Discovering and Creating Wonderful Things

It was another exciting week at SOS and the children are doing a great job!

Our motto is- I can't do that Yet!!
Many times the children say, "I don't know how to do it."  I tell that that they cannot do it yet, but they will eventually learn how to.  We are trying to keep this motto going throughout all of the classrooms.  It's not that they don't know how to do it or can't do it, it's that they are learning the skills to be able to do it, so eventually they will learn how.  I love to keep things positive and upbeat. 

4th Grade:
     

 

On Monday we start the day with station rotation.  Each station is dedicated to a particular activity.  There is a Reading station a Writing station and a Technology station.  The students enjoy moving from one station to the next.  There is a lot of group work and collaboration that takes place.  They can always help each other out if someone is stuck on a particular skill. 

 

The children have also been reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing in small groups.  They read the book together, discuss what is going on and write summaries. There are wonderful conversations taking place and many make connections with characters or situations in the book.  They run their small group efficiently and cooperation is always a must.  Everyone participates in his or her own way.  

  Each afternoon, before lunch, we gather in front of our big screen computer and watch a small video about mindfulness.  It is part of our Dojo classroom.  The video is watched, we discuss the questions and then we share it with parents, in hopes of continuing the conversations at home.  It is a wonderful way to learn more about one another and build relationships with classmates and teachers. 

Mrs. D'Amico's class is busy creating book reviews.  They are writing scripts and recording them on their chromebooks.  They will be sharing them with their classmates by the end of the week.  We have some future directors and actors/actresses  in the classroom.  Can't wait to see their final products.

 

All the rain this week did not keep the children from having fun during indoor recess time.  They played board games, spent some down time on the computers and even had some drawing.  Lots of happy faces and fun times.

Our classroom book a day is growing each day.  After reading the book, we discuss what connection we made, or what lesson was learned.  The children look forward to it and enjoy discussing and sharing their stories.

5th Grade:

 
We are on the Summit Platform and the children have been given their first English project.  The platform provides many resources for the students to go to and take notes on articles or videos.  They seem to be adjusting nicely to this and are becoming independent, self learners, also with guidance and directions from all of their teachers.  They are also reading Crash and seem to enjoy reading in small groups.

 

 


So many happy faces and learning going on.  They are very involved and on task.  They are using all spaces available to them.  Many enjoy staying in the classroom while others enjoy using the learning commons, and the bean bags are also a hit.  They make choices, discuss the reading and produce great work and effort on their part.  I am looking forward to seeing how their 1st project turns out (Comparing and Contrasting stories). 

Whether listening to a video or taking notes on an article they just read, the children are engaged and focused.  I love watching them discover new things or have aha moments as they read. 

I am thrilled to be a part of your child's learning and can't wait to watch them blossom into wonderful, self independent learners.  It is so important to give them choices in how they learn and watch them make discoveries.  Many great things are happening at SOS. Stay tuned for many new and exciting things taking place.