Yes, those are two pairs of socks.
Friday, June 25, 2021
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Thursday, June 24
Hi parents,
Today was a great day for our class!
In the morning, the students had Drama, and while I wasn't there to witness the lesson myself, it looks like they learned how to mime...? They were surprisingly good at it too.
We did a "Fact Family" math activity.
The class also wrote in their journals about what they do when they win a game, versus what they do when they lose a game. This was inspired by the episode of Arthur we watched during snack, in which Arthur became a 'bad winner' and made his friends annoyed.
Earlier in the year, I gave the students the option to 'donate' their class Dojo points to charity. For every 10 points donated, I would put a dollar towards a charity that we picked as a class (this is roughly the cost of the dollar store stuff I'd normally sell at the Dojo Store, so it seemed like a reasonable exchange rate). We ended up raising $50 as a class, and today, we donated that money to The Ssubi Foundation - a charity that helps build schoolhouses in Uganda. https://ssubifoundation.org/
In the afternoon, one of our students taught the rest of the class how to draw realistic tornados, using shading and smudging.
We did some spelling practice and then it was time for the virtual assembly.
Unfortunately there were some sound-related issues, but the reception was still positive! The good news is, the assembly has been posted on Google Classroom, so you can all view it as it was meant to be seen!
Let me know what you think!
Tomorrow is the last day of school. We had an emotional sharing circle at the end of the day where we reflected on all the good times. I let the kids know that even though I was grumpier than usual this year, I still really enjoyed teaching. them, and I will certainly miss them this summer. This particular group gave me so many laughs. I know that I am incredibly lucky to have had so much fun working through the covid year, as I know that was not the case for many.
I sent home the students workbooks today, as tomorrow we won't be using them. We'll still do some work, but the day will be mostly about saying goodbye, looking back on good times, and (unfortunately) cleaning the classroom. I'm dreading that part.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Wednesday, June 23
Hi parents,
We had a great day today, and the Talent Show was a big success! I've uploaded the students videos to Google Classroom for their parents to see. We had a lot of last-minute entries, so you may be surprised to learn that your child decided to enter! The class was an awesome and supportive audience to all performers, so I think a lot of kids walked away feeling proud, confident, and appreciated.
In the morning, we finished watching Treasure Buddies, which was a much bigger hit than I'd anticipated. We had a class discussion about the characters, events, and problem. We talked about the word 'villain' and discussed the villains in Treasure Buddies. One of them was a hairless cat.
The class wrote movie reviews in their journals.
I also gave them a sneak preview of our movie, which will be uploaded to Google Classroom tomorrow for everyone to see! It will also be featured in our virtual assembly.
In the afternoon, the students got to choose between reading, writing, drawing, and buddy reading. We also cleaned out cubbies.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Tuesday, June 22
Hi parents,
Sorry about the lack of a blog yesterday - this last week is always a bit hectic. I wish I could say today's blog would be exciting enough to make up for it, but sadly I don't think that's going to be the case...
Today was a fun day in room 6! In the morning, we had Music / Drama class, and then read some Junie B. Jones. The students did a 'character sketch' of Junie, and wrote sentences and words to describe her as a character.
We did some skip-counting practice, by 2's, 5's, 10's, and 100's.
In the afternoon, we watched the movie "Treasure Buddies", which follows the same group of puppies as "Space Buddies". But it also features a camel and some monkeys.
Tomorrow is the Room 6 Talent Show! If there are any last-minute entries, remember you can upload a video on Google Classroom and I'll gladly include it in the show tomorrow. Last-minute live performances are also welcome, and I'll record any live performances and share them after.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Friday, June 18, 2021
The Last Spelling Words
Spelling List A
Spelling List B
Spelling List C
Does making spelling 'Summer Themed" make it more fun? I guess we will find out...
Friday, June 18
Hi parents,
We had a good day today, and it felt like a great way to end our week.
In the morning, we did the Spelling Quiz, and worked on a secret Art project that took quite a lot of time.
We went outside for gym, did some quiet reading, and then had the LAST Class Dojo Store of the year (if your child was away for this, I'll make sure they have an opportunity to spend their points next week).
Next week is our last week of school - it's going to be busy but exciting, and there's a lot to look forward to, including the Talent Show and our virtual assembly.
Stay tuned or next week's spelling words, and have a nice weekend!
Zac
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Thursday, June 17
Hi parents,
We had a relatively good day today. It was one of those rollercoaster days where the class was either working unnervingly quietly and diligently, or they were acting like barbarians.
We've been starting each day off with skip-counting practice, and magnet exploration time. Most concepts in the Magnetism unit are best taught just by giving students time to experiment freely with magnets, and reminding them about vocabulary words, like 'attract', 'repel', and 'magnetic'.
The skip-counting is coming along well but I think the students could still use more practice!
We read a cool book called "Whose Hands are These?" It is about different jobs found in communities, and how 'hands' do different things in different occupations. The class worked through the "Goods and Services" and "Jobs" pages in their brochures. They're still looking awesome and I'm excited to send them home.
Thank you to everyone who emailed about the Talent Show - it's looking like a very promising lineup! Just a reminder that on Thursday next week, we will also be hosting a virtual assembly, and although parents will not be able to attend, I will be posting the movie we're making to the Google Classroom. So stay tuned for that - it's going to be an exciting last week of school!
Being the strict and mean teacher that I am, I have asked the students not to bring any toys to school for the rest of the year. There have been quite a few toy-related incidents this week and I don't want our last few days to be spent arguing over silly things.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Wednesday, June 16
Hi parents,
We had yet another good day today. In the morning, the students experimented with magnets and we filmed more scenes for the class movie.
We also worked through the second page of the community brochure, which is "The Best Thing About Living Here" section. The kids worked as hard today as they did yesterday, so the brochures are looking excellent. If you're looking for your evidence of your child's growth as a learner this year, look no further. Assuming they work equally hard on the next few pages...
We did a math / art activity where the students drew themselves as 'movie stars', and then calculated the combined value of their movie star outfits. This was a fun way to apply the skip-counting by hundreds skills from earlier in the week.
We practiced spelling, did Daily 5, and had a great kickball game, in which the "Raging Cubes" took on the "Flaming Prisms" (those are kickball team names).
Thank you to everyone who has sent me emails regarding the talent show! I'm really looking forward to it.
Have a nice night,
Zac
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Tuesday, June 15
Hi parents,
We had another good day today!
In the morning, the students had some time to experiment with magnets outside on the playground (which is conveniently made of steel).
We had Drama / Music class, and then started working on the "Neighborhood Brochure" project. Today, the students just had to do the cover page for their brochures. It featured the name of the community, a colourful picture, and a catchy slogan. The slogans ended up being really funny.
We practiced spelling, played kickball, and had work period time.
I'm impressed by how hard the students are working - usually at this point in the year, they're pretty tapped out, but I'm not seeing that with this group!
Please remember you can submit Talent Show Videos on Google Classroom.
Have a nice night,
Zac
Monday, June 14, 2021
Monday, June 14
Hi parents,
We had a really good day today! The students earned a whole bunch of class dojo points, which is perfect timing because our final "Dojo Store" of the year will be at the end of the week.
In the morning, we did a quick math lesson about adding 10 to any 1-digit number to get its 'teen version'. The students wrote about where they see themselves in 10 years.
Today the class learned about skip counting by 100's, which is actually a lot easier than counting by 2's, 10's and 5's. It's basically just counting by 1's, but saying 'hundred' after each number.
We practiced spelling, did Daily 5, and played kickball in gym. At the end of the day, we watched the Bill Nye episode on Magnetism. I feel like we watched it earlier in the year, but didn't delve quite deep enough into magnetism, so we're bringing it back. It's a fun science unit and a great one to end our year with.
The Room 6 Talent Show is coming up in just over a week! Please remember the Google Classroom activity is open for anyone who would like to submit a 'talent video'.
Also, if you have not sent back your pink 'my community' form, please do so tomorrow, as we're going to start making the brochures.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Friday, June 11, 2021
Friday, June 11
Hi parents,
We had a pretty good day today!
In the morning, we had the spelling quiz, which unfortunately did not go as well as I was hoping. Maybe the -ed ending words were too much for June...But that's okay! The students made a valiant effort and that's what our spelling quizzes are all about. I appreciate inventive spelling as much as I appreciate correct spelling.
We watched a great Arthur episode called "Lost!", in which Arthur gets lost downtown. It was a great episode to learn from because it focused on different types of communities and helpers in our communities, which are both big parts of the social studies curriculum.
The students had the choice to either write in their journals about a time that they felt lost, or what they would do if they ever did get lost.
In math, we learned about skip-counting by 5's. The students did an awesome job with this one! Usually skip-counting by 5's is the tricky one, especially when starting from numbers other than 5, but everyone seemed to get it pretty quickly.
At the end of the day, we did a virtual theme park visit, and watched some roller coaster / ride POV videos from some fun rides at Disneyland. The students had a blast.
Thank you to everyone who sent back their pink community project forms! If you haven't completed yours with your child yet, please do so this weekend and send it back on Monday. :)
I also sent home some yearbook consent forms with anyone who has not currently completed the form. Please send those back, signed, on Monday as well, so your child's face does not get covered by an emoji.
Have a nice weekend!
Zac
Thursday, June 10, 2021
Thursday, June 10
Hi parents,
We had yet another good day today that was full of learning.
In the morning, the students did another drama lesson during music time. Then, we learned about skip counting by 10's. I've noticed that having access to a 100's chart makes a huge difference for lots of Grade 1s, so if you're practicing at home, consider using a chart like this one:
We have started to create actions for our class's special acknowledgment of the land. The students have had a lot of fun contributing to this process.
We watched an episode of Arthur in which DW meets the president. The students did a quick writing activity about what they would do or say if they got to meet the prime minister of Canada.
In the afternoon, we discussed 'goods and services', and we also learned about brochures. If you've already taken a look at the pink homework form I sent home today, then you will understand why! If not, here's what it says:
We also watched the Pixar short film "Lou", and had a good discussion about kindness, bullying, and saying sorry (all of which are relevant to the movie).
Have a nice night!
Zac
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Wednesday, June 9
Hi parents,
We had another good day today!
In the morning, we started a new topic in math - skip counting. Skip counting is an important skill for students to learn as it lays the foundations for a strong understanding of multiplication and division in later grades. Unfortunately, it can also be quite a difficult concept to learn, especially for grade 1 students who may still be familiarizing themselves with counting by 1's. As with most math, the best way to learn it is simply by practicing a little bit each day. Here are some videos that may help!
Counting by 2's Scratch Garden
Counting By 5s - Scratch Garden
Counting by 10's - Jack Hartmann
Skip Counting Workout (2s, 5s, 10s)
Students who already have a strong understanding of skip-counting were challenged to try skip counting by 2's, but starting from odd numbers. You can also challenge your child to count by 5's and 10's, starting from odd numbers, or to count backwards by 2's, 5's, or 10s. Skip-counting by other numbers can be a good challenge too. There are a whole bunch of ways to adjust skip-counting practice to be easier or more difficult, and everyone can benefit from some extra practice.
The students tested their boats today, and tried to find how much weight their boat could carry without sinking or flipping over.
In the afternoon, the class made a wonderful first impression on our school's new principal, Ms. Rooke, who came for a quick visit today. We finished working on our 2-D Shape Community projects. With the boat project and the shape community project finished, our classroom should become drastically less messy.
Have a nice evening,
Zac
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Tuesday, June 8
Hi parents,
Today was a pretty good day for our class! I don't have much to write though, because a lot of it was just a continuation of what we started yesterday.
In the morning, we had a special Drama lesson instead of Music, and then the students worked on their 2-D shape communities from yesterday. They're coming along nicely and some students are already finished.
We got to attend a virtual assembly by Room 4 and 5 that focused on indigenous history and values. We also did Daily 5 and spelling practice.
As the year winds down, our Morning Math focus has shifted back to basic facts and counting.
Remember, the Room 6 Talent Show is on June 23 - thank you to everyone who has already emailed about participating! You can submit talent show videos to the assignment posted on Google Classroom, or your child can perform 'live' if they'd rather.
Have a nice night,
Zac
Monday, June 7, 2021
Monday, June 7
Hi parents,
We had a pretty good day today!
In the morning, the students wrote in their weekend journals, and then we switched things up a bit and did Daily 5.
The students spent some time going over their lines for a class movie we're putting together for our Year-end assembly! The movie is called "What is Summer For?" and it's going to be awesome. Each student has a line, so it's a great collaborative way to bring the class together. Plus, when it's finished, I'll upload it to the Google Classroom, so you can all enjoy it as well. :)
In the afternoon, the students worked on a fun social studies / math activity, in which they worked in partners to construct urban, rural, and suburban communities using 2D shapes.
We read more Junie B. Jones and practiced the script again too.
Have a nice evening,
Zac
Friday, June 4, 2021
Spelling Words (Week of June 6)
Spelling List A
Spelling List B
Spelling List C
These words are no joke! But being able to quickly identify the -ed ending is a hugely helpful skill when reading, and knowing when to use it will help kids with their writing as well.
Good luck!!
Friday, June 4
Happy Friday!
We had a pretty good day today, although it was not super interesting because most of it was work period time.
In the morning, we had the spelling quiz. The students had more time to work on their beach writing from yesterday, and also their "Urban, Rural & Suburban Community" page. The students seem pretty good with urban and rural communities, but a bit confused regarding suburban ones.
We sat in a circle and had a meaningful talk about Orange Shirt Day. We talked about the meaning of 'indigenous', and 'first nations'. We talked about how important it is to be able to 'be themselves' at school, and the rights of children. The students shared things that they are thankful for at school.
We did a guided drawing video that taught the class how to draw themselves as 'graduates' - because that's what they'll all be at the end of the month!
Upcoming Dates:
Room 6 Talent Show - June 23
The third annual "Room 6 Talent Show" will take place on Wednesday, June 23. The Talent Show is a fun opportunity for students to showcase their talents and hobbies for their classmates and teachers.
Participation in the Talent Show is completely optional, and students may choose to present their talent 'live', or to record a video at home and submit it through Google Classroom.
Talents do not need to be performance-based either - if a student is passionate about art, for example, they could bring one of their favourite drawings to share with the class.
Unfortunately, due to Covid protocols, parents are not permitted to attend the show as we've done in previous years. However, I will put together a video of the live performances and share it on Google Classroom!
If your child would like to participate in the Talent Show, please send me an email at zalink@cbe.ab.ca some time before Friday, June 18. This will give me a better idea of how long the show will run and what equipment we'll need (We do have access to a piano, in case anyone was wondering). I'll also create an assignment on Google Classroom for any video submissions.
Stay tuned for next week's spelling words, and have a wonderful weekend.
Zac
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Thursday, June 3 (Orange Shirt Day TOMORROW!)
Hi parents,
Today was a bit of a crazy day, but I think the class had a ton of fun. Unfortunately the listening skills were at an all time low - I think there were about 10 people in Listening Club today! I decided to be nice and let them free from the club early - twice - but ironically, both times I told them they could go play, they were talking over me and didn't hear it. So that was kind of funny but also a bit sad.
In the morning, the students had Music class, and then we did a writing activity in which students wrote lists of things they might see at the beach.
After that, we reviewed urban, rural, and suburban communities, and started working on another worksheet around those concepts but didn't get to finish it.
In the afternoon, we had our Beach Party, which was a blast for the kids. A student brought enough squirt guns for the whole class, so everyone got in on the fun! Plus, we had the water fight on the playground, which added a new dynamic of hiding to the already incredibly fun activity.
At the end of the day, students did a thorough clean-up, and practiced spelling.
Tomorrow is our spelling quiz! Tomorrow is also Orange Shirt Day!
If your child does not have an orange shirt, please encourage them to wear one of their favourite shirts. As Elder Shirley explained, it's not wearing orange that matters - it's about being grateful that we all have the freedom to wear whatever we like, and that we all get to express ourselves at school. It's also about remembering and honouring the indigenous students who did not get to enjoy that freedom, and taking positive steps to ensure no children ever have to go through it again.
Have a nice night,
Zac
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Wednesday, June 2
Hi parents,
We had a pretty good day today in spite of the school not having air conditioning.
Most of our morning was dedicated to boat building, which the students seemed to really enjoy! First, they built the 'hull' of their boat by taping two bottles together. Then, then added a 'deck' on top of the bottles using scrap paper. Finally, they used 3-D Shape Nets to add structures on top of their decks. I was a bit nervous about this step because cutting out and folding shapes can be difficult for younger students, but with enough masking tape, it all worked out!
Tomorrow we're going to attempt to paint the boats... I'm equally nervous about that step.
The students did a fun math activity called "The 3D Shape Awards", in which they gave 'awards' to a variety of shapes based on their qualities. The categories were: Most Fun, Most Useful, Most Boring, and Most Dangerous. The class had to explain which shape was the winner of each category, and why.
There were some awesome discussions that came from this activity because there were no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. For example, some students thought that 'spheres' were the most fun shape, because they're so crucial in ball-based games. Other students thought 'cones' were the most fun, because they're crucial in ice cream-based activities. If you're looking for something interesting to talk about tonight at dinner, look no further.
Tomorrow is beach day! Unfortunately we are not able to actually go to the beach, but students are encouraged to wear summery clothes, bring stuffies, and maybe even bring small squirt guns (no super soakers!)
On Friday, we will be having Orange Shirt Day.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Tuesday, June 1
Hi parents,
Well, somehow we've officially made it to June - honestly of all years, I would've expected this one to really drag on, but it actually seemed to go by really fast. Does anyone else feel like that?
We had a great day today. The students had Music in the morning, and wrote about their 'happy places'. We learned about three different types of communities: Rural, Urban, and Suburban. We talked about the characteristics of each of these communities, and thought of a few examples too. The students drew pictures and wrote sentences to show their understanding of these concepts (but I think it could probably use some review tomorrow!)
Some students who finished early got to experiment with 3-D shape nets. I thought it might be helpful for students to practice cutting out and gluing shapes together, because that will be a big part of our boat building project. On that note - we'll probably start building the boats tomorrow, so please send in bottles / cans if you haven't already!
In the afternoon, we did Daily 5, practiced spelling, went to gym, and had a fire drill.
Upcoming Dates:
Thursday, June 3: Beach Day!
The class earned 20 helping hearts for good behaviour during lunch, so they've won a special celebration day. Typically this would be a PJ Day, but since it's supposed to be 32 degrees on Thursday, we thought it would be better if they wore light, summery vacation clothes. Students can also bring a stuffy to school if they like.
Friday, June 4: Orange Shirt Day
We will be having another Orange Shirt Day this Friday in light of the recent tragic news around the Residential School in Kamloops. The focus of this day will be honouring diversity and supporting indigenous culture in Canada. We will focus on the positive steps we can take moving forward, rather than on the tragic events of the past, and talking about Residential Schools at an age-appropriate level (just as we did for our earlier Orange Shirt Day).
Wednesday, June 23: Talent Show!
Please see the previous post for more information.
Have a nice evening!
Zac
Room 6 Talent Show 2021
The third annual "Room 6 Talent Show" will take place on Wednesday, June 23. The Talent Show is a fun opportunity for students to showcase their talents and hobbies for their classmates and teachers.
Participation in the Talent Show is completely optional, and students may choose to present their talent 'live', or to record a video at home and submit it through Google Classroom.
Talents do not need to be performance-based either - if a student is passionate about art, for example, they could bring one of their favourite drawings to share with the class.
Unfortunately, due to Covid protocols, parents are not permitted to attend the show as we've done in previous years. However, I will put together a video of the live performances and share it on Google Classroom!
If your child would like to participate in the Talent Show, please send me an email at zalink@cbe.ab.ca some time before Friday, June 18. This will give me a better idea of how long the show will run and what equipment we'll need (We do have access to a piano, in case anyone was wondering). I'll also create an assignment on Google Classroom for any video submissions.
Have a nice day,
Zac
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)