Bug Art, Multiplication, and Kindness

Bug Art made from the mirror image of their handwritten name

This morning students wrote their Science Quiz on Sound, then finished their Bug Art made from their handwritten name. Their art is creative and imaginative, and they look great!

In Math, we practised 3 digit x 1 digit questions together on the board and independently before correcting them together. Students shared their answers on the board and explained how they calculated their answers.

Multiplication practise

From recess until lunch the students' activities and assignments had a kindness and respect theme. Our school is focussing on respect this month. February 27 is Pink Day for anti-bullying, and everyone can benefit from reminders on what respect is and how to be respectful towards others.
First, I led them through an exercise where they scrunched up a piece of paper (as fast and as small as they could in 30 seconds, to make it fun), then flattened and smoothed it out as well as they could in 30 seconds. Then they analyzed their paper's condition and said sorry to their paper. We talked about how even though you said sorry, the scars on the paper remain. The folds, scrunches, and marks on the paper are like how unkind and disrespectful words make us feel and even if someone says sorry, those scars sometimes still remain.

Scrunching up their papers

To focus on the positive, I set up a shiny box on my desk. It is the Gotcha box and I'll label it the next day I teach our class. Whenever I or anyone in the class sees a classmate doing something kind for someone else, we can write about it on a piece of paper and put it into the box. At the end of my teaching days, we'll pull some of the papers out of the box and read them aloud.

New Reading and Math groups with Ms. Smith started today. Some students work with her in a small group on reading and math skills, to supplement what is done in the classroom.

While the Reading group was with Ms. Smith, the remaining students read a fantastic book called Zen Shorts by Jon Muth. The book has layers of meaning about kindness and respect, and the students completed an activity about what they took away from the book. (We also have the sequel to Zen Shorts, called Zen Ghosts, in our classroom).

Mr. Wilson taught the class this afternoon.

See you next Monday and, to borrow Ellen's phrase, Be Kind to One Another.

Mrs. S