This week’s post was illustrated by Danick, our class photographer. Happy Birthday!

I’ve been doing this for long enough!  I should remember. I know that after April vacation the remaining weeks of school are a sprint!   But somehow, I always seem to forget pace. The race is on… we can do it.

Thursday was a restful treat.  We were able walk in the wood and visit the vernal pools along the nature trail. We learned some Fun Frog Facts with Mr. Caron and then stayed quiet enough to see four frogs, three red efts and LOTS of tadpoles.  We had fun playing Flash Flood too.

Global Kindness Project – Week 2

This week’s theme of the Global Kindness Project was putting words to actions. And we did that by hiding bookmarks in the library. We left messages like: be happy, be yourself, smile, you’re wonderful, kindness rocks and more. We hope to make others smile, and that they will pass those smiles on even further. As a fun offshoot to that project (the bookmarks are beautiful – we rather liked them), we made another set to hide in our classroom library for each other. We are looking forward to finding our own special bookmarks too.

We began collecting stones that we’ll paint and leave around the school for others for our next action. We are thinking up ideas of images that will make others smile. We are having fun thinking of ways to inspire others and helping them feel happy.

State Wonder Work

There’s lots of talk about floats in the classroom – some children have begun, some are beginning and others are unsure about the status of their work. If I can be of any help, please let me know. In the classroom, most of the children have completed their research and their writing. We are now moving into the last phase of this work where we are putting all the pieces together to publish them in a digital poster. We are collecting the facts and putting a spin on them in the hope that viewers and readers will be convinced to visit the Wonders of each state.

Fractions – Looking Closer

We are continuing to grow our understanding of fractions. This week we spent some time adding fractions with like denominators. Applied what we are learning to recipes of foods that represent foods special to our states. We worked to double a recipe to see how that changed how the fractions were recorded. And we worked to cut the same recipe in half. This was a fun way to explore fractions and think about the information the different parts of the fraction give us. If you are using a recipe while you cook at home this would be a great opportunity to explore fractions together.   Next week we will be exploring fractions with linear measurement. We’ll be exploring fractions as we draw.

Bits and Pieces –

• Zack taught us a lot about being a goalie. He shared his equipment and showed how to make saves. He shared with our class and with 3CL. He did an amazing job.
• We finished Wonder today. Wow! I am looking forward to discovering how we celebrate and share the message of this book with others.
• Our broccoli is thriving!
• Smarter Balance Testing begins next week. Our first session is Monday. While this shouldn’t be any different than any other day, it is. It requires a tremendous amount of self-control and intense focus. It is exhausting.

Happy Mother’s Day!