We bagan the day by practicing handwriting and spelling. Our social studies lesson was about families. We talked about how families are different--different numbers of people, different interests, different living situations. Students drew pictures of their families.

Since the wind chill was below zero, we stayed inside for recess. Afterward, we reviewed "verbs" and students were tape recorded saying a complete sentence that included an action word. Some examples of their sentences are, "I like to swim." and "I like to build with Legos." They enjoyed listening to their voices on tape.

Lunch recess was indoors, too, so students worked together on a mural. We started an author study of Jan Brett by reading The Hat. We talked again about ideas in writing. Another way to generate ideas is to make lists. Today, students made a list of 4 items they want for Christmas. I promised to send the lists home tomorrow so you all can mail them to the North Pole. :)

Students took a math test today, to see what they remembered about growing patterns. I stood folders between students to act as privacy barriers. After the test, students paired up to play the card game Top It (formerly known as War).

For afternoon recess, our birthday boy, Christian, chose a video for us to watch. We followed the video with a speed reading test, then students drew a growing pattern in their math journals. We ended the day by learning the signs to the song Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian). For more videos on how to sign Christmas songs, see the sign club blog (link is on the right).