Week 20

I was only at my mentor class one day this week due to fall break. On that day, thursday, I read the books that the students wrote to show persuasion. The whole basis was about trying to get someone to adopt a pet at shelter. Some of the books were really creative, yet they all sort of had a sad theme of animals being put down. I really tried to focus on how the fourth graders wrote the book, so I could identify what the teacher should expect out of them. I don't think all of the books captured the idea of persuasion but for the most part the goal was met in their stories. I also noticed the length of their writing. There were a few books, but not many that were very lengthy and made a lot of sense, but for the most part the students used short, brief sentences to describe what was going on. I am wondering on how much leaniency she gives the kids when grading their work because obviously they are still learning some of the basics. I also think it depends on the school on how lenient one is on their work. It was very interesting and fun to read their stories and look at their illustrations. I was also reminded that day on how each student needs a different amount of time for work. Some may take a really long time on an assignment while another may breeze right through it. I am very sure that that is a similar experience during long testing days like AIMS. I am so excited for the last quarter! There is still so much left to do!