done, and talked a good bit about problems we are having with word problems. Word problems require a good mix of skills in order to do successfully:
Reading comprehension (do I understand what the problem says and what it’s asking?)
Number Sense (do I understand what the numbers mean?)
Math Ability (Do I understand how to do the actual math?)
In order to help a tad with the first one, today we talked about PISA strategies. This is a strategy where students actively think about understanding the problem by moving through some steps:
P: Underline the problem (the question)
I: box the information (the data, the numbers)
S: decide on a strategy (the equation, or model you will use to solve the problem)
A: Does your answer make sense? (did you answer what the question was asking? Does your number make sense?)
Tonight they have written down a problem in their math journal and they should use this strategy to solve the problem. We started it together:
We then talked at length about conclusions to our research paper. We came up with this formula for our conclusion paragraph:
Your conclusion paragraph ‘wraps up’ your paper. It is a summary of what you have told your reader. Use your introductory paragraph as a guide, and essentially restate what you have told them.
re-state what you said in each of your three paragraphs. Go back and look at your topic sentences/questions for each paragraph. Write them in a different way.
Finish up with a strong concluding sentence. It should give your essay closure.
Play the “so what” game – read your sentences and ask “why is that important?” “why should I care?” and your answer should be your concluding sentence.
Tonight students should write their entire rough draft of their research paper, and it should be ready to hand in to me tomorrow morning.
At this point we were already basically out of time, and never even got to science. This means there is likely science to be done over the weekend!! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN………
so, tl;dr
Answer this question using PISA strategies:
Finish your rough draft and be ready to turn it in tomorrow!
As always, read for 35 mins
Have a good one!
-Mr. Potter