Month: September 2018

September has flown by!  The Super Kids have been busy getting into the swing of things.  With practice and expectations set, our class has tackled all the components of both reader’s and math workshop.  Reader’s workshop is a time when students are engaged in small group tasks while reading groups are working with me. Activities include read to self, read with someone, work on writing, word work, and listen to reading.  Students rotate to two centers each workshop time.

   

Math workshop is similar to reader’s workshop.  Students rotate to two centers each workshop time with a focus on numeracy skills. During this time, I pull students that have similar numeracy development goals to work with me.  Activities include math myself, math with someone, math work, and math with technology. The activities that fall into these categories change as skills grow.  Many games have multiple developmental levels so all students in our multiage classroom are challenged.

    

This past week the Super Kids focussed on how scientist ask questions and gather data.  Have you ever heard the expression, you can’t compare apples to oranges?  Well, that exactly what we did.  Using our science senses and our new found knowledge of Venn diagrams students touched, smelt, tasted, observed, and listened to the two types of fruits to compare them.  This lead to other examples of Venn diagrams using our shoes. Can you tell our sorting rule?

 

This past week the weather in Winnipeg has been a bit wet to say the least. We even got a bit of snow!  As a result, we had a couple of indoor recesses.  What do the Super Kids do for indoor recess?  Here are a few pictures to show you.

   

Coding is the language computer programers use to have a computer program do a specific task.  This week the Super Kids “coded” each other and created their own rainy day code for their friends to follow.

   

Movement breaks are very important throughout the day.  Sometimes you just have to get up and dance! Check out the video of some of our classroom DJs in action. 🙂

IMG_movement break

We made it through our first week of school!  It’s always an adjustment getting back into the routines and it’s especially challenging for my new grade one friends as they get used to being in school full days.  Eating lunch at school, three recesses, and all of the new expectations that comes with being in full day school takes some adjusting .  Our school is BIG! Ecole Sage Creek School has over 700 kids this year.  As you can imagine, transitions and recess takes some time getting used to with so many other kids around.  I’m so proud of my new students for coming into school with a smile on their faces ready to learn and I’m so proud of my returning grade 2 students for having such a positive attitude and for helping their new friends adjust.

This week was all about getting into some routines, meeting our grade 5/6 learning buddies, using our eyes to observe like scientists do, and celebrating “International Dot Day”.  Dot Day is inspired by the book “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds.   The book’s message is that every child is an artist and that everyone should not be afraid to make their mark on the word.  “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” This is a great lesson for my kiddos to learn.   Click below to see Peter read his book.

https://youtu.be/1CHBrRyPb2I

Many artists use dots to create their artwork.  Kandinsky, was a Russian artist, who loved to paint.  When he painted he felt the colours made music.  His family and art teachers didn’t understand his form of art that was later called abstract art.  We read the children’s book “The Noisy Paintbox”.  It describes how Kandinsky was persistent and how he made his mark on the world of art.

       

 

After looking at some of Kandinsky’s artwork that focussed on circles, we were inspired to make our own using pastels and watercolour paint. We spent most of the morning creating our own masterpieces!

     

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who uses dots to share her artistic point of view.  The Super Kids loved reading a storybook about her journey from her traditional Japanese upbringing to the modern artist she is today.

After looking at some of Kusama’s art instillations, we visited the Queensland Art Gallery website to explore the interactive Kusama art activity. We used our interactive wall to create our own Kusama inspired art.

Dot themed centers also included making dot pictures on the light table, creating nature dots with pebbles, dot themed books, and dot painting.

      

Scientists observe with their eyes and use tools such as magnifying glasses and microscopes to help them look closely at things.  This week the Super Kids used their sense of sight to observe their surroundings and spent time learning about the parts of the eye.  Activities like the game Spot It, I Spy books, using magnifying glasses, and using mirrors to observe our eyes, helped the Super Kids understand how observations are very important to all scientists.

       

It has been a busy beginning to our year together!  Enjoy your weekend.  🙂

Welcome to the Super Kids Classroom.  To those families that are new to our class I am thrilled to welcome you and to those that are returning I’m looking forward to continuing our journey together.

This week I was grateful to meet my student’s families for our school’s opening day conferences.  This is a time for students and parents to see the room, meet me, and help calm any anxious thoughts about school.  I’ve been teaching for 19 years and I still get nervous every year!  I always say to my students that if you’re nervous about something it just means that you care.  🙂 I asked my families to pose in front of our red carpet!  A class photo booth is always a hit.

 

The first days of school were filled with team building exercises, establishing routines, and making sure that everyone was looking forward to coming back.  The first thing we did after our morning meeting was break into groups and work together to create a structure.  This eased nerves, got kids talking to each other, and put smiles on their faces.

 

  

The Super Kids also had their first math centers, buddy reading time, and became scientists during watermelon science!

   

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of our watermelon science since I was holding the watermelon. The Super Kids estimated how many blocks tall they thought the watermelon was and then we measured together.  They also guessed if the watermelon would sink or float.  During afternoon snack we cut up the watermelon and had a healthy treat.

During choice time on Friday, a group of Super Kids decided to make a maze out of our magnetic blocks and test it with our Nano.  I just love their creativity! Check out the video below.

maze video

International Dot Day is next Saturday.  It’s a day inspired by “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds.  It is a book that encourages kids to put their mark on the world.  We will be celebrating “International Dot Day” next Friday in our classroom.  Stay tuned to see all of our exciting activities.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing all of my Super Kids tomorrow.

Mrs. Didyk