Monday, March 8, 2010

Hayley rocks!  Why?

….. ask your kiddos about the backpack incident!   Ms. Waite and I planted a backpack in the classroom and set up the kiddos for a ‘real-classroom’ mystery!  A mystery backpack suddenly showed up in the classroom and it was filled with an amazing assortment of stuff!  Who did it belong to?  We didn’t know, but all clues pointed to Hayley! 

As it turns out, it was all a set up, and Hayley was the victim of circumstantial evidence and a red herring!  It was a fun way to introduce our new reading unit – MYSTERIES!   Look for more soon!

Speaking of backpacks, please check your kiddos for conference sign up sheets!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

     This afternoon we got a chance to see Ms. Powsner’s class do the plays.  It was a great learning experience!  Thanks, Ms. Powsner and kids!  Break a leg tonight! 

     We also spent time continuing our review of a story which focused on author’s craft.  This piece was written specifically to highlight a variety of tools an author might use to make a good story great.   It combined detail, sentence length, similes, imagination, flashback, and dialogue.  It focused on ‘showing’ not telling, a tremendously difficult skill for students to master.  I hope they shared our discussion with you!

     Tomorrow is our party!  I’m looking forward to having them share the details of the afternoon with you.

     And, finally, a reminder our field trip on Monday!  Lightning Thief here we come!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

     Plays!  Plays!  Plays!  Thank goodness there are two of us in the classroom!  While Ms. Waite is doing run throughs of the plays, I’m completing Fontas and Pinelle reading assessments with the kids.  We anticipate both will be completed in time for our Thursday, February 18th, deadline.  Most students know their lines, although a few need additional practice.  Once lines are completely memorized, the fun begins … characterization, stage movements, and fine tuning of blocking!

     We’ve also been reviewing concepts for tomorrow’s math test – adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers, graphing,  interpreting graphs, and order of operations, or PEMDAS.  (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally = Parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction) Students have spent the last two days reviewing the work they’ve done for the last month.

 

Vermont Writes Day!

     I’m also thrilled with our participation in the Vermont Writes Day!  Ivy spent the morning in the computer lab, doing a 7 minute free write, while the rest of us worked on it this afternoon.  We had three different prompts to choose from:

• Purple – I’ve never seen such a deep shade of purple!
• Afghanistan – what does the word make you think?
• “I was never so surprised as when I opened the door and saw ….”

After reading everyone’s free writes, we chose two to go into the final round of judging for the school.  Brandon R. and Megan wrote wonderful pieces, and it’s too bad we couldn’t submit three, because Lydia did a great job, too!

 

Thursday, February 4, 2010

     Today was an exciting day for math!  We learned about subtracting negative numbers!  Students did great listening to Ms. Waite and working with the smartboard! 

     It’s easy when you think about it!  Subtracting a debt means you have more of your own money to spend! 

For example:  3 – (-2) = 5       I had three dollars to spend and I saved two dollars to pay my lunch bill.  Then I found out I’d paid my lunch bill and I got that money back!  My debt was cancelled and I now have five dollars!  Woohoo!

 

Well, we’ll give this a shot!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

     Happy Groundhog Day!  The shadow was spotted and we’re due for six more weeks of winter!   Thus, begins phase 2 of winter and phase 1 of our ‘Take A Step Backward’ dismissal policy.

     Although I’ve been enforcing and practicing the same dismissal, homework organization, and home/school communication routines I have successfully used for 12 years, this is the year of re-teaching.   Students continually feel dismissal time is ‘socialization’ time.  Despite directions to fill in planners, and organize homework materials, many students feel it is the time to visit their friends.  Conversations become so loud, we do not hear the intercom system and many students leave in a rush, forgetting to pack assignments or planners.  Frequently, we hear, “I didn’t have time to get my paper – or fill in my planner – or write in my GWLM!”  Our student teacher, Kari Waite, has been astounded by the behavior and attitudes of many of the students.   It is not unusual for Ms. Waite and myself to spend 20 minutes after dismissal, picking up supplies and materials students have left strewn around the classroom.  After discussing this at length, we’ve decided to take things back to September teaching and handle homework organization and bus dismissal on a strict, “show us you’re ready” basis.

     Homework organization will begin at 2:45.   As previously, students will complete their Grownup Who Loves Me entries while homework is re-stated on the homework board.

     When students have shown Ms. Waite, or myself, that they’ve made their entries, filled in their assignments, and shown us the required materials for the evening, we will initial their planners. 

     Students will then be dismissed, one or two at a time, to their cubbies where they may gather their belongings for dismissal. 

     Once dressed, students will need to pick up any dropped, or out of place materials, and stack their chairs.  When all these steps have been completed, students will be released to busses.

     Many of our kiddos have shown great personal ownership of their learning and typically complete all these steps without prompting.  However, we are compelled to institute this process whole class.  Thank you for understanding the necessity of this situation.