Our morning went well and was productive but somehow the afternoon just got away on us and I felt like I spent more time asking for the students attention than actually getting it (their attention that is!).
It is funny how little things, even positive things, have a way of throwing my (our) plans off balance just a little. I am one of those people who need a sense of where I am trying to end up to be able to navigate through my days!!
We had some grade four student visitors for the last ten minutes of the day- they were good participants in the game we played but I am afraid that I can't say the same for some of my students- competitiveness has a place and a time and playing a friendly classroom word game isn't the place or time to be competitive!!
Stuff for Home
students still have socials reports to be working on for the extended due date tomorrow- there are 16 yet to be turned in for assessment (see the body of the Blog for my musings about the process of this project!)
Participants: Nic, Harjot and Teresa study for the Thursday School Spelling Bee
Spelling List # 5 for our class (everyone is participating) Thursday
Math7 Review Test on addition and subtraction of integers Thursday (by popular demand!)
Reminders
Students were reminded today that they must be dressed for the cold weather- many students were not suitably attired for the cold elements (jackets, hats, gloves, pants and footwear are needed)
By the way...it is cold!
Hot lunch forms home today due back by Friday Jan 20thSpelling certificates for the class spelling bee were issued to participants
6th annual spelling bee 1pm gym on Thursday Jan 19th
Friday is Crazy Hair Day and there is a 1pm performance by Buzz Brass
Friday there are IEP meetings please remember to return the forms to confirm
General Day
Well wouldn't you know it, today I did Daily French and the students seemed a little 'rusty'!! My fault I guess- I used some winter words to comment about the weather and the fact that today in Prince George it was -46!!! Daily French took a bit longer than usual.
Spelling study (the students were more interested in the falling snow because they've never seen any two snowflakes the same!!)
SRA reading program- it took a while to settle to the expected quiet reading environment. Students cannot talk and think about their reading. Reading thinking and responding demand a quiet time for brains at work.
Some students have finished four cards already and have been promoted to the next reading level. It is an independent program but I request that students finish one reading and language activity each session.
During this time I visited each student to get an ETA on the socials projects. Four more were handed in complete today (that makes 9). Most are close to completing and will be ready for tomorrow but a few are not close at all.
FYI
What's more important: the project itself or the process and the learning curve? For me, it is the process and students who do not manage to hand in the project within the week's deadline will be giving up some of their own time (not class lesson time). They just don't all know this yet. I have met with a couple of parents regarding this project and I have assured them that this is not their project and just to let the 'cards fall' where they may because I have been monitoring the work (or lack thereof) and will be providing the natural consequences fairly and consistently. The due date was extended until tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how many students need some time management tutorials. It should be fun (not!).
Writing- student had some time to complete the Toronto paragraph activity (which we started writing out yesterday). I also took advantage of the digital overhead to show the students a worksheet that I had been preparing for a creative paragraph activity. Once I learn how to post the worksheets to my Blog I can share with you too. But I don't know where the saved page went to!! I saved it a s a web page so I could add it here but I have no idea where it is now (web world).
Anyway, the activity is to choose a letter of the alphabet and use words using that letter in a paragraph to describe either a situation or a person.
There is great paragraph which used the letter B from a novel called the Art of Racing in the Rain which I used as my inspiration. My paragraph used the letter D.
This was just introduced today- students haven't started to write it but were asked to think about which letter they would chose for this activity.
Math 7
completion and review of subtraction of integers
I used the overhead to find a colourful website that used the integer chips to show the 'chip' method of subtracting integers. We worked on the extra practice worksheet 9.4 in class.
I still find that there is a bit of confusion in the subtracting of integers but I can only address it well when I find out who needs a bit more practice so a review test for adding and subtracting integers on Thursday this week will help with that.
Students decided that Thursday was the best day for a review! Gives another night for studying their worksheets because everything on the review test is in their class work. To study efficiently, a review of the last two week's class work is the easiest method.
Tomorrow we will study and use the text book Chapter 9 for more practice and examples.
Silent Reading
French game
les professions: students have a card with a variety of different jobs on it, they try to mime the action for that job while the rest of the students try to guess (first in English) then in French (they look up the reference and try to pronounce the job en français.
Focus and participation skills were not good during this activity- too much disruptive chatter and silliness (welcome puberty- right on time for the New Year!!)
Physical Education
Split gym: floor hockey/ basketball game
Again some poor choices and lack of sportsmanship which will jeopardize further split gym situations as I find that I cannot referee (or monitor) two different sports at the same time.
Can you tell I was getting frustrated?
back in class at 20 minutes to 3pm, we decided to play a word game (bad choice perhaps on my part given the afternoon's slow decline. However, I decided not to read the class novel as it is a bit risqué for grade four ears (remember we had a few visitors for ten minutes). So what to do?
We played a game of hangman using movies and TV program titles. It was okay but it did get a little noisy and boisterous again.
What was I thinking. Ah, got it- I seriously wasn't thinking clearly!!
Before dismissal Hot lunch forms were distributed, spelling certificates were given to participants, reminders on the board were read and the dismissal bell rang before we had time to do a proper clean up (I'll whine about that tomorrow). I need to address the clothing, cloakroom and lunch container issues - as I said the afternoon got away on me! I wasn't able to detain 'el messy sombreros' as I had some parents that I needed to talk to - never a dull moment in the land of elementary school. lol
Have a relaxing evening.
I intend to plan a class meeting to address some of my concerns in the next couple of days as things are feeling a little 'frenetic' (it might be the snow, or puberty, or (insert excuse here)- now this sounds like that song, Wasn't that a Party!!) However excuses do not address behaviour and unaddressed behaviour will only spiral further until we decide together what we can do differently.
Wish me luck- "I'm going in"!
Mrs. J.
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