Friday the 13th

 Hi parents,

We had a great Friday! The students did an excellent job on the spelling quiz - it was the best one yet! 

We watched another basic video about gravity and friction, and how playground equipment is affected by these forces. For instance, the students learned that through friction, they are able to slowly descend a fire pole, rather than just falling to the ground. They also learned that gravity is the force responsible for allowing them to descend at all! We went outside to the playground for some hands on learning.

When we got back to class, the students wrote about a time when they felt 'unlucky'. We talked about how 13 is often seen as an unlucky number (even in Number Blocks!) while 7 is seen as lucky.

I've wanted to start teaching the class more about how addition and subtraction can help us make sense of real world situations, so today, I showed the students how they can use pictures to represent word problems. The kids really liked the activity and I think it would work well at home too, if anyone is interested in trying it.

Basically, you could start by giving your child a number statement, such as: "There are six bunnies in a field." Give them ~1 minute to draw a simple picture of the bunnies, then make up something that happens that changes the number of bunnies. For example, "4 more bunnies show up", or "3 bunnies leave", or even "suddenly there were twice as many bunnies". Your child can adjust their picture to represent the situation, by drawing more bunnies, or crossing some out. This process helps them visualize the process of adding, subtracting, or multiplying, and make connections to how they can use these operations to find math problems in the world around them!

If you happen to try this activity out over the weekend, please feel free to send it with your child on Monday and I could probably give out some homework points.

Also, here's a homework question for parents: Who is the villain in the movie "Friday the 13th"?

Have a nice weekend,

Zac

Thursday, November 12

 Hi parents,

We had a fantastic day today, probably one of our best this year! Maybe we should consider having no school every Wednesday...

In the morning, we spent some more time talking about Remembrance Day, and watched the music video for "Highway of Heroes" by The Trews. I'm hoping the kids will understand that taking the time to be thankful to veterans is something we can do throughout the year, and not just on Remembrance Day. I've also noticed that our 'social studies' this year has kind of been centring around the idea of being a 'hero' - from Terry Fox, to community helpers, to veterans, we've spent a lot of time talking about the sorts of qualities that make people heroic!

The students drew pictures of guitars in Music class today, and then we watched some videos about the importance of 'play'. First, we learned about how basic physics concepts can be applied to common playground structures, such as swings, see saws, and trampolines (not a common structure but we all wish it was). We watched another short video and learned about how the idea of 'playing' is not just relevant to humans - animals enjoy play too! The students learned that playing helps humans, and animals, learn about socially acceptable behaviour. It also helps children and animals develop movement skills, get exercise, and stay healthy!

The students responded to the writing prompt: "My favourite place to play is...." A lot of students did their best writing of the year with this prompt! I gave out miniature dictionaries to the Grade 2 students so they could edit their own work and fix spelling errors. I couldn't believe how well they used them - I always think of editing as being the biggest hassle, but I guess that's just me...

We practiced spelling in the afternoon, did Daily 5, and finished the Poppy art that we started a couple days ago. They turned out really well!!

Remember that the Spelling Quiz is tomorrow! Have a nice night,

Zac

Tuesday, November 10

 Hi parents,

Today was a pretty good day for our class! The students did an excellent job sitting quietly, attentively, and respectfully during the virtual Remembrance Day assembly. I think all the videos, books, and class discussions made a big difference in how the students processed the assembly. I hope that they're able to share everything they've learned at home too. :)

The students had Music in the morning, and we spent a lot of time today working on spelling practice. I've decided to change the way we do spelling in the classroom because it seems many students are forgetting to practice their words, are simply not dedicating the time to really make that practice meaningful.

We also spent a lot of time cleaning out cubbies and trying to unlearn some of the 'hoarder' mannerisms that have emerged over the course of the year. Due to Covid, we are not sharing materials like we typically do in a Montessori classroom. Somehow that has resulted in students amassing huge quantities of pencil crayons and glue sticks.  We were in dire need of some redistribution so I'm happy that we got that sorted out today.

I have been trying to be a bit more strict lately around classroom expectations, particularly in terms of rough, 'hands-on' play. As a result, I ended up walking with almost half of the class today at recess as a consequence (even for minor offenders). My hope is that by clearly reestablishing classroom rules and expectations, we can avoid more of those crazy days moving forward, and ultimately ensure our classroom remains a safe, peaceful place.

Remember that there is no school tomorrow!

Have a nice night and Wednesday,

Zac

Monday, November 9

 Hi parents,

We had a bit of a crazy day today, and I'm not really sure why! Tomorrow we'll have to spend a bit of time going over the classroom expectations. 

I'm noticing that a lot of the behaviour issues we've been having in class seem to be happening as a result of some students finishing their work very quickly, and then having to occupy themselves while other students catch up. Typically in a Montessori classroom, students would be able to move on to responsible work choices when their main work tasks are complete. Unfortunately, with Covid restrictions, most of the responsible work choices from last year are no longer usable, so the kids have a limited number of options when they complete their work, and I think that's one reason why they end up getting a bit antsy. If your child has a favourite book at home, a colouring book, a workbook, or another educational sort of activity that they could work on quietly when their work is complete, feel free to send it to school with them! 

Today the students wrote in their journals, did some math problems, practiced spelling words, and learned about the letter 'e'. In the afternoon, we did some poppy artwork using oil pastels. 

We watched the music video for Terry Kelly's song "A Pittance of Time". It's a nice song with a very powerful message about Remembrance Day, and it is a great way to introduce kids to the idea of a 'moment of silence'. Here's the link if you want to watch it at home (sorry the quality is so bad) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kX_3y3u5Uo .

Tomorrow our school is having a Remembrance Day Virtual Assembly. Here's a message from the Grade 5/6 students, who are hosting it:

Dear Parents,

Rooms 16 and 17 are hosting a virtual assembly for LBS students on November 10th at 10:40 am, in honour of Remembrance Day.

Did you know that every year from the last day of October until November 11th, tens of millions of Canadians wear a poppy as a visual pledge to honour Canada's veterans and remember those who sacrificed for the freedoms that we enjoy today.

Students will be given a poppy on November 11th and can give a donation at the school office. If you would like to support out local veterans, the Legion is encouraging people to donate online this year. Please follow the link: https://legion.ca/donations to donate to the Legion's Poppy Fund.

 Thank you from Ms. Mumford & Ms. Burnham's students.

Have a nice night!

Zac

Spelling Words (Week of Nov. 8)

 

In case you haven't already downloaded Jack Hartmann's entire discography, here's a link to his video about -et words:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMj9SKh611g

Good luck!

Remembrance Day

 Dear Parents,

Rooms 16 and 17 are hosting a virtual assembly for LBS students on November 10th at 10:40 am, in honour of Remembrance Day.

Did you know that every year from the last day of October until November 11th, tens of millions of Canadians wear a poppy as a visual pledge to honour Canada's veterans and remember those who sacrificed for the freedoms that we enjoy today.

Students will be given a poppy on November 10th and can give a donation at the school office. If you would like to support out local veterans, the Legion is encouraging people to donate online this year. Please follow the link: https://legion.ca/donations to donate to the Legion's Poppy Fund.

 Thank you from Ms. Mumford & Ms. Burnham's students.

Friday, November 6

 Happy Friday!

We had a great day today. In the morning, we rewatched the beautiful animated short that I posted earlier in the week, with the animals, poppies, and war. This time, we stopped the video every few moments to really analyze it in detail. We talked about how the music changes throughout the video, how the changes in weather affect the mood, and how the helmet represents how soldiers protect others. 

If you'd like to watch the video at home, here's the link again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeR5JWaIcpo

We went outside for a quick break, and the students were fascinated by the way the gravel on our playground had frozen together into big chunks. It was pretty cool actually.

Our Spelling Quiz was my favourite part of the day because the class did better than ever before and with significantly less hints! 

We had Daily 5 and then had the Class Dojo Store. The students did better this time with the math, and I think that is largely due to all the practice we've had with subtraction lately through 'Morning Math'. Most students are comfortable solving subtraction problems by drawing circles to represent a quantity, and then crossing out circles to show the process of subtraction. While this is by no means the most efficient way to subtract, it is a reliable, easy to understand way for kids to solve problems while also being able to clearly visualize each step. Once students clearly understand that subtraction is a process of 'taking away', I encourage them to use mental math or written algorithms to solve problems.

Stay tuned for next week's spelling words!

Have a nice weekend,

Zac

Thursday, November 5

 Hi parents,

Today was another great day for our class. I feel like we are fully back on track now after a few off-days. :)

In the morning, the students had Music, and watched a video read-aloud of "The Story of The Poppy". We talked about how poppies are sold to raise money for veterans, and the students made connections to have Terry Fox also raised money to help those in need. We had a discussion about what the word "Veteran" means and I think it would be good to follow up with that one at home, because a lot of students may still be mixing it up with veterinarian.

On our nature walk this morning, we happened to encounter someone cutting down their withered, giant sunflowers. Many students picked up the severed heads (of sunflowers), put them in bags, and took them home. I hope that if nothing else, the kids are starting to realize that taking time to explore their surroundings can be a lot of fun! 

We watched a short video about why humans shiver when we're cold. The class wrote down ideas and drew pictures of the other ways people stay warm in the cold winter months.

In the afternoon, we read the story "If You Give A Mouse a Cookie", and then the students brainstormed their own ideas for a formulaic children's series. The ideas were so awesome that some kids are going to actually turn them into books tomorrow! It's always nice to find activities to extend into bigger projects, and in a Montessori classroom, it's extra easy to give those extension options to students who are interested.

We had a fun and rainy recess and a saw a double rainbow - a very clear one too!

Tomorrow is our spelling quiz - good luck with your last minute studying!

Have a nice night,

Zac

Wednesday, November 4

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today! 

In the morning, we watched two short videos about Remembrance Day, which I will include links to below, and we had a great class discussion about them. The students really impressed me with their 'inferential' skills. After watching the second video, I asked, "Why do you think the boy is thanking his grandpa?", and a student answered, "Because his grandpa was in the war. He is thanking him for helping to make the world a nicer place."

Bell Poppy Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7ESRBMk36E

Dieppe Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1FNPx_YN4

Watching the videos we watch in class is an awesome way to help students reflect on our discussions, consolidate new learning, and put ideas into their own words. I'm sure they would enjoy explaining the videos to you as well. :)

I've mentioned before that class discussions are a lot more difficult this year because we can't meet together at the carpet, but today's discussion gave me hope!

The students wrote in their journals in response to the writing prompt: "Peace means..." Students who finished quickly attempted to write acrostic poems with the word PEACE.

We learned about the letter "J" today (I'm trying to pick up the pace with our Animated Literacy lessons...) and practiced spelling.

In the afternoon, we had Gym, Daily 5, and an art lesson where the class learned how to draw a soldier. 

I'm happy to report that due to the nice weather, we've been going outside for snack and body break, which has allowed us to cut back our daily screen time to only about 10 minutes!

Have a nice night,

Zac

Tuesday, November 3

 Hi parents,

Today we talked more about Remembrance Day, this time focusing on the importance and history of poppies. We talked about the idea of 'remembering', and the students responded to this writing prompt: "I remember when... I felt..."

We learned about the letter 'K' today and did some Halloween math worksheets (I didn't want to let them go to waste!)

Sorry for the very short blog today. I'll make sure tomorrow's is loaded with details.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Monday, November 2

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today and spent a lot of time outside, enjoying the surprisingly nice November weather.

In the morning, the students wrote in their journals, learned our new spelling words, and practiced addition and subtraction. 

We also started to talk about peace, war, and Remembrance Day. I am planning to spend some time each day this week and next week doing work with the class around Remembrance Day. Just like Orange Shirt Day, the topics we're covering are very broad, impactful, and often emotional, so I think it's best to spread out over a couple of weeks. I know that students have lots of meaningful questions, and I want to make sure to leave lots of time for class discussions. I think having discussions at home is a great way to help students understand the importance of Remembrance Day as well.

Today, we watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOT5CDnYHEs 

I really recommend that everyone give it a watch - it's really moving, but also age appropriate.

In the afternoon, we had Daily 5 and Gym, and then learned about the letter 'N'. 

Have a nice night!

Zac