What a great first day!

We had a very busy day in second grade! We started by discussing rules we would need in order to have a safe classroom. Thankfully, many of the rules the students came up fit neatly under the categories of a 5-rule system that I love, so we will use them. They are: Rule #1-Follow directions quickly. Rule #2-Raise your hand for permission to speak. Rule#3, Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat. Rule #4, Make smart choices. Rule #5-Keep your dear teacher happy.

Students learned the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language. I also taught some useful signs for how to ask to use the bathroom and how to ask to get a drink. See if your child can remember any of them.

We practiced appropriate use of math materials and students circulated around the room using some of our classroom resources. Students did a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) challenge in which I gave each group rolls of masking tape, sheets of paper, and a marble. I asked them to create a marble maze. I had allotted 40 minutes for this activity, but the kids really got into it and needed more time for enhancements and repairs before a trial run. Everyone worked hard and learned a lot!

I sent home a Scholastic Book Order catalog. If you wish to order anything, there is a link on the right side of this blog page to Scholastic. You may place your online order between now and Sept. 19. I will not accept paper orders because of the logistics involved.

I also sent home a brown lunch bag with instructions attached for creating a "Me Bag" that will be due next Tuesday. Your child my decorate the outside of the bag with a photo and fill it with 5 significant items. My bag contains a purple pen (purple is my favorite color), a small bottle of paint (because I love to paint), an iPod nano (because I love music), Chapstick (because I constantly apply it), and a mini book (because I love to read).

There is a link on the right side of this blog called Class Web Page. I updated it last night to reflect this year's schedule and to give you more information about our class expectations and procedures. Our class will have specials as follows:
Monday-Technology
Tuesday-Spanish
Wednesday-PE
Thursday-Art
Friday-Music

Welcome to a new school year at MID

I want to thank all the families of my students for coming to orientation tonight. It was nice to meet you and to meet your adorable children. Next week, you will receive your student handbook and I will also send home information about our classroom procedures and expectations. Thanks, again. See you Monday!

To the parents of my 5th grade class...

Hello, parents! I am switching away from this blog and moving toward having everything accessible from the Charlotte Choice Charter web page. Please go there for links to homework assignments, spelling and vocabulary word lists, etc. There is also a link on there to contact me by email. Thanks!

Bubble Gum Science

By now you've probably heard about our review of the scientific process. Students started by formulating a question. Our question was, "Which brand of bubble gum will blow the largest bubbles?" Students formed a hypothesis and then tested 3 brands of bubble gum. A partner helped them to measure their bubbles with a length of yarn. Students recorded their findings, analyzed data, and drew a conclusion. Based on data collected from the entire class, we found that Double Bubble blew the largest bubbles. We also thought that Double Bubble was the largest chunk of gum inside of it's package, and that may be why it resulted in the largest bubbles.

Did you notice the name change (above)?

Yes, the name of my blog has changed. Now my class is made up of only 5th graders. As of Tuesday, the 4th graders will join Mr. Newkirk's class and Coach Cotte's students will join my 5th graders. We will spend a few days getting to know each other and learning new rules, expectations, and procedures while continuing to work hard. Our first official class newsletter will go home next Thursday. It will contain information about my behavior plan. I look forward to getting to know my new students!

150th Anniversary of March on Washington

While the beginning of our day was the standard fare, we had an interesting afternoon, learning about the March on Washington and the events that led up to that historic event. We worked with the 5th grade students in Coach Cotte's class to create a timeline of important events in the Civil Rights Movement. Although we were sitting for 2 hours, my class was so well behaved that I gave them a small reward when we got back to our classroom. It was a great day!

Great First Day!

Hello! I am happy to report that we had a great day in our 4/5 combo class! We played some ice breaker games to learn each others names, compared interests via a Venn diagram, and played "Two Truths and a Lie." We also discussed character development, came up with a list of class rules, and read chapter one of The Hundred Dresses. We played a "I have ___. Who has ___?" card game for math, which required that students know units of measure, and took 2 math assessments for placement purposes. It was raining during our outdoor physical activity time, so we played some dice games in the classroom. The only homework I assigned was the "Me Bag" which is due on Friday. Please read, sign, and return the forms that were sent home today. There are also several pages at the back of the student handbook that must be signed and returned. I am looking forward to tomorrow!