Getting a hang of this whole "Friday" thing.

Today there was briefly a puppy outside the school, a student asked me what I would think if I had 14 puppies in class instead of 14 students (aged 8-9, I might add). I had to stop for a second and consider the options. In one case, I would have to deal with them making a mess on the floor, whining, attacking each other and refusing to do what they were told. In the other scenario.... I would have pupppies!  I kid, of course. Today was a great day, as we were finally able to carry out a larger-scale project by going outside to gather data for our Habitats project. This was thoroughly enjoyed, and carried us through until Recess.

We spent a lot more time on Math, something that has been causing minor issues. I'm focusing on the relation between place values to start with, before I move on to manipulating them. I think in doing so I will build a better understanding of the concepts, even if it takes a little while longer to do so. There are a number of games and extended activities for students to complete when they have finished, and 1 student decided to take his home to finish rather than doing it on Monday.

We gave out new jobs for next week and I also named my first "Etudiant de la Semaine", which means "Student of the Week". In keeping with the behaviour and socialization philosophies used by Beachy Cove Elementary, I will isolate one or more admirable character trait and name a Student of the Week who has shown it. This week it was Friendliness and Positivity. The student who was chosen will gain some special priveleges next week, and also have a chance to tell us more about themselves as the week goes on.

Prefecting duties have been further clarified as well; they have an orientation session on Monday at 11:45.

We also discussed the situation we will be in next week, when they will be allowed to start asking each other for money when they speak English during class. For Monday and Tuesday, we will not be including Recess and Lunch in this regime. We discussed how the intent wasn't to punish, but to reward those who were making an effort. We also talked about reasons why it was useful to speak French, and how using it in conversation was WAAAYYY more fun than listening to me speak French all day.

We also read a comic strip in our French books today. It was about Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space. The format really seemed to keep them engaged more than others have to this point, and I was able to get a lot of reading observation accomplished. After the fact, I showed them a video of her launch in 1992, which I think helped contextualize it a bit. It is funny to think that this event, which I remember as a 9 year-old, is now ancient history to them....

Sorry to drag on, but no shortage of excitement today. Thanks again to all who came the other night, and talk to you soon.

Midweek Mayhem!

Despite having gym and music today, the class was pretty energetic all day. We had to have a few discussions about classroom behaviour and the repercussions of our actions on others (although nothing too serious), which was a good way to tie into the personal identity and self-esteem issues we have been addressing in Health. Lots more money was doled out for speaking French, and the class was informed that, starting next week, they will be allowed to get money from their friends if they hear them speaking English.

Our guidance councillor came in and outlined the duties and joys of being a prefect; something that a lot of students are looking forward to. She has requested that students nominate each other tomorrow, and we will vote to appoint 7 prefects. Their duties will be to supervise younger grades 2 times per 7 day cycle. There was some anxiety about being nominated and having to vote, but I think it will be a great way to explore some ideas of civil society and active democracy.

We had much more success with Place Value in Math today, and started doing some sheets in a new Math duotang. 2 students who had played the Place Value game I posted online the other day showed the class how it was done, so hopefully it will be a resource the students will enjoy.

We also "dissected" another painting in class, focusing on the use of colour. I was impressed once again to see how interested they were and how they were able to put the art in context and draw some meaning. Then, they had an opportunity to create a picture using line and colour in their Scrapbooks. This was quite a hit, resulting in some very interesting work.

I have started using a sticker system to monitor how/if work is done in class. A small red dot on the corner of your page means that it is not done, and must be completed ASAP. A yellow dot means that there are things that need to be fixed or completed, but not at the expense of other work. A green dot means.... you guessed it... you can go ahead to the next thing you need to do.

Today's link is reflective of a science experiment we will be doing on Friday. We will be going outside to sample a habitat; more specifically, the grass and organisms encircled by a hula hoop we will put on the school lawn. The idea is to gather, organize and present data, something we have already addressed a few other times.

http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/science/scientificmethod.html

This site contains a number of fun science project lesson plans, and outlines the general "Questioning - Hypothesis - Testing - Observing - Concluding - Communicating" framework that we will be using.

Have a great Wednesday!