On the first day of school, we read a very funny story called "You're Finally Here" and we're going to revisit it today. We'll look at all the different themes covered in the text such as:
- why is it important to be on time?
- have you ever been excited for someone to arrive?
- what do you do when you're bored?
- why do we need to "be present" when we're socializing?
- why did the author write this book? Was it just to entertain us or is there more to it?
To build a successful and effective learning environment, we first must start with building relationships. Talking about good manners, keeping a sense of humor and a kind heart are the starting points. Over the next few days, children will have the opportunity to work together with their classmates in a variety of ways, such as preferred activity time and Fun Friday. They'll learn that we are always building bridges, no matter how old we are. Maintaining our bridges is essential and when we damage our bridge by, for example, using unkind words or hurting someone physically, we need to own our "business" and make things right.
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| We used Lego blocks this afternoon to talk about how we build bridges with others one brick at a time. |
Without these lessons and practice opportunities, there's really no point in teaching curriculum...in the classroom of the 21st century, no one really learns if they can't work with others effectively (←there's that word again!). When we don't focus on relationships and classroom management, authentic and meaningful learning simply doesn't take place.
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| Working with our Play Doh this afternoon was a great way to explore effective listening, the importance of following instructions and what happens when we don't! 😉 |
