Writing

I was at school last night and decided to take a quick walk down the hallway to check out the class bulletin boards. I really missing being in the kids’ school each day and seeing all that goes on. Both of their classes had writing assignments on their boards. I stopped and read many of them, which isn’t something you have much time to do when you’re working in the school every day!

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In 5th grade they are learning about “5th grade words” or higher level writing. This assignment was to write a story about a very inappropriate (for advanced writing) word.

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In 3rd they are working on descriptive language in their writing. Eve brought home a draft of this last week and after I read it she said, “Can’t you just smell the pizza?! Are you hungry now?!” (Sorry this is such a blurry image.)

A reading breakthrough!

Eve has had a reading breakthrough recently! I am so excited! Her exact skill level has been up for debate (between Alan and I, anyway) but was un-testable because she was pretty uninterested in reading. She read sometimes, mostly for Alan, but not with any regularity. Lately however, she has been reading with gusto!!

They started reading groups in school two weeks ago and she is very excited about that. She comes home and tells me all about who is in her group and what they read. Today she told me that in her book at school was the words “very” and then another one “kind of slanted” (italics). I started to explain what that meant, but she stopped me and told me how she read it in class. I don’t really know how to write it here, but she read it as “very, very” very (regular), very (emphasized)! She said her teacher was surprised that she knew what that meant and stopped to explain to the other kids.

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Each day she brings home a picture and a sentence that she wrote from reading group. This one says “Bears eat fish and berr.” I asked her what “berr” was and she said she forgot to write the rest of berries. :)

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“Bella and Rosie brot sunglasses to the beach.”

Along with the reading has come a big step in writing. She is much more apt to write now, and sound out her words. Sometimes the spelling is correct, sometimes not, but she’s trying! Which is huge!

doodle pro

On our snowless-snow day last week I wrote a message on the Doodle Pro saying, “Snow, snow, where did you go?” On the very snowy next day, Eve wrote this: “Happy Sadrday. There is snno every where.” With a picture of a house and a sun and a rainbow and snow balls.

She reads to me at bedtime quite often now, and she reads very well! She reads books I didn’t know she could read. One night we were reading Truckery Rhymes (a silly poetry book) and she started off saying she would read every other poem, but then she got excited and insisted on reading every poem! She read an entire “Little Bear” book to Alan the other night. Tonight I was reading her a chapter book and several times I stopped and asked her where I was and she always pointed to the exact word I ended on. She’s reading right along!

spelling

These are Lex’s spelling words. He is supposed to write each one three times, but he never does. Each Monday we go through the list and he spells them all correctly so he doesn’t bother with the practice. With Eve’s new burst in reading she is getting in on the spelling game too. Now on Mondays after school she reads him his spelling words (with my help when she needs it) and he spells them. I LOVE IT!

I’m super excited by this. Reading is kind of a big deal in our house, in case you haven’t noticed. We do a lot of it! :)

DBS Adventures

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Lex has started a weekly comic strip, to be published on Mondays. Its about two students who arrive at school, but upon entering the building find themselves standing on a platform in outer space. He needs a little work on his illustration technique, but otherwise I think he’s onto a good thing here! :)

Hangman

Eve has taken an interest in Hangman lately. Look at the game from lunch today. Before she put in the “P” I was entirely stumped and convinced she was making things up. She told me it was three words and when I got the “U” it was clear they were repeating words. I completely missed the “P” and, to be honest, it’s because I quickly assumed she was making up words. Or changing her mind as she went a long, which she tends to do. When I was completely hung she giggled (a lot!) and started writing the “P”. Up Up Up. She was so proud of herself!

hangman

When I came in to read her stories after lunch I found her rocking her babies and reading them a story. She is so sweet and smart and ready for school!

reading

Speaking of school, here is Eve’s quote of the day:
“I hope there’s not going to be any learning on the first day of school.”