Help!

In an effort to decrease the noise level in our uncarpeted classroom (aka: echo chamber), I'd like to stick tennis balls onto the bottom of the desk and chair legs.  They'll allow the kids to quietly move in and out of their chairs.  If you've any old tennis balls left over from the summer or some your dog might have abandoned, we could sure use them.

Thanks!

A Wonderful Community!

Thank you to all of your winter clothes donations.  As part of our Community Based Learning, our class took part in collecting and donating over 400 winter clothing items made available, for free to those in need for the annual "Karen Kitzmiller Coat Drive".

In an effort to celebrate and extend the learning, each child donated an item for our classroom celebration. We cleaned our room, our desks, made a centerpiece, arranged food platters, and set a beautiful table.  Family members came and spent a quiet afternoon engaged in conversation with both kids and adults.  We then went outside to enjoy the afternoon sun.

It was the perfect ending to a very busy week and a wonderful way to build community both in and out of the classroom.

Thank you...

Angela, Zaida, Maxine, Owen, and Emily share food and conversation.

Alahna helps herself to some cider from the table the children set and decorated.

Alexander shares some food and a book with his grandparents.

Seth's Dad shares a story with Seth and Trevon.

After playing outside, Dan entertains the children with a wonderful and animated reading of "Scaredy Squirrel". (These books are hilarious.  Run, don't walk, and grab a copy from the library or one of our many local bookstores).

Henry and Mudge Field Trip!

Please be sure your child arrives to school by 8:00!


We will have an early snack (8:00-ish).


Bus will be leaving at 8:30
Back by 12:00.

Hoots Gone Wild!

 Screech Makes a Surprise Visit!

The kids are enthralled.

After earning over 100 "hoots", Screech pays a surprise visit.

4 Winds

We built a tree, complete with roots, bark, heartwood, and sapwood.
Ethan and Emily are the heartwood.  Can you tell??

It's a tree!

 Mr. Bradley introduces us to Screech and explains Hoots.

During All School Assembly on Tuesday, we meet "Screech".

Mr. Bradley explains "PBIS" and how all of UES will be noticing expected and sometimes not so expected behavior; ie/notice them remembering our school/classroom rules, sometimes going above and beyond  and acknowledging them (the students) for their behavior.

The Last Two Weeks in Class

Planting tulips for our Journey North Expedition (non linear and in clumps of three.  Aesthetically much more pleasing).

Sofa-Lofa working with Dylan...

Parent Night!
Tom (sitting at Emily's desk), Angela, and Emily.

Idalee explains and shares Number Corner with her mom and sister.

Taydence shows her mom "Taydence".

Sophie and her mom play a round of "Which Number Will Win."

Seth shows his sister our aquarium.

 NAP-

Dylan and Seth share lunch together.

We all found sticks to create a tripod.

Lyn explains the kinds of sticks that we should be collecting for our tripod.

Zachary gets us started.

Alexander chooses a good spot for his stick.

It's coming together...

Emily has one last stick to share.

An Enthusiastic Participant. Who Knew???

As promised...

I love this.

This is what engagement is all about...

Parents- A Vital Part of the Curriculum!

Last Friday afternoon, Dave Keller (Idalee's dad) popped in.  He had arranged to go to his older daughter's class, but alas, they weren't there.  The timing was perfect, as we were celebrating Tre's surprise birthday party and making merry; and what's a party without music?

Dave kindly offered to play and sing some songs he'd taught the children last year (Boom Ba Lady is an old favorite).  Unbeknownst to him was the fact that your children had tired of singing the days of the week as part of our math program.  The days of the week song, sung to the tune of Fr ere Jacques, had been sung ad nauseam for the last twenty some odd days.  Picking up on their boredom and seizing a learning opportunity, I suggested to the children that we should try to come up with a tune for the months of the year- a much more challenging feat.  Hands sprung up!  Alexander was the first to have a go with the pointer.  He sauntered up to the front of the class and in a lovely falsetto he tried to sing the twelve months of the year.  Have you tried this?  Have you tried this in front of your peers?  Let's just say, the boy has pluck!  However, by the time he got to August, things started to fall apart.

Our next volunteer was Seth.  Again, a lovely voice.  The voice of an angel!  However, those summer months are tricky.  I told the kids that we could work on it, and proceeded to the rest of our math lesson.

Fast forward to last Friday.  In walks Dave.  He soon becomes part of the merry making.  As he's playing and singing I have a Eureka Moment!  "Hey Dave", says I. "Do you think you can sing the months of the year?"

The children, not missing a beat (pun intended) start cheering.

Let's just say, the man can compose and perform under pressure. Not only did he come up with a diddy, if you will, he also included a game.  I am happy to inform all of you that we now, after many viewings of this video, have a months of the year song that's part of our daily calendar lesson.

Thanks Dave!

Folks-  I want all of you to know that I tell your children several times a week that I think that I have the best first grade class in the universe.  The same holds true for their families.

Thank you for all that you do, both in class and at home...

Paulette

ps:  I'm not sure if this is the one with Alexander dancing.  If not, I'll upload the other video.

Music speaks to all of us!

A Week of Learning

The children "secretly" prepare a birthday card for Trevon.

(I apologize for the quality of some of the photos.  I didn't realize the focus was on "manual".  They get better.)

Ms. Parry brings a soon to be very surprised birthday boy to class.

The children had been planning this surprise for a week.  Look at the joy on their faces!

Dr. Brian Ricca (our new Superintendent) shares a book with our class.  His "favorite",  Yes Day!

Some gorgeous shots of our NAP adventure in Hubbard Park.  We found and revisited our SIT spots.

Leo finds a "sit spot" and has lunch.

This is an incredible photo of an incredible guy.
We played a game of "Fox".  The fox (me) had to hide her eyes while the mice, voles, and other small animals hid.  Many stood behind trees or scampered down a hill.  This resourceful varmint lay down beside a log.  How gorgeous and smart is he?

Sophie sketches her "sit spot".

Alahna, too.

Amy and Taydence work together.

Trevon is focused.

Owen (Emily's little brother) has been a part of our Nature Adventure learning since last year.

After lunch together, Idalee and Sienna sketch together.  Look at  the light behind them...

Zack works with Alexander and Tyree.  Alexander wanted to "clean" his sit spot. 

One Meatball!

So I just forced my 16 year old son to sit down and walk me through the video uploading process.  I'm happy to say we both came through unscathed.  He makes it look so easy.

This video is from last week.  Bleu French, (we renamed him "Mr. Bleu") subbed for Bonnie last week.  He has worked at UES and MHS.  He's also a local musician.  Knowing this, I asked him to play a musical interlude, if you will, after lunch.  The kids were a great audience, not to mention enthralled, as the man can play a mean harp AND guitar at the same time.

Buon Appetito!

A Link Worth Reading

This article was recently referenced at a Board Meeting.

It's about the importance of character and failure in education.

A must read...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=secret%20to%20success%20is%20failure&st=cse.%20%20%20

September Review...

What an incredible month!  You're children are bright, funny, kind, and curious.  Together they are learning (and continue to learn) what it means to be cooperative, assertive, responsible, and empathetic.  These traits are part of our social learning curriculum and I have to say that your children are demonstrating their understanding of this learning everyday.  Below is just one example of the many ways your children are synthesizing their learning.  

Alex happily volunteers to help Samuel fix his zipper.

Mrs. Wrigley's joins us for a bug movie.

We are also wrapping up our bug unit.  Let me just tell you, your children know insects.  They know body parts, behavior, bug types, how to classify and sort them, not to mention the rich vocabulary they've gained.  Words like, thorax, abdomen, mandible, undulate, were and continue to be used in our classroom.  Again, showing a pretty solid understanding of what they're learning.  We incorporated the bug theme into our writing, reading, math, and social studies curriculum.  In fact, on Friday, the children started to research bugs using a number of informational books we have and wrote about them.   

Sophie, Idy, and Sienna play a "cooperative" game during Guidance Class.

The children continue to explore and talk about feelings, trust, bullying, and anger with Shannon Baker during their Friday Guidance Class. These discussions include role playing, modeling examples the many different ways to show anger, their experiences with being bullied, and the difference between a "tattle" verses helping someone who might get hurt, to name a few.  This is a great forum for them to safely and respectfully listen to and share what they're feeling.

Seth and Samuel help each other out.

I can't tell you how much I love the Bridges Math Program.  More importantly, your children are having fun and learning during the many components of our math time.  During Number Corner we go over the calendar, noting patterns, counting and grouping by 5's and 10's, singing the days of the week, counting the months of the year (they've learned that September is the 9th month), visually manipulating tiles to show groups of 5's and 10's and how to count them and a Daily Challenge that includes number stories, telling time, counting money, and again, identifying groups of 5's and 10's.  After that, we have Math Work Places where they explore at a workplace of their choice: bug sorting, coordinate games, geoboards, pentomino building, estimating games, geometry creations, and unifix cubes.  It's an incredible part of our day, as the children have the freedom to explore and discover various math concepts.  In a word: it's JOYFUL!

One of our Math Work Places includes Geoboards.  Sophie made a mustache.  This is the shot WITHOUT  the steam circles under her nostrils.

The Geoboard work place is wildly popular.

Dilly makes a multilayered creation.  The exploration the kids do during this time is fabulous.  Each workplace offers something for all types of learners.

"Samuel NOT Sam" recycles his name tag from kindergarten and fashions a lovely crown with it to wear on his head, as a gentle visual reminder for me to STOP CALLING HIM "SAM" .  It worked...  This is one resourceful and innovative guy.  I laughed for days... 

Idy, Ethan, Pilar, and Emily sort bugs during Math Work Place time.  Clearly, they are not having fun...  ;D 

Sofa Lofa notes her geoboard creation reminded her of a Picasso painting.  

I agree, although you have to tilt your head to the right (I couldn't rotate it).

Our first NAP adventure of the year.  What an incredible day of learning, discovery, and fun.  We started with a picnic lunch at Hubbard Park.

 The Nature Adventure Program has gotten off to an incredible start.  The bug discovery and learning in our classroom, seamlessly carried over into a magical day in Hubbard Park.  It was one of the best days I've ever experienced as a teacher.  I had the pleasure of observing your children demonstrating what they've learned and taking it to another level by asking questions, independently seeking answers, and sharing their new discoveries all with a sense of awe, wonder, and excitement.  This was a day of learning in its purest form.  Something to behold...

After playing games in the field, we broke into groups and went bug hunting.  Our group found a "smug slug."

Maxine, Alexander, Samuel, and Pilare observe the slug with their magnifying glasses.  They note the absence of a thorax.

After turning many a stone, we then find the "Mother Load", enthusiastically noted by Alexander. 

Dilly and Owen gently observe a number of aphids on some goldenrod.

Samuel thanks the woods during our closing circle.

Sienna shares something she learned during the closing.

Owen gets a turn with the talking stick.
(Angela, you must print and frame this picture!) 

Seth too...
(another beautiful photo)

The following week, we make bug snacks.

Alahna makes sure that hers insect has six legs.

Alexander, hungry bird that he is, gets ready to eat his insect.

"Mr. Bleau" (aka: Bleu French), who subbed for Bonnie this week, provided a rousing musical interlude for us on Friday.  (I'm going to try to upload the video for the "One Meatball"  and a train song).

The children were a wonderful audience.  He was even able to improvise and compose a "directions" diddy for us.  I'm thinking it might be a fun idea for the class to write and compose some songs about numbers, phonics, bugs, lining up songs,  listening songs...  the possibilities are endless.

One of our favorite bug activities was creating bug costumes from random craft supplies and things donated from home.  The creativity and focus was astounding.  We then went on a bug parade around the school and shared our creations.