January 27

Who knew there were so many interesting facts stored up by Gibsons Elementary students -- or so many ways to attach those facts to backs!

Now that we are used to using Dreambox, many children are making good progress through the lessons. Some others still need serious teacher time. Parents who give me their email addresses by Friday will be able to follow their child's progress for free as long as the pilot continues (into March). Of course, the two-week free period will remain open to anyone at any time.

Janaury 25, 2010

We had a great DEAR day! The children brought in a wide variety of books and dropped everything to read them. We even used our books in gym as place markers and in a running game.

On Tuesday, we will each have a poem in our pocket. Then we will ask each other to read the poems we have throughout the day.

On Wednesday, we will wear a fact on our back. The fact is to come from a book we have read (or had read to us). Attaching the fact could pose a challenge. I wear keys around my neck on a lanyard. When I have lean over children, I often flip the keys over onto my back. I plan to wear my fact attached in the same way.

On Thursday, we will dress up as a book character we like.

Then on Friday, Nicola Campbell, a First Nations author will come to talk to our students about her books. (I will be in Madiera Park in the morning talking about mine.)

We are ironing the kinks out of our Dreambox use. All the children can log in on their own now, and most are good at staying on task. The teacher's dashboard lets me know that some are using the program at home.

You can still give me your email address if you want to check on your child's progress or allow your child to use the program at home.

We now have permission for our parents to extend the usual two-week period to the full time that we will be piloting the program.

I'm available to answer any questions about Dreambox or any other aspect of our classroom life.

January 20, 2010

We've read the story of The Lion and the Mouse. We've practiced saying some of the lines from the story. We are now writing the story for ourselves and doing a wonderful job!

Watch for a big book to come home in the next few days.

Today we learned just how big the sun is, why we can block such a large object with just our small hands, and how to make large things look far away in a picture.

Until further notice, we will dismiss from the computer lab on Tuesdays.

January 13, 2010

We got to see Baby Charlotte again today. She is definitely growing. But today she was not a happy baby. We learned that sometimes fussy babies who are not hungry want to nurse so they can calm down. We heard Baby Charlotte telling her mom that she didn't want to be moved. We know that fussy babies are not bad babies. They are babies with a problem and they need our help, so Maria, Baby Charlotte's mom, listened to her baby and didn't move here.

The following message will go home tomorrow in the planner. Some children have been ill, so I am posting the information here, as well.

Those following the class blog know that we have begun to use a computer Math program called DreamBox. Parents can receive two weeks of free access to their child’s work by giving me their email address and asking me to include them in the invitation to parents. I will send out the invitations through the site on Monday evening, so if you want to be included, please let me know and give me your email address by Monday at 3:00 pm.

January 12, 2010

DreamBox will not be our whole Math program.

We have been learning strategies for mental math. That's math we can do in our heads.

First, we are learning what the word strategy means. It's a way to make something easier to do.

So far, we have worked on a strategy for +0 and the "counting on" strategy for +1 and +2.

You will be seeing special strategy sheets come home from time to time. They have two columns of questions. If you look at them closely, you will see that the questions are similar, but that the column on the right is slightly more difficult than the column on the left. Children who have problems with any of the strategies get extra help at school. You can also check how your child is doing and give hints that work for you.

January 11, 2010

After school today teachers from across our district went to a session to learn about an online Math resource called DreamBox.

We were impressed by some of the things it can do for the children. We were even challenged a little by some of the tasks.

This program uses technology to figure out a child's level and then presents tasks meant for exactly that level. Each child moves along at his or her own pace.

We have agreed to pilot this program for 90 days.

Once I have the class logged in, and the children have learned how to use the program, I will be sending home information about how you can participate at home. Parents can sign up for a free two weeks. After that, there will be a charge. I'm hoping it will be minimal because I'm sure most of you would like to see exactly what you child can do.

Of course you will always be welcome to come in and watch what your child is doing with this or any other activity. With the number of classes wanting to participate, our schedule will probably have to change somewhat to give all of us the time we want.

January 7

Sometimes the timing is just perfect!

Shannon came today for a Roots of Empathy lesson. She talked about how babies get teeth and how Grade Ones and Twos lose them. Then she asked the children to draw pictures about losing teeth and write about the feelings that gave them.

After Shannon left, we went on with other work.





Suddenly, Maya called out, "My tooth came out!" And like a magnet, that tooth pulled all the children out of their seats for an inspection. Sure enough, there was a new space in Maya's mouth and a tooth in her hand.

At Gibsons Elementary, children who lose teeth while they are at school get a tooth container from the office so they can take teeth home safely.

January 6

Today we looked through a frame to find something interesting to draw. It's a lot harder than it looks.

January 5

We welcomed two new students today.

Cory and Malaki bring our numbers up to 23. They help to balance the girl/boy ratio. They joined in well and we look forward to working with them.

January 10, 2010

Today the children brought home a Word Wall list. This is a list of words they are expected to spell correctly in class.

That's because the words are posted on the wall where the children can see them at all times.

Note that the children are NOT expected to memorize these words. Some will, and that's fine. But the real goal is to give them a growing list of words for which they are responsible.

The list grows by 5 words each week. Look for a new list each Monday. New words are always circled. Watch, too, for the practice sheets the children bring home each day. The children are given clues and write all five words daily in response to the clues.

During the daily practice, the children learn a great deal about language by using the clues. They also focus on printing.

Families use the Word Wall Words in a variety of ways. Some have their child simply read the words each day. Some give clues themselves and have their child choose which word fits each clue. Some post the list on the fridge or on a bulletin board. When the child is writing, the parents can remind the child to check the list.

By using the correct spelling for this list, children often learn the words by memory by the end of the year.