September 30, 2009

Today our Art lesson allowed us to practice painting skills (including clean-up) and to learn a bit of colour theory. We can name the warm colours and mixed orange by putting a tiny bit of red into yellow.

We also wowed the SETAs who came to our class. We already knew that the special words in Gibsons Elementary are

Safe,
Cared for, and
Respected.

September 28, 2009

I'll be gone on Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday. But the learning will still go on. The main focus will continue to be our work with patterns. I've left some activities for the children to do that will deepen their understanding of patterns.

I look forward to seeing what they have learned when I come back on Wednesday morning.

I wrote the above on Sunday evening. I got to school today to hear that Duke died on the weekend. We had a funeral for him this morning. I'll post photos when I can get time online.

For parents, this is a great time to talk with your child about death in general.

September 24, 2009

We had a great Terry Fox run. Great weather, great attitude, great parental support!

September 23, 2009

We used the Smart Board to start our patterning unit. After we practiced on the Smart Board, we created a pattern in pairs. Then we copied the patterns of other pairs using our own material.

For example, we might have used red and yellow multilinks to make a pattern of red, yellow, red, yellow, red, yellow. Then we used our red and yellow multilinks to copy a pattern made of square and diamond pattern blocks. So square, square, diamond became red, red, yellow.

Patterns are all around us. You can extend this unit with your child by noticing the patterns around you. Here are some places to look: clothing, tiles, fences, some garden plantings, upholstery, the way leaves arrange themselves along stems or branches... See what else you can find together.

Later we will be looking at the patterns in our number system. If your child can read numbers, you might want to go on a number pattern hunt together.

September 23, 2009

Today we got to see Maya's violin.

When someone has something very special to show us, we make time for sharing. As a general rule, toys are out. The exceptions are one toy after a birthday and one toy after Christmas. Things that are good to share are items others may not see every day (like a violin) or something a child has made. It is impractical to have everyone show something every day. The time is more valuable if the items are more carefully chosen and a child has prepared what to say.

We can also share news. Lost teeth are always newsworthy. So are new pets, a family move, an upcoming trip. Again, the time is more valuable if the child who tells the news has thought ahead about what to say.

I clear both showing and telling before the first bell rings in the morning. If a child does not ask before that bell, he or she is welcome to talk to me the next day.

September 21, 2009

Today we all did some reading and practiced for the Terry Fox run. Some of us got to show how well we can count. This afternoon, we got to work with plasticine. Plasticine takes lots of rolling to get soft enough for little fingers to work with it.

September 18, 2009

We got to see some blue jay eggs today. Then Miss Owen used the Smart Board to show us her photo a robin's egg that she found on her deck a few days ago. It's a strange time for bird's eggs, but they are interesting to look at.

September 17, 2009

Our first Science unit invites us to consider living things. We've sat quietly outside and tried to sort things into living and non-living categories. Two items so far have stirred debate:

1. Branches fallen from trees
2. Air

Next week we'll begin a home reading program. This works best when the child takes a book home one day, and returns it to school the next day whether or not that book was read. That way, we can still use the book at school if we need to. The child can always take the same book home another day. I suggest you treat the home reading like the planner in that you store it in the backpack. That way it won't get lost.

Sending the material back and forth each day is especially important for those who bring home a duotang. We use the duotan in class daily and if your child leaves the duotang at home, he or she will miss important aspects of the next day's reading lesson.

September 16, 2009

Today we started to keep track of the weather on our weather calendars.  Everyone put the right weather in the number 16 box. Yay!

Knowing which book is just right for us to read is a very important reading skill. Today we began looking for just right books for each of us. Some children are already good at knowing what they can read. Others need a little help. But everyone will be choosing just right books within a few days.

A word about the homework calendars:  Those are for your convenience. Many families find it handy to have some suggestions about what to do. If you decide to use the calendar, you may have your child bring it back when it's completed and I will add a sticker and send it back home. The real benefit of the homework calendar is the time you spend with your child on tasks. It says, "I care about what you are learning." Any way you communicate that is wonderful.

If anyone is interested in a job stapling booklets together, I have a job for you!  Talk to me before or after school, and we can set up a schedule that makes us both happy.

September 15, 2009

Today we did some serious building. Here are some things we made.

September 14, 2009

Welcome to fourteen Grade One students and eight Grade Two students.

We had a good day today. Everyone did a good job of printing his or her name on a name card. We played with Duke a little bit and played a number game. We also put name tags on our hooks and desks and got into desks that fit us.

There is usually a new blog entry here each day. So check back regularly to see what's happening in our class.

Please remember to look at the planner and sign it every day.

Miss Owen

September 11, 2009

We worked so hard today that we had a longer choice time than Miss Owen meant to give us.

The best thing about this class right now is that everyone takes responsibility for cleaning up.

We will go to new classes early next week.

September 10, 2009

We had a busy day. Our slideshow will show you some of what we did.

September 9, 2009

We worked hard today.

First, we learned about three-toed sloths and made learning pictures about them.

Then we worked on a hard Math puzzle, but we kept on working until we figured it out.

We are also jumping little jumps and big jumps to raise our heart rates. We are getting stronger.

We don't know yet which teachers we will be with next year.

With all the rain, we need extra clothes at school.

Septmeber 8, 2009

Here we are, back at school again, ready for a new year. We are missing some friends from last year, and we welcomed a new student.

Because we are in Grade Two, we know a lot more than we did at this time last year.

Today we talked about our holidays. We drew pictures that showed what was important about our holiday. We remembered what makes a picture interesting for others to look at.

Tomorrow, we'll write about our holidays.

Flip-flops are good for the beach, not for running around the field. If we wear flip-flops, we have to bring other shoes so we can run fast safely.

Tomorrow we will be in school for the whole day.

School supplies stay at home until the teachers tell us to bring them. That will be when we go to our new classes.

Welcome Back!

Did you have fun this summer?

I sure did! Can you see all the mud that got on my car on my travels down some roads not many people get to drive down?

Are you ready for school?

I am.

Here's what you need to know for the first day:

School starts for you at 11:20. You get to sleep in.

We'll have a sort of recess and lunch break, so bring some food.
Remember, no nuts, seeds, or berries.

Then you will go home at 1:35.

Please keep you school supplies at home until we tell you to bring them.

Do bring a happy smile and a story to tell us about what you did or what you saw.

You've probably heard that people all over the world are thinking about a flu that is making some people very sick. It's a good thing you all know how to keep your coughs and sneezes off other people. You also know how important it is to wash your hands often. You know how to stay healthy.

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday.