Classroom Tour
Morning Meeting
Building a learning community is the most important thing we do in our classroom. We have to trust each other in order to help each other be the best learners. We come together, standing in a huge circle next to our clock partners, just after the school announcements, every day. We follow the same predictable four steps every day - Pledge of Allegiance, Greeting, Teacher Announcements, and an Activity. On Monday, we share about our weekend events and activities. On Tuesday, our Sailor of the Week chooses our activity. We have cards that tell about games to play, like our favorites Bo-Bo-Ski Watten and Dead Horse, and others from this book and other sources. On Wednesday, we talk about what each student is currently reading. They say the copyright date, the title and author, the genre, literary elements, and and they give suggestions of books that others might like. On Thursday, our activity is an SEL- Check-in. They read the question on the board and fill in this Google Form, telling me how they're feeling. I get to know them better this way. On Friday, the activity is a STEAM Challenge that the Sailor of the Week plans for us. Our Morning Meeting sets up our day and gets us started on the right foot.
Classroom tour Morning Meeting - Google Slides.webmThe Forty Book Challenge
Students have been challenged to read 40 books this school year. They get to choose the books. I booktalk books from the ten different genres on their Genre Shelfie, and have been known to make recommendations on the spot for individuals. Each day, they record what they read the night before in their planners. When they finish a book, they punch a hole in their card and keep the book cards on their book ring. At the end of the year, they'll bring home their Shelfie! It's a great way to show their accomplishment in Reading.
How Does the Split Class Work?
Teaching a split class is the best! A lot of planning goes into it. Following routines and procedures is a must! We do very few learning activities as a whole group. Once in a while, Science and Social Studies lessons are taught to the whole group. For example, we have a Junior Achievement volunteer who comes to help us learn about economics. Most, however, is taught in a small group - - just the way I like it. Smaller groups makes differentiation easier. Students do a great deal of their work with same grade partners who are sometimes homogeneously paired. My 2018-19 students made videos for you about how we do Reading and Math each day.
Jun 6, 2019 10:46 AM.webmJun 6, 2019 10:22 AM.webmSailor of the Week
We have a nautical Theme in our room, so our VIP or Superstar of the week is called The Sailor of the Week. Every student gets to be the Sailor for one week of the school year. Their responsibilities include running Morning Meeting (including planning for a STEAM Challenge on Friday), delivering messages and lunches, choosing our Word of the Day, updating our board with Clock Partner information and the date, announcing the Reading assignments for the day, and sitting on the green stability ball. Students can see the list of upcoming Sailors of the Week on the back of our mailboxes in our room.
Classroom Tour : Sailor Of The WeekClassroom Jobs
Each student is assigned to a job inside or outside our classroom. I don't change jobs very often unless someone isn't getting the job done regularly. Here's a video my 2018-19 students made about classroom jobs:
Jun 6, 2019 9:10 AM.webmStandards and Benchmarks
I post the week's benchmarks each Friday for the next week, usually written as I Can Statements. A student or two reads them to the class on Monday during our Morning Meeting. We read them at the beginning of lessons and sometimes at the end of the day to refresh our memories and check our progress. You'll find these written daily in their planners, too.
There are hundreds of books in our Classroom Library. Students borrow books from me whenever they like. They can take one home at a time. Any book that needs TLC can be placed in the Book Hospital for mending. There's lots to read! What would you like to borrow?
STEAM Challenges
We love our challenges! I give some challenges every year and the students follow the engineering design process to complete them. Each week, our Sailor of the Week gives us a challenge on Fridays. Here is an explanation and some of our Friday Favorites:
Classroom tour STEAM.mp4
Writing
We use a writing process that includes pre-writing, drafting, revising (adding juicy words, rearranging sentences), editing with a parent, teacher or peer, and publishing.
Technology
Our students use Chromebooks and classroom computers during the day. Our Chromebook Cart houses 36 Dell Chromebooks. We use SeeSaw, Wonders Online, MegaMath, and IXL almost daily. We use them to publish our writing weekly, to read the classroom blog, and use links from our Classroom Links page that go with what we're learning now. It's someone's job to unplug them every day and someone else's to plug them in at the end of every day.
Art Adventures
Art Adventure is a program that engages students with artworks from the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s collection and through the support of thousands of trained, school volunteers, sends visual arts into K-6 classrooms across Minnesota and beyond. The program encourages creativity, critical thinking and global awareness through in-depth explorations of art across various cultures and time periods. Art Adventure is an opportunity for students to experience art up close and personal through reproductions, technology and touch-and-feel props.
Watch this video to learn more: https://vimeo.com/175854169
Kindergarten Buddies
We love reading with our Kindergarten Buddies from Mrs. Hietala's class. Our kids are matched with a kindergartner in September. About twice every month, we meet inside or outside to enjoy and encourage a love of reading. The book choices vary - fiction and non-fiction. Our kids love this time!
Field Trips
Out third graders visit the Lake Superior Zoo when we study bats in our Structures of Life Science Unit. We also go to the Planetarium at UMD when we're studying the Moon and Stars. Usually in the Spring, we attend a play at The Duluth Playhouse. Just before the end of the school year, we go roller skating. Our fourth graders get to go along, too. Roller skating is my favorite! I get to show off my backwards crossovers!
Our fourth graders have one on-campus and one off-campus field trip with Hartley Nature Center. We get to learn about water and Lake Superior at the Great Lakes Aquarium during our Water Science Unit. Usually in the Spring, we attend a play at The Duluth Playhouse. At the end of the school year, we go bowling with the other fourth graders.