Healthy Commotion!!!!!

Today was a rambunctious, exciting day in our class! We explored new concepts in Math, Social Studies and French, and on top of that we decorated a pumpkin and had an afternoon of fun physical activity. There was a busy slate today, with school-scheduled physical activity exercises, Student of the Week activities, Choir and Halloween preparations.

Math focused on subtraction today, and I used student-teaching again to help the students get the idea that numbers can be "borrowed" from other columns (tens, hundreds, thousands) to help create manageable facts. The class was very quick to take up this idea, which I was very happy about. More challenging than the task of actual subtraction is the process of deciding when subtraction is necessary. At home, it is worth asking plenty of questions when a chance to apply addition or subtraction arises. I think that it is through these specific, relevant experiences that students learn the most about math.

I did not send home Reading Journals today; I kept them in the interest of reading them for content and progress. I am currently compiling a portfolio for each student that will house written, drawn, recorded and visual representations of what they have completed so far this year. Rather than keeping them until it is time for the dreaded Report Cards (cue thunder and lightening), I plan to have them look through these portfolios starting next week and respond to them. This is something that is suggested in Beachy Cove's current School Development Program, and is an approach that will benefit students greatly.

Some notes for the rest of the week:

• Multiplication study guides will be sent home tomorrow; I decided to hold off for today because we had already spent so much time on math (no matter how much fun we had!)
• Our Drama in Education program will continue tomorrow, with some important new missions from Captain LeBlanc that they will be expected to complete at home!
• We will complete an activity to apply our weekly vocabulary and verb learning tomorrow.
• Cakes and Grab Bags are due by tomorrow for Friday's Halloween Shenanigans
• I have let the class know, after some issues at play time, that toys must be shared and open to all, or they will be sent home. The class has been very accepting of this instruction.
• Students are now speaking mostly French during lunch and recess, and nearly 100% during class.
• Any student can bring $1.00 to buy a grab bag over the next couple of days.
• Some students have already gone through my entire (~100 book) class French library. I will start letting these students take out books from the main school library more frequently.

Have a great night, and I will post more information on our ongoing assessment and math procedures tomorrow!