Subtraction, Editing, and Fun

We had a great week!  We completed our 6th Unit in our Investigations program.  This week we focused on subtraction and problem solving.  This is the second year I have used this program and am amazed at my students' thinking!  Students are learning to solve challenging problems by breaking numbers apart.  They are learning to apply what they already know to help them solve new problems.  During a game of Five in a Row Subtraction a student solved 14-5 by using 15-5.  "I know that 15-5 is 10, so 14-5 is 9 because 14 is one less than 15."  I love it!

Here is Five in a Row with Three Cards.  Instead of using dice, the student draws three cards and finds all the possible combinations.  

We also concluded our Personal Narrative unit is Writing Workshop.  Students worked together this week to revise and edit one of their books.  Now we begin one of my favorite units...Poetry!

Finally, we had great fun on St. Patrick's Day.  Our school has been collecting money for Relay for Life.  We reached our goal and our Principal, Mr. Lovell, was turned into a leprechaun for a day!