If you want to know why I'm beginning this incentive, read here.
Let's get reading!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Home Reading Incentive
Things We Need to Work On
As adults who are partners in our children's learning (I speak as a parent with 3 children of my own), we need to be vigilant in supervising certain aspects of their daily activity, especially their school work.
Are the kids in Room 9 supposed to be reading at home every day?
YES
Are the kids supposed to be bringing home a black, zippered, home reading bag every day?
YES
Should it contain a new book every day, that the students (or the teacher and the student) have chosen to read?
YES
Should someone take time to enjoy the book with the child at home, every day?
YES
Will any of this happen if the adults at both ends are partners with the child in making it happen?
NO !
And that is what I'm seeing. Our home reading bags have stopped being used. I think they have been forgotten. Fellow adults, we need to pull up our socks. Read the next news post to find out what I'm going to do about it.
Wild Rompus
Every day for the past 3 weeks, the entire school has been doing daily physical activity, or DPA for short. DPA is mandated by the Ministry of Education: each day students are to engage in vigorous physical activity for at least 15 minutes, in order to attain and maintain an acceptable level of physical fitness. I think it's a great idea. And, the students really enjoy it.
We organized a 3 week school wide DPA, with much assistance from our P.E. teacher, Miss M. We used the story Where the Wild Things Are, which is a current movie and a classic children's book. Look on the Parkdale School News web site for some pictures of our activities.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Family Book Bags
Family book bags are exchanged every Wednesday.
You should expect a new bag to come home, if you have given signed permission, about every second week.
Family book bags are a great enrichment experience, and a good to share with the whole family. The book is meant to be read with and to your child, and the other activities included will need your input and assistance so that you'll get the most out of it.
What makes an effective teacher?
The only way to have an effective school is to have effective teachers.
- Harry Wong
The genius of effective teachers is described in various ways:
They watch all, but only steal from the best.
Always thinking, dreaming and planning.
The genius of effective teachers is described in various ways:
They watch all, but only steal from the best.
Always thinking, dreaming and planning.
They have high expectations that all of their students will succeed.
They are extremely good classroom managers.
They know how to design lessons to help students reach mastery.
Teachers who have become ineffective, have become that way because they have lost their habit of continually learning. Good habits are the key to all success.
Teachers who have become ineffective, have become that way because they have lost their habit of continually learning. Good habits are the key to all success.
What is a habit? It is something you do over and over again, without thinking about it. For example, fold your hands together. Which thumb is on top? That is something you do without thinking... it's a habit.
What do successful students do by habit? Think about this for a moment...
Did you think of things like:
- bring everything they need to school
- sit near the front
- ask questions
Even in grade two, students are developing habits. You, as a parent, have a very significant role to play in the development of those habits. So do I, as their teacher. The most significant habit that I aim to pass on to my students is my continual desire to learn.
A person can only learn when they have learned to listen. Rather than saying, "This doesn't apply to me," and tuning out, I am always trying to take everything in, just in case an "Aha" moment may come along.
An effective teacher will help their students connect learning to the great ideas within the modern world. That is my role.
The message must fit the student. The learning activity must fit the student. Students must experience success and know what they are responsible for learning.
"Successful classrooms are structured and businesslike, but they have a very warm and loving environment." It is who I am as a teacher, the principles by which I live, that will make the difference for my students.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Settling In...
So, as we move through October and Thanksgiving, I'm happy to say that our class is settling into a sense of routine and the students are generally feeling at ease. I'm getting a grasp of where each child is at in their reading and writing development, and now am able to start pinpointing the types of activities that will bring the required learning.
Thank you, parents, for your overwhelming support of our Family Reading Bag program. Each reading kit can be kept for a week. The kits that came home today will be due next Wednesday, October 14. There are neat activities that are built around the story. I hope you enjoy having some fun time with your child over these stories!
GB
Thank you, parents, for your overwhelming support of our Family Reading Bag program. Each reading kit can be kept for a week. The kits that came home today will be due next Wednesday, October 14. There are neat activities that are built around the story. I hope you enjoy having some fun time with your child over these stories!
GB
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Crazy but True
Our writing theme today was: What is a Crazy but True thing that happened in your life? As the students listen to each other's ideas, their memories get jogged and it's very interesting what rich experiences they have had!
One of the forms of writing that we learn in grade 2 is "the recount." A recount is a telling of a story. Some of the elements of recount that we will learn and practice in our writing workshop are:
One of the forms of writing that we learn in grade 2 is "the recount." A recount is a telling of a story. Some of the elements of recount that we will learn and practice in our writing workshop are:
- main idea
- important details
- connecting and sequencing words (e. g. then, next, after that, finally) which help the story make sense
- adjectives
- words that "show" the reader what happened instead of just telling (e. g. the blue paint was in huge blobs like giant spiders on the wall, instead of the blue paint was everywhere)
- letter formation
- spacing between words
- when to use capitals
- periods, commas, exclamation marks
Terry Fox Event reminder
Hello everyone,
Just a friendly reminder to send sponsor money to school with your child, so that their participation in our Terry Fox Day fund-raising walk will be worthwhile. Blue permission forms were sent home last week. The students begin walking at 2PM Thursday September 24, and will be travelling through the neighbourhood, returning to the school at 3.
Feel free to join us and help raise money for cancer research.
G.B.
Just a friendly reminder to send sponsor money to school with your child, so that their participation in our Terry Fox Day fund-raising walk will be worthwhile. Blue permission forms were sent home last week. The students begin walking at 2PM Thursday September 24, and will be travelling through the neighbourhood, returning to the school at 3.
Feel free to join us and help raise money for cancer research.
G.B.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Movement: Using a Pulley
We began a science project today. The board provided my classroom with a set of pulleys for students to experiment with. Pulleys are one of the basic "simple machines" which are defined by the following:
Working with a partner, students will design a way to hold their pulley up off of their desk. Their design must be strong enough to hold the pulley firm while it lifts a load. As part of the learning, the students will experiment with different materials and methods of holding up the pulley.
You can support this project by providing some simple construction materials such as a cereal box that your child can bring to school. We will need these materials on Wednesday, Sept. 23 for our construction session.
For more information and interactive computer learning, check out http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/
Mr. B.
- they use human force
- they make work easier
Working with a partner, students will design a way to hold their pulley up off of their desk. Their design must be strong enough to hold the pulley firm while it lifts a load. As part of the learning, the students will experiment with different materials and methods of holding up the pulley.
You can support this project by providing some simple construction materials such as a cereal box that your child can bring to school. We will need these materials on Wednesday, Sept. 23 for our construction session.
For more information and interactive computer learning, check out http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/
Mr. B.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Home Reading - Part of Literacy Growth, (but not all of it)
Hi everyone,
An important part of a child's reading growth is just the enjoyment of books, pure and simple.
Too often we try to push our kids too hard with reading, and we forget why the books were written in the first place! If your child isn't enjoying home reading, then something's wrong, and it's probably not the kid's fault.
In our home reading collection, many of the books are slightly above our students' reading levels, but they are (hopefully!) stories or topics of interest. So it makes sense that an interested family member (a parent, grandparent or caring older sibling) has to sit with the student so the two can share the book together. The purpose is to enjoy the content, mostly by talking about it together or having a conversation about a related idea that pops up.
I should emphasize that book time at home shouldn't be about trying to read every word in the book! This approach will lead to discouragement and perhaps even conflict with your child.
Feel free to talk about the pictures and the content. There's no problem with you reading the text to your child; after all, kids will follow a good role model! Sometimes a child will be glad to find words they know on the page, or just read the headings or the labels on the pictures, and then an adult read the details.
My three kids are now between 9 and 16. Our upstairs bookshelf is clogged with hundreds of books that we used to read together at bedtime. Often I was more tired at that point in the day than my kid! I sometimes found myself nodding off in the middle of "Snow White" or something. ("Dad!...Dad!...Wake up!") So, to help get it done faster, I would try to leave parts of the story out (I hate to admit it). My kids had heard some of those stories so many times that they had memorized every word, and they would always say, "Dad! It doesn't go like that! Read it right!"
Lesson: don't think for a second that they don't listen to you and appreciate the book when you read to them.
Could my kids read every word of those books? Hardly!
Did they learn and enjoy hundreds of stories? Yes!
Were they becoming literate? Absolutely!
Take the pressure off yourself.
Home reading is not, "Time to do your homework!"
It is, "Hey, what book can we enjoy together today?"
An important part of a child's reading growth is just the enjoyment of books, pure and simple.
Too often we try to push our kids too hard with reading, and we forget why the books were written in the first place! If your child isn't enjoying home reading, then something's wrong, and it's probably not the kid's fault.
In our home reading collection, many of the books are slightly above our students' reading levels, but they are (hopefully!) stories or topics of interest. So it makes sense that an interested family member (a parent, grandparent or caring older sibling) has to sit with the student so the two can share the book together. The purpose is to enjoy the content, mostly by talking about it together or having a conversation about a related idea that pops up.
I should emphasize that book time at home shouldn't be about trying to read every word in the book! This approach will lead to discouragement and perhaps even conflict with your child.
Feel free to talk about the pictures and the content. There's no problem with you reading the text to your child; after all, kids will follow a good role model! Sometimes a child will be glad to find words they know on the page, or just read the headings or the labels on the pictures, and then an adult read the details.
My three kids are now between 9 and 16. Our upstairs bookshelf is clogged with hundreds of books that we used to read together at bedtime. Often I was more tired at that point in the day than my kid! I sometimes found myself nodding off in the middle of "Snow White" or something. ("Dad!...Dad!...Wake up!") So, to help get it done faster, I would try to leave parts of the story out (I hate to admit it). My kids had heard some of those stories so many times that they had memorized every word, and they would always say, "Dad! It doesn't go like that! Read it right!"
Lesson: don't think for a second that they don't listen to you and appreciate the book when you read to them.
Could my kids read every word of those books? Hardly!
Did they learn and enjoy hundreds of stories? Yes!
Were they becoming literate? Absolutely!
Take the pressure off yourself.
Home reading is not, "Time to do your homework!"
It is, "Hey, what book can we enjoy together today?"
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thanks for Taking the Time
Thank you parents for dropping in last evening to meet me and chat. I look forward to seeing you again, most likely at interview time. Until then, watch for word lists in your child's agenda, starting in early October.
The home reading time is a daily opportunity to share a good book with your child. They will likely need your support in reading the book they have chosen.
The home reading time is a daily opportunity to share a good book with your child. They will likely need your support in reading the book they have chosen.
Our Science Unit
Science is one of my favourite subjects. I like the way it gives everyone an opportunity to explore the world and the way it works. Our first science unit is on "Movement" and it touches on concepts of simple machines, mechanisms, how toys work, and also some aspects of how things operate and move to help us.
Our classroom has a science kit called Gadgets, Gears and Gizmos to help support this unit. Look for some pictures in the days to come.
Vocabulary building ideas:
Our classroom has a science kit called Gadgets, Gears and Gizmos to help support this unit. Look for some pictures in the days to come.
Vocabulary building ideas:
- lever
- wedge
- screw
- ramp
- fulcrum
- effort
- force
- load
- push
- pull
- turn
Saturday, September 12, 2009
What's in the Bag
Here is what was sent home this week. Did you get it?
- Scouts Canada information pamphlet
- Insurance pamphlet
- Blue sheet - permission form for home reading kit
- White permission form bundle (stapled), containing "walk around the neighbourhood" trip permission forms, medical information, emergency contact information, permission to photograph
- Notice about this web site, www.room9parents.blogspot.com
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A Neat Thing Happened Today...
We were having our sharing time at the carpet. I had invited one student to read his writing to the class, and he agreed. This boy had been working hard to make some fixes to his work. When he read it to me out loud he had to stop and think - there were some words missing, so he added them in so it made sense.
After he read his piece, the students were asked, "What did you hear him read, and what do you see?"
Immediately the boy realized that his picture needed to have some changes made. Then another student asked, "What kind of toys does the animal play with?"
He very seriously explained what he meant, and the whole class listened respectfully.
What is neat about this is how quickly the student took ownership for his work, and how willing and ready he was to make it better. I believe that all of our students want their writing to be as good as possible, as long as they can find their topic meaningful to them, and provided that they have enough time and help to fix it up.
We really can't expect students to jump in and write perfectly on the first try. But with time, they will get the hang of it!
If you come into our room on Meet the Teacher Day (September 16), you will be able to look at all the writing we've done.
Mr. Brown
After he read his piece, the students were asked, "What did you hear him read, and what do you see?"
Immediately the boy realized that his picture needed to have some changes made. Then another student asked, "What kind of toys does the animal play with?"
He very seriously explained what he meant, and the whole class listened respectfully.
What is neat about this is how quickly the student took ownership for his work, and how willing and ready he was to make it better. I believe that all of our students want their writing to be as good as possible, as long as they can find their topic meaningful to them, and provided that they have enough time and help to fix it up.
We really can't expect students to jump in and write perfectly on the first try. But with time, they will get the hang of it!
If you come into our room on Meet the Teacher Day (September 16), you will be able to look at all the writing we've done.
Mr. Brown
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