Monday, October 19

 Hi parents,

We had a pretty good day today. It was a typical Monday for the most part - student wrote in their journals, learned about the new spelling words, and also did some printing practice for the letter "I i". 

There were some cool new 'additions' to our schedule, so to speak, because we had our first official lesson on addition this morning. I was really impressed by how quickly the Grade 1 students caught on! Thank you to everyone who has already been practicing addition at home - it makes a huge difference, and your efforts were very evident today! 

Today's work involved the students completing eight different addition problems. For Grade 1s, these involved single digit numbers with sums up to 20. For Grade 2 students, these involved 2-digit numbers, and sums up to 100. 

I'm planning to start each day by giving the students a few quick math problems to solve. I'll give three different difficulty options, so that students can choose the problems that feel like a good challenge for them. One of the advantages to teaching a Grade 1/2 split class is that there are plenty of opportunities for Grade 1 students to challenge themselves to complete Grade 2 work, and there are equally as many opportunities for Grade 2s to teach familiar concepts to their younger peers. 

This week, we're focusing on self-confidence, individuality, and identity. Each day, we will be reading, writing, and discussing things that make us who we are. Today we read a book called "I Have Feelings!", which is basically meant to teach kids to be in touch with their own emotions, and understand that it is okay to feel sad, angry, or worried sometimes.

HOMEWORK ALERT!

Parents - please talk with your child about the things that they like best about themselves. Ask them what makes them special, in their own eyes. Then, have them write a short response (1 - 2 sentences) using this writing prompt: "I am special because..."

Like all homework on the Blog, this is optional. But if your child does choose to complete it, they will earn 2 'homework points'. There is no due date for this task - whenever you have time would be great. :) 

We did some quiet reading in the afternoon, and used the parachute for gym. The rest of the day was spent with work period time.

Have a nice night!

Zac