Guided Reading Project, Area and Perimeter

Friday, May 9th

This week we found ourselves finishing up on some fun projects that we couldn't get to last week because of MAP testing. For the past several weeks, our guided reading groups were reading nonfiction texts of their choice about bats or squid. During the reading they recorded their important facts, responses to the facts, and questions. As a final project (our kids love projects!) the students chose the most unique facts that they found, recorded them on a notecard, and then wrote an opinion statement about the fact.

For the final few weeks of school, we are basing our guided reading groups on the students' interests. Everyone got to pick the chapter book or nonfiction text that they wanted to read. They are reading in partners or independently, and then using Edmodo to share their thoughts and insights with their peers. We are also responding to them, and periodically ask questions for them to answer. We check in with groups to make sure the comprehension is there. They love the choice and independence of this, and cheer when we say it is guided reading time. They also like the fact that we are once again mixing classes.

Two measurement concepts that we have been working on are area and perimeter. We found two fun art projects for the kids to do. The first one came from Amy Lemons. It is called perimeter ice cream cones. We used the idea, but made our own shapes to meet the needs of our two differentiated math groups.

If you would like a copy of the patterns we used, let us know in the comments section, and provide your email so we can send them to you. Sorry, we haven't mastered Google Docs yet!


The other project we have found all over Pinterest, so we don't know who to give credit to. The students made area people. One group used square inch graph paper and was guided through the process. The other group used centimeter square paper and worked independently to create their own, unique area person.

Happy Mother's Day! Next week we want to share our biography project and a writing project we used  the book, I'm OK.

Kim and Anne