Our grow tower is a mass of green and we've started our second cycle as some of our other plants are maturing. We even donated some to the fishes at the front office and their eco system.
I do not have a lot of photos from the last week, as my battery on my device just wasn't cooperating with my desire to document the children's learning.
Below are a few snippets from the past week. We spent a large portion of the week working on collaboration and friendly debate when our ideas were different from our peers.
Higher order thinking for sure. Not only were these young minds having to step away from their own egocentric mindframes to practice politely considering other viewpoints, we threw in open-ended math problems into the equation...(see what I did there)...It's hard work!
The children are continuing to work on numeracy skills, addition, number sentences/equations.
The children are also still enjoying taking turns after self-selected reading/guided reading time to read to the class.
The second half of the school year is often an exciting time for the children when it comes to their reading, as many beginning readers start to see great improvement in their reading skills. I am hoping to be able to complete some more reading assessments this week and 'reward' their efforts by assigning them a different reading level...a nice boost to their self-image and esteem.
This week we're heading into a larger focus on descriptive writing and non-fiction materials. The children began an inquiry last Friday on Space, and we've discovered many wonderings, including but not limited to:
- Why is the sun hot?
- How hot is it?
- Why is their no oxygen in outer space?
- How/why does the Earth turn hot and cold? (We'll revisit that tidbit from a previous science unit)
- Why does space have rocks?
- Why does most stuff live on Earth?
- ...learn all about all the planets
- Can people live on Mars?
- Will the Earth survive?
- How many years old was Pluto before it went extinct?
I think we'll delve into the Solar System a bit before March Break to answer some of these questions...and maybe discover some new ones along the way. After all, "Inquiry is at the heart of learning in all subject areas". (p. 29 Ontario Language Arts Curriculum)
On a heavier note, there was lots of chatter (not actually amongst the children in the class as far as I was able to determine) re: the MOMO Challenges surfacing online. I wanted to reiterate with all of you that all OCSB children learn digital literacy through an age-appropriate curriculum called Samaritans on the Digital Road. Here are some strategies you can suggest to your child if he/she sees online content that worries or frightens them:
- talk to a trusted adult
- stop watching the video/reading the message
- remember to never share any personal info (name, address, school, photos, email, etc.)
- avoid participating in anything that makes them uncomfortable or that they wouldn't want their parents to know
- use their critical thinking skills...think smart & think safe.
In other news and events, given the high interest in Beyblades many of the children have, Justin's Dad shared this with me, thinking it may interest some of the children in the class, and so I pass along the info...A local Barrhaven toy store has been hosting Beyblade Burst Tournaments most weekends for a minimal fee of $6 to participate. The next event is Sunday March 10th and does require registration in advance.
