The Week in Review

                                                    Health and Wellness Week:

        This past week, we took part in many activities related to our health and well being.  The district provided us with many online videos and ideas to get our bodies moving and educating us on hw to take better care of ourselves.  We watched Miss Tracey read to us and watched slides on water safety, now that summer is quickly approaching.  

Miss Tracey read The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds.

The children were very engaged and actively participated.

Reading:

We are continuing to read A Boy Called Bat. At first we were reading it out loud but now I found an audio version and it is being read to us while we actively listen.  The children seem to be enjoying the book and hopefully we will be finished by the end of the school year.

After listening to the section, the children work together to answer questions from those chapters.

Morning Meetings:

During this past week, I had a couple of the students run the meeting.  They have to come up with a greeting, share out and plan an activity to go along with it.  The children love to take the lead and own the meeting.  Great discussions and events are taking place.

I like observing the children interacting and holding great discussions about certain topics.  This one was about, emotions and how we feel during certain situations.

Many things are happening in our ELA classes.  We are wrapping up with Pen Pals, we are continuing work on Opinion Writing and have begun a countdown to the last day of school. 

 

On Friday the 3-5th graders took part in their Field Day.  The children had fun and played and participated in various activities.  We also had some fun games going on in the classroom.  Take a look at all the excitement:

In the classroom, the children also played some fun games and enjoyed their free time.

Social Emotional Corner:

This week hit me real hard with the tragedy that took place in Texas.  Each time I put on the tv, there was a reminder of the lost lives of students and teachers.  I can not help but think about those school aged children and what must have been going through their minds.  Such devastation and loss to those families. 

I was infuriated with how it all transpired and the handling of the event.  So many questions, so much to deal with.  Some coping skills that I am able to use are; talking about it.  My family and I had a long conversation about it the day it happened.  Having empathy for all those involved, spend time with those that are close to you, and finally, I had to moderate the news intake.  While getting the information is important, I had to limit how much of the news I was listening to.  So, today hug your child a little harder a little longer and a little more often. 

Coming Up/ Sneek Peek:

I am planning some fun end of the year activities that are both fun and educational.  On June 13th, 14th and 15th our classroom will be transformed into various themes.  

Next week I am also planning a Book Tasting Event, stay tuned.

Happy Memorial Day, I hope you all have a wonderful day.  

Listen to Every Sound or Thought

 The Week Overall;

I would have to say that I have had better weeks.  This past one through me for a loop.  I came in Monday morning, ready to start the week, interact with the children and continue along with our daily routine.  However, things didn't work out that way.  I had to leave due to a health concern.  I went to the ER Monday afternoon, not thinking that it was too serious.  The Doctor at the ER put me out of work for the next 2 days.  Long story, short I have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  That is the reason for the quote above.  By listening to what my body was saying, I discovered that it was a call for action.  Everyday, I tell my students that listening is a crucial part of learning, not just academics, but within yourself as well.  So, now I am listening more to what my body is telling me, not in words but by paying attention to certain feelings.  Once I got back on Thursday, we had a lot of catching up to do.

Reading:

As a class, we are readinf A Boy Called Bat.  We are reading it together and discussing the story along the way.  We have just begun and it is about a boy, who becomes fascinated with an orphaned skunk kit.  He tries to convince his family to care for it until it is ready to be released into the wild.  Will he convince them or not? 

This book has been assigned on Epic, but I am asking that the children read along with the class so that they are able to comprehend it and be able to answer the questions.

Final Book Project:

                                         

The children completed their last book project of the year.  This was the Puzzle Book Report.  On Friday, many of the children presented these fantasic reports.  

 

There were many unique and creative ways that the children came up with, posters, an actual puzzle made from foam, etc.  The book projects this year were phenomenal.  I was impressed with the amount of work and time that went into them.  The children did not disappoint, as they brought in their projects and left me in awe.

Here are just some of the ones that the childen turned in.

                 

                   

We are continuing our unit on Opinion Writing.  The children have been given a list of topics that they can choose from.  In their writing they need to start with their topic ssentence and give at least 3 solids reasons with details about their topic and finally ending it with a conclusion.  We use the RACE strategy when doing any type of writing such as prompts, answering reading questions, etc.

 

Self Care: On a Personal Note

 This brings me back to how my week began.  I was noticing that changes were taking place a few weeks before Monday.  I was exhausted, even after a good night's sleep.  My mouth was constantly dry and always needed to quench my thirst, my vision was blurred all the time and I overall just did not feel like myself.  People were even telling me I looked tired or asked, "Are you ok?"  

That's the time I had to stop and LISTEN to what my body was telling me.  If I hadn't listened to these signs (or Mrs. Porier), I would continue to carry on and not change my lifestyle.  I had two days to really reflect and focus on me and me only.  I knew the children were in good hands with the subs.  So, these days I am doing a lot more walking and eating so much better by planning out my meals and realizing that it's time to take a step back and reevaluate the important things in life.