Welcome again! I am hoping that everyone is going to now be able to receive the updates to the blog. This blog is going to be a very important place to get information and news about what is happening in our classroom.

We have had a busy start already in our class. Writing has already started with students working on a “show-off” piece for me so I can see their writing style. In Science, we have been talking about what makes a good scientist. Students did a couple of activities to show how they need to work together when doing group work and experiments. One activity had students using only elastics and string to move cups into a pyramid. It was a lot of fun to watch! For Math, we have be slowly getting into playing with numbers using games and discussion on how numbers weave themselves all through our lives.

One of the big topics so far has been our ban on the words, “I’m done”! I hear this phrase all the time. However, there are several problems with this phrase or variants. Using this phrase signifies that the only goal of the class is to finish the assignment rather than focusing on the purpose of the assignment. In other words, kids often feel that their only goal is simply to finish the task set before them. This leads to kids:

• • rushing through work,
  • racing to be the first one finished,
  • waiting for and requesting the next activity rather than focusing on the task at hand.

Plus, as soon as one student calls out “I’m done,” many students feel pressured to catch up or end up distracted from their work.

So, instead, we have been focusing on using these phrases instead,

• What else can I add?
• How can I make it better?
• Where can I add more detail?
• What can I fix?
• How can I check this work?

We also want to teach students better time management skills so that they know the amount of time they have and can use their time more efficiently. This is going to be a tough skill for kids this year but one that I think will pay huge dividends for our students and for myself!

Bible Memory Verses

On another topic, students today got their first memory verse. We are working on Psalm 100:2 –

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

For bible memory verses, students are to memorize the verse so that they can recite it for me from memory on Fridays. Students can use different versions on the Bible if they feel more comfortable with another version or if that version is the only version you have at home.