Our class is thriving with the thawing snow...

Thank you to your children for their amazing work this week! I am always so amazed at what they can do when they try their best and dedicate themselves to learning. We have started a new routine called Word Work that is expanding our phonics and decoding skillsets (which are both critical pieces for reading and writing). Every morning, I give the children a set of letters and we make words with them (see the photos for an example). They share the words they see 'hidden' in the letters and when we've assembled enough words, we use them to make sentences and draw pictures of what we wrote! Please ask your child about this routine as it's been one of everyone's favorite parts of the day.

Volleyball is rolling along... we are learning not to be scared of the ball and working on bumping, setting, and underhand tosses. Thanks to the awesome folks at student care for putting up the nets!

This week we celebrated Pink Shirt Day by completing some contour drawings of our classmates' faces and adding words that represent strategies for dealing with bullying. Our class is finishing coloring in these drawings and I can't wait to post the results!

Thanks as always to you, our families, for being amazing sources of love and support for these children in their learning journeys!

Early spring?!?

This short week was full of fun projects! We had a terrific time coming back from the long weekend with a project making parkas (we've been talking about hot and cold and all the ways the Inuit trapped hot air to keep them warm) and it was all smiles as we ended the week making igloos with the whole Grade 1/2 group. Both projects cap our study of the Inuit, and next week we will start our new unit of studying Atlantic Canada.

Every Friday we have a new tradition! We clean up the tables and chairs and then gather on the carpet for a positive sharing of our celebrations this week. We pass around a rock called the Joy Rock and everyone gets to share something that brought them joy. We are also focusing on problem solving and self-regulation by classifying things as 'big problems' or 'little problems.' Lots of children shared how much joy our work together had brought them (and of course they all mentioned how much their families bring them joy, too!).

Thanks to your children for their hard work this week and I can't wait to get back to work next week!

-Mr. Ford

February is flying by!

We have had an awesome couple of weeks here in Room 5! We are deep into our study of Inuit culture and have been studying the differences between the ways humans adapted to their environment (transportation, housing, culture) in the past versus in modern times. Students have been responding to these differences in their visual journals with sketches and labeled diagrams!

#Belfasty day was a big hit as always. We made Zentangles and combined them into a large quilt (see the gallery). I hope you have as much fun keeping those friendship bracelets tied up as I did…

We are continuing our math and literacy rotations amongst the whole Grade 1/2 group and have just wrapped up our posters on Australian animals. I am blown away by the learning (especially in terms of how to conduct research) displayed by your children. I am in the process of putting these posters up for display in our hallway so be sure to check for your child’s work the next time you visit!