Wednesday, October 28

Morning Carpet Time- Hannah was our helper today

Notes- I sent home the student’s All About Me booklet as it is marked and finished. They can keep that at home.  I also sent home a couple corrections to students who need to work on their sight word, “away” page from yesterday.

Math Centres- We learned a new centre called cup count today. It is supposed to help the students with their understanding of equality.

I pulled grade 1’s to work on rote counting. I pulled grade 2’s to work on estimating.

Social-  Last day in Social Studies, we had talked about my own Settler genealogy and how I, as a White Settler, still benefit from the treaties that were signed hundred of years ago. Today we moved to a sad part of Canadian history- the residential schools. I tried to be very sensitive, and let the kids know that this part of history is quite sad. We talked about how the kids weren’t allowed to speak their Indigenous languages, and how hard that would be. At the end of the lesson, I did a little language activity to help the students understand what it was like to be thrown into a situation where they didn’t know the language being spoken. I made up my own language and asked the kids to colour certain shapes in my made up language colours. The kids were guessing at what marker to use, and they didn’t have a clue! At the end, I told them the actual colours I was asking for, and rewarded those kids who happened to get it right. (They got a little Halloween sticker.) I asked the other students how it made them feel when they didn’t get a sticker. There were lots of words like “unfair,” and “disappointing.” We connected this to how First Nations children would have felt while at residential schools. It would have been frustrating and overwhelming to not be able to speak their own language. Overall, the lesson went really well and I think the students showed a lot of empathy. HOWEVER, I may have made the language activity a bit too fun, because on the way out for recess, I heard a student say “Let’s play residential schools at recess!” I stopped in my tracks and gasped, “No! Ahh! It’s not a game! That was just to help you understand the students not speaking the language!” I was mortified! So hopefully if you debrief at home, you can remind them this is still a serious point in history, and likely something that shouldn’t be played at recess lol!

Recess

Lunch

ELA Carpet Time

Daily 5- Centres

I continued reading testing today. In November, the student’s mini classroom cohorts and seating plan will be changed. They will be sitting and working with new groups. These are the children that will be pulled together for guided reading starting in November.

Ms. Hendry

Home Time

*Costume dress up day on Friday. Students can bring a couple treats for themselves, but not for the class.

**Please click this link to sign up for a November parent/teacher conference time that works for you!

***If your family tree worksheet is still at home, please send it asap!