Week #2: Sept. 12th - 16th
Dear Families,
Wow! We've already completed our second week of school! Time flies when you're actively engaged in your learning and having FUN! The energy of our staff and students continues to be HAPPY, HEALTHY, and SAFE. I assure you, this will be an ongoing goal for our class family :)
Thank you to the families who have taken the time to check out my last blog update! I recognize it was a lengthy one (oh my, haha), but please know the information that I do provide is pertinent to what your child's actively learning and doing at school.
I sincerely hope my blog with serve as an effective tool into your child's weekly experiences with me in grade 3 :-)
With my last post, I received some positive feedback from parents and students which made my day! I will continue working hard to provide you all with updates and highlights each week! Transparent and open communication with my students and their parents is very important to me.
BRAIN BREAKFAST 'MATH':
This week, I provided students with math warm-up questions that we call "Brain Breakfast" which link directly to the math expectations.
When students arrive to class each morning, they quietly get out their 5 assigned math questions. This gets their brains alert and ready (like our breakfast foods do for our bodies) for the day's math lesson! See sample below.
Please note, when we finish these assigned questions, I always make time to consolidate (think, share, and discuss) the strategies used to check for students' knowledge & understanding.
Through this consolidation, I gain valuable data to see students' progress with their stars - "what they did well" and arrows - "what they need to improve upon for next time."
During consolidation time, I provide specific feedback for students to write down onto their sheets to help them "bump up" (add details) their answers. If you see that your child has written a "w.a." that indicates the question(s) was done "with assistance."
A useful tool I've provided in class to help the children complete their work to their highest potential is the following poem entitled "How Am I Doing?" (Refer to photo below). A poster for this is hung up in our classroom and I will regularly refer to it to encourage everyone to strive for a level 3 (B) and level 4 (A). A copy of this will be provided in the agenda in the next while, stay tuned!!
Your child's completed 'Brain Breakfast' math sheets will come home in the agenda after the weekends (Monday's).
I encourage you to please sit with your child at some point during the school week and go over their answers and have them explain some strategies or new learning from this work. This is very helpful as you're reinforcing learned concepts from school to home :-)
Many thanks in advance for your support in our "Brain Breakfast" program!
ACCOUNTABLE TALK:
As we get more and more into our academics, students will have a daily opportunity to work with their think, pair, and share partner(s).
When we work together, we can achieve MORE. The goal is for students to use ACCOUNTABLE TALK (chart below).
Click on the image below and please ask your child what this LOOKS LIKE! SOUNDS LIKE! FEELS LIKE!
As a teacher, I'm not looking for a silent classroom, but one in which we are 'buzzing' about the topic we're learning about! Check out the photos below of the boys and girls playing a math game using accountable talk in action!
INTERNATIONAL DOT DAY:
This week, we celebrated International Dot Day! This day is a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, which began when a teacher introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds' book The Dot on September 15, 2009.
The Dot is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student (Vashti) to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to "make her mark."
What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe!
Many students and parents are familiar with the story which is great, its' message helps inspire self-expression and remembering to always BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
Click on the video below to view The Dot read by the wonderful author Peter Reynolds himself :-)
We used the book as a tool to set our own goal or goals and think about the following question: 'HOW WILL YOU MAKE YOUR MARK (a difference in grade 3)?'
As I read through and provided feedback to students' work, my heart soared with JOY because many wrote about ways to help end bullying, accepting people as they are, using resilience when faced with a challenge, never giving up even when it's difficult, etc ...
In the next while, when these writing pieces come home in the agenda, please take a moment to celebrate and honour your child's International Dot Day writing. They are so proud of their goal setting to make a difference and help our planet be a better place to live, work, and play in.
Kaia, Brynn, Lily & Anna:
Thank you girls for dressing up for Dot Day! I appreciate you showing your support for this special event. When you wear or see a dot(s), always remember, it represents YOUR courage, creativity, and to always believe in yourself!!
S.T.E.A.M. CHALLENGES:
As learners in the 21st century, our children need to be problem-solvers to be successful in the world around them. Our classroom is therefore embarking in a hands-on learning process known as S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math).
This is an inquiry model of learning where the students are given a challenge and are asked to work in groups to solve the problem given certain materials and a specific time frame. The problems will incorporate multiple subjects.
Students will complete a monthly challenge which I am confident they will absolutely love! The purpose of these challenges is to help build our skills in RESILIENCE and GRIT using interactive and engaging S.T.E.A.M. activities :)
SEPTEMBER'S S.T.E.A.M. T.E.A.M. CHALLENGE:
This week, students excitedly worked in groups to complete their first S.T.E.A.M. T.E.A.M. Challenge called "Can You Help Save Sam?" When I explained the expectations, everyone's brains were critically thinking to find a solution to this challenge, it was amazing!!!
Click the image below and speak with your child about this activity and what strategies his or her group used to solve the problem :)
Below, you will find various photos I took while students worked collaboratively :) I am so proud of everyone for their resilience (not giving up) and using their grit to get the job done!!
There were MANY "failed" attempts and "mistakes" along the way, but through this process, eventually EVERY group SAVED SAM!!!
Please ask your child how his or her group persevered to get Sam's "lifesaver" (life vest) onto his body to help him not drown in the ocean.
MATH:
Before I begin teaching a new math unit, I will be providing students with a 'diagnostic assessment' which gives them the opportunity to "show what they know."
These assessments are designed to evaluate students’ strengths, areas to improve, knowledge and skills before they receive explicit instruction from me in a particular area of mathematics.
This assessment assists me to plan meaningful and efficient instruction and can provide students with an individualized learning experience. Independently written by students, the diagnostic assessment is a tool for teachers to better understand what students already know about a topic when submitted before the start of a unit :)
Earlier this week, your child wrote a "Number" diagnostic assessment for me (see photos below). Click on the images below to enlarge them and you may wish to ask your child how he or she solved the thinking & application questions #4 - 6.
I will be evaluating your child's assessment to help guide my instruction for our new math unit for 'Number Sense & Numeration' which I will begin teaching next week :-)
THE TALKING STICK:
Since beginning school, has your child come home and shared about our Talking Stick? If so, great! If not, that's ok too as I will speak to this below and its importance :)
Talking Sticks are used by many Indigenous tribes when they have council meetings. The ideas of the Talking Stick is to respect each other's opinions and viewpoints during important meetings where things are discussed, or agreements need to be made. Unless you were holding the Talking Stick, you wouldn't interrupt or speak, but wait your turn.
During the time you are listening, you are to pay careful attention to what's being said so that you don't disrespect others when they are sharing their thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
The interesting part about this Indigenous tradition is that it is taught to children at a very young age. Around 3 is the age they learn to be respectful of each other's points of view.
It's a great exercise for respecting each other's VOICE. The Talking Stick is an excellent tool to emphasize respect and patience for yourself and others.
In class, we will be making a regular routine to use the Talking Stick to emphasize that WE ALL HAVE A VOICE, IT NEEDS TO BE HEARD (one at a time).
BENNER:
Thank you to Benner and family for providing paper towel and Kleenex for our classroom. This is useful as we're bound to have some spills throughout the year ;)
Here in our class, we consider 'Custodian Appreciation' every day to ensure our portable is always neat and tidy for Mr. Sheffer (morning custodian) and Ms. Tanya (afternoon/evening custodian). I take this responsibility very seriously and encourage my students to as well.
Kaia & Brynn's Grandma:
Thank you to Kaia and Brynn's Grandma Buie for the delicious and nutritious apples that she donated to our school's "Snack Program." They are organic and straight from her backyard, amazing!!!
LIVING IS GIVING and the Geier girls and their family are true models of this! From our hearts to yours ... thank you, thank you!
MINDFULNESS:
The video below takes you through what being in the PRESENT MOMENT means. #Mindfulness is all about LIVING IN THE MOMENT, and using our BRAIN & BREATHING to help us in wonderous ways!
We live in an age of distraction and spend the better part of our lives planning over the future or ruminating over the past.
"One of life's sharpest paradoxes is that our future hinges on our ability to live in this very moment. We're living in a world that contributes in a major way to mental fragmentation, disintegration, distraction, decoherence," says Buddhist scholar B. Alan Wallace.
Life unfolds in the present, this moment is very powerful! This video's quest is to bring the wonderous "moment" to you so that you can cultivate a sense of awareness in you.
This MOMENT just needs to be STILL and you can feel the SILENCE within. All you need to do is "breathe"...
GROWTH MINDSET:
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