Thursday Sept. 26th

Reminders
Hope to see you tonight at our annual pot luck 5:30-7pm
Math 7 tomorrow quiz 2 on basic skills (multiply and divide)
Math 6 graphing worksheet
6/7 think or talk about something you would like to write, create, build etc. for a project based inquiry (project)


our day
crazy!
photo days are always interrupted days- just get settled and something happens somewhere or the phone is ringing or the sound system is sounding or the students are fixing their hair and posing for their fashion shoots!

Writing this morning:
Weird and wonderful dreams from the Far Side of the Brain (teaching studenjts about the make up of their brain and how it works- or doesn't always work properly!)
We shared some pretty whacky stories and they really got into it - it was lots of fun I think but you'd have to ask them!!
I entertained the students with the story of my weird and whacky school dream last night that featured some students who had something to tell me!!! Intrigued?

Yesterday, a student told that I had 'botched' my French accent (it is difficult for a girl from Scotland to sound convincingly French, n'est ce pas?) and I tried not to be hurt by the comment (filed it into my sub conscious apparently) another student had complained that he did not get a chance to do enough 'projects' and wanted to do a particular project he had in mind (good stuff, right?)- another told me he was simply bored and had not been challenged enough and so had not really tried much....fast forward to my weird school dream in which all three students' appeared all together sharing with me their opinions and thoughts. Woke up with a start at 4am.

But it provided me with a great idea and, after I was sure they were only in my dream, I was really inspired!!!
I thought about a great (in my opinion) way to incorporate some of the students' requests although I won't give up with the French- I'll just get said student to help me with my pronunciation (Sheesh- try Gaelic, buddy)

Anyway...Friday afternoons are going to be Project Based activties- we brainstormed a bunch of ideas today. I have a computer time booked for research and have asked the students to either individually or with a partner decide on something that they have always wanted to do (have a passion for) like...

-write a children's story and illustrate it
-create a portfolio of specific art genre
-finish the novel they started in grade 5
-science related (not chemistry per se i.e. no explosions or mixing weird stuff behind my back!) physics and engineering type projects that are more tactile - for my 'builders'
- animal related projects
- acting group working toward a performance

the ideas are endless given help with resources and what the students have in mind. We will make an effort to start this next Friday as it needs to be coordinated and I want a clear plan and idea of what the students want to chose to do on Project Fridays. They seemed keen.

Band class

Math 7 (interrupted by photos)
Shared an assessment rubric for looking at math progress with skills which I created in student friendly language (all the teacher jargon means nothing to my students)
then we did more work on place value and, of course, we were really working up a storm when the photo call came ....Wahhhhh!

Read to Self

Outside for an DPA activity session as their were lots of restless minds and souls tis afternoon and it was so beautiful I couldn't pass up a half hour of running like gazelles (okay maybe not!!)
I discovered today that my idea of 'motion' is not he same as my students' but it was like we were doing Tai Chi together so it's all good.

Back in class for a science connection to the issue of saving species that are endangered we watched 15 minutes of the Planet Earth video about what species amd parts of the planet are in trouble- a bit too many talking heads for the end of the day but when I stopped the DVD there were a number of complaints! 5 minutes more...

Planner time (AKA HAmmer time :) they are still enjoying that- give it two weeks and they'll be fed up with it!

And before we knew it - time for the end of school

funny day but I love these kind of days and the part about this career is that you never know what is going to happen any given day even if you plan it to the last minute...

see you tonight?
Mrs. J.