Last day of November... time to take off the desk calendar page! I love having a fresh piece of paper. No spills, no ink globs, no doodles or random scribbles in the margins. Of course, it doesn't stay like that for long!
The morning was nice and clear, although a little dreary. Just a little spitting precipitation, no snow yet. The kids were all jumpy and hard to settle. They were chatting up a storm and distracting themselves! I actually put on classical music to get them to work quietly... it kind of worked.
And then the computers wouldn't let them log on. The IT guys actually answered, but they said to let it keep loading and see if it would let them on. It didn't work. Eventually we got it figured out and my kids could get on the computers, but it messed up our last day of NaNo time, so we'll fudge the date a bit and let them write for a morning in December.
Since they couldn't work on the computers, they needed something to do that was writing related without technology. Aha! Pen pal letters! It's surprising how many of them don't remember the format for writing a letter. Most got a pretty good start today introducing themselves and their favorite things. Each is going to add his or her school picture to the bottom by the signature so the Romanian students can see what we look like. I'm hoping to get those sent off by the end of the week. Hopefully their English is good enough they can understand them!
School got called off early today. We found out after lunch that we'd go home at 1:40. At the time, nothing was coming down, no clouds, completely calm. But right at 1:30, snow started, and now it's pretty big flakes. So I should boogie out of here pretty quick. This is the last thing I have to do before packing up. Maybe 2 hours late tomorrow? Who knows!
Monday, November 30, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Food Sculptures
We got our first communication from our Romanian pen pals today! I feel a little bad since we haven't sent them anything yet; my students have been focusing on their NaNo stories. But next week we'll send them something! Our pen pals made a powerpoint with pictures of themselves doing a Christmas program (super fancy costumes) and playing football (aka-soccer) and with awards for something. There weren't too many words, but it was still pretty neat. We're going to write letters introducing ourselves and maybe send some pictures and/or videos of us doing stuff in a powerpoint. That's the plan anyway. They want to send a Christmas care package via mail, so I need to talk to their teacher about it first.
Our tree weaving projects are coming along nicely. I had them paint the background during read aloud... it took them longer to paint than I thought, which led to even more read-aloud time... something they were only too happy to accept. After lunch, we had art (no math today!) and set up the plate looms and got started weaving. It goes pretty fast. Some were almost finished at the end of art today. A few of the girls are double-weaving their projects, so they're doing it all in one color loosely, then weaving over it with another color. They're all pretty excited about their weaving skills. Now they want to make a huge loom, or I suggested weaving on a box. There's a bunch of shoe boxes in the hallway; we might make looms out of them. But it's getting closer to Christmas and with that comes Christmas present art projects. Mrs. B had a bunch of ideas. To tell you the truth, present-making projects hadn't crossed my mind! I'm glad I have her around to remind me of important stuff.
Another day of Christmas program practice, and another day of hearing my male students complain about gypped recess. Sigh. I am not looking forward to hearing these arguments day after day for the rest of December. After practice, we went to the gym and made food sculptures from the Food Drive donations we collected. My class had some last minute donations this morning... we had about 160 items from our classroom (one kid brought in a big box). Apparently I told them there might be a prize of extra recess. Since our class was obviously the winner of the classroom contest, my main recess supporter kept bugging and bugging, "Do we get our extra recess today? Do we? When do we get it? Is it time now?" Another kid thought we were getting a pizza party. I don't know where he got that idea!
The sculpture building went pretty well. We looked up pictures of sculptures on the internet... they can be super creative: Big Bird, Minions, a bus, the Hunger Games symbol, a giant piece of pie... the list goes on and on. Most of our little groups made crosses or buildings. One group made a basketball. Another made a baby. A different group made a chef Boyardee guy almost as tall as a kindergartner! Then we put all our food together to make giant letters: ILS, and we stood behind them and took an all school picture. And had ice cream afterward as a snack.
Now my classroom is tidied up, the shades are drawn, my desk is in order... I think I am ready to get out of here! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Our tree weaving projects are coming along nicely. I had them paint the background during read aloud... it took them longer to paint than I thought, which led to even more read-aloud time... something they were only too happy to accept. After lunch, we had art (no math today!) and set up the plate looms and got started weaving. It goes pretty fast. Some were almost finished at the end of art today. A few of the girls are double-weaving their projects, so they're doing it all in one color loosely, then weaving over it with another color. They're all pretty excited about their weaving skills. Now they want to make a huge loom, or I suggested weaving on a box. There's a bunch of shoe boxes in the hallway; we might make looms out of them. But it's getting closer to Christmas and with that comes Christmas present art projects. Mrs. B had a bunch of ideas. To tell you the truth, present-making projects hadn't crossed my mind! I'm glad I have her around to remind me of important stuff.
Another day of Christmas program practice, and another day of hearing my male students complain about gypped recess. Sigh. I am not looking forward to hearing these arguments day after day for the rest of December. After practice, we went to the gym and made food sculptures from the Food Drive donations we collected. My class had some last minute donations this morning... we had about 160 items from our classroom (one kid brought in a big box). Apparently I told them there might be a prize of extra recess. Since our class was obviously the winner of the classroom contest, my main recess supporter kept bugging and bugging, "Do we get our extra recess today? Do we? When do we get it? Is it time now?" Another kid thought we were getting a pizza party. I don't know where he got that idea!
The sculpture building went pretty well. We looked up pictures of sculptures on the internet... they can be super creative: Big Bird, Minions, a bus, the Hunger Games symbol, a giant piece of pie... the list goes on and on. Most of our little groups made crosses or buildings. One group made a basketball. Another made a baby. A different group made a chef Boyardee guy almost as tall as a kindergartner! Then we put all our food together to make giant letters: ILS, and we stood behind them and took an all school picture. And had ice cream afterward as a snack.
Now my classroom is tidied up, the shades are drawn, my desk is in order... I think I am ready to get out of here! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 23, 2015
3D Earth
Today was... interesting. Everyone has Thanksgiving fever. Even me. We all want the week to be over so we can have Thanksgiving vacation! Woohoo! Lots of my students who are normally okay behavior-wise were hard to settle this morning.
Some of my students were ready to take their weavings off their looms. Most listened to instructions and got it figured out... a few just took the whole thing off the loom and then said, "Now what Miss H?" Well, now you have to be extra super careful it doesn't come completely apart... Even those kids got it figured out eventually. Mrs. B ran errands and picked up some heavy-duty paper plates for me so we can take our weaving to the next level. Tomorrow we're painting the plates to look like a landscape scene, then we're weaving a tree using the plate as a loom. It's a super cool project and I can't wait to see what the kids do with them! I still need to refresh my memory on how to teach the project...
The 7th graders had their 3D earth projects due today. I had them make models and label them instead of giving them another boring test. One girl made a rice-crispy bar Earth with frosting. The boys pretty much made the typical foam ball Earths (they said it took FOREVER to paint them), and the other girl made a paper plate Earth with yarn and glitter glue to show the layers. I promised them I'd correct their projects tonight so they'd have their grades tomorrow. Still gotta do that yet. I had written on their whiteboard in the morning that they'd present their projects, and I wish now I would've had them simply hand them in. There isn't a whole lot to talk about; everyone's information should be the same. A few of them did extra neat things; one boy drew in tectonic plate lines, another found actual places around the globe that have shear, compression, and tension stress and labeled them. But listening them read their information from their description cards got old really fast. We had some other miscellaneous things to finish up too: take down the bells at church (they played super well on Sunday!), give a spelling test to a 7th grader who'd been absent Friday, and correct two spelling books that had not been at school to be corrected Friday. We got it all done!
I had planned for my 5th and 6th graders to have a workday on their solar system powerpoints, but alas the computers did not work. So on to plan B. Wishbone episode! We watched the one on the Moonstone. Then it was time for Christmas program practice. We read through half the program and will do the other half tomorrow. My class was not happy we missed PE/afternoon recess. Unfortunately, that's the way it's going to be for the rest of December... program practice at 2:00, right at PE time.
Some of my students were ready to take their weavings off their looms. Most listened to instructions and got it figured out... a few just took the whole thing off the loom and then said, "Now what Miss H?" Well, now you have to be extra super careful it doesn't come completely apart... Even those kids got it figured out eventually. Mrs. B ran errands and picked up some heavy-duty paper plates for me so we can take our weaving to the next level. Tomorrow we're painting the plates to look like a landscape scene, then we're weaving a tree using the plate as a loom. It's a super cool project and I can't wait to see what the kids do with them! I still need to refresh my memory on how to teach the project...
The 7th graders had their 3D earth projects due today. I had them make models and label them instead of giving them another boring test. One girl made a rice-crispy bar Earth with frosting. The boys pretty much made the typical foam ball Earths (they said it took FOREVER to paint them), and the other girl made a paper plate Earth with yarn and glitter glue to show the layers. I promised them I'd correct their projects tonight so they'd have their grades tomorrow. Still gotta do that yet. I had written on their whiteboard in the morning that they'd present their projects, and I wish now I would've had them simply hand them in. There isn't a whole lot to talk about; everyone's information should be the same. A few of them did extra neat things; one boy drew in tectonic plate lines, another found actual places around the globe that have shear, compression, and tension stress and labeled them. But listening them read their information from their description cards got old really fast. We had some other miscellaneous things to finish up too: take down the bells at church (they played super well on Sunday!), give a spelling test to a 7th grader who'd been absent Friday, and correct two spelling books that had not been at school to be corrected Friday. We got it all done!
I had planned for my 5th and 6th graders to have a workday on their solar system powerpoints, but alas the computers did not work. So on to plan B. Wishbone episode! We watched the one on the Moonstone. Then it was time for Christmas program practice. We read through half the program and will do the other half tomorrow. My class was not happy we missed PE/afternoon recess. Unfortunately, that's the way it's going to be for the rest of December... program practice at 2:00, right at PE time.
Friday, November 20, 2015
No Zombie
I feel WAY more like myself today. Compared to the rest of the week... I had been a zombie. Today I had snack at school and actually ate all my hot lunch. I think I'm finally mending up.
For art today I taught my class weaving. When they heard that's what we were doing they all groaned. "Oh man! I hate weaving! It's so hard! I can't do it! I'm so bad at it!" I asked when they had done it last... pretty much everyone said 1st or 2nd grade. Ha. That's why! I guaranteed them that it would be easier this time around. And guess what? It was! Everyone got the hang of it super fast. The trickiest part was getting the weaving boards all set up. Some of them liked it so much they worked on it during recess. Others asked if they could bring it home with them! Sweet! Even my non-art-lovers seemed to have a good time. This is good because next week we're taking weaving to the next level and making a paper plate weaving so it looks like a tree. It's a pretty sweet project.
There's supposed to be snow coming tonight. From the dim light outside my classroom it looks a bit hazy, like maybe some little flakes are coming down, but not a ton yet. Meh. I'm not ready for snow. At least I don't have many places to go this weekend. I need to get the exercise book finished tomorrow or Sunday, so lots of writing is planned. And my kids sing/play bells Sunday. Pretty much gonna hunker down and get some rest. Only two days of school next week and then Thanksgiving break!!!
For art today I taught my class weaving. When they heard that's what we were doing they all groaned. "Oh man! I hate weaving! It's so hard! I can't do it! I'm so bad at it!" I asked when they had done it last... pretty much everyone said 1st or 2nd grade. Ha. That's why! I guaranteed them that it would be easier this time around. And guess what? It was! Everyone got the hang of it super fast. The trickiest part was getting the weaving boards all set up. Some of them liked it so much they worked on it during recess. Others asked if they could bring it home with them! Sweet! Even my non-art-lovers seemed to have a good time. This is good because next week we're taking weaving to the next level and making a paper plate weaving so it looks like a tree. It's a pretty sweet project.
There's supposed to be snow coming tonight. From the dim light outside my classroom it looks a bit hazy, like maybe some little flakes are coming down, but not a ton yet. Meh. I'm not ready for snow. At least I don't have many places to go this weekend. I need to get the exercise book finished tomorrow or Sunday, so lots of writing is planned. And my kids sing/play bells Sunday. Pretty much gonna hunker down and get some rest. Only two days of school next week and then Thanksgiving break!!!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Drip, Drip, Drip
One of the 6th graders thought it would be funny if he pretended to be sleeping during class. I knew he was faking it, but he wouldn't quit. So I borrowed a trick from my old high school math teacher. He kept a water bottle with holes in the lid on a shelf, and any time a student fell asleep, he'd hold the water bottle over that student's head and tilt it and tilt it and tilt it until water dripped on the sleeping person.
So I give him a warning about his possible bath... eyes stay closed. I casually swing by my desk, pick up my water bottle, talking the whole time, saunter his way... the class is watching, watching, watching. Just as I'm about to drip water on him, his eyes fly open and he scoots out of the way, "Whoa! She actually's doing it!" Ha. He didn't believe me. Next time I think I'll use the spray bottle.
I've been kind of forgetful today. It was a 6th grader's birthday, and she brought cupcakes for the whole class (I was able to eat mine! Yay! I've been feeling a lot better today...). Still, we forgot to sing to her for her birthday! Oh well, we'd do it at the end of the day before getting on the bus. Yep, I forgot again. And I remembered as we made our way to the buses. Sigh. She was cool about it though; the kindergartners had sung when she dropped of Mrs. E's cupcake, so she did get the birthday song.
So I give him a warning about his possible bath... eyes stay closed. I casually swing by my desk, pick up my water bottle, talking the whole time, saunter his way... the class is watching, watching, watching. Just as I'm about to drip water on him, his eyes fly open and he scoots out of the way, "Whoa! She actually's doing it!" Ha. He didn't believe me. Next time I think I'll use the spray bottle.
I've been kind of forgetful today. It was a 6th grader's birthday, and she brought cupcakes for the whole class (I was able to eat mine! Yay! I've been feeling a lot better today...). Still, we forgot to sing to her for her birthday! Oh well, we'd do it at the end of the day before getting on the bus. Yep, I forgot again. And I remembered as we made our way to the buses. Sigh. She was cool about it though; the kindergartners had sung when she dropped of Mrs. E's cupcake, so she did get the birthday song.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Jello Earthquake
The 7th graders did a cool experiment today. Or, at least, I thought it was cool. We've been studying earthquakes in science, and only briefly touched on earthquake resistant buildings. So I found a lab that had students build an earthquake resistant structure out of toothpicks and marshmallows. To test them for earthquake resistance, you put them on a layer of jello and jiggle it around. Then they can assess, redesign, and retest. Last night I made some jello in a 9x13 pan and I actually remembered to bring it to school today! The 7th graders seemed to have a good time. One kid made an almost circular building on the first try (it didn't move around at all). I limited their building resources, and that was the trickiest part for most of them. "I just need one more toothpick!" Yep, not happening. Still, they each got to try two or three different designs.
We got a little off topic today in American History. Last time, we talked about slavery and the Underground Railroad, but didn't have a chance to listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd", which is a song they'd sing to give instructions on how to escape to freedom. I was going to have them listen to that song and then switch to a new topic, but the website that had the song on it also had information about quilts and the secret messages they held. And along with that was an interactive "game" where you could design your own quilt. So we did! I drew sticks and they'd come up and pick a color and a shape to put in the square... and then they discovered they could layer them to get even more patterns... so we did that for the rest of the time. Our block turned out really cool! We put a cross in the middle and called it "A New Beginning".
And now it's time for me to go home! I have bible study tonight and lots of writing planned... and a plan to take it easy and go to bed early. Only two more days left this week! For whatever reason (probably cause I haven't been feeling well), this week has been dragging on and on and on...
We got a little off topic today in American History. Last time, we talked about slavery and the Underground Railroad, but didn't have a chance to listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd", which is a song they'd sing to give instructions on how to escape to freedom. I was going to have them listen to that song and then switch to a new topic, but the website that had the song on it also had information about quilts and the secret messages they held. And along with that was an interactive "game" where you could design your own quilt. So we did! I drew sticks and they'd come up and pick a color and a shape to put in the square... and then they discovered they could layer them to get even more patterns... so we did that for the rest of the time. Our block turned out really cool! We put a cross in the middle and called it "A New Beginning".
And now it's time for me to go home! I have bible study tonight and lots of writing planned... and a plan to take it easy and go to bed early. Only two more days left this week! For whatever reason (probably cause I haven't been feeling well), this week has been dragging on and on and on...
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Toilet Paper Planets
We did a science lab today about planetary distances that was kinda, meh. It's one straight out of the science book. Each kid got to be a planet, and we used toilet paper to represent the distance (counting squares to find the right locations). Mr. E had PE in the gym, so we started on the other end of the hall and worked our way toward the gym. Pluto was only a couple steps inside the gym. It was an okay lab; not much for the kids to do. We spent more time going over how to do it than actually making our model. And once they were in position, there wasn't much for them to do. They just stared at each other and chatted. So. That was that.
I brought a sack lunch to school today. The doctor thinks part of my stomach lining is irritated, so I need to keep my diet bland for a while and take something to cut down on the acid in my stomach so the lining can heal. It's going to take a few days for everything to start getting back to normal. But even today by the time lunch/afternoon rolled around I was feeling a lot better. I still didn't eat a ton, but it was more than just crackers! Mrs. B brought me a smoothie with yogurt in it for snack. She is such a God-send!
At the beginning of the day, my kids all wanted to know what I found out at my appointment... so I told them about my stomach being irritated, possibly from taking advil or just general stress. One kid, "So you're saying it's because of us?" No, I'm not pointing any fingers. He gave me a slightly teasing, mischievous smile, "No, you're really saying we're the cause of your stress."
Another random funny thing happened in religion. One kid who only sometimes wears his glasses pulled them out and perched them on his nose (like a librarian). Out of the blue (in the middle of class), he said something in a fancy accent, along the lines of, "I'm ready to check out a book!"
Well, that's all I got for today. My presentation yesterday went really well, although it zapped all my energy. I did notice a few guys in the back closing their eyes for a while, but I'll just chalk that up to the late hour... Now I'm headed for home to work on recuperating (and writing too).
I brought a sack lunch to school today. The doctor thinks part of my stomach lining is irritated, so I need to keep my diet bland for a while and take something to cut down on the acid in my stomach so the lining can heal. It's going to take a few days for everything to start getting back to normal. But even today by the time lunch/afternoon rolled around I was feeling a lot better. I still didn't eat a ton, but it was more than just crackers! Mrs. B brought me a smoothie with yogurt in it for snack. She is such a God-send!
At the beginning of the day, my kids all wanted to know what I found out at my appointment... so I told them about my stomach being irritated, possibly from taking advil or just general stress. One kid, "So you're saying it's because of us?" No, I'm not pointing any fingers. He gave me a slightly teasing, mischievous smile, "No, you're really saying we're the cause of your stress."
Another random funny thing happened in religion. One kid who only sometimes wears his glasses pulled them out and perched them on his nose (like a librarian). Out of the blue (in the middle of class), he said something in a fancy accent, along the lines of, "I'm ready to check out a book!"
Well, that's all I got for today. My presentation yesterday went really well, although it zapped all my energy. I did notice a few guys in the back closing their eyes for a while, but I'll just chalk that up to the late hour... Now I'm headed for home to work on recuperating (and writing too).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)