When I met ya in the summer...

It's so hard to believe we all only just met five days ago!  We walked to Mass today like pros and it's just the sweetest thing ever to share in these special times together. Special thanks to Mrs. Angerilli, who walked with our class.  I lead the way and Mrs. A kept track of the kids at the end of the line.  We make a great team Mrs. A! 

We all returned to school pooped and hungry and ready to take on the afternoon...which ended up being equally sweet.  

I had such big plans for the afternoon, but by the time we had a leisurely lunch and then "Morning Message" it was time for our Student of the Day to do her 2:00 presentation and then it was recess all over again!  It's an older blog post, but you can learn more about Morning Message here.  

After recess, we have DEAR time (drop everything and read) and it's a non-negotiable. I don't mess around with DEAR. It's just the nicest and most special time of our day.  We're quiet, we lounge, listen to our quiet music and then devour books.  

After DEAR, we have Evening Meeting and that's also a special time. We gather together at the carpet, share songs, laugh a bit, hand out Brag Tags and then read from our novel.  

We're currently reading There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom by Louis Sachar. I think I've read it as our first novel for the last 15 years.  It brings the class together.  It's a very age-appropriate emotional journey. At first we can't understand why Bradley treats others the way he does, then he gets really honest with himself and makes changes.  The process is both warm and funny.  In the end, well, I won't give it away, but Bradley becomes a bit of a classroom hero for us.  In the past, we would refer back to him constantly throughout the duration of the year.    

Today, I asked the boys and girls to do what good readers do and to think of a question they'd ask Bradley if he were to visit the classroom.  This was an excellent opportunity to gauge whether or not the boys and girls are keeping track of and understanding what we're reading.  The questions were outstanding!  They were thoughtful, critical and get this: they were the same questions I bet you'd ask! 

This week's TOTW (text of the week) is another great way for kids to think about questions they have for characters, authors or about the text in general.  We're going to have our weekly Text of the Week test this Friday. We'll write this one together as a class so the boys and girls know what to expect each week. We can also use this as an opportunity to revisit expectations for independent work such as tests and quizzes.  

Please check in tomorrow for more information about the TOTW tests.  

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Folks...how fun was our first Fun Friday? We had such a poppin' great time!!! 

The theme for the afternoon was "I'm poppin' with happiness after the first week of school". We learned a great new song that was all about how to make popcorn and it had everyone up on their feet! I wish I had asked someone to record this, because it was so fun seeing everyone popping all over the classroom in some mad attempt to sing, clap and dance all at once!  
Then, we started working on the "craftivity" pictured below. We're going to add arms to him on Monday. My initial plan was for legs only, but I feel like if you're a giant popcorn box, you need arms to fend off people who will try to eat you.  Just sayin'.  

We'll finish up the writing reflection on Monday or Tuesday. I wanted the kids to have time on Friday to learn about how we'll do art in Room 208.  With so many routines and procedures to learn, it's nice to do things in small doses. All this time invested in teaching my students about routines and procedures pays off when December/January rolls around and my students are highly independent, creative and critical thinkers and problem solvers.  

Thank you to all the boys and girls for a terrific first week of school! I can't wait for you all to receive your first Brag Tags on Monday! 

Second day...hooray!

Today we got a little closer to what I would describe as a more typical day. We copied our agendas (see video below) and we added table points for those children that had them signed! Woo-hoo!  

The boys and girls were able to learn about and read at the different reading areas we have in the room. We had our first official "Student of the Day" (thank you Miss Abby!) and she gave a very interesting 2:00 presentation (a more sophisticated version of show and tell).  We'll move through the class list alphabetically by first name for the Student of the Day schedule.  

We also carried on with our Sailing into Third Grade booklets and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you all on Curriculum Night on September 22nd.  

The boys and girls also learned all about Brag Tags today! Whoa-baby were these a hit last year!  And judging by the enthusiastic response to them today, I think it's going to be another home-run!  Read more about Brag Tags here. 

We'll have our first official Math lesson on Friday, and then in the afternoon, we'll have my favourite part of the week: Fun Friday, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! 

A reminder to sign the agenda each night, deliver the kids to school on time (pleeeeeze!), bring indoor shoes and make arrangements for after school (e.g. take the bus or pick up) before the school day begins as this keeps the kids safe and minimizes disruptions to the classroom to communicate the change in plans.  

Day 1 was "oh-fish-ially" a hit!

Let me tell you all about our fantastic day today! 
Or should I say our "fin-tastic" day? ← See what I did there? "Fin" tastic!  

We started our day the way we'll begin every day, with Morning Message. The boys and girls got a little sampling of how this special time in our day will roll. We talked about the importance of arriving to school on time (please, please, please deliver your children to school on time!) so that one doesn't miss any part of Morning Message.  It's my feeling that if you miss a part of it, it's like coming into a movie or a meeting late: you never really feel caught up to speed.  

We also reviewed the "Big 12". These are the important rules and expectations we have in our class.  There's a zillion more than 12, but for today, I wanted to cover the basics, because these all are like doors that open to other expectations we have. They really point to the big picture, which is that everyone in Room 208 has a job to do and that is to contribute to a positive learning environment.  Why did I go with these 12 expectations? Well, as the hip kids like to say, "there's no simple explanation for anything important, any of us do."  ;) 

Here's just a few of the Big 12:

After Morning Message, we got to work! We started on our "Sailing into Third Grade" booklets where the kids get to tell me all about themselves and their summertime adventures.  

Then we read a really funny story called "Memoirs of a Goldfish". I like this book a lot because it fits with the with the overall tone I like my room to have: let's stick together, let's take care of each other.  

We also played a really fun game I made about opposites. There was no special reason for the subject of the game (opposites) but rather I used this as an opportunity for us to work together, learn about focusing and attending and to establish the expectations for game play.  

Indoor recess at lunch because of the heat, was a great opportunity for the boys and girls to get reacquainted with their friends and enjoy some of the games and toys we have in our room.  

From there, it was all about manners and rude cakes. Yep, you read that correctly. We read a great book about a rude cake and learned it's never to late to turn things around. We also learned that in the middle of the night, a giant cyclops might pluck you from your bed and wear you as a hat. Bottom line: it's always best to be polite.  

We ended the day the way I've ended most of my days in my classroom for the last 17 or so years: with DEAR time, followed by Evening Meeting.  At Evening Meeting, we sit at the carpet, have a few laughs, sing a song or two and read our novel together. This first novel is an oldie, but a goodie, it's called, "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" by Louis Sachar. It's a great story and I think it really brings us together as a class. The main character, Bradly, drives us crazy with his rude ways and complicated behavior, but by the end of the novel, we're all cheering for the guy.  It's really a great book and if you're a teacher teaching grades 3-5, I highly recommend it.  

Whew! And that's just one day!  I can't wait to see everyone tomorrow when I get to tell the kids all about Brag Tags! 

Thank you to all the boys and girls and their families for a terrific first day of school! I can't wait to see you tomorrow morning at 8:45 (please be on time!).