Spelling Words (Week of Dec. 1)

Spelling List A

Rock	Sock	Lock	Dock
Block	Shock	Flock	Pocket

Spelling List B

Grew	Knew	Crew	Brew
Review	Nephew	Newspaper	Screw

Friday

Happy Friday everyone!

Today was our best day this week. The students were pretty much always working hard, the volume was low, and everyone was getting along. :)

In the morning, we had our Spelling Quiz, and then the students had a bit of time to work in their math groups before we went to Gym.

When we got back, we looked at some optical illusions, and talked more about how our senses can trick us. Then, the class met up with their Grade 3/4 buddies, and the older students read original stories to the Grade 1/2s.

We did a lesson on verbs, and the students went through their journal entries and identified examples of verbs. We talked about why the Montessori symbol for a verb is a big red circle (because the sun is the source of our planet's energy, and the sun is a big red circle, and without its energy we would not be able to do anything). At the end of the day, we had a very quiet, peaceful Daily 5 session.

I sent the ornaments home today, and asked the students to put them in their lunch kits, where I thought they would be safest. Im really hoping they all made it home alright!

Have a great weekend,

Zac

Thursday

Hi parents,

Today was a good day all around - I think that the talks we've had about respectful listening have had a big impact on many of the students. I've noticed kids saying 'excuse me' about 20x as frequently, which is fantastic! 

In the morning, we accessed the "Dangerous Decibels" virtual exhibit again, and the students learned about how long they could safely listen to certain sounds without causing hearing loss. They also learned that there are some sounds that are so loud they will immediately cause hearing loss! The class wrote suggestions for ways that they could keep their ears safe, such as wearing ear plugs or headphones, or just avoiding certain places. Like the site of a rocket launch, for example.

In the afternoon, the students did some quiet, independent reading, and then we did another writing activity. This time, we talked about 'nouns', and discussed how the Montessori symbol for a noun is a black triangle. The triangle is meant to represent the Great Pyramid, which Maria Montessori believed was one of the greatest 'nouns' of all time. We talked a bit about the pyramids too. Then, the students went through their previous journal entries, and identified examples of nouns in their own writing.

Tomorrow is our Spelling Quiz, and I am also planning to send home the ornament crafts, so it is definitely a Friday you won't want to miss. Have a good night!

Zac

Wednesday

Hi parents,

We had another pretty good day today! Our wet felting activity was a huge success. Thank you to the parents who volunteered and helped us with this surprisingly tiring craft. :) The students learned a lot about the process of wet felting, and created their own 3-D ornaments using wool. They are currently drying, but should be good to go home sometime tomorrow or the next day.

The wet felting took up most of our morning, and after snack, we only had a bit of time to do some writing. Today, the students responded to the prompt: "When I hear _______, I...".  I think my favourite response was "When I hear rock music, I tell my Dad to turn it off". Even though I do not agree with it. We had a class discussion about how certain sounds, like sirens, or fire bells, are meant to send very specific messages to our brains.

In the afternoon, the class did Daily 5 and Music. The students did not get to go outside for either recess today, because it was too cold, so that made the end of day clean up a bit crazy. That being said, I have noticed so many students going above and beyond to help keep our classroom clean, peaceful, and happy, and I cannot express how much I appreciate that! :) 

Have a wonderful night,

Zac

Tuesday

Hi parents,

Today was a really good day for our class, especially by Tuesday standards. In the morning, we used a 'virtual exhibit' to learn about ears, hearing, and hearing loss. The students had to listen to a variety of sounds, and identify them. Then, they heard each sound as it would sound if they had severe hearing loss. If you are interested in trying any of the exhibit activities at home, you can access the virtual exhibit here: http://dangerousdecibels.org/exhibit/virtual-exhibit/

This activity was part of our "5 senses" science unit. In the afternoon, we talked more about the senses, and discussed situations in which our senses can 'trick' us. For example, many animals have developed 'camoflague' to blend in to their surroundings and trick their predators sense of sight. The students explained how sometimes, food can smell really bad, but in reality it is healthy for us, and we should go eat it. Tomorrow we will be looking at some cool optical illusions.

Tomorrow we are doing our Wet Felting activity, first thing in the morning! 

Have a good night,

Zac

Monday

Hi parents,

We started this week off on a pretty good note today! As I mentioned in my last rant / blog post, this week will probably feel a bit stricter than usual, because I'm really cracking down on the class and making sure everyone is following the expectations. I've even threatened to send home homework if necessary.... Usually the threat of homework is enough to get students working though.

In the morning, the class wrote in their journals. This week, we talked a bit about 'adjectives', and I was incredibly happy to hear that many of the students already knew what an adjective was! I challenged the students to include at least one adjective in their writing.

The students went to Music in the morning, and then I gave some math lessons. This week, we are looking into "fill-in-the-blank" addition problems, which from my experience, are always way more challenging for students than you'd expect. The problems we've looked at so far follow the format: " 7 + __ = 16" for example. We talked about how there are a few ways to work through these, including counting up using a number line, or solving "16 - 7" to determine the difference.

In the afternoon, the students had Daily 5, Gym, and more work time. 

One of my goals for the class for this week is to collectively lower our volume. So, several times today, we met at the carpet and just practiced talking in quiet voices. 

Please remember to pay for our upcoming Art Felting activity, if you haven't already done so!

Have a great night,

Zac

Spelling Words! Week of Nov. 24)

Spelling List A

Job	Rob	Sob	Mob
Blob	Snob	Robin	Knob

Spelling List B

Ready	Health	Dread	Heavy
Sweat	Head	Bear	Deaf