This week in Language Arts:
We are combining what we learned last week about text features and adding to our knowledge by learning about text structure. In nonfiction texts, authors often organize their writing in one of five ways: description, cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, and sequence. We are practicing identifying how the text is organized by referring to a list of signal words. We will have quite a bit of practice with this this week. In addition, we are beginning our first expository writing. Students will organize their pieces using the description type of organization I previously mentioned. We work on it in parts, and the lessons are very structured so that students feel successful.
Friday is our vocabulary parade! Information printed by the office on pink paper should have come home last week. Students will choose a juicy vocabulary word and design a costume that illustrates the meaning of the word. I'd like to know the words students are planning on using by Wednesday.
This week in Social Studies: We will be focused on 5 specific Native American tribes who settled in Texas. Students will be doing rotations to gather information about one of the tribes. Together with a partner, they will take the information they gathered to create an infographic. We talked all about infographics today and how they are created out of text features. Students will analyze a tribe's way of life, clothing, customs, and food based on the region in which they were located. They will discuss which tribes likely traded, what they traded, and how they traveled. This is all a precursor to meeting European explorers and the development of Spanish missions.