Sunday.103
Still Here
Hello, again.
I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted. It’s actually been a while since I’ve done a lot of things. Not to say that we haven’t been busy in the classroom, or that the kids haven’t been keeping me on my toes, or that the stories I leave with at the end of the day haven’t been many and marvellous. It’s just been really nice to turn things off and step away from the glaring lights of screens, and not have a phone in my pocket everywhere I go. I’ve simply been revelling in a slower pace.
Oh, yes. Then there was the constant nausea, indescribable fatigue and raging hormones. That maaaaaay have had something to do with it, as well. All good things, really – my husband, Brent, and I are expecting our first child in the fall.
So, amid the glorious chaos of classroom life, my head is now also swirling with thoughts of strollers, cribs, all things tiny, and what on EARTH ones does with a baby once they bring them home.
I hope to hammer out some more posts before school’s out (just two more months, I’ll have you know) but in the meantime, the darlings of Division 16 and I will be going about our usual and wonderful grade one business.
Hope you all are swell.
Sights and Sounds from a Field Trip
“Coooool! They fly under water!”
“I think he likes me.”
“Which way the sharks are?”
“They look smaller in real life.”
(A huge thank you to Daytrippers for making this fun and fascinating field trip to the Vancouver Aquarium possible for us!)
Sunday.102
The 100th Day of School
Groundhog Day, St. Patrick’s Day, wiggly teeth … Whether it’s a stat holiday or not, we find a way to celebrate everything, here in grade one. So when the 100th day of school rolled around earlier this week, we certainly lived it up.
We counted, played, ate, spelled and cut & pasted our way to 100 of everything.
Looking for a way to tucker out a group of squirrely first graders and get them focused for your next brilliant lesson? Have them do 100 exercises.
Worked like a charm!
The Platypus Series
I’m a firm believer (and I’ve said it before) that great writing begins with any idea that is “in your heart or on your mind”. This open-ended approach makes the daunting task of marking a blank piece of paper a little easier. Plus, once you give students choice in what they write about, they inevitably are more motivated to try. ”Free Writing” as I call it, also gives me great insight into what makes my students tick.
Here’s what’s been on the mind of one of my little guys:
Perry the Platypus doesn’t like the cold.
Perry went on a bus ride. The windows were all full. Perry sat on the roof so he could see better.
My platypus will get hurt by the TNT!!
Me and Perry, we’re in Halloween.
As you can tell, he finally gains enough confidence to try his hand at writing independently – and with punctuation! (P.S. Kids know about TNT?)
Had I simply asked him to write about his weekend, these little gems would probably never have been revealed. Nor would all the other stories about a baby cousin’s first bath, or cheetahs, or climbing to the top of the monkey bars and almost touching the sun.
Enabling my students to “look inside” and put into words what they think about, or love, is a real treat. Not just because they get to witness how their ideas come alive, but because we all get to share in it and get to know each other just a little bit better in the process.
Perry the Platypus, who knew?
