Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Battle of the Books Competition

Today our 4th and 5th grade Battle of the Books team competed and placed 5th in the district semi-finals. These young readers dedicated 6 months to prepare by reading from the list of 18 books chosen by the state committee. They discussed their thoughts in weekly practices, logged in to the MyBobTeam website to quiz themselves, battled each other in anticipation of the big day, and learned more about themselves as readers in the spirit of competition. Each student challenged himself/herself and grew as a result of our time together. 

I am so proud of the way our team conducted themselves today-- they were wonderful competitors who displayed good sportsmanship and great attitudes. Well done, manatees! 


Team members give final words of encouragement before the competition.
Hanging out before rounds of play begin.

Ready for Battle!

My colleague, Mrs. Calhoun, from Sandy Ridge--they were the reading ninjas!
Kaeshad's shirt says it all...
The boys take 1!
The boys take 2!
The girls :)
This is how we felt after 11 rounds of competition! 
We can't wait to start reading for next year!!


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Black History Living Museum

Last Friday 30 of our students acted as notable African Americans during our Black History Month luncheon. Actors performed at the luncheon for students and families in 30 minute shifts. We were visited by Jackie Robinson, Eloise Greenfield, Harriet Powers, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Jim Kelly, and Carl Brashear--just to name a few! Our actors were courageous, professional, and impressive! Thanks to all the families who were so supportive of our young actors. They shared a wealth of knowledge about important people who have contributed so much to our world.
 


 I gave students a research guide to help them focus their research and then organize it into a speech. Students worked on writing their speeches in first person and practicing it out loud at home.

During our dress rehearsal, we gave students feedback on their presentation via a rubric (thanks to Mrs. Childress and Mrs. van Orsouw for helping!). The rubric gave each student feedback on eye contact, speaking clearly, preparation, pace, and voice projection.
 
Great job, manatees! Your hard word taught us so much!