Practicing the Habits

We are learning about putting "First Things First" this week as part of our 7 Habits of Happy Kids lessons.  Today we did a few activities that help us to think about times when we might be tempted to do something less important before doing the most important tasks.  We worked with a partner to develop some fun motions to a poem about putting first things first!  Who knew learning could be so much fun?

Taylor and Abby worked hard to come up with some clever motions!

Ava and Madelynn read the poem a few times first.

Sean and Andrew discuss their ideas together.

Jayden and Carter talk over their thoughts.

Caleb and Blake had some fun with their ideas!

Drew and Nathan practiced together before performing for the class!

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Kalamazoo String Quartet Visits the Elementary Campus!

A sting quartet from the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra came to visit our school today.  There were two violins, a viola and a cello.  

We learned how that the bigger the stringed instrument, the lower the sound it makes!

The cello made the lowest sounds!

We also learned the musicians can be storytellers, too!  They use musical notes to tell a story!

Here is a story about an insect.  Can you tell what the insect is?

Thank you to Ms. Miller and the KSO for teaching us and sharing such beautiful music with us today!

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Help for Tonight's Homework - YouTube style!

Okay, on attempt #3, I hope that this YouTube version of the video works tonight!  I appreciate all your patience as we get this figured out.

Please do not stress over math homework!!  This is all new to everyone and we are learning it together!  If you do not understand it, just send it back with a note and I will help your student here!  We are working slowly through the material and spending as much time as we can on practicing these new strategies!




Please let me know if you have trouble (or success!!) viewing this!  I hope it helps!

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Be the Illustrator!

We are learning how authors (including ourselves) use words to make pictures in our minds.  E.B. White does an amazing job of this in our read-aloud book, Charlotte's Web.  In one particular passage, Mr. White describes the swing in Mr. Zuckerman's barn.  He wrote:

"Mr. Zuckerman had the best swing in the country.  It was a single long piece of heavy rope tied to the beam over the north doorway.  At the bottom end of the rope was a fat knot to sit on.  It was arranged so that you could swing without being pushed.  You climbed a ladder to the hayloft.  Then, holding the rope, you stood at the edge and looked down, and were scared and dizzy.  Then you straddled the knot, so that it acted as a seat.  Then you got up all your nerve, took a deep breath and jumped.  For a second you seemed to be falling to the barn floor far below, but then suddenly the rope would begin to catch you, and you would sail through the barn door going a mile a minute, with the wind whistling in your eyes and ears and hair.  Then you would zoom upward into the sky, and look up at the clouds and the rope would twist and you would twist and turn with the rope.  Then you would drop down, down, down, out of the sky and come sailing back into the barn almost into the hayloft, then sail out again (not quite so far this time), then in again (not quite so high), then out again, then in again, then out, then in; and then you'd jump off and fall down and let somebody else try it."  -E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

I ask the students to listen to me read the passage through a couple of times.  Then I put it up on the big screen and ask students to be the illustrator, drawing what the author has described.  Here are some examples of what the students came up with:

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Using Basic Facts to Solve Problems (Tonight's Homework)

I made another video to help with homework if you need it!

Click here to watch the video.

Hopefully this helps for anyone who gets stuck (or just for parents that want to understand why we are using this method!)

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Everybuggy Blogs!!

Where is your favorite place to read? 

(check all the comments to hear where the BUGS like to read the most!)

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Buttons!!

Congratulations to our button-earners!!
Blake, Devin, Keagan, Vanessa L., Madelynn and Jacob all earned a spelling button today!  

Practicing every night sure pays off!

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Help for Tonight's Homework

As a teacher, I always think the visual lesson helps tremendously!  If you are stuck on the homework tonight, or are wondering about the "make a ten" strategy, I made a short little video that hopefully helps to explain the process as well as the "Why do we learn it this way?"  You can view the video here:

https://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/make-a-ten-strategy/33277501/?ref=appemail

If you still have questions or concerns, I'm always willing to help!!

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Email

This morning I sent out our first blast email to all the parents who provided an email address.  If you did NOT receive an email today and you wish to, please let me know!!

:)  (Happy Wednesday!)

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Having Fun With Learning

The first week of school is full of pre-tests, learning classroom and school procedures and working together to establish some classroom rules.  We did our best to make it all fun, while still learning and creating a community together!

We played a Student Search game where we got to know more about our classmates.

We found students who had gone out of state over the summer, who have pets at home and who have other siblings!

We also learned our first math game - Addition War! 

This game was so much fun we forgot we were practicing our math facts!

Who knew playing War could be so much fun?

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First Day!

I cannot believe how fast the first day goes!  The calendar says it's a half day, but it feels like twenty minutes at the most!  

What a wonderful first day we had today!  We have a GREAT group of B.U.G.S. in Room 18 and we are all excited about the new school year.

Thank you to everyone who so generously sent in school supplies for students and the classroom!  My cabinets are overflowing!  

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Open House

My favorite day of the whole year!  Everyone should have a day when they get to meet 25 new friends and see a colorful new classroom!  I love meeting all the families that I will spend this school year with (as well as seeing familiar faces from past years as well!)  Thanks to everyone who stopped by last night to visit and laugh!  

Madelynn, Danielle and Devin

Sean, Judah, Devin, Grant and Jacob

Nathan, Spencer and Jayden

Caleb and Abby

Blake, Carter and Evan

Tyler (a BUG from a couple years ago!) and Ava

I know I missed a couple along the way, but I hope you all had as much fun as I did!
 See you on Tuesday!

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