Day 4: Furtraders Narrative ;Cindy's Response

As usual, Marie has done an incredible job of capturing the essence of the lesson in her writing (the previous blog)! I will add that the students noticed a similarity in one of the Van Gogh paintings to The Gleaners. That observation led to a discussion that Van Gogh and Millet were from the same area, and may have seen some of the same types of activities in the community around them. We noticed that the "mood" in Van gogh's similar painting was much 'darker' and briefly discussed the artist's purpose of what he wanted the viewer to see or experience. This observation gave the students an experience in "Author's Purpose", another reading goal we haven't yet explored.

I'd like to note that this experience of writing, brainstorming and recognizing Problem/Solution is a skill not usually fully understood this early in the Third Grade school year. We have only been together for a little more than 3 weeks, and the students seem to have mastered the concept. This will help the students immensely in their reading comprehension. I had never thought to use illustrations or artworks as a springboard for this concept, what an incredible learning experience for me!

As is always the case, time is the enemy in the classroom! There's never enough of it. After Marie left, the students wrote out their Problem/Solutions based on The Furtraders, and they were great! EVERY student exhibited understanding of the concept. I collected them, assessed them, and they are ready to be glued into their sketchbooks next to the foursquare they had used to organize their thoughts. Remember, the foursquare also required them to write and choose who the characters were and the setting, another reading goal!