Month: January 2016

   

This week the Super Kids focused on “How To” Writing.  We looked at recipes, craft books, and any other books our librarians could find that had instruction language.  We noticed that they all used first and next when describing steps, many had a materials needed list, and most had photograph pictures instead of drawings.  After creating an example together called “How To Be A Great Friend”,  the class began their own writing pieces.  They are off to a great start!  Topics include: How To Make Noodles, How To Make A Book, How To Make Hot Chocolate, and How To Walk My Dog.  We’ll share some of our writing on our blog when we have finished them.  After all, the blog is on our list of who we want to share our writing with.  The kids are learning that writing takes time and they are excited to expand on their ideas.

 

Our class was invited to the school’s “Make Tank” this week to create valentine cards that will be sent to shelters across Canada.  Everyone needs a little something special and the Super Kids were thrilled to make the cards.  One student said,  ” Mrs. Didyk, maybe my card will make them smile!”  Perfect!

Our classroom recently got licences for the Dreambox website.  This is a math website that works on number sense through activities that are engaging and skill based.  Wow!  What a hit with the kids!

    

 

Three more passion projects were presented this week.  One Super Kid created a power point about the Earth, another created a poster about turtles, and another explained the steps to making soap with her photo story!  I can’t say it enough…these kids amaze me!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.  🙂

Our principal, Mrs. Cormack, visited us this afternoon with a special treat.  She loved our hot chocolate art so much, that she made us hot chocolate!  We drank our special treat in the hallway in front of our art and explained to her how we made our art pieces.  Thank you Mrs. Cormack for visiting us!

This afternoon we had two more passion project presentations.  We learned about Cheetahs and talked about camouflage.  We also learned about space and spaceships.  The Super Kids are coming up with lots of questions to ask our student presenters.  I love watching them learn from each other.

Have a great weekend!

All four multiage 1/2 classrooms from our school went to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra yesterday! Thank you Ms. Lawrence (aka our amazing music teacher) for organizing this for us.  The WSO performed and took us on a trip around the world with the help of the funny host Mr. Mark and his friend Manny Tuba.  The Super Kids thought it was hilarious that his name was Manny Tuba and we live in Manitoba!  Dancers, singers, and even an acrobat on the “silks” performed with the Symphony.  It was great to see the class dancing in their seats and waving their hands like they were conducting.

 

We had our first three passion project presentations this week.  The kids loved learning about dolphins, icebergs and monarch butterflies.  These three kids inspired the rest of the class and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the class comes up with.  Stay tuned!

This week has been really cold in Winnipeg!  We have had -30C with the windchill.    Talking about the cold and how we stay warm prompted this art project.  We were talking about how our class wished we had a cup of hot chocolate to warm up our bodies when we decided to make some art!  In math we are currently learning about 3D shapes and using our knowledge of the cylinder shape helped us draw our mugs.  Every cup of hot chocolate has some steam.  This prompted a talk about what steam is and why we can see it.  Some of our Super Kids even added marshmallows to their cups.  Our artwork is hanging in our hall and a few are finishing up their projects this afternoon.  Stay warm everyone!

Genius Hour  started in our classroom today and you would think that I told them that everyone was getting a pony!  The excitement in the room was amazing!  Once we all got logged into the computers (it takes awhile) the kids were exploring websites, looking at videos and picking their topics.  “What are you passionate about?”  That was a hard question for some of the Super Kids.  So I phrased it a little differently. “What do you wonder about?”

Next week we will be focusing on how we can research using computers and books.  Pictures tell us so much even if we can’t read the words.  There definitely are some common topics so far in the classroom.  There is a dinosaur group, a space group, ocean animals group, and some kids that are on their own asking some big questions.

Many want to take their research home with them.  So families, don’t be surprised if your child asks to borrow the computer or asks for some help on a topic.  I encourage you to talk about their questions and get excited with them!

I loved seeing the Super Kids excited about learning!  What a super Friday.

Mrs. Didyk

The Super Kids are back in the swing of things and are excited to start “Genius Hour”.  Each Friday  we will be spending one hour on our passion projects.  Every child has questions and things that they are wondering about.  Why is the sky blue?  How are fossils made?  How many people live on our planet?  These were a few questions that the class came up with this morning.

The idea of “Genius Hour” is to give each child the opportunity to learn about a topic that they are passionate about.    It is a time when they can get creative and share their knowledge with others.  After talking about this today, the Super Kids couldn’t contain their excitement.  One kid said  “You mean we can learn about anything? I have so many questions I can’t pick! ”  I explained that they don’t have to just pick one.  Students will probably make a few projects over the rest of the school year.  Some of the Super Kids couldn’t wait and started during choice time today!

The Super Kids will be sharing their knowledge with the rest of the class by presenting their projects in whatever form they come up with.  I have a request for poster paper and paper mache materials already!  I can’t wait to see what the class comes up with.  Stay tuned!