Click here: Take me to the elf
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Elf stuff, Christmas, Holiday concert
The return of 'Elf on the Shelf'
Well, it happened, we read the book and the Elf on the Shelf appeared the next day bringing little gifts and jokes. I love this picture! My students are so excited to see where the elf is hiding they forget to take off winter coats and boots and just march on in. The name of this elf has been decided...Holly Ginger Winter...sounds like a movie star name :)
The Dreidel game we played to learn about Hanukkah! Lots of fun!
The Holiday concert is scheduled for Thursday December 12th. There is an afternoon concert (1:45 p.m.) that you may attend or an evening concert at (7:00 p.m.). Students are expected to perform at both concerts if possible. I have sent a note home to indicate the dress of the Grade Two students performing as per Mrs Kirk's direction. The gym will be decorated with lots of student artwork so there will be lots to hear, see and do. Students may come up to my room prior to the concert (15 or 20 minutes before is fine) and I will watch them while you get your seats. Then they will be waiting for you up in my room. Some parents like to pick their students up right away so they can see a brother or sister perform later in the show. This is fine if you can do so without too much disruption.
Clubs in January
In January I like to get rid of the winter blahs by allowing my students an opportunity to stay in one recess and do some activities. I'm thinking this year I could do one 'Rainbow Loom' recess and one 'Learning to knit' recess. I do have a number of older students that I have taught to knit that are willing to help us learn. If you think your child might be interested then you will need to get them some knitting needles and wool ( I have some but I find I go through a lot when I do this). I have had great success teaching some students to knit while others may not have developed the fine motor skills and can get discouraged. An alternative that is fun is a 'corking' machine. There are some lovely wooden ones at the store 'Spun' on Fairview Street or I have seen some plastic ones in Walmart. Some students experience great success with this to start and then can move onto knitting when and if they are ready. When I first started knitting club, I assumed only girls would be interested but I was wrong. So, if you are looking for some small little gifts for Christmas then I might suggest the following:
*Size 4 or 5 bamboo needles (smaller ones work well for little hands, double pointed is fine as we can just put elastic on the ends). The older style steel needles are ok but harder for smaller hands as they are slippery, a little large and can be slightly dangerous when running down the hall.
*Wool- medium weight is fine. Acrylic or wool. Don't get the expensive stuff from the wool shops just yet. Some basic wool from Michaels, Walmart or even the dollar store is fine. Just don't buy anything too skinny.
* Corking/Spool knitting (wood or plastic...doesn't matter)
Here is a video to explain what I am talking about
Click here for Spool knitting video
(It's a bit long so just watch a few minutes to see what you need)
Well, it happened, we read the book and the Elf on the Shelf appeared the next day bringing little gifts and jokes. I love this picture! My students are so excited to see where the elf is hiding they forget to take off winter coats and boots and just march on in. The name of this elf has been decided...Holly Ginger Winter...sounds like a movie star name :)
The Holiday concert is scheduled for Thursday December 12th. There is an afternoon concert (1:45 p.m.) that you may attend or an evening concert at (7:00 p.m.). Students are expected to perform at both concerts if possible. I have sent a note home to indicate the dress of the Grade Two students performing as per Mrs Kirk's direction. The gym will be decorated with lots of student artwork so there will be lots to hear, see and do. Students may come up to my room prior to the concert (15 or 20 minutes before is fine) and I will watch them while you get your seats. Then they will be waiting for you up in my room. Some parents like to pick their students up right away so they can see a brother or sister perform later in the show. This is fine if you can do so without too much disruption.
Clubs in January
In January I like to get rid of the winter blahs by allowing my students an opportunity to stay in one recess and do some activities. I'm thinking this year I could do one 'Rainbow Loom' recess and one 'Learning to knit' recess. I do have a number of older students that I have taught to knit that are willing to help us learn. If you think your child might be interested then you will need to get them some knitting needles and wool ( I have some but I find I go through a lot when I do this). I have had great success teaching some students to knit while others may not have developed the fine motor skills and can get discouraged. An alternative that is fun is a 'corking' machine. There are some lovely wooden ones at the store 'Spun' on Fairview Street or I have seen some plastic ones in Walmart. Some students experience great success with this to start and then can move onto knitting when and if they are ready. When I first started knitting club, I assumed only girls would be interested but I was wrong. So, if you are looking for some small little gifts for Christmas then I might suggest the following:
*Size 4 or 5 bamboo needles (smaller ones work well for little hands, double pointed is fine as we can just put elastic on the ends). The older style steel needles are ok but harder for smaller hands as they are slippery, a little large and can be slightly dangerous when running down the hall.
*Wool- medium weight is fine. Acrylic or wool. Don't get the expensive stuff from the wool shops just yet. Some basic wool from Michaels, Walmart or even the dollar store is fine. Just don't buy anything too skinny.
* Corking/Spool knitting (wood or plastic...doesn't matter)
Here is a video to explain what I am talking about
Click here for Spool knitting video
(It's a bit long so just watch a few minutes to see what you need)
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Sharon and Bram, Letter Writing, Fads
What a great way to start the week. We went to see 'Sharon and Bram' perform their famous music for us. Yes, the finale involved the 'Skinnamarink' song! ( I actually looked up how to spell this). You may remember them from the 'Sharon, Lois and Bram Elephant show'. Perhaps you grew up watching them on television.
Letter Writing
We are getting ready to learn about 'letter writing' as a text form. Today, we tried to solve a mystery involving a letter written to us with 11 common errors. Most students found 5 to 8 mistakes which tells me I have some work to do. I will post some pictures of our progress as we go along. We will be writing letters to Santa this year using our Halton chatt website. The focus will be on persuading Santa to visit our house. I'm looking forward to hearing the rationales. Should be interesting.
Fads
Here is the latest fad, which made me reflect on how many fads I've seen in my teaching career.
Ninja turtles (with artist names like Michaelangelo etc)
Power rangers
Pogs
Bey blades and stadium (have made at least two appearances)
Pokemon (I once had students chase me into the washroom, peer under the stall door in order to help me solve a Pokemon crisis involving a bad trade...will never forget this. They didn't even notice what I was doing as they were so focused on the cards)
Digimon
Nano pets (which needed to be fed and if taken away would make dying noises in my desk drawer!)
I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I remember off the top of my head.
And now...Rainbow looms
Winter
Sounds like we are in for a bit of winter. I recently made this soup and it was wonderful. You really do have to add the crunchy bits - they make it!!! This will absolutely warm you up!
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/pumpkin-soup/
Have a great week and stay warm!
Letter Writing
We are getting ready to learn about 'letter writing' as a text form. Today, we tried to solve a mystery involving a letter written to us with 11 common errors. Most students found 5 to 8 mistakes which tells me I have some work to do. I will post some pictures of our progress as we go along. We will be writing letters to Santa this year using our Halton chatt website. The focus will be on persuading Santa to visit our house. I'm looking forward to hearing the rationales. Should be interesting.
Fads
Here is the latest fad, which made me reflect on how many fads I've seen in my teaching career.
Ninja turtles (with artist names like Michaelangelo etc)
Power rangers
Pogs
Bey blades and stadium (have made at least two appearances)
Pokemon (I once had students chase me into the washroom, peer under the stall door in order to help me solve a Pokemon crisis involving a bad trade...will never forget this. They didn't even notice what I was doing as they were so focused on the cards)
Digimon
Nano pets (which needed to be fed and if taken away would make dying noises in my desk drawer!)
I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I remember off the top of my head.
And now...Rainbow looms
Winter
Sounds like we are in for a bit of winter. I recently made this soup and it was wonderful. You really do have to add the crunchy bits - they make it!!! This will absolutely warm you up!
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/pumpkin-soup/
Have a great week and stay warm!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Interviews, Reports and Visualization books
On Monday, Progress Report cards will be coming home. This is an indicator of how your child is progressing both academically and socially. During the interview, your child will be sharing their 'Learning Skills' booklet which is a very important aspect. A student may not always be able to control their marks (e.g., if your child is a struggling reader then getting an 'A' may not be attainable in the first term), however understanding their role as a learner is imperative to success. The interviews will be 20 minutes in length and will be run for the first 10 minutes by your child so it is important that they accompany you. The last 10 minutes will be with all of us, and we will need to discuss goals as per the bottom portion of the report. Please consider in advance what is a realistic goal for your child. Here is a link to the post I created last year if you would like to read more information.
CLICK HERE
Visualization
We have been using the reading strategy 'Visualization' for creating mental images. Why is this important?...well according to Debbie Miller (Reading with Meaning) "evoking vivid mental images helps readers create vivid images in their writing". As children develop schema and understanding through both personal experiences and shared experience (reading, conversation, doing) they will be able to increase both their reading comprehension and writing abilities. Here are 3 great books to use for visualization. We read 'Tough Boris' with Mrs Homewood this week. Students had to listen to the story without benefit of pictures (we put the book inside another book when reading). Then students were challenged to draw what they think 'Tough Boris' looked like based on the descriptors the writer provided. When the pictures were revealed, students were amazed how accurately they visualized how the main character would look. This naturally led to a discussion on adjectives and how important it is to provide them in our own writing.
Here is a sneak peak at some art we are working on. Each student has created a different piece based on the letter of their first name. It is also really helpful for us to understand the math concepts of 'flips, slides and turns'. Hopefully we can get them ready for when you visit us this week for interviews.
Aren't the finished art pieces amazing! Can you see the first letters of their names used as the template?
CLICK HERE
Visualization
We have been using the reading strategy 'Visualization' for creating mental images. Why is this important?...well according to Debbie Miller (Reading with Meaning) "evoking vivid mental images helps readers create vivid images in their writing". As children develop schema and understanding through both personal experiences and shared experience (reading, conversation, doing) they will be able to increase both their reading comprehension and writing abilities. Here are 3 great books to use for visualization. We read 'Tough Boris' with Mrs Homewood this week. Students had to listen to the story without benefit of pictures (we put the book inside another book when reading). Then students were challenged to draw what they think 'Tough Boris' looked like based on the descriptors the writer provided. When the pictures were revealed, students were amazed how accurately they visualized how the main character would look. This naturally led to a discussion on adjectives and how important it is to provide them in our own writing.
Here is a sneak peak at some art we are working on. Each student has created a different piece based on the letter of their first name. It is also really helpful for us to understand the math concepts of 'flips, slides and turns'. Hopefully we can get them ready for when you visit us this week for interviews.
Aren't the finished art pieces amazing! Can you see the first letters of their names used as the template?
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Shows, assemblies and fun!
Math Jam
This week was so busy with all the wonderful drama experiences organized for us. We started with 'Math Jam' a fantastic interactive show that combines music, acting and math concepts for all grade levels in attendance. I have to say, I have seen a variety of these shows over the years and this one was one of the best. Kudos to the young actor and actress who really held the primary students spellbound.
Boris Brott Orchestra Trip
Then we travelled to Mohawk college to see the Boris Brott youth orchestra. They taught us about each instrument in the orchestra and about music from around the world. For me, watching the artist paint on a large silk canvas as each song was played was fascinating. I think the breakdancers were a highlight for the students. Their finale included spinning on the top of their heads (no hands) for a few minutes. When we got back to class and went out to recess, I had to intervene when a few inspired students decided to try this move in the grass...yikes!
At the end of the day we had a presentation about Ecology. We learned about the 3R's, Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. The presenter from Halton's waste management had really interesting slides that explained where our recycled waste goes and how it is re-used. Did you know that polar fleece is made from recycled plastic pop bottles?
Whew, busy week.
This week was so busy with all the wonderful drama experiences organized for us. We started with 'Math Jam' a fantastic interactive show that combines music, acting and math concepts for all grade levels in attendance. I have to say, I have seen a variety of these shows over the years and this one was one of the best. Kudos to the young actor and actress who really held the primary students spellbound.
Boris Brott Orchestra Trip
Then we travelled to Mohawk college to see the Boris Brott youth orchestra. They taught us about each instrument in the orchestra and about music from around the world. For me, watching the artist paint on a large silk canvas as each song was played was fascinating. I think the breakdancers were a highlight for the students. Their finale included spinning on the top of their heads (no hands) for a few minutes. When we got back to class and went out to recess, I had to intervene when a few inspired students decided to try this move in the grass...yikes!
At the end of the day we had a presentation about Ecology. We learned about the 3R's, Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. The presenter from Halton's waste management had really interesting slides that explained where our recycled waste goes and how it is re-used. Did you know that polar fleece is made from recycled plastic pop bottles?
Whew, busy week.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Halloween, Bats and Pudding!
Just a quick post today...
I wanted to capture a few moments from today. For science, the students worked on 'Procedural Writing' as they worked through 'how to make pudding'. This group really had the 'teamwork' concept.
This pudding didn't last long!
Out looking for teasels to create our bats today.
Found some perfect ones for the bodies of our bats.
Hard to get the bats to stay still for a picture...they kept flying around the room!
Have a Happy Hallowe'en!
Looking forward to seeing the Halloween parade tomorrow after announcements. Remember we will be having our parade upstairs. It usually only takes about 15 minutes or so...not very long.
I wanted to capture a few moments from today. For science, the students worked on 'Procedural Writing' as they worked through 'how to make pudding'. This group really had the 'teamwork' concept.
Have a Happy Hallowe'en!
Looking forward to seeing the Halloween parade tomorrow after announcements. Remember we will be having our parade upstairs. It usually only takes about 15 minutes or so...not very long.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Technical Difficulties
Well, of course it is Progress Report card writing time and right on schedule my laptop dies. Not a slow death...instant, and according to my technology people...fatal! No problem, but then my printer decides it can't align labels either so that is why I had the children write their 'Dreambox logins' for you...sorry about that.
Picture Day
We all looked lovely for picture day on Thursday. Can't wait to see the class picture. Here is mine from Grade three (couldn't find grade two pic)...can you find me?
Clue: I'm wearing purple and very close to the teacher :)
We also really enjoyed reading this book. It's hilarious...
Hallowe'en
You will notice that there will be no homework this week. This is to accommodate Hallowe'en falling mid-week and the excitement of candy high and lows :)
Parade
The Florence Meares school tradition involves a parade first thing in the morning right after announcements. I will send more information once I have met with the primary division on Monday. We usually invite students to come in full or partial costume. Students walk around the school and show off their costumes to each other. Parents are welcome to come for photo opportunities if you would like.
Random facts about my class...
Did you know that most children in my class tried 'saurkraut' as part of our Oktoberfest 'traditions and celebrations' social studies reading? Guess what...many students actually liked it! When I have done this in other years, it was more like an episode of 'Fear Factor'. This class is so open to trying new things!
Have you noticed that the children are actually eating the apples in their lunch? I have an apple slicer at school and for some reason this has become motivation to bring apples to school and actually eat them. Fine with me...apples are a healthy snack!
Picture Day
We all looked lovely for picture day on Thursday. Can't wait to see the class picture. Here is mine from Grade three (couldn't find grade two pic)...can you find me?
We also really enjoyed reading this book. It's hilarious...
Hallowe'en
You will notice that there will be no homework this week. This is to accommodate Hallowe'en falling mid-week and the excitement of candy high and lows :)
Parade
The Florence Meares school tradition involves a parade first thing in the morning right after announcements. I will send more information once I have met with the primary division on Monday. We usually invite students to come in full or partial costume. Students walk around the school and show off their costumes to each other. Parents are welcome to come for photo opportunities if you would like.
Random facts about my class...
Did you know that most children in my class tried 'saurkraut' as part of our Oktoberfest 'traditions and celebrations' social studies reading? Guess what...many students actually liked it! When I have done this in other years, it was more like an episode of 'Fear Factor'. This class is so open to trying new things!
Have you noticed that the children are actually eating the apples in their lunch? I have an apple slicer at school and for some reason this has become motivation to bring apples to school and actually eat them. Fine with me...apples are a healthy snack!
Friday, October 18, 2013
Seasonal activities
Shared Reading
As you know, this week was a shortened week due to the Canadian holiday Monday for Thanksgiving. Did you read the 'I can Read like a Pro' shared reading with your child? When I told my family that I decided to go with the Canadian version of events (Martin Frobisher) instead of the American history (pilgrims, Mayflower etc.) the reaction was hilarious. Apparently no one knew the Canadian version of events except my Dad who was a former history teacher.
Remembrance Day cards
As you know, this week was a shortened week due to the Canadian holiday Monday for Thanksgiving. Did you read the 'I can Read like a Pro' shared reading with your child? When I told my family that I decided to go with the Canadian version of events (Martin Frobisher) instead of the American history (pilgrims, Mayflower etc.) the reaction was hilarious. Apparently no one knew the Canadian version of events except my Dad who was a former history teacher.
Remembrance Day cards
Florence Meares P.S. has a wonderful tradition whereby the students make cards for war veterans who attend a gathering in Oakville. It is difficult to teach students who are so young and thankfully unaware of war, how to be respectful and what to write. Finally, after much discussion we were able to come up with some kind words to communicate our respect. An unintentional funny moment happened when I realized we were making Remembrance day cards before Hallowe'en while the children were singing Christmas songs at their desk. I pointed this out and we all had a good laugh :)
Home reading
Home reading will start with some students next week. I am re-thinking what to do with my really high readers (and thankfully I have many). I have noticed that many students have already developed those higher level decoding skills and enjoy self selecting chapter books or series. So, I am thinking that these students might enjoy choosing their own library books and adding a writing component monthly. I think if a student is enjoying reading, I don't want to make this tedious so am considering making it optional with some incentives to provide initiative. I have a few ideas but just need some time to talk to the students and get their input too. The purpose of adding a writing component would be to support comprehension skills, build vocabulary and improve structural knowledge of language.
***Dreambox has a link on this webpage*** Go into the 'Fabulous Websites' tab and you will find it located at the top of the list. I think this might be easier for students find on their own.
Home reading
Home reading will start with some students next week. I am re-thinking what to do with my really high readers (and thankfully I have many). I have noticed that many students have already developed those higher level decoding skills and enjoy self selecting chapter books or series. So, I am thinking that these students might enjoy choosing their own library books and adding a writing component monthly. I think if a student is enjoying reading, I don't want to make this tedious so am considering making it optional with some incentives to provide initiative. I have a few ideas but just need some time to talk to the students and get their input too. The purpose of adding a writing component would be to support comprehension skills, build vocabulary and improve structural knowledge of language.
***Dreambox has a link on this webpage*** Go into the 'Fabulous Websites' tab and you will find it located at the top of the list. I think this might be easier for students find on their own.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Coffee Filter turkeys, Switch Days and Doubles Facts
Switch Days
This Tuesday we had our first switch day. Have you ever wondered why or what that means? While primary classes usually have fairly seamless daily transitions (language to math for example), some classes are on rotary (e.g., music). So, if students have music on a Monday or a Friday, they would in essence miss some classes due to holiday weekends. Having a switch day ensures an equal number of certain classes for students as well it equalizes curriculum minutes per subject. I know my class would mutiny if they missed art!
Doubles Facts
I got a few notes this week about last weeks homework. We are working on developing strategies for adding numbers to 10 (and later to 20) quickly. In Grade Two, students need to develop these strategies to ensure quicker calculations and to move away from using manipulative materials (e.g. counting fingers or using cubes etc.). This is only gained through constant modeling (teacher or parent), gaining familiarity (using dice or cards to provide visuals) and repetition. Please don't panic if your child came home and wasn't able to fully articulate a strategy. They are still gaining familiarity and have not yet transferred information in class to their own independent work. The easiest strategies to start with are:
Doubles Facts
If the question is 7 + 6 =
Then the doubles facts are: 7+7= or 6+6 =
So, if a student knows 6+6= 12 from playing dice games, then they can easily figure out that 7+6 will be one more so 13.
Counting On
If a question is 10+3= then students hold the bigger number in their head (10) and then use their fingers to count on, 11, 12, 13.
So, play those card, dice, bingo or snakes and ladders games! It will help your child gain number sense while having a little fun. Hopefully you find this helpful as you assist with your learner at home.
Some turkey talk:
I will leave you with a few pictures of our wonderful coffee filter turkeys completed for your windows at home. Hope you find them as groovy and festive as I do!
Holding our turkeys up to the window to see the light shine through the coffee filter. Using markers and water, we really had a good time mixing colours.
Have a restful and Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
This Tuesday we had our first switch day. Have you ever wondered why or what that means? While primary classes usually have fairly seamless daily transitions (language to math for example), some classes are on rotary (e.g., music). So, if students have music on a Monday or a Friday, they would in essence miss some classes due to holiday weekends. Having a switch day ensures an equal number of certain classes for students as well it equalizes curriculum minutes per subject. I know my class would mutiny if they missed art!
Doubles Facts
I got a few notes this week about last weeks homework. We are working on developing strategies for adding numbers to 10 (and later to 20) quickly. In Grade Two, students need to develop these strategies to ensure quicker calculations and to move away from using manipulative materials (e.g. counting fingers or using cubes etc.). This is only gained through constant modeling (teacher or parent), gaining familiarity (using dice or cards to provide visuals) and repetition. Please don't panic if your child came home and wasn't able to fully articulate a strategy. They are still gaining familiarity and have not yet transferred information in class to their own independent work. The easiest strategies to start with are:
Doubles Facts
If the question is 7 + 6 =
Then the doubles facts are: 7+7= or 6+6 =
So, if a student knows 6+6= 12 from playing dice games, then they can easily figure out that 7+6 will be one more so 13.
Counting On
If a question is 10+3= then students hold the bigger number in their head (10) and then use their fingers to count on, 11, 12, 13.
So, play those card, dice, bingo or snakes and ladders games! It will help your child gain number sense while having a little fun. Hopefully you find this helpful as you assist with your learner at home.
Some turkey talk:
I will leave you with a few pictures of our wonderful coffee filter turkeys completed for your windows at home. Hope you find them as groovy and festive as I do!
Have a restful and Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Safety Village, Music and a new Student teacher
Our first class trip of the year was to Halton's Safety Village in Oakville. We listened to the Police Officer talk about traffic safety, when to call 911 for an emergency and what all the different traffic signs mean. Then it was time to go out into the mini-village and practise what we learned. Here is the village, complete with working traffic lights and mini-stores. Oh yes, the highlight was visiting the jail. I have some good pictures of that for the yearbook.
Here are our vehicles waiting for us.
And we're off! Some of us were natural drivers while a few others need to remember which side of the road to drive on :)
What a perfect day for a class trip outside!
Music
Students get their music lessons from the fabulous 'Mrs Kirk'. This week students practised an amazing song and performed it for me in perfect synchronicity. They were so proud and so was I.
(in case you are new to my blog, I never put the children's faces on this blog)
Student teacher
This year my class and I will host a student teacher from Brock University. This will be for her first term with observation time this month and one lesson taught by her in November. Eventually in December she will have a teaching block. Of course, I will always be in the room and teaching in some capacity. As well, there will be lots of opportunity for both of us to work in small groups with the children. You may hear about 'Miss Rioux' in the next little while and now you know who she is.
Music
Students get their music lessons from the fabulous 'Mrs Kirk'. This week students practised an amazing song and performed it for me in perfect synchronicity. They were so proud and so was I.
Student teacher
This year my class and I will host a student teacher from Brock University. This will be for her first term with observation time this month and one lesson taught by her in November. Eventually in December she will have a teaching block. Of course, I will always be in the room and teaching in some capacity. As well, there will be lots of opportunity for both of us to work in small groups with the children. You may hear about 'Miss Rioux' in the next little while and now you know who she is.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Terry Fox Run, New Blog feature and Math stories
New Blog Feature
Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Open House. It was great to talk to each of you. I loved how excited the children were to introduce you, be the host/hostess by getting you cider and proudly show their work to you. Chatting with each of you helped me to gather information about how I can better communicate classroom information. For example, after talking to a parent about how they followed the FM twitter feed, it occurred to me that I could provide that for you on this blog as well. This enables you to not have to navigate back and forth between our school website and this one. Also, it will give you those little daily details that I may not always include with this blog. If you look to the right under the list of dated blog posts you will see the twitter feed. Thanks to Mr. Cann (our wonderful librarian) who helped me figure out something called a 'widget ' and how to embed it onto this blog. As well, I also added google translate should you or a family member prefer to read this blog in another language. I use google translate quite often for my own 'art blog reading' as many of the best weavers are from Sweden. And let's face it, my Swedish is not so great. However, I find that google translates quite well with occasional semantic or meaning errors but you can still get the main points and ideas.
Terry Fox Run
Tomorrow is the big day. We do a warm up and then the whole school gets out and runs a clearly laid out course around the school. I put in your child's agenda the sticker that says "I'm running for...." and attempted to explain what is appropriate to write on this sticker but you may have to do a little more explaining. I did read the 'Terry Fox' story and the students were very serious and respectful listeners. One student even said, "isn't it sad that we will always remember Terry as young because he can never get old". No truer words.
Math Stories
We are beginning to start our addition and subtraction unit using math stories by way of introduction. Students are learning how to use strategies to assist with quicker computation and number familiarity.
Example: (Counters, pictures or objects are provided for students to create the following math stories...)
Addition story
5 +6 = 11 (think 5+5 is 10 and one more is 11)
Subtraction story
11-6 =5 or 11-5=6
For more information, please look back at this previous link I wrote that explains some different strategies we will introduce this year.
Open House Art
Did anyone get my subliminal pun with the children's art? "We hope you leave with a good impression". So, the children made 'leaf impressions'.
Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Open House. It was great to talk to each of you. I loved how excited the children were to introduce you, be the host/hostess by getting you cider and proudly show their work to you. Chatting with each of you helped me to gather information about how I can better communicate classroom information. For example, after talking to a parent about how they followed the FM twitter feed, it occurred to me that I could provide that for you on this blog as well. This enables you to not have to navigate back and forth between our school website and this one. Also, it will give you those little daily details that I may not always include with this blog. If you look to the right under the list of dated blog posts you will see the twitter feed. Thanks to Mr. Cann (our wonderful librarian) who helped me figure out something called a 'widget ' and how to embed it onto this blog. As well, I also added google translate should you or a family member prefer to read this blog in another language. I use google translate quite often for my own 'art blog reading' as many of the best weavers are from Sweden. And let's face it, my Swedish is not so great. However, I find that google translates quite well with occasional semantic or meaning errors but you can still get the main points and ideas.
Terry Fox Run
Tomorrow is the big day. We do a warm up and then the whole school gets out and runs a clearly laid out course around the school. I put in your child's agenda the sticker that says "I'm running for...." and attempted to explain what is appropriate to write on this sticker but you may have to do a little more explaining. I did read the 'Terry Fox' story and the students were very serious and respectful listeners. One student even said, "isn't it sad that we will always remember Terry as young because he can never get old". No truer words.
Math Stories
We are beginning to start our addition and subtraction unit using math stories by way of introduction. Students are learning how to use strategies to assist with quicker computation and number familiarity.
Example: (Counters, pictures or objects are provided for students to create the following math stories...)
Addition story
5 +6 = 11 (think 5+5 is 10 and one more is 11)
Subtraction story
11-6 =5 or 11-5=6
For more information, please look back at this previous link I wrote that explains some different strategies we will introduce this year.
Open House Art
Did anyone get my subliminal pun with the children's art? "We hope you leave with a good impression". So, the children made 'leaf impressions'.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Raz-kids, Dreambox , Owls and patterns
Raz-kids
Inside your child's agenda is the new teacher log-in passwords for this year. I would encourage you to join the parent portion as you can monitor your child's progress as they go along. I have enabled the 'Bookroom' and the 'Raz-rocket'. I will go over levels this weekend and update those when I get a chance.
Here is the link: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login
If you see students on there who are from my previous class, this simply means their teacher has not updated their class roster yet.
Happy Reading!
Dreambox
Our school is so lucky to have the opportunity to purchase the computer program 'Dreambox'. I will update soon with more details. However, this is a math program with some of the interactive and engaging features that Raz-kids has for students. I'm really looking forward to starting this soon during computer lab time. It is also going to be another way to do math homework so I'm interested in learning the features and teaching them to my students.
Owls in the Family
Our chapter book is 'Owls in the Family' by Farley Mowat. We are really enjoying it. Lots of laughing and asking great questions.
Patterns/ Math
During our morning work, we are reviewing math concepts. In our regular math time we are learning new concepts. It is always interesting to see what students retain from the previous year. Since I have taught many of the students last year, I know what I taught. So they can't say 'I never learned that last year'. Doing the quick review each morning really affirms where I need to go with a lesson and what skills need consolidated before we move on. Here is a patterning chart that we co-created during our review lesson. Many students remembered some aspects of patterning but it was absolutely necessary to review.
Looking forward to seeing many of you at our Open House next week.
Inside your child's agenda is the new teacher log-in passwords for this year. I would encourage you to join the parent portion as you can monitor your child's progress as they go along. I have enabled the 'Bookroom' and the 'Raz-rocket'. I will go over levels this weekend and update those when I get a chance.
Here is the link: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login
If you see students on there who are from my previous class, this simply means their teacher has not updated their class roster yet.
Happy Reading!
Dreambox
Our school is so lucky to have the opportunity to purchase the computer program 'Dreambox'. I will update soon with more details. However, this is a math program with some of the interactive and engaging features that Raz-kids has for students. I'm really looking forward to starting this soon during computer lab time. It is also going to be another way to do math homework so I'm interested in learning the features and teaching them to my students.
Owls in the Family
Our chapter book is 'Owls in the Family' by Farley Mowat. We are really enjoying it. Lots of laughing and asking great questions.
Patterns/ Math
During our morning work, we are reviewing math concepts. In our regular math time we are learning new concepts. It is always interesting to see what students retain from the previous year. Since I have taught many of the students last year, I know what I taught. So they can't say 'I never learned that last year'. Doing the quick review each morning really affirms where I need to go with a lesson and what skills need consolidated before we move on. Here is a patterning chart that we co-created during our review lesson. Many students remembered some aspects of patterning but it was absolutely necessary to review.
Looking forward to seeing many of you at our Open House next week.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Writing 'Small Moment' stories
We have begun to write personal narratives this week. We are looking forward to sharing the finished products with you at our Open House on September 24th. A focus lesson involved discussing how to break down an idea into a smaller portion and write about it. So, instead of being told to write about your whole entire summer which is a BIG idea (the Lucy Calkin's program calls this a 'Watermelon' idea), students use a graphic organizer to break it down into many 'small moments'.
As you can see from the above picture, this student used her 'seed ideas' to create a multitude of starting points for her next story writing. Each of these seeds is a potential story waiting to happen. Students in my class always like 'Writer's workshop' time. What do I do while students are working? I conference with each student to help them critique their writing and make it better. I also facilitate conversations between peers. Having students hear each others stories helps them improve their own writing. Here is an example of the checklist I use with them when we are having our meeting. Basically if you make learning and your expectations explicit, students aren't left guessing what they have to do to improve their work.
Sometimes a conference might be simply to help a student spell a word or ensure the story makes sense. Here is how I help students with difficult words. I have them try it first. (You can often learn so much by how a student is forming words. This can help you create your next mini-lesson. For example...you can tell I need to do some teaching around vowel sounds and word endings but this student has some excellent strategies)
Homework...and so it begins:
Each week, I will be adding one item of homework to our routine. Rather than give them all at once, I like to introduce the weekly homework one at a time. This week there will be social studies homework (Friday) and next week we begin word wall spelling words (Monday). Please check into the Homework section of this blog as I will update routinely. Generally, homework should only be about 10 minutes times the grade. So Grade Two should have about 20 minutes a night. Of course, some of this time could be reading with you before bedtime, or working on computer reading/ math programs.
Read Alouds
We have been having fun reading some chapter stories already! Can you believe it, the second week of school and we have done 2 out of these 3 books! Not to mention some of our good, old favourites like 'A Bad Case of Stripes' by David Shannon and Muncha, Muncha, Muncha by Candace Fleming. Friday is our first library day. Mr Cann our librarian always says my class knows their authors! We regularly clear out his Roald Dahl section! Although I think Mike Wade with his 'And then it happened...' books is starting to become a close second with some of my students.
Have a great week!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
A sneak peak of our classroom!
School started very smoothly this Tuesday. I am looking forward to a fabulous year teaching a straight Grade Two! We are off to a wonderful start with learning new routines and expectations. I sent a 'Welcome' note home in your child's agenda today and hope that you will visit this blog to find out 'what's new'!
Building community
Whenever a new class gathers, it is important for the teacher to build a sense of community. A way to do that is simply to take the time to 'find out' about each other. Our school uses the language of 'Tribes' (a book that provides the foundation for most community building activities) that most Halton District schools use as a basis for teaching learning skills, cooperation and team building. This year we made 'cootie catchers' that I found at 'Scholars choice' (the teacher store) but I also think they could be made quite easily. I'm not sure what the technical term for 'cootie catchers' is and I only remember vaguely running away from anyone who touched me and told me I had cooties as a child so I think pictures are necessary.
Students answered such questions as "My goals for this year are..." or "A subject I am really good at is..." and then played it with various friends in the room. It worked really well once I modeled how to use it and how to play.
Classroom set up
Desks are set up in groups of 4 in an L formation. This way all students can be facing the direction of the round table so I can assist students as they are working and am quite close to all the action.
The carpet area with the Smartboard is where I do my focus lessons, read alouds and calendar activities. All our supplies are located there for easy access.
.
Our classroom library with books organized by author or subject. Favourite books are on the mini-round table in organized bins for easy access.
Our talking word wall, with our 'Word Wall Words' low enough for easy access using the Smartpen.
My desk area, with a guided reading table (see the blue, half moon shaped desk). This can be used for mini-lessons. Under the table are small whiteboards and guided reading book sets ready for small groups.
This is the end of our tour for now. Please visit weekly for updates (I'm usually pretty good at updates...although occasionally life gets in the way). Our first trip will be early October to Safety Village (yes, we get to drive around in those little jeeps!).
Building community
Whenever a new class gathers, it is important for the teacher to build a sense of community. A way to do that is simply to take the time to 'find out' about each other. Our school uses the language of 'Tribes' (a book that provides the foundation for most community building activities) that most Halton District schools use as a basis for teaching learning skills, cooperation and team building. This year we made 'cootie catchers' that I found at 'Scholars choice' (the teacher store) but I also think they could be made quite easily. I'm not sure what the technical term for 'cootie catchers' is and I only remember vaguely running away from anyone who touched me and told me I had cooties as a child so I think pictures are necessary.
Classroom set up
Desks are set up in groups of 4 in an L formation. This way all students can be facing the direction of the round table so I can assist students as they are working and am quite close to all the action.
The carpet area with the Smartboard is where I do my focus lessons, read alouds and calendar activities. All our supplies are located there for easy access.
Our classroom library with books organized by author or subject. Favourite books are on the mini-round table in organized bins for easy access.
Our talking word wall, with our 'Word Wall Words' low enough for easy access using the Smartpen.
My desk area, with a guided reading table (see the blue, half moon shaped desk). This can be used for mini-lessons. Under the table are small whiteboards and guided reading book sets ready for small groups.
This is the end of our tour for now. Please visit weekly for updates (I'm usually pretty good at updates...although occasionally life gets in the way). Our first trip will be early October to Safety Village (yes, we get to drive around in those little jeeps!).
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Welcome to a new school year!
Welcome
The first few weeks of a new school year is a busy, happy time. I have been in the school numerous times already setting up the classroom. I tried to make it look really different for a particular reason...
As some of you may know or have figured out, I am in a unique situation this year. Since I taught a split grade last year, I have been given the opportunity to take my existing 'Grade One' students on to 'Grade Two'. As well, I am looking forward to meeting some new students which will round out the numbers within the classroom nicely. I have done this before in my previous schools and the notion of 'linking' or 'looping' students on to a second year is not a new concept.There is significant research to support the success of this option and I am pleased to be able to have the opportunity. If you are interested in reading about the positive aspects, here is a good, reputable article to start http://www.edutopia.org/looping-multiage-classroom-grouping-palisades
Classroom set-up and September start-up:
I will post some pictures next week of our new classroom and some of our procedures and learning. Please check in to this blog weekly and I will have updates to help you feel connected to what is happening (as it happens!). You may have noticed that the on-line back pack did not have a materials list this year. If you would like to provide your child with some extra materials for their use only or help out the classroom by sending some items in, then this is entirely up to you. The school does provide for a consumable budget and basic items will always be provided.
Summer
I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. Each summer I always take on one new project. Here is a picture of the pond that was built in my backyard. I am very lucky to have talented family members to help out. The sound of water trickling and frogs croaking is very relaxing. Here is a picture of my happy place :)
The first few weeks of a new school year is a busy, happy time. I have been in the school numerous times already setting up the classroom. I tried to make it look really different for a particular reason...
As some of you may know or have figured out, I am in a unique situation this year. Since I taught a split grade last year, I have been given the opportunity to take my existing 'Grade One' students on to 'Grade Two'. As well, I am looking forward to meeting some new students which will round out the numbers within the classroom nicely. I have done this before in my previous schools and the notion of 'linking' or 'looping' students on to a second year is not a new concept.There is significant research to support the success of this option and I am pleased to be able to have the opportunity. If you are interested in reading about the positive aspects, here is a good, reputable article to start http://www.edutopia.org/looping-multiage-classroom-grouping-palisades
Classroom set-up and September start-up:
I will post some pictures next week of our new classroom and some of our procedures and learning. Please check in to this blog weekly and I will have updates to help you feel connected to what is happening (as it happens!). You may have noticed that the on-line back pack did not have a materials list this year. If you would like to provide your child with some extra materials for their use only or help out the classroom by sending some items in, then this is entirely up to you. The school does provide for a consumable budget and basic items will always be provided.
Summer
I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. Each summer I always take on one new project. Here is a picture of the pond that was built in my backyard. I am very lucky to have talented family members to help out. The sound of water trickling and frogs croaking is very relaxing. Here is a picture of my happy place :)
One of my Uncles is a potter and made the amazing pottery fish so that they spout water.
If you build it, they will come. I have now counted well over 5 or 6 frogs! Can you see him?
Hope all of you are enjoying this long weekend and I will see you all on Tuesday.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Father's Day pics and Summer is almost here!
Blog...
This year, I decided to try blogging as a means to communicate with parents in a more up to date way. Instead of the monthly newsletter, I thought that perhaps weekly updates with pictures may be a more interesting way to let parents know what was happening. Thank you to those who provided feedback (especially positive or constructive)! I heard from parents who are separated that it is a nice way to get the same message and not feel that somehow a newsletter did not make it to both homes. I also enjoyed the feedback from parents about something I wrote and that they enjoyed reading about it. Another bonus was students themselves reading it during reading time and looking at pictures of us, as it actually happened. In a very real way it is a bit like a yearbook, an opportunity to look at all that happened and see events in their entirety. It is a bit scary to venture out into the world with your educational thoughts/ideas but I knew that after many years of teaching that maybe, just maybe I had something to say that others might find interesting. At the very least, I hope my sense of humour and care for the children in my class shines through in what I write. I may blog a bit in the summer, but really I don't expect much of an audience as I hope that everyone is off exploring, travelling and enjoying family time (as I hope to do).
Father's day art
I'll leave you with some of the magnificent pictures from Father's day! The watercolour artwork turned out so well. Using salt on the watercolour paper is what created those magnificent effects. To make the animals, I borrowed doodles from this amazing site Doodle art link and had the children use markers to great effect.
The symbolism of a Dad and baby was particularly poignant and I hope you appreciated it much more than a paper tie or macaroni necklace ...although those are quite stylish I hear (I did, accidently wear a macaroni necklace out shopping one day...long story...ends with shoppers pointing at me and laughing). On that note...have a wonderful, safe and happy summer! What will I be doing this summer....just building a pond ...shouldn't be too hard :)
Notes:
Wednesday(June 26)is when reports come home. Sign and return please. This is also the Cambridge Butterfly conservatory trip (remember lunch is provided)
Thursday (June 27) is a shortened day and students will be dismissed at 1:40 p.m.
Friday (June 28) P.A. Day for teachers (no school for students)
Schools out for summer/ see you in September
Here are my sister's alpacas with their new summer coats...just to make you smile.
This year, I decided to try blogging as a means to communicate with parents in a more up to date way. Instead of the monthly newsletter, I thought that perhaps weekly updates with pictures may be a more interesting way to let parents know what was happening. Thank you to those who provided feedback (especially positive or constructive)! I heard from parents who are separated that it is a nice way to get the same message and not feel that somehow a newsletter did not make it to both homes. I also enjoyed the feedback from parents about something I wrote and that they enjoyed reading about it. Another bonus was students themselves reading it during reading time and looking at pictures of us, as it actually happened. In a very real way it is a bit like a yearbook, an opportunity to look at all that happened and see events in their entirety. It is a bit scary to venture out into the world with your educational thoughts/ideas but I knew that after many years of teaching that maybe, just maybe I had something to say that others might find interesting. At the very least, I hope my sense of humour and care for the children in my class shines through in what I write. I may blog a bit in the summer, but really I don't expect much of an audience as I hope that everyone is off exploring, travelling and enjoying family time (as I hope to do).
Father's day art
I'll leave you with some of the magnificent pictures from Father's day! The watercolour artwork turned out so well. Using salt on the watercolour paper is what created those magnificent effects. To make the animals, I borrowed doodles from this amazing site Doodle art link and had the children use markers to great effect.
This student created owls!
The symbolism of a Dad and baby was particularly poignant and I hope you appreciated it much more than a paper tie or macaroni necklace ...although those are quite stylish I hear (I did, accidently wear a macaroni necklace out shopping one day...long story...ends with shoppers pointing at me and laughing). On that note...have a wonderful, safe and happy summer! What will I be doing this summer....just building a pond ...shouldn't be too hard :)
Notes:
Wednesday(June 26)is when reports come home. Sign and return please. This is also the Cambridge Butterfly conservatory trip (remember lunch is provided)
Thursday (June 27) is a shortened day and students will be dismissed at 1:40 p.m.
Friday (June 28) P.A. Day for teachers (no school for students)
Schools out for summer/ see you in September
Here are my sister's alpacas with their new summer coats...just to make you smile.
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