Hey Friends,
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your friends and families. I was grateful for the time to give pause and take some purposeful time to be thankful for all I have.
One of my biggest joys and parts of my life that I am thankful for is the time I get to spend with your wonderful children, watching them grow and learn. It grounds me and reminds me daily of the reason I became a teacher.
As far of our activities here at school, we have been working hard on wrapping up our small moment stories in Writer's Workshop. The kids have been working on writing their hooks, filling out details using transition words like first, then, later, etc. and then stretching out details.
In literacy we have been focusing on using our time well as well as working hard in our reading groups. The kids have really gotten into working on their sight words as well as dabbling in free-writing their own stories about pirates, jail breaks and the like.
We have also been working on our transitions between activities as well as recognizing kindness in our room. During this time of the year, kids can get pretty distracted and it is always important to remain grounded in our agreements from the beginning of the year: being kind, working hard and having fun.
In science we have been looking into the states of matter - solid, liquid and gas. We have also had a lot of discussion about how scientists answer the question they are investigating. Scientists can answer their questions with a "yes", "no" or I am not sure. "Kind of" is not in their vocabulary. This has been a challenge for some, as some kids really like to try to find the sneaky way around answering these kinds of questions. example:
Teacher: Can you pick up water in the same way you can pick up a solid with your hands?
Sneaky kid: Kind of
Teacher: Show me using the water in the sink. Did it work?
Sneaky kid: Kind of
All kidding aside, it has been great and all in all, the kids are really doing a wonderful job.
I think that's it for now. We'll be starting our Artist and Residence next week. Thanks so much to Jen Campbell for helping organize this great opportunity for our kids!
Have a great weekend, everyone. Remember, bow/crossbow/muzzleloader season is starting for the next nine days, so be careful in the woods.
Be in touch if you need anything or have any celebrations, concerns or questions.
~B
