Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Day 3....Settling In!!

Ahhhh, Day 3 and things are starting to fall into place...

This morning the students came in and checked in/ordered lunch using the Promethean Board.  Then they did an activity where they found students in class who met certain criteria.  This was a way to get to know one another.  After that, we watched the morning announcements through a Google Hangout.

Next, we reviewed our My Job, Your Job, Our Job chart which we created yesterday.  Then I modeled choosing a topic, from the chart, and describing it using three different viewpoints; the student, the teacher, and Mr. McGee.  Finally, the children completed a circle of viewpoints activity, on Google Classroom - SS, identifying a topic and describing it, and asking a question about it, from the three viewpoints.

After social studies we took a Go Noodle brain break.  Then we began our math block.

TOMORROW we will begin switching for math.  Today, though, the students created a pizza glyph depicting information about themselves.  After that, they got an Xtra math account, logged in, watched a tutorial, and got started.  Xtra math is an online app that helps the students master the basic math facts.  Look for a letter in your child's home folder this evening.

After math the students enjoyed lunch and outdoor recess.

When they returned to class, we took a few minutes to complete our math block and then we began our literacy block.

First I read The Important Book out loud and we discussed the format of each page.  Then the children shared, with elbow partners, what is important about them.  After that I reviewed today's independent tasks with the class.

All students began by joining Google Classroom pages for science, homework, class meeting, and writing.  Then they listened to The Important Book, again, and wrote an important poem.  Finally, some students began creating an All About Me Sandwich, using a Google Slide presentation.

The students ended their day with art.

There is NO HOMEWORK this week.
Back to School Night is tomorrow night.  It begins at 6:00 pm.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Day 2...Getting Settled In!

This morning we got our Promethean Board!!  This makes teaching, and learning, much easier!

So, after the morning announcements, we ordered lunch/checked in using the board.  Then we learned about our positive behavior reinforcement system, Class Dojo.  After that we began our first social studies lesson.

We briefly discussed the many emotions people experience as a new school year gets underway.  Then I modeled how to completed a Compass Points activity identifying my person emotions as this new year begins.  After that the students joined the social studies page in Google Classroom and worked on their own Compass Points page.  Finally, we shared out our feelings and noticed commonalities.

After social studies we attempted to take our first Go Noodle brain break.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the sound to work on the Promethean Board.  So we moved on to our math block.

We began math by brainstorming vocabulary we used last year on a padlet.  After that, the children worked collaboratively with their table groups to create a math ABC.  They identified one "math word" for each letter of the alphabet.

Next the students enjoyed lunch and outdoor recess.  Directly after recess, they went to PE with Mr. Smith.

When we all returned to the classroom, we quickly shared our math ABCs.  Then we took time to brainstorm, list, and discuss the children's job, the teacher's job, and jobs we share in regards to school, education and learning.

After that, the students worked collaboratively to answer questions and make generalizations about change.  We shared their wonderful ideas just prior to dismissal.

There is NO HOMEWORK this week.

Back to School Night is this Thursday evening.

Monday, August 29, 2016

First Day of Fourth Grade

Today marks the first day of fourth grade, not only for the children, but for me, too!!!

We had a busy day today.  We began by choosing seats and decorating name tag tents.  Then we organized and labeled materials, folders, and journals.  While I met with small groups to do this, the rest of the class worked on a newspaper identifying important parts of their summer.

After that, we took a tour of the school and made an afternoon dismissal chart.

Finally, it was time for lunch and recess.

After recess, I distributed home folders and some papers.  During this time the children decorated a front cover for their home folder.  After that, we reviewed Chrome Book etiquette and procedures.  Then the students got their assigned Chrome Book and practiced logging in.

During his time we had a fire drill.

When we returned  from the drill, the students joined our math group in Google Classroom, and began their first task, All About Math Me.

Some reminders:


  • The BLUE emergency form MUST be returned tomorrow.
  • We have PE tomorrow.  Please dress your child appropriately.
  • Students should bring a small water bottle to keep at their seat.  We have a water jug but they need their own bottle to fill.
  • Back to School Night is this Thursday.

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