Second semester is off to a great start. I've put our green slips into action and such a positive phenomenon is happening as a result. I truly forgot the impact these have on the climate of our classroom and I'm wondering why I didn't do this sooner.
I have green slips with the Lifelong Guidelines, LifeSkills plus manners listed below. When I see a student using one of them . . . I circle it and give them the one. Sometime before they leave, they write their name and teacher at the top and put it in our basket. I will draw three slips at the end of each month and the student will choose something from our treasure chest. I've even encouraged them to notice when other students use them; they can then give their peers one. I'll make sure to post the winners each month along with the Lifelong Guideline or LifeSkill they used. Stay tuned . . .
It's a tornado of kind words, organizing hands and hard working students just to name a few. They've been doing many of these things all along, now I can recognize and appreciate them when I see it in action. It's a wonderful thing to be a part of. I have a few each class linger around helping me set up for the next class and organizing things, lol, until I kick them out.
We talked about the LifeSkill of courage this week. Some of the quotes shared with them are below:
- If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. (Verne Hill)
- Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak: courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
- Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
- Standing up for what you believe does make a difference.
Fourth Grade LA
A majority of my group is in the planning stages of their Google Slides presentation. They have a list of the requirements for their monologue, but translating that from their notes has not been an easy task. I'm asking them to use higher order thinking skills in their presentation and to not just list facts. I'm coaching them along, but not offering up the answers. I even had one ask to work on it at home. Almost all are finished with their timelines.
Fourth Grade Math
We continued our Kagen Showdown with problem solving, yet I adjusted mid-class to a different strategy. They are struggling with the division (we'll focus on it in the future), so I had them Think, Pair, Share instead. It's a more collaborative activity where they are not so isolated. After they have their own "think time", then they can come together to discuss the problem and make sure they are on track. It went much better!
Second Grade LA
We started out journaling about the Best and Worst thing about the book Edward. I really look forward to hearing their thoughts about the topic. This one was especially touching. They had some definite opinions about the book. They are really starting to just write. I'm still looking for PQA when they do, but not real concerned with spelling. Although, there are a few who need to put more thought and effort into their responses. I'll keep noting it in their journal. After reading a bit together, I gave them time to read. They jumped to their individual book mark and dove right in anxious to find out what happens next.
Second Grade Math
We continue to work with money. We played a game using money where they worked their way around the game board. They received task or money cards, some lost turns and others needed to add up a set of coins. There were money manipulatives for them to use if they chose to, but many were able to figure it in their head. Having just introduced the green slips to this bunch, it was such a pleasant game to play. They were kind and helpful and not competitive at all. My guess is it would have been a much different outcome without them.
Third Grade LA
My group was introduced to our novel study, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, through a PowerPoint. They were very excited! They worked in their journals to answer the pre-reading questions. It was interesting to see where each of them were. Two have seen the movie and/or cartoon, but I do have one who comes with no background knowledge at all. I'm excited for them to actually read the book and experience it in that way.
Third Grade Math
We continued our previous activity of Kagen Showdown with reducing fractions. Again, I switched to Think, Pair, Share to give them a more team involvement, but just at first. They seem to be unsure and need that support in the beginning. Once they became comfortable again with reducing, then I switched back to the Showdown. Also, we had one student complete his multiplication ice cream cone! Congratulations, Caysen!!!! He took the time and effort to study his 12's at home and he was ready! We have several hot on his tail and will also be passing soon. They wanted to take multiple tests on one day, just to finish. I'm very proud of them!
First Grade LA
We are finishing up our word scrambles. They have worked diligently on them. All are going at their own pace, but for the most part they've been successful and are getting quite good at them. Next week we'll do a challenging word scramble before launching into Lipograms.
First Grade Math
We started a challenging sum snowflake activity. It gave them a list of numbers that they could only use one (besides the center number)I simplified it by first using think pad sheets to come up with all the ways to make the sum of 13, for example. We then found a number that was most common among our list and put that in the middle of the snowflake. It was just a matter of placing the numbers in their appropriate circles to finish the problem. I still had looks of confusion on the first day, but by the second one they were catching on. On a different note, this group took the green slips to the extreme. It was . . . thank you for giving me the worksheet and can I help you with that? Too cute, but I did have to put a stop to it because it was more of a distraction.
Yours in education,
Mrs. Koedyker
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