Have you heard your child talk about being open-minded, a risk taker, or naming the continents in their sleep? I HOPE SO! It is so important that children don't compartmentalize and understand that learning doesn't just occur at school. Learning happens EVERYWHERE!
The learning that happens at school can be shared EVERYWHERE!
Last week during math, we took a walk around the neighborhood to see the form and function of numbers around us. Students learned how house numbers are organized. They are numbered even and odd depending on their side of the street and either increase or decrease according to cardinal direction. We discussed the importance of numbers on license plates, telephone numbers, and even saw numbers used as decoration!
Our weekly reflection journals are wonderful to read. Thank you for taking the time to respond to your child's letter. I love how you parents encourage and honor the hard work students are putting into their studies each day. This is a strong motivator for them and I've heard from some parents that that is the best writing they've seen from their child. So awesome.
Please see photos of Express Yourself Day! We spent the day dancing, talking about expression (using vocabulary of risk-taker and open-minded), and writing repetitive "I am" poems that were 4 stanzas long!
Final note, I remember sitting at the dinner table with my family having to say "3 things that I learned about the day". As you can imagine, the answers got pretty routine. Here's a list from Huffpost:
25 ways to ask kids "So how was school today?" Without asking them "So how was school today?"
by Liz Evans
1. What was the best thing that happened at school today? (What was the worst thing that happened at school today?)
2. Tell me something that made you laugh today.
3. If you could choose, who would you like to sit by in class? (Who would you NOT want to sit by in class? Why?)
4. Where is the coolest place at the school?
5. Tell me a weird word that you heard today. (Or something weird that someone said.)
6. If I called your teacher tonight, what would she tell me about you?
7. How did you help somebody today?
8. How did somebody help you today?
9. Tell me one thing that you learned today.
10. When were you the happiest today?
11. When were you bored today?
12. If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed someone up, who would you want them to take?
13. Who would you like to play with at recess that you've never played with before?
14. Tell me something good that happened today.
15. What word did your teacher say most today?
16. What do you think you should do/learn more of at school?
17. What do you think you should do/learn less of at school?
18. Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?
19. Where do you play the most at recess?
20. Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is he/she so funny?
21. What was your favorite part of lunch?
22. If you got to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you do?
23. Is there anyone in your class who needs a time-out?
24. If you could switch seats with anyone in the class, who would you trade with? Why?
25. Tell me about three different times you used your pencil today at school.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-evans/25-ways-to-ask-your-kids-so-how-was-school-today-without-asking-them-so-how-was-school-today_b_5738338.html
The learning that happens at school can be shared EVERYWHERE!
Last week during math, we took a walk around the neighborhood to see the form and function of numbers around us. Students learned how house numbers are organized. They are numbered even and odd depending on their side of the street and either increase or decrease according to cardinal direction. We discussed the importance of numbers on license plates, telephone numbers, and even saw numbers used as decoration!
Our weekly reflection journals are wonderful to read. Thank you for taking the time to respond to your child's letter. I love how you parents encourage and honor the hard work students are putting into their studies each day. This is a strong motivator for them and I've heard from some parents that that is the best writing they've seen from their child. So awesome.
Please see photos of Express Yourself Day! We spent the day dancing, talking about expression (using vocabulary of risk-taker and open-minded), and writing repetitive "I am" poems that were 4 stanzas long!
Final note, I remember sitting at the dinner table with my family having to say "3 things that I learned about the day". As you can imagine, the answers got pretty routine. Here's a list from Huffpost:
25 ways to ask kids "So how was school today?" Without asking them "So how was school today?"
by Liz Evans
1. What was the best thing that happened at school today? (What was the worst thing that happened at school today?)
2. Tell me something that made you laugh today.
3. If you could choose, who would you like to sit by in class? (Who would you NOT want to sit by in class? Why?)
4. Where is the coolest place at the school?
5. Tell me a weird word that you heard today. (Or something weird that someone said.)
6. If I called your teacher tonight, what would she tell me about you?
7. How did you help somebody today?
8. How did somebody help you today?
9. Tell me one thing that you learned today.
10. When were you the happiest today?
11. When were you bored today?
12. If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed someone up, who would you want them to take?
13. Who would you like to play with at recess that you've never played with before?
14. Tell me something good that happened today.
15. What word did your teacher say most today?
16. What do you think you should do/learn more of at school?
17. What do you think you should do/learn less of at school?
18. Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?
19. Where do you play the most at recess?
20. Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is he/she so funny?
21. What was your favorite part of lunch?
22. If you got to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you do?
23. Is there anyone in your class who needs a time-out?
24. If you could switch seats with anyone in the class, who would you trade with? Why?
25. Tell me about three different times you used your pencil today at school.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-evans/25-ways-to-ask-your-kids-so-how-was-school-today-without-asking-them-so-how-was-school-today_b_5738338.html