May 8th Thursday

Reminders
Tomorrow is the due date for hot lunch orders for May


Our day
Journal writing this morning
I asked students to choose one of three options
1. I shared with them a haiku that I wrote for my mom's card for mother's day and asked them to use the 5/7/5 structure to write their own or try a poem with a simpler structure like "Roses are red..."
OR
2. I told a story about a time that I will always remember when my son cut the head off the Groovy dolls that were such a big hit several years ago and he blamed the 'people under the bed'! We are still looking for those evil 'people under the bed'. I asked the students to share a story beginning with....
"Mom, remember the time when..."
OR
3. On the digital board I set up a website for card verses  and asked the students to find one that they would like to use in the (Shhhhhh) creative card they were going to make in the afternoon.

Some found this very challenging to say the least and I found that many students were very vulnerable being asked to write about something that perhaps they did not want their classmates (or me for that matter) to know. A couple of students wrote and hid their work despite the fact that I had already promised not to read it or share it if they did not want me to.

I was a little taken aback by the lack of enthusiasm given that the big day is this weekend. I am always double guessing my lesson plans with this class!

Band class

math 7
Introduction day for the spend a Million/ Make a million project
Students are given a virtual 1 million dollars to help them either begin an entrepreneurial business, purchase a share in a franchise of their choice or chose a part time job to keep them afloat while they take courses toward a specific career path.

We had lots of interesting ideas that included one student opening a bakery, another buying into a Pink Berry franchise and a third taking computer science courses to establish himself as a coding expert to write new programs for computers.

Some students will be pairing up and pooling their $$$; others will be working alone. They must find
a place to live and work, a method of transportation and be able to sustain a reasonable lifestyle. The students were receptive and seemed interested although there are always a few that want to push the envelope on the possibilities which is why there is a list of what they are not allowed to spend $$$ on for the parameters of the project! Those options include any illegal or illicit services!!!
Yes, can you believe that I had to limit the creativity and options for some budding entrepreneurs!!

The skill sets needed for this project include ability to think, plan, research, cooperate, budget, add, subtract, make a spread sheet, create and present  - I decided to exclude the nasty expenses in life (taxes, hydro and other utilities, groceries and general daily upkeep) to keep this project from being too depressing. Really, one million dollars while still a ton of money does not go far if there is no thought into how it is used and for that reason the most important part of the project so that the students find real estate and buy a place to live so they can see costs. Already some students are saying "Oh that is too expensive" and those who began with the idea that they wanted a fancy car like a Bugatti were a little crest fallen to find the cost of such luxury vehicles!!
We are just getting started!

If that is all the project manages to instill I will be a happy teacher!

Read to self

Art
The rest of the afternoon was given over to creating something special for moms but my plans were derailed by a few who decided not to follow the art directions and went about doing their own thing for you. After all they know you much better, right?

They went to town on construction paper, ribbon and decorative features, pipe cleaners and tissue paper. We went through a roll of clear tape and glue. Scissors were busy and some even added their verses from the morning (not as many as I would have liked but I'll get over that!).
However, being a bit of a perfectionist about letters and creative projects I would just like to apologize - it was something I said to the class this morning before they set about the act of creating. I said , "it doesn't take much to make a mother happy" ... Oh, boy....I didn't mean that anything goes but maybe it does and I just need to let it go.
Enjoy and if you don't ...sorry in advance- I am not as talented at creative arts as Mrs. Hoyrup and besides I am trying to herd cats (12 years old going on "I know what I am doing you don't need to stand over me").

Anyway the classroom floor was a disaster but one that was easily set straight. With this age level I fear the unstructured structure of the creative project!!!

Have a lovely evening.
Mrs. J.