Trading Posts

This morning students edited and proofread their winter stories, then worked on winter related math.

Students also drew and wrote about what it feels like when they are calm and learning, what it feels like when they start to get distracted and why, and what their body feels like when they aren't paying attention. We will be working with this topic more in the new year, teaching the students ways to help them be respectful, calm, and pay attention (and hence, learn) even when it is difficult for them, and ways to exert pent up energy without distracting others (like lifting their toes in their shoes repeatedly instead of getting up to go talk to a friend when they should be listening or working quietly). There are parts of the day where they can work cooperatively with a partner or group, or do hands-on activities that involve movement but there are also parts of the day when they need to work quietly and independently, and some students have difficulty with this.

 After recess we continued with our novel study, listening to 2 chapters and writing about the setting. They also made predictions about what will happen next. Students also worked on their trading posts and items to sell before lunchtime. Those who were not finished stayed in at lunch time to complete their projects.

After lunch was silent reading and setting up the trading posts. This was a FABULOUS event and students worked really hard to create beautiful, colourful, and detailed trading posts with creative and amazing arts and crafts to sell. The hand-made items were carefully made and a huge THANK YOU to parents who obviously spent quite a bit of time helping their child create wonderful things to sell. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the arts and crafts, and so were the 4 primary classes and their teachers who came to buy the items.
Close to 100 grades 1-3 students came to our classroom. Each student was given $11 Wilson Bucks to spend on anything that was for sale. Many will likely give these items as gifts to their families. Our grade 4s were excellent sellers, advertising their wares and posting sold out signs when their alotted amounts for each class ran out. The event ran very smoothly and several students took turns being the banker to give change to students and teachers.

Our grade 4s also kept a proper ledger with their inventory, cost per item, and total amounts sold. Some students made over $80 in Wilson Bucks. Now, what can they use those Wilson Bucks for??? They will have to ask Mr. Wilson!!!
After the classes left, the students were very hyped and excited to check out each others' trading posts. I gave them time to browse and some purchased items from each other.

A sample of arts and crafts made by 6 different students in our class.

This very successful, fun, and relevant Social Studies project was Mr. Wilson's idea. He was working elsewhere in the school this afternoon so I facilitated the event but he did managed to stop in and see everything in action.
This took us to near the end of the day. We cleaned up, rearranged the desks, and cleaned out their mailboxes before leaving for the day.

Reminders:

Please return all library books. The librarian is doing inventory and all books must be returned. Students will sign out new books again in January.

All students must be in their classrooms at 5:15 pm on Wed, Dec. 19 for the Winter Concert, even if their family/guests are not attending.

A 2nd performance for parents/guests is at 1:30 pm on Thurs, Dec 20.

Mrs. S