I am so pleased with the results of the gratitude jars we made today! The project was a success thanks to the creativity of the students AND the tireless efforts of Nancy, Mrs. Gilbert and Karin.
We had another great Nature walk this week. It really is amazing how quickly the landscape changes in just one month. On this walk we continued to look for changes in the environment, apply observation skills, learn street names and discuss road safety. Additionally I started asking questions about things I noticed and had the students brainstorm possible answers. I tried not to provide the actual answer, rather I wanted to leave each question open to interpretation and promote scientific curiosity in the children. Please keep in mind that the weather outside is getting much colder and wetter. It is important you send your child to school prepared for such weather for both their regular recess breaks but also for our walks. Thanks for your cooperation with this! We start every morning with a book we call our Calendar Book. Calendar Books are individual student folders that each student works in every day. The first page of the book is a copy of a calendar for the month we are in where the students mark the day off and record special events. By doing this students are learning to read a typical calendar format and understand the concept of a week and month. The next page is a chart where students graph the weather. This is a great opportunity to work on graphing skills as well as reading and comparing data.
Once these two quick tasks are accomplished students turn to a new page in the book and start writing equations that equal the number of the day. I provide students with a choice of 3 numbers to select from. Students then write equations that equal that number. For example if a child selects the number 10, he or she might write the following equations:
I assess the equations looking for a variety of operations and the complexity of the numeracy concepts applied. As the year progresses students become more and more creative in their equations and start seeking more advanced ways to get the answer. Students who are ready for a challenge will be introduced to multiplication and division. I typically call multiplication “groups of” and division “shared by” as these words have more meaning for the children. |
Ms. Shawna WoodPassionate about teaching, learning, inclusion and kindness. Archives
August 2019
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