A Great Day

I had so much fun today. As I talked about yesterday our read aloud book is amazing. We are also getting deeper into our poetry unit. I enjoy reading the students poetry so much. Finally we are learning about the formation of our country. I love the chance to share this history with the class.

Since we have gotten back we have been studying the French and Indian War. We have looked at maps from before and after the war, looked at an advertisement for beaver hats of the time, read from a text book, and read about the war itself.

Today we wrapped up some of our thinking. We talked about the effect the war had on the British, the French, the Native Americans, and the American colonists. After all this work I asked the students to work on a 3-in-3 about everything that we had learned since break. A 3-in-3 is a simple strategy that I learned from the Ohio Writing Project. The rules of a 3-in-3 are to write down as many 3 word phrases as you can in 3 minutes about a topic. In our class we spend 3 minutes writing, then we share some of the ideas, and then write for 3 more minutes.

It is amazing what these 3-in-3's can show you about what students have learned about a topic. Here our some of the 3-in-3's we had today:

• Amherst and Wolfe
• French vs. British
• The Ohio Valley
• The tide changes
• Ft. Necessity Surrounded
• Inexperienced Colonel Washington
• Trading for items
• Drowning in debt
• Surrender to Amherst

The lists went on and on. When the students would share their three word phrases, they would explain their connection to our learning. It was these explanations that showed just how much the students had learned about the war. 

Now we are ready to dive into the years following the French and Indian War that will lead to the American Revolution. I cannot wait to look at more maps, speeches, paintings, political cartoons and so much more that make up this part of our history.

I hope you are having a great week.