Fall is quickly approaching. Leaves on the trees will soon be changing to the different shades of brown, yellow, and orange. Just as the excitement of a new season comes, so does our excitement for learning. The students have been learning how to say yan se (colors) in Mandarin. This week, the students were asked to reflect on what makes a good citizen, and what sorts of actions a good citizen does.
Thank you to all the parents who took time out of your busy schedules to attend Open House. I know the Explorers were excited for you to see their classrooms, and all the things they are learning. The students love having choice during their math Daily 3, and Daily 5 in reading and writing. The choice allows them to the opportunity to pick the order of their stations.
We have had an amazing first two weeks of school. We loved getting to know our new classmates, while learning the layout of our new rooms. The students learned several parts of the Daily 5 reading program, and Daily 3 math program. The Daily 5/3 are not a part of a set curriculum, but a framework that allows your child to build independence and stamina while working. The students have to hold themselves accountable while working independently, which directly relates to our first Unit of Inquiry (UOI), Who We Are, and our Central Idea, actions have consequences. The students are learning that actions can have positive or negative consequences. This week we will examine what that looks like, and feels like.
We celebrated 1/2 of the summer birthdays at our first school wide Monday morning meeting. During our meeting, the official IB flag was displayed. It was such an emotional time for all of the staff who have worked for four years to get to this moment. We also had our first Mandarin classes of the year. Sadly, two of our Mandarin teachers returned to China over the summer. Until more Mandarin teachers join us, we will have Mandarin twice a week. On Friday, we celebrated the return of Jim "Basketball" Jones. He always provides us with such a positive message. He inspires us to work with a good attitude. These last two weeks of school have been super busy. We had an amazing time at our 4th annual CIS Olympics, learned more about our solar system with the help of COSI, and watched our 5th graders ballroom dance with the help of Dancing Classrooms. Thank you for all of your support this year!
This week in Sharing the Planet, the students created a lapbook based around the story, A New Coat for Anna. In this book, which is based on a true story, Anna needs a new coat. The story takes place at the end of the war, and Anna's family does not have the money to purchase a new coat. Anna's mom barters with the people in town to help Anna get wool for her coat, a person to spin the wool, and even a tailor. The students learned that it took an entire year for her to get her new coat. The students delved deeper into their learning about needs and wants. I think many of the students were amazed that Anna couldn't get her new coat right away, and had to
It is hard to believe that we have entered the last few weeks of school. Our final Unit of Inquiry is Sharing the Planet. During this UOI, students will learn how economic choices impact our lives. The students are showing how knowledgeable they are while connecting math to our UOI. In math, the students are learning to add and subtract double digit numbers with and without regrouping. They are able to relate that to money, and we use money to purchase goods and services. The students are quickly learning that they need to find a balance when looking at needs and wants.
One of our own first grade Explorers was a presenter at the Monday School Meeting. He communicated to the school about Cuba. I have to say, we were a little bit jealous when he told us about the warm weather, and fabulous beaches. His presentations went perfectly along with our Unit of Inquiry, How We Express Ourselves. If you came to The Barnyard Moosical, I'm sure you will agree, the first and second graders did an amazing job. They sure showed enthusiasm throughout the performance.
I can describe this week with one single word, wow! It started off with our Monday morning meeting. We had bagpipers, drummers, and Irish dancers help us celebrate St. Patrick's day. Then, we began our fifth Unit of Inquiry, How We Express Ourselves. The week ended with our second round of student-led conferences. It was so amazing to see how the Explorers have grown as thinkers, communicators, and risk-takers. The students also were formulating our new Central Idea based on the provocations and activities.
Our Explorers showed so much action this week. During the Monday Morning Meeting, one of our Explorers presented about his home country, Jordan. We heard him speak in his mother tongue, and we were all very excited to learn about his flag. Other students brought in a camera from long ago, and different Laura Ingalls Wilder book. We also were able to Skype with Elizabeth from Arizona. She is Mr. Jeffery's cousin. She taught us about the various landforms in Arizona, and how Ohio and Arizona are alike and different. Although, she did tell us that they would be swimming next moth, and their daily temperatures were in the 70's.
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AuthorsMrs. Fairman Archives
March 2015
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