Often I ask my child how school was and what he/she did today and the reply I receive is “Good. Nothing.” I leave the conversation feeling unsatisfied and shut out. My child just spent 7 hours at school and I have no idea what was done during that time. If this pattern sounds familiar, please let me first assure you that your child is doing something.
I started asking my children more specific questions. I usually start out with, “Who did you sit with at lunch?” or “What did you do at recess?” I find those questions to help relax my child and open up the lines of communication. Some follow up questions that you can always ask your child are:
Hopefully, these questions will return more than “Nothing” as an answer. If not, please reach out and we can work together on opening those lines of communication. Hello! Well, this is one of those posts where I have so much to share! Book A Day As you know, we are reading a picture book each day in our classroom. The students tend to love this intimate time of day, during which the students tune out everything except the book. So far, we have read over 30 books! We have learned about interesting people like Amelia Bloomer, Trombone Shorty, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, and have met characters, like Grace and Charlie McButton, whose determination and perseverance inspired us. We have made inferences about characters and settings, like in Two Bad Ants. And, we have laughed, sometimes we even cackled. So far I think the funniest moments shared have been when listening to Stuck and Arnie the Doughnut. Sometimes our books are sweet and simple, like Life, which after hearing about all the devastating hurricanes, brought us reassurance and hope. Sometimes our books highlight different cultures, as in Suki and Her Kimono. Sometimes our books highlight messages thematic with a growth mindset, such as to never give up, or keep trying, or it is OK to make a mistake or feel frustrated. My hope is that for each child in my classroom, I will have shared a book that resonates with him/her. If you are ever in need of a question to ask your child, a great one is "What did you think of your Book a Day book today?" If you want to follow it up, you can always ask, "Why do you think Mrs. Kirsch chose to share that book?" "Is this a book you would like to check out of the library and share with us?" Above is our Book A Day bulletin board. We are keeping track of our daily reading adventure and also holding Mrs. Kirsch accountable for not forgetting! ;) Catapults As part of our Energy Unit, we have been learning about how energy is transferred. Using a tissue box, pencils, rubber bands, tape, and two plastic spoons, students had to create a catapult that would transfer energy to a ping pong ball. In groups they designed and built a catapult, and put it to the test. The students then reflected how their catapult showed a transfer of energy and what changes they could have made to have made their ping pong ball go a greater distance. Using See Saw, the students recorded these reflections. Below is a slideshow of pics of us testing our catapults and click on this link to see a video of our distance and height contest! See Saw
How did I ever teach without this app? This app is a keeper! We have had so much fun recording ourselves reflecting on our learning. We are now adding a 40 Book Challenge Review Component on See Saw. Our friends and family can listen to what we think of a book. Directions for how to view your child's See Saw posts are coming home. Be on the lookout! This past month we have been focusing on both reading and writing stamina. We have discussed, practiced, and reflected on both our reading and writing stamina in the classroom. But, stamina goes beyond classroom walls. I want students to see that reading stamina is not just something we practice only in school. Therefore, in combination with our 40 Book Challenge, the students are now going to be filling out monthly reading reflections about their book choices, reading stamina, and goals that they have for the upcoming month. Below is what the reflection looks like. I am looking forward to watching the students take ownership of their reading!
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Welcome to Room 314!
Have fun following our fabulous 4th grade journey! Important Dates
August 22nd- First Day!
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September 2018
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