Making Connections in Week Two!
This week has been another week of firsts… First Creativity Day! Our class is working with Ms. Kai, Ms. Stephanine, and the Larp Folks for the First Trimester, and the students did remarkably well transitioning from our Room 1 “home base” to adventure out into the wider Acera building and playground. We made sure that everyone felt comfortable and debriefed with the specialist teachers after the sessions. The core teachers spend these Wednesdays with classroom teams, core teachers, and having cross-classroom meetings. The students always come back inspired, and the staff return Thursday with thoughtful connections which inform our practice.
Literacy
We have been easing into our literacy curriculum with a mixture of teaching key components of our reading and writing blocks. This week we have been had three small groups working on A Book About Me, assessments, and learning how to work with the Metal Insets which are exercises in pre-handwriting. We are observing handedness, pencil grip, and core competencies to make sure that our students have strong foundations in phonetics, spelling, handwriting, storytelling, and story writing!
Math
We are so pleased that this year we are able to open our shelves to a plethora of math experiences and that many students are drawn to our extensive math materials throughout the day! We have been exposing students to some fun math challenges while doing some placement screenings. We will begin more formal math groupings on Monday, and in each classroom, we will be making sure that we provide a “low ceiling” which means providing a foundation to all. We also will provide a “high ceiling” which translates to extensions that deepen understanding and practice.
Project Time
As discussed during the listening conferences, we are spending the first weeks of school with experiences that inform us about the student’s interest, motivation, agency, and habits of mind. It was really wonderful to see a student making a doll-sized computer and coffee cup accompanied by a child-sized computer and coffee cup! The last 19 months of learning and working from home have undoubtedly made an impact on a child’s life. The social/emotional and educational information that we are gleaning during this time is outstanding!
Friendships
It has been AMAZING to watch the students coming together during the first two short weeks! We overhear so many precious conversations.
Student 1, “We are like best friends!”
Student 2, “We are becoming friends and we could be best friends. I have been looking for a friend at Acera.”
Student 1: “Yeah, we are friends!”
Student 2: “Well, you are my BEST friend at Acera!”
Student 1: “You are SO creative!!”
Parent/Teacher Listening Conferences
Thank you for all your time on Friday sharing such important information about your child and the effort you went into carefully preparing. It is always surprising how quickly the 30 minutes go! Alaza and I were so pleased that you were able to see the classroom, and in the coming weeks, we will be writing up the ILP’s and share them with you.
Ms Jen's & Ms. Lisa's Classroom Blog 