It's hard to believe that we are already over half way through November! AL this school year is off to a great start. Students are engaged in their learning and projects, displaying effective skills in communication and collaboration with peers, innovating, and excited about their next project steps. I was able to connect with many families at conferences, but if we were not able to meet and you would like to discuss your child's progress in AL, please let me know. I am happy to set up a time to meet or a phone conference! nelca01@wwusd.org is the best way to reach me with my rotating schedule.

Past Steps:

• Launch event: What's in a Game
• Game-storm (objective, rules, game board, elements)
• Multiplication Strategies: equal groups/picture, array, skip counting, and repeated addition
• Introduction to Area Model

Current Steps:

• Game Development
• Introduction to Google Docs
• Area Model with 2x1 Digit Factors
• IXL Practice: 3rd Grade T.4-T.5 (Area Model 2x1)

Next Steps:

• Write/type rules for game
• Create multiplication problems and answer key (players advance by answering). Create cards if using those (Google Docs)
• 2nd Draft Game Board with color and details
• Game Test, feedback, revision

Past Steps:

• Defining, identifying, analyzing similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, idioms, and personification
• Onomatopoeia Trivia
• Read alouds (identifying and analyzing types of figurative language)

Current Steps:

• Idiom illustrations
• Color Poems (simile and metaphor)
• Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt
• Defining, identifying, and analyzing figures of speech in a variety of contexts

Next Steps:

• Creating our figurative language reference books (these will include definitions, examples, analysis and student-illustrations)

Past Steps:

• Fraction vocabulary
• Fraction introduction/review
• Unit fractions (modeling, reading, identifying)
• Improper and mixed numbers (brief overview)

Current Steps:

• Composing and decomposing unit fractions
• Equivalent fractions with modeling
• Introduction to equivalent fractions using multiplication and division
• No-Bake Recipe Research
• IXL Practice on skills listed above

Next Steps:

• Recipe selection
• Adding and subtracting non-fractions with like denominators (regrouping)
• Intro. to adding and subtracting with unlike denominators
• Multiplying fractions by whole numbers (using repeated addition)
• Adjusting recipes/calculations

Past Steps:

• Defining, identifying, analyzing, and creating figurative language (simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, alliteration, personification, and onomatopoeia)
• Figurative Language songs and Word Wall Activities
• Read Alouds

Current Steps:

• Adage fill in the blanks-discussion of meaning/history
• Word Wall Figurative Language Game Show (review)
• Figurative Language Review-Scavenger Hunt
• Adage selection, research, analysis (week of 11/18)

Next Steps:

• Adage Analysis
• Inspirational product ideation
• Product Creation

Past Steps:

• Book/Illustration exploration
• Story Snapshots
• Illustration Selection

Current Steps:

• Story Element Outline (characters, plot, setting, beginning, middle, end)
• Setting Detail Outline
• Story Arc Outline
• Fictional Narrative Vocabulary (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement, protagonist, antagonist)
• Peer Feedback on outlines (Praise/Question/Polish)
• Outline Revisions
• Draft 1 (Google Docs)

Next Steps:

• Feedback/Revision Protocols
• Story Completion
• About the Author write-up
• Original Illustration
  
• Publication

Past Steps:

• Project Launch Video
• Coordinate Grid Vocabulary and Introduction
• Navigating the Coordinate Grid
• Coordinate Grid Battleship

Current Steps:

• Plotting points/identifying ordered pairs on 4 Quadrant Coordinate Plane
• Introduction to integers
• Integers on a vertical number line (elevator model)
• Adding and subtracting integers
• Playground feature selection
• Plotting features (as polygons) on coordinate grid map of school

Next Steps

• List ordered pairs for all playground feature vertices
• Final map draft
• TinkerCad 3-D Digital Model of 1 feature
• 3-D Print
• Final Presentation

Past Steps:

• Project Launch Speed Challenge (calculating speed by dividing distance by time for several active challenges)
• Decimal place value/reading decimals
• Review of multiplication strategies (area/box model, partial products, repeated addition)
• Intro/review of multiplication standard algorithm

Current Steps:

• Standard algorithm fluency for 2x1, 2x2, 3x2 digit numbers
• Comparing, ordering, adding and subtracting with decimals
• Jumping Jack Activity (time 4 sets of jumping jacks, order, find the difference between least and greatest, estimate and explain how you can find the time it would take for 100 jumping jacks)

Next Steps:

• Discussion about jumping jack activity
• Calculating averages (mean, median, and mode) for a data set
• Line plots
• Multiplication with decimals (relate to fractions) modeling then standard algorithm
• Division standard algorithm
• Division with decimals in dividend, divisor, and quotient
• Planning Decimal Dash activities, recording data, calculating speeds, analyzing data

Past Steps:

• Podcast listening sessions/explorations/discussions
• Ideation protocols
• Topic exploration and selection
• Credible sources/note taking

Current Steps:

• RESEARCH
• Note taking
• Saving sources (we will be learning to cite these properly in our episode descriptions)
• WeVideo Scavenger Hunt (available features-recording, audio, layering, fading, images, etc)

Next Steps:

• Episode outlines
• Peer and teacher feedback protocols on outline
• Revision
• Script
• Peer and teacher feedback protocols on script
• Revision
• PRACTICE
• Record/Edit/Produce
• Episode descriptions
• Episode Art (original)
• Post to podcasting platforms (we will have a district channel where all episodes are housed)

We had 196 Elementary students across three schools sign up to submit pieces for Southern Lakes Anthology, WOW! I am so excited to see our learners volunteering to create and innovate around this year's theme, "The Power Of".

All elementary resources were distributed the week of 11/4. Participants received folders with a letter for families explaining SLA and the process, a student entry form, genre requirements (poetry, prose, expository writing, illustrated writing, art, and cartoon), and templates for art/cartoon.

Students are expected to work on their art or writing outside of school. They are welcome to submit their piece to me or other teachers for feedback then revise and resubmit anytime before December 13th. All submissions are due to school offices by December 13th with Student Entry form completed. Pieces can be submitted in the folder students received from me. Please reach out with any SLA questions or support needed.

I am including the PDF version of the Presentation that was shared with students to introduce this year's anthology. I have also linked the video that students watched for inspiration and to reveal the 2024-2025 Theme, "The Power Of".