Week of 1/15/16

Hello Families!
I hope you've  had a nice week and enjoyed the little bit of snow we received earlier this week.  Not enough to cause traffic headaches but enough to look very nice on the yards and trees.  Don't forget…there is no school on Monday, due to the Martin Luther King Jr holiday.

Today, I wanted to share with you a little activity we completed in class today.  Today, after snack time I left labels on the table that said "No Girls Allowed", "No Boys Allowed", "No Girls Allowed Up Front", and "No Boys Allowed Up Front".

During the rest of the day, the tables were changed up, placement in line, and the seating on the rug was changed.  Both girls and boys were on either side of the activity.  When they were the ones allowed to do things, they enjoyed it and were pleased.  When they were the ones not allowed to do things, they did not enjoy it.  I admit there were many that were unhappy when they were not allowed to sit up front or be in the front of the line.  There were also some who were allowed to do things that were bragging to others.  This was not allowed and we discussed this as a class when it happened.

I do this activity each year and students are very happy with it by the end. It is a great way to see what it's like to not be allowed to do something simply because they are a girl or boy. It's a great way to know what it's like to feel separated from other kids simply because they are a girl or boy.

At the end of the day, we had a wonderful conversation about why I set this up.  We talked about what is was like for whites and children of color during Martin Luther King Jr's time.  What each group of kids must have felt, how it wasn't as much fun, how it was great to get things but hard when they didn't, and how being separated from each other was unfair and sad.  We learned a great lesson that being treated equally is a great way to be and we are thankful for Martin Luther King Jr. teaching us that.

I appreciated your children trying the activity and working through it.  Also, for their good discussion at the end.
Have a wonderful long weekend!

Week ending 1/8/16

Happy New Year to everyone!
I hope 2016 has started off right for you this week and we're back to business here in the classroom.
Important information:

• In your child's folder is a packet of paperwork about upcoming field trips!  Please read it over very carefully, sign the permission slips if your child can join us, and send in the appropriate cash.  If you would like to be considered to be a chaperone, you must see Ms. Sheehan in the office to be sure you have a current CORI on file or complete the paperwork for.  Please do this next week so we can consider you.  Chaperones will be chosen out of a hat with those names that have a CORI or the paperwork completed.  
• Homework continues each week so please be sure that your child is completing their math and Fundations work, as well as reading nightly.
• The weather is definitely cooler and students still go out for lunch recess so please send them with clothes appropriate for the weather. 
• There is no school on January 18th for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

3, 2, 1 things you need to know this week…

3 activities we've been doing during our reading workshop time is reviewing what a just right book is (how to choose one, when to abandon a book, how you know a book is too easy or too hard), conferring with Ms. DeKing to talk about whether our books are just right, and we started an author study on James Marshall.

2 skills we worked on in math were estimating costs and pretend shopping.   

1 thing Nikol wants you to know is we started doing morning stretch before math.