This week seemed like a really short week. I was at an inservice at the board office on Monday with teachers from around the province talking about deeper learning and ways that teachers can inspire kids to ask questions. It was a great day, but with Friday being a holiday, it made our week quite short together. We made the best of our time and practiced for our reader’s theatre play. We made Dr. Seuss trees, props, and got our costumes organized. The kids are working on reading their lines with expression, looking at the audience, and learning when they start without a cue from me. They couldn’t be more excited about presenting “The Lorax” to our guests on Senior’s day. We also will be having performances for our 1/2 buddies, 3/4 buddies, and the kindergarten classes in honour of Earth Day.
Next week students are encouraged to bring litter less lunches as the school talks about how we can help our Earth. Our school will be going out into our community and parks to help clean up our environment later in the week. An e-mail from the school has been sent out to families with more details on our week of Earth Day activities.
Guided math activities this week focused on fact families and relationships between numbers. Students played guess my number by asking questions to help narrow their possible guesses. This game is modified depending on the group’s sense of number. Some students are working on guessing a number between 1-20, 1-50, or 1-100.
What is a cm? This was a question brought up this week by one of the Super Kids. In the grade 1 and 2 curriculums we explore measurement with non-standard units such as blocks, hands, and even our feet. I turned the question around and asked the class. What is a cm? After a turn and talk, the class decided that a cm was a way of measuring. Then it was time to get the rulers out and explore what we saw on the rulers. Why are there two sides? What are the little lines and big lines? My lesson for our math time was tossed to the side and we dove into our measurement talk. This is what I love about my job! Taking those questions that are asked and running with them. Being able to recognize a teachable moment and exploring it to its fullest. The picture above is two of my awesome students measuring their heads. They used one ruler to mark the spot on the other ruler. My favourite thing they said was “Wow! You have a big head!” Before I knew it the kids all had a ruler and were measuring thing around our room!
Our classroom library is full of books for the Super Kids to pick from. I’ve noticed that many students weren’t looking in our some of our book baskets for new reading choices. I started pulling books from those bins at story time and looking through the bin in front of the students. I talked though my decision process before picking a book . I wanted to model different ways you can choose reading material such as looking at the cover, reading the back, flipping through the book, and reading the first page. We have found some great stories that haven’t been read in a while. I’m now noticing many of my students exploring those bins during read to self time. I had to snap the picture above. I just love that his is using the whisper phone to read to himself. He can read out loud quietly and hear himself over the classroom chatter that can naturally happen.
I wanted to thank our school’s parent council for organizing a wonderful teacher appreciation week for our staff. I know that many of my student’s parents are a part of this group and provided some of the yummy snacks that were generously given to us. The staff was invited to a luncheon hosted by our parent council on Thursday. Thank you very much! Many of the staff were talking on Thursday about how spoiled we were and how it is nice to be appreciated. I consider it an honour to be entrusted with your children each day.
For those families that celebrate Easter this weekend, I want to wish you a happy Easter!
I’m sure I’ll hear all about it on Monday from some sugared up Super Kids. 🙂
