Peek at My Week {March 2nd}

I am SO looking forward to the first week in March! We are still covered in snow here and supposed to be getting more this week, but it is getting darker later and spring is in sight! I am linking up with my sweet friend, Jennifer, from Mrs. Laffin's Laughings for her weekly linky: 

Tomorrow we are taking some time out of our homeroom class to celebrate Read Across America Day. We will join our Kindergarten buddies in their classroom and partner read Dr. Seuss books with them. The students always love reading with their buddies! I also plan on having all three classes say the Read Across America Oath that can be found here with many other links for educators.

I was out sick Friday with the virus that wiped out my daughter's before and after school daycare. I was nauseous, had a terrible headache, and fever so I slept the day away. I hate missing work but was glad I stayed home and got the rest I needed. I'm sure I would have been worse off trying to work. 

So, when I was out on Friday, I had the reading teacher who pushes in for all my classes have the students choose partners for their Natural Disaster project that I had briefly mentioned to them to build the suspense. They also chose their disaster since I knew that some of the students would be so excited to get started researching over the weekend! She texted me on Friday night and said that the students are thrilled and can't wait to get started!

On Monday and Tuesday, we will be using part of class time for all three ELA sections to go to the computer lab and research their disasters. They will begin their outline for the essay. The reading teacher will push in during the time we are researching to give extra support for students finding and all the nonfiction reading that is guaranteed to be "rigorous"!

In addition to the research and essay that the students will write about their natural disaster, they will also be responsible for a visual aid for the presentation portion. 

Here are some project examples from last year's class.

I have this Natural Disasters project pack listed on TPT for only $2.50. It includes handouts and rubrics that I use for this project!

In addition to working on this project, we will be learning more about Cause and Effect (I will blog about that more later after we complete the lessons) as well as responding to reading using claims and text evidence. We have exactly four weeks until the "test" in which two of the three books focus on writing. 

On Friday, I have something special planned for my reading groups as a motivation for everyone reaching 15% of their AR goal (they should be at about 50% so it is an easy goal...I hope!). Stay tuned to Spark Student Motivation on Saturday with Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching. It was her original idea and I learn so much from ideas linked up there!

Head back to Jennifer's blog to see what everyone else is up to this week! 

Happy March!!