The first day...always the most chaotic. That being said, we still got a lot done!
Name tags - students created the name tags that will be kept on the side tables when they are not here. In the morning, they will pick them up as part of their routine and settle down for a day of learning! Those students who do not pick up their name tags will, obviously, be the ones absent that day.
Clock Buddies - finally, some time to move and mingle! There are a number of schools represented by the students in the class and as a 'meet your fellow classmates' activity I had students meeting with other students who find 'clock buddies.' Each student will have a possible 12 partners for any given activity. I could tell them to meet with their 8 o'clock buddy and they would find the person they had signed up for that time and meet with them. No more searching around for students to partner up with! If you missed today you will have to come and talk to me so we can make arrangements with other groups.
Classroom Routines - the usual stuff:
I have set up a few areas for the students at the front of the classroom:
We also set up binders today into four main sections:
Clock Buddies list at the very front of the binder.
I will update the blog at the end of every session so we are all on the same page as to what has been assigned for the day's activities.
Today's homework due in tomorrow morning:
Students were given the lion's share of the time between recess and lunch to complete these tasks. To keep the reading flow of the book going, I instructed students to write down a quick one or two words that would answer the questions beside the questions on the sheet I handed out today. They were then given time to put those one/two word answers into full sentences.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me, or leave a message here and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
All the best,
Ms. Handel
Name tags - students created the name tags that will be kept on the side tables when they are not here. In the morning, they will pick them up as part of their routine and settle down for a day of learning! Those students who do not pick up their name tags will, obviously, be the ones absent that day.
Clock Buddies - finally, some time to move and mingle! There are a number of schools represented by the students in the class and as a 'meet your fellow classmates' activity I had students meeting with other students who find 'clock buddies.' Each student will have a possible 12 partners for any given activity. I could tell them to meet with their 8 o'clock buddy and they would find the person they had signed up for that time and meet with them. No more searching around for students to partner up with! If you missed today you will have to come and talk to me so we can make arrangements with other groups.
Classroom Routines - the usual stuff:
- listen for instructions - this means there is no talking or fiddling with anything in desks
- be polite, respect others and be kind to one another
- you are responsible for the work assigned in class - if you miss a day, you will need to get caught up
- no one has the right to interrupt someone else's education - if a student is being disruptive they will be asked to work somewhere else
- homework is always due at the beginning of the day
- work should be done neatly in pen or pencil - if it is not legible, students will be asked to redo the work - and answers should be written in full sentences
I have set up a few areas for the students at the front of the classroom:
- the extras hand-out folders which are separated into five categories (Starters, Despereaux, Grammar, Reader's Theatre, Poetry)
- the hand in/hand out bins (green = good to go and hand in, blue = so sad to see it handed back)
- highlighters - make sure your name is highlighted before you hand in your work. This ensures your name is ON your work and you get credit for it. :)
We also set up binders today into four main sections:
Clock Buddies list at the very front of the binder.
- Starters - each morning students will receive a starter activity they will be asked to complete in class. We will go over it as a group after students are given enough time to complete the task.
- Despereaux - the assignments for the class novel will go in this section. Assignments could include questions and vocabulary to go with the novel, drawings to accompany their understanding of the story, etc...
- Grammar - any of the grammar activities, including punctuation, spelling, language usage, etc. will go here.
- Reader's Theatre/Poetry - you guessed it, we'll be doing R.T. and poetry in these few weeks together. Yes, students will be performing in front of the class. Yes, they will have their script with them. No, they don't have to memorize lines...but they will have to practice at home.
I will update the blog at the end of every session so we are all on the same page as to what has been assigned for the day's activities.
Today's homework due in tomorrow morning:
- Chapter 1&2 questions (in full sentences, done neatly in pen or pencil)
- Chapter 1& vocabulary word definitions
- Page 17 description of Despereaux as a drawing
Students were given the lion's share of the time between recess and lunch to complete these tasks. To keep the reading flow of the book going, I instructed students to write down a quick one or two words that would answer the questions beside the questions on the sheet I handed out today. They were then given time to put those one/two word answers into full sentences.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me, or leave a message here and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
All the best,
Ms. Handel