Charlotte's Web "Diary of a Pig"

We started reading Charlotte's Web yesterday and today.  Today, I introduced our "Diary of a Pig" writing responses.  This idea came from the Littlest Learners blog.  Inside, I have different pages for the students to write on.  I found them on a website about notebooking, and don't remember where.  (If I find out where, I will post it on here.)

The students and I talked about Perspective and then read the book Diary of a Fly.  Then we brainstormed feelings that Wilbur might have felt during the first three chapters of the book.  This is what they wrote about for their first diary entry.

Here are samples of the book's cover:

One student wrote this in his diary:

"Today started out so boring.  I didn't want to do anything I could do.  Fern wasn't coming but then there was a voice.  It was the goose, he said a board was loose on the pen.  I saw the board and started shoving.  It came off easily.  It felt strange to be in the wide open.  Then the goose said "Why just stand there? Have some fun!" So I started digging up ground, but then someone saw me and shouted.  Everyone came after me!  I evaded them for quite a while but then someone gave me slop.  I followed them back to the pen and ate.  I fell asleep warm, full and happy. "

Isn't that cool?  I was impressed that he used the word "evaded"!

The other students did awesome jobs too.  I am very pleased with the way this reading response to Charlotte's Web worked out!

Literature Circles

I start literature circles in the Fall after I assess the students to get their reading levels.  I enlist the help of 4-8 parent volunteers so they can run the groups.  This year, I only had 4 parents sign up to help, so I did circles once a week.    I make sure everything is organized before we start.  I get leveled book sets for the groups and then give them a big bag with all the materials the group needs.

Here is the bag with all the materials in it for the literature groups.

 Some of the items that are in the bag.

Pirate Probability

The kids in my class have loved the pirate probability unit. We worked on it during math time today and yesterday.  We decided to have the students read the "likely", "unlikely" statements one at a time like pirates.  Then the class would call out the answer and if we agreed we would "rrrrrr" like a pirate.  I was laughing so hard that I was crying!  It definitely made my day!