Week 2

Week two was awesome!  (Of course it was; it only had three days!. . .JK) Sorry I haven’t taken any pictures.  Here's what we've covered in week two:

Behavior: This week a few little items of mine were stolen.  I didn’t want the problem to escalate, so we had a pretty powerful object lesson on stealing.  While the kids were at recess, I took their coats and backpacks to another room.  I told them that I left to go to the office while they were at recess, and when I came back their stuff was gone!  I kept them going for awhile so the lesson would sink in.  Eventually I told them the truth, and we had a very insightful discussion about why we shouldn’t steal!  It was one of the most effective and most fun lessons I’ve ever taught!

Homework: For the next few weeks I’m doing an experiment to see how well it works.  I have sent out a weekly homework packet rather than daily sheets.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Funny sayings: This week kids said the following funny things: 1) In reference to my writing on the board, “Mr. Smith, you need to have some marker training”  2) In reference to me not knowing much about grasshoppers, and being excited to learn, “Mr. Smith, most teachers know everything.  You’re new, aren’t you?” 3) I play music during clean up time, and this was said in reference to a Bach classical song that was on, “Mr. Smith, turn that off; it’s a Halloween song!”

Social Studies: This week we discussed how to say hello in Spanish (Ola) and Martialese (Yokwe).  We also talked about what our country means, and what our flag means.  We talked about how we should be thankful to be here because we get choices.  I equated the words freedom and liberty to choices.  I touched on a brief history of the country and how people gave their lives for us to have choices.  We read some stories about our history that led to the choices we get today.  One was about Betsy Ross, and the other one was about George Washington.  The kids were moved by the concept of choices, along with the fact that some people don’t get choices like we do.

Math: We're still reviewing things from kindergarten, with only a few new concepts.  Mostly we’ve been reviewing counting, calendars, +1 facts, and writing the numbers 2, 7, 4, and 5.  They have started and will continue to have a short math sheet for homework most nights.

Reading: This week we split up for our Reading Mastery reading groups.  It seems to be going well, but I feel that some of the students need shifted to different groups, which we’ll take care of this coming week.     

Project Read/Spelling: Overall the students did great on their spelling test.  This week’s rule was that usually if it has an “aaaaa” sound, it starts with c instead of k, but if it has an “iii” sound it starts with k.

AR: Please remember to do AR with your kids.  They’ll read books at home, and take the tests at school.  The system is up and running now for the most part, and many kids have taken tests.

Writing: We haven’t had much time for writing this week, but we have don’t a few quick projects so that I can see where they’re at in their current writing abilities.

Science: This week, I’ve tried to squeeze some science in.  Mostly it’s been about grasshoppers, in honor of our pet grasshopper, Grassy.  We’ve also watched Magic School Bus videos to make learning enjoyable and allow me to work individually with students.