Good afternoon,
This morning in gym, students practiced their jump rope skills. It was great that some tried jumping in different ways: alternating feet, both feet at the same time, or one foot at a time. In your son or daughter's home folder (or backpack) you will find a fundraising envelope for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. It is Jump Rope for Heart's 35th anniversary so they are hoping for each class to raise at least $1 per student. We can do this! A large heart sticker will be given to students to write names on of people who they might jump rope for so they could have a healthy heart. I shared with them how my father had a heart attack (twice!) because he did not have a healthy heart. Now that he is 75, he eats his fruits and vegetables, exercises daily, sleeps a lot, and drinks a lot of water.
In Math, students were given a couple of "helping hands". Each finger had numbers 1 - 10 written on them. Students were given instructions to follow, which were given verbally and also written on the flip chart with my amazing illustrations:
1. Write your name on the hands.
2. Trace the numbers in dark pencil, crayon, marker.
3. Colour in the hand...feel free to make a pattern.
4. Cut out the hands.
5. Glue it into the last page of your math journals.
These hands and fingers will be there to help students count on!
We talked about seasons and what season we are currently in, and how seasons are a pattern; they repeat. A side note is that when the students were chanting "winter, spring, summer..." they almost all said "autumn". This is great as most people tend to say fall. On chart paper, I wrote the word "Winter" in the middle, and divided the sheet into four sections:
1. What do people wear and do in this season?
2. What do animals do?
3. What is happening to the trees and plants?
4. What is the weather like?
I also shared with them that when I worked overseas, my students did not know all the seasons as it was spring or summer the entire year! Wouldn't that be interesting? Calgary with no winter?
Ethan shared a story he wrote about dogs, and everyone really enjoyed hearing his chapters read aloud. We talked about our own creative writing club in our classroom and many students were excited about this idea. After this reading, we talked about characters. What are they? What do they do? How do we know someone or something is a character? What is an example of something that is not a character? We all found a book, sat in a reading circle and silently tapped a friend's shoulder and gave them a thumb up or nod as we pointed to a character, and a thumb down or head shake for something that was not a character found in our books.
Tomorrow is library day!
Have a great evening.
Ms. Cokar
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
February 27
Good afternoon!
I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend with family and friends.
This morning, shortly after gym, there was a whole school assembly for Jump Rope for Heart. The students learned some very important "healthy" information. Ask your son or daughter what the Jump Rope people suggested we should eat, how many glasses of water to drink daily, the number of hours to sleep (not 24 hours as suggested by an older student!), and how many minutes of daily exercise (Ahmed said 4 hours!!!). We saw some incredible jump rope skills and then witnessed a jump off between 3 girls, 3 boys, and 3 teachers. Pretty impressive moves! Stay tuned for more information regarding fundraising.
After music class we learned our new sight words for this week: two, yes, may, like, and he. I made sure everyone understand I meant the number two, and not to or too. Difficult to wrap your brain around it when just hearing the word. Students came up with some impressive sentences and tried really hard to use multiple sight words in one sentence (so they had fewer sentences to write...smart!). Homework for tonight is using the sight words in sentences. Interesting ones!
We only did one round of Daily 5 in the afternoon as we read a silly book called On Beyond Zebra. This book was about letters that are beyond the letter Z. Matty noticed that Dr. Seuss likes to rhyme words, and many of them are nonsense words. I mentioned to the students that for homework they could come up with some silly nonsense words that rhyme with our sight words.
Have a great evening!
Ms. Cokar
I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend with family and friends.
This morning, shortly after gym, there was a whole school assembly for Jump Rope for Heart. The students learned some very important "healthy" information. Ask your son or daughter what the Jump Rope people suggested we should eat, how many glasses of water to drink daily, the number of hours to sleep (not 24 hours as suggested by an older student!), and how many minutes of daily exercise (Ahmed said 4 hours!!!). We saw some incredible jump rope skills and then witnessed a jump off between 3 girls, 3 boys, and 3 teachers. Pretty impressive moves! Stay tuned for more information regarding fundraising.
After music class we learned our new sight words for this week: two, yes, may, like, and he. I made sure everyone understand I meant the number two, and not to or too. Difficult to wrap your brain around it when just hearing the word. Students came up with some impressive sentences and tried really hard to use multiple sight words in one sentence (so they had fewer sentences to write...smart!). Homework for tonight is using the sight words in sentences. Interesting ones!
We only did one round of Daily 5 in the afternoon as we read a silly book called On Beyond Zebra. This book was about letters that are beyond the letter Z. Matty noticed that Dr. Seuss likes to rhyme words, and many of them are nonsense words. I mentioned to the students that for homework they could come up with some silly nonsense words that rhyme with our sight words.
Have a great evening!
Ms. Cokar
Friday, February 24, 2017
A Snowy Day!
Good afternoon!
Was anyone else humming Frosty the Snowman today? Many of the students showed Care for Self by bundling up when they went outside for recess and lunch. A number of students did not have any gloves, though! In Calgary, there is a joke that the weather changes every 5 minutes. Jokes aside, if you can please have an extra pair of gloves, a hat and/or scarf in your son or daughter's backpack, that would help them keep warm in case of a sudden change in weather.
Today we worked on Making 10. Almost all of us knew that 5 and 5 is 10, so that was almost too easy! But there are a lot of other ways to make 10, and with the help of a colourful rainbow, students discovered some interesting number combinations. Can you think of more than one way?
We played a fun game called "Buzz", and the important thing to remember was 10s. We stood in a circle and counted from 1 to 100 but we had to say "Buzz!" instead of the number 10, 20, 30, etc. It was a lot of fun!
Prior to recess we had a brief assembly to follow up on Pillars of Care and Pink Shirt Day, as well as expectations of students and staff during recess, lunch, and after school. Please visit the school's website for more information on supervision times.
We Read to Self as a class today and can't seem to make it past the 5 minute mark, so we will continue to work on building stamina. I loved seeing students read the pictures, and hearing others reading under their breath. A few were reading to our reading stuffies!
To end the day, students had the opportunity to engage in Maker Time. It was interesting to see groups problem solve how to make pieces fit together so a marble would roll along a course. A number of students were explaining their creations to me and I noticed that many were objects that were to "move air" or "roll over" things.
Did your son or daughter practice using their sight words with you these past few days? The words were: any, of, put, play, was. Here is a sneak peak to next week's sight words: two, yes, may, like, he.
Have a warm weekend and see you on Monday!
Ms. Cokar
Was anyone else humming Frosty the Snowman today? Many of the students showed Care for Self by bundling up when they went outside for recess and lunch. A number of students did not have any gloves, though! In Calgary, there is a joke that the weather changes every 5 minutes. Jokes aside, if you can please have an extra pair of gloves, a hat and/or scarf in your son or daughter's backpack, that would help them keep warm in case of a sudden change in weather.
Today we worked on Making 10. Almost all of us knew that 5 and 5 is 10, so that was almost too easy! But there are a lot of other ways to make 10, and with the help of a colourful rainbow, students discovered some interesting number combinations. Can you think of more than one way?
We played a fun game called "Buzz", and the important thing to remember was 10s. We stood in a circle and counted from 1 to 100 but we had to say "Buzz!" instead of the number 10, 20, 30, etc. It was a lot of fun!
Prior to recess we had a brief assembly to follow up on Pillars of Care and Pink Shirt Day, as well as expectations of students and staff during recess, lunch, and after school. Please visit the school's website for more information on supervision times.
We Read to Self as a class today and can't seem to make it past the 5 minute mark, so we will continue to work on building stamina. I loved seeing students read the pictures, and hearing others reading under their breath. A few were reading to our reading stuffies!
To end the day, students had the opportunity to engage in Maker Time. It was interesting to see groups problem solve how to make pieces fit together so a marble would roll along a course. A number of students were explaining their creations to me and I noticed that many were objects that were to "move air" or "roll over" things.
Did your son or daughter practice using their sight words with you these past few days? The words were: any, of, put, play, was. Here is a sneak peak to next week's sight words: two, yes, may, like, he.
Have a warm weekend and see you on Monday!
Ms. Cokar
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Pink Shirt Day/Pillars of Care
Good afternoon!
After two weeks away, Room 5 finally made it back to library as a whole class. Mrs. Paolini has reminded us to return our books by Monday or Tuesday so she has time to process returns.
In math we did an unofficial survey. Who was wearing pink and who was not wearing pink? Each student had a number of counters on their desks and very carefully placed counters in the correct pile as they looked to see who was wearing pink and who was not. As I started to introduce the idea, Logan raised his hand to share that "This is like graphing!" and he is right. Our next step will be to graph in our math journals.
We discussed bullying and what it means. If someone did something accidentally, is that bullying? Many of the students thought it didn't matter if it was an accident or not. After giving a number of examples and talking about accidentally or purposeful, I feel they might have a different perspective. I asked if anyone has ever been the target of a bully, and who has bullied. It made me sad to see so many hand raised when I asked who has been a target. Room 5 has decided to look out for each other and stand up to bullies, just like the students did to support their friend who was bullied for wearing pink.
For the Pillars of Care assembly, the following students received a ribbon:
Alia - Care for Self
Arinanna - Care for Others
Arop - Care for Place
Yousif - Care for Learning
I shared with students that it is not enough to show Pillars of Care for one day, or to show it when I happen to be looking their way. It was to be ongoing and come from the heart.
Here are some pictures of a small community. Do you recognize any landmarks?
Tomorrow is Fun Lunch Day. Please send a lunch if you did not return the envelope with money.
Have a great evening and don't forget to make a #PinkShirtPromise to promote healthy relationships and prevent bullying.
Ms. Cokar
After two weeks away, Room 5 finally made it back to library as a whole class. Mrs. Paolini has reminded us to return our books by Monday or Tuesday so she has time to process returns.
In math we did an unofficial survey. Who was wearing pink and who was not wearing pink? Each student had a number of counters on their desks and very carefully placed counters in the correct pile as they looked to see who was wearing pink and who was not. As I started to introduce the idea, Logan raised his hand to share that "This is like graphing!" and he is right. Our next step will be to graph in our math journals.
We discussed bullying and what it means. If someone did something accidentally, is that bullying? Many of the students thought it didn't matter if it was an accident or not. After giving a number of examples and talking about accidentally or purposeful, I feel they might have a different perspective. I asked if anyone has ever been the target of a bully, and who has bullied. It made me sad to see so many hand raised when I asked who has been a target. Room 5 has decided to look out for each other and stand up to bullies, just like the students did to support their friend who was bullied for wearing pink.
For the Pillars of Care assembly, the following students received a ribbon:
Alia - Care for Self
Arinanna - Care for Others
Arop - Care for Place
Yousif - Care for Learning
I shared with students that it is not enough to show Pillars of Care for one day, or to show it when I happen to be looking their way. It was to be ongoing and come from the heart.
Here are some pictures of a small community. Do you recognize any landmarks?
Tomorrow is Fun Lunch Day. Please send a lunch if you did not return the envelope with money.
Have a great evening and don't forget to make a #PinkShirtPromise to promote healthy relationships and prevent bullying.
Ms. Cokar
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Welcome Back
Good afternoon!
I hope everyone had an excellent long weekend! There was a lot of learning during Teachers' Convention and I am certain I have some new brain cells. On Family Day, my niece and nephew made me a Tex Mex dinner. It was tasty! What did your family do?
Today we played badminton and our skills were somewhat rusty after the break we took in order to swim. Students were able to choose a partner and practice with hitting birdies to each other over a "net". The net was benches, or gymnastics mats which were stood up. We talked about people having different skills and it was okay if we needed to switch partners to work with someone who was at the same level.
In math, students explored centers. They really gravitate towards making patterns! Our sight words for this week are: any, of, put, play, was. Students spelled the words with me a few times, we wrote an example of fabulous sentences using each word, and then they were asked to write the words in their journals with an accompanying sentence.
Ask your son or daughter about the interesting pictures we saw on the Smartboard. Some were black and white and some were in colour. How did they know what it was when each picture was different? I think it is because they are great detectives!
Tomorrow is Pink Shirt Day! Please wear something pink. If you do not have something pink, something that is close to pink. If that is not possible, I will cut out some pink hearts and pin to a shirt. What is Pink Shirt Day? Here is a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjmf3I1_ZhU
Our Pillars of Care assembly is tomorrow at 1:45.
Have a great evening!
Ms. Cokar
I hope everyone had an excellent long weekend! There was a lot of learning during Teachers' Convention and I am certain I have some new brain cells. On Family Day, my niece and nephew made me a Tex Mex dinner. It was tasty! What did your family do?
Today we played badminton and our skills were somewhat rusty after the break we took in order to swim. Students were able to choose a partner and practice with hitting birdies to each other over a "net". The net was benches, or gymnastics mats which were stood up. We talked about people having different skills and it was okay if we needed to switch partners to work with someone who was at the same level.
In math, students explored centers. They really gravitate towards making patterns! Our sight words for this week are: any, of, put, play, was. Students spelled the words with me a few times, we wrote an example of fabulous sentences using each word, and then they were asked to write the words in their journals with an accompanying sentence.
Ask your son or daughter about the interesting pictures we saw on the Smartboard. Some were black and white and some were in colour. How did they know what it was when each picture was different? I think it is because they are great detectives!
Tomorrow is Pink Shirt Day! Please wear something pink. If you do not have something pink, something that is close to pink. If that is not possible, I will cut out some pink hearts and pin to a shirt. What is Pink Shirt Day? Here is a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjmf3I1_ZhU
Our Pillars of Care assembly is tomorrow at 1:45.
Have a great evening!
Ms. Cokar
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Long Weekend
Good evening!
Today was a very busy day for Room 5. We celebrated being in school for 100 days! After we counted to 100 by ones, twos, fives, and tens, each student received a "passport" with 100 day activities. My "passport office" was open and when an activity was completed, I would stamp an approval (some students decided to place their own check marks). These activities included math, language arts, and art. Students worked on these activities throughout the day.
It was the last day of swimming! I am proud of all the students who participated in learning this very important life skill. I am especially proud of the students who achieved their own goals, whether it was to put their face in water, get their ears wet, keep their belly up, or diaving. Such huge accomplishments!
Now that swimming is over, after this long weekend, Room 5 will be back to a regular schedule. This means gym first thing in the morning. A gentle reminder to make sure students are arriving to school on time. As other classes have gym scheduled right after the grade 1 classes, we cannot extend our time if we are late.
A gentle reminder that parents are required to use the front door so the office is aware of who is in the building.You are more than welcome to stay until the bell rings and you see your child walk through the grade 1 doors in the morning. However, as it is quite crowded with 6 classes of students walking in, we ask you to not come in with your son or daughter. They know the routines! If you need to speak with any of the teachers, please walk around to the front doors. At the end of the school day if you need to hurry along your child, please come to the front door and have him or her paged. Thank you for your understanding.
Today was a very busy day for Room 5. We celebrated being in school for 100 days! After we counted to 100 by ones, twos, fives, and tens, each student received a "passport" with 100 day activities. My "passport office" was open and when an activity was completed, I would stamp an approval (some students decided to place their own check marks). These activities included math, language arts, and art. Students worked on these activities throughout the day.
It was the last day of swimming! I am proud of all the students who participated in learning this very important life skill. I am especially proud of the students who achieved their own goals, whether it was to put their face in water, get their ears wet, keep their belly up, or diaving. Such huge accomplishments!
Now that swimming is over, after this long weekend, Room 5 will be back to a regular schedule. This means gym first thing in the morning. A gentle reminder to make sure students are arriving to school on time. As other classes have gym scheduled right after the grade 1 classes, we cannot extend our time if we are late.
A gentle reminder that parents are required to use the front door so the office is aware of who is in the building.You are more than welcome to stay until the bell rings and you see your child walk through the grade 1 doors in the morning. However, as it is quite crowded with 6 classes of students walking in, we ask you to not come in with your son or daughter. They know the routines! If you need to speak with any of the teachers, please walk around to the front doors. At the end of the school day if you need to hurry along your child, please come to the front door and have him or her paged. Thank you for your understanding.
Important Dates:
February 16-17: No School - Teachers' Convention
February 20: No School - Family Day
February 22: Pink Shirt Day
February 22: Pillars of Care Assembly at 1:45
February 23: Pizza Hut Fun Lunch (please pack a lunch if you did not submit the envelope)
February 28: Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off Assembly
I wish your family and you a relaxing and enjoyable long weekend and Family Day holiday! See you on Tuesday!
Ms. Cokar
I wish your family and you a relaxing and enjoyable long weekend and Family Day holiday! See you on Tuesday!
Ms. Cokar
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Happy Valentine's Day!
Good afternoon!
I don't know about you but my heart is full of love 💗 right now. Thank you to all my students for being in my class; it is an honour to be your teacher!
This morning we started off the day feeling the L-O-V-E. Thanks to Ms. Connie for taping this word on to paper for each member of our learning community. We used paint to cover the word and required reminders of how wet/dry the brush needs to be. How much water on a brush was too much? What does the paint look like when there is less water? We discovered the paint looked "richer" on paper. Some students painted horizontally, some vertically, and some swirled paint. We used primary and secondary colours and blended beautifully. I am always amazed at the creativity of my students. Here are photographs of work in progress:
I don't know about you but my heart is full of love 💗 right now. Thank you to all my students for being in my class; it is an honour to be your teacher!
This morning we started off the day feeling the L-O-V-E. Thanks to Ms. Connie for taping this word on to paper for each member of our learning community. We used paint to cover the word and required reminders of how wet/dry the brush needs to be. How much water on a brush was too much? What does the paint look like when there is less water? We discovered the paint looked "richer" on paper. Some students painted horizontally, some vertically, and some swirled paint. We used primary and secondary colours and blended beautifully. I am always amazed at the creativity of my students. Here are photographs of work in progress:
Waiting for paint to dry means having patience. Fortunately we went swimming, came back in time for lunch, read a book, and completed another art project before pulling off the tape. The results? Amazing! Have a look:
Reminders:
Library books due tomorrow.
Scholastic orders due tomorrow.
Last day of swimming tomorrow.
Important Dates:
February 15: 100th Day of School!
February 16-17: No School - Teachers' Convention
February 20: No School - Family Day
February 22: Pink Shirt Day
February 22: Pillars of Care Assembly at 1:45
February 23: Pizza Hut Fun Lunch (forms were due LAST Friday!)
February 28: Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off Assembly
Have a great evening!
Ms. Cokar 💝
Monday, February 13, 2017
February 13
Good afternoon!
This morning we used spinners and game pieces to move from 1 to 100. A few of the students have observed that when they spin a number and move forward, it is like adding. Great connection! Later in the afternoon we continued to write our numbers to build our 100 chains.
Our sight words for the week are: or, after, come, jump, my. The students have to use these words in sentences (that make sense!) tonight for homework. When we work on sight words I write them on the board and on the flip chart. We spell the words and use them in sentences. In journals, students write each word three times and then try to write a sentence. Some students can read the sight words when I first introduce them and some need to sound them out. Others have been noticing similarities between words, and today Matty used our "Chunky Munky" strategy! Today I asked them to circle the word they felt was their best - on the line, proper spacing).
In swimming, one group experienced the diving board! So exciting to see the confidence students have gained in such a short time.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and the day after will be our 100th Day of School! As mentioned, no treats please. If your son or daughter plans to hand out cards, please make sure there is one for all friends in the class (26 students).
Reminders:
Library: Please return books Tuesday or Wednesday.
Scholastic: If you would like to order, please submit by Wednesday. You can see the catalogs online at http://www.scholastic.ca/clubs/readingclubonline/
Important Dates:
February 13 - 15: Swimming
February 16-17: No School - Teachers' Convention
February 20: No School - Family Day
February 22: Pink Shirt Day
February 22: Pillars of Care Assembly at 1:45
February 23: Pizza Hut Fun Lunch (forms were due Friday)
February 28: Jump Rope for Heart Kick off Assembly
Have a great evening,
This morning we used spinners and game pieces to move from 1 to 100. A few of the students have observed that when they spin a number and move forward, it is like adding. Great connection! Later in the afternoon we continued to write our numbers to build our 100 chains.
Our sight words for the week are: or, after, come, jump, my. The students have to use these words in sentences (that make sense!) tonight for homework. When we work on sight words I write them on the board and on the flip chart. We spell the words and use them in sentences. In journals, students write each word three times and then try to write a sentence. Some students can read the sight words when I first introduce them and some need to sound them out. Others have been noticing similarities between words, and today Matty used our "Chunky Munky" strategy! Today I asked them to circle the word they felt was their best - on the line, proper spacing).
In swimming, one group experienced the diving board! So exciting to see the confidence students have gained in such a short time.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and the day after will be our 100th Day of School! As mentioned, no treats please. If your son or daughter plans to hand out cards, please make sure there is one for all friends in the class (26 students).
Reminders:
Library: Please return books Tuesday or Wednesday.
Scholastic: If you would like to order, please submit by Wednesday. You can see the catalogs online at http://www.scholastic.ca/clubs/readingclubonline/
Important Dates:
February 13 - 15: Swimming
February 16-17: No School - Teachers' Convention
February 20: No School - Family Day
February 22: Pink Shirt Day
February 22: Pillars of Care Assembly at 1:45
February 23: Pizza Hut Fun Lunch (forms were due Friday)
February 28: Jump Rope for Heart Kick off Assembly
Have a great evening,
Ms. Cokar
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Next Week
Hello,
My apologies for not posting a blog on Friday.
Next week is the last three days of swim lessons (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). As I make my way around the pool I see the confidence coming out and the excited shouts of "Look what I did!" and "I can do it now!". Many in my class are doing so well with the skills they are learning.
It will be an exciting 3-day week with swimming, Valentine's Day on Tuesday and the 100th Day of School on Wednesday! Since the first day of school, we have eagerly been counting the number of days, counting by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s to magical number 100! So exciting!
If your child would like to hand out Valentine's Day cards, he or she is more than welcome. I do ask if you please have one card for each student in Room 5 (there are 26 students in our classroom). I am unable to send home a class list so if your son or daughter wants to personalize each card (instead of a generic "To a friend" or "Dear friend"), ask them to check the classroom mailbox and Word Wall where they will see first names.
As the learning must go on, there will be a number of art, math and literacy learning tasks we get to work on these two days. Just be prepared to see a few hearts and numbers on things that might make their way home!
As much as everyone loves sweet things, a kind request that no treats are sent in for Valentine's Day or the 100th Day of School. I look forward to celebrating these two exciting days with my students.
Reminders of important dates:
February 13 - 15: Swimming
February 16-17: No School - Teachers' Convention
February 20: No School - Family Day
February 22: Pink Shirt Day
February 22: Pillars of Care Assembly at 1:45
February 23: Pizza Hut Fun Lunch (forms were due Friday)
February 28: Jump Rope for Heart Kick off Assembly
I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
Ms. Cokar
P.S. If anyone has socks or mittens that have lost its friend to the washer and dryer, the kids would love to use them to wipe off whiteboard markers. They take up less space than 20+ whiteboard brushes. Freshly laundered would be appreciated! Thank you in advance.
My apologies for not posting a blog on Friday.
Next week is the last three days of swim lessons (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). As I make my way around the pool I see the confidence coming out and the excited shouts of "Look what I did!" and "I can do it now!". Many in my class are doing so well with the skills they are learning.
It will be an exciting 3-day week with swimming, Valentine's Day on Tuesday and the 100th Day of School on Wednesday! Since the first day of school, we have eagerly been counting the number of days, counting by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s to magical number 100! So exciting!
If your child would like to hand out Valentine's Day cards, he or she is more than welcome. I do ask if you please have one card for each student in Room 5 (there are 26 students in our classroom). I am unable to send home a class list so if your son or daughter wants to personalize each card (instead of a generic "To a friend" or "Dear friend"), ask them to check the classroom mailbox and Word Wall where they will see first names.
As the learning must go on, there will be a number of art, math and literacy learning tasks we get to work on these two days. Just be prepared to see a few hearts and numbers on things that might make their way home!
As much as everyone loves sweet things, a kind request that no treats are sent in for Valentine's Day or the 100th Day of School. I look forward to celebrating these two exciting days with my students.
Reminders of important dates:
February 13 - 15: Swimming
February 16-17: No School - Teachers' Convention
February 20: No School - Family Day
February 22: Pink Shirt Day
February 22: Pillars of Care Assembly at 1:45
February 23: Pizza Hut Fun Lunch (forms were due Friday)
February 28: Jump Rope for Heart Kick off Assembly
I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
Ms. Cokar
P.S. If anyone has socks or mittens that have lost its friend to the washer and dryer, the kids would love to use them to wipe off whiteboard markers. They take up less space than 20+ whiteboard brushes. Freshly laundered would be appreciated! Thank you in advance.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
February 9
Good afternoon,
Today was the second day of swimming and our students were able to spend more time in the pool developing and building skills. We were quicker getting on and off the bus, which is great, and nothing was left behind (as far as I know).
Swimming has found its way into literacy and science. In our journals students used many sight words as they wrote about their swimming lessons. In science we talked about our five senses and started sharing the different things we saw, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted when we were swimming. Peter mentioned that the water felt "heavy", and Arinanna shared that the water tasted like salt and vinegar!
I love that the students are making connections to what we are learning and what they read in their books during Daily 5. For example, one student noticed in her book that there was skip counting. Another discovered describing words that fit with the five senses.
Thank you,
Ms. Cokar
Today was the second day of swimming and our students were able to spend more time in the pool developing and building skills. We were quicker getting on and off the bus, which is great, and nothing was left behind (as far as I know).
Swimming has found its way into literacy and science. In our journals students used many sight words as they wrote about their swimming lessons. In science we talked about our five senses and started sharing the different things we saw, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted when we were swimming. Peter mentioned that the water felt "heavy", and Arinanna shared that the water tasted like salt and vinegar!
I love that the students are making connections to what we are learning and what they read in their books during Daily 5. For example, one student noticed in her book that there was skip counting. Another discovered describing words that fit with the five senses.
Thank you,
Ms. Cokar
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
February 8
Good afternoon!
Our schedule for the day was different than usual, and the students took it all in stride. After a morning meeting, we headed down to music (two days in a row of playing instruments!).
I had students take their snacks out and eat them when we returned. Some students wondered why we were eating snack so early, and we talked about possible reasons. I learned that I have to be careful how I phrase my words as I asked, "Why is it not a good idea to eat and swim?" because students were responding as if they imagined themselves swimming in the pool with food, therefore leaving crumbs and making a mess!
Due to the weather and the first bus being late, our time of being in the pool was delayed by about 15 - 20 minutes, however we still had our full time in the water. Students did a fairly good job of removing their swimsuits, putting on clothes, and then heading to the foyer to put on their boots. We had to be super speedy as the bus had to drop us off and pick up the next group of swimmers. A few things we noticed was that some kids were putting on their snow pants and jackets in the change room when they could do that in the foyer while waiting. Some students didn't like their socks getting wet due to the water on the floor, so my suggestion is to put socks on once they are out of the change room. We talked a lot about being responsible for our own things, including towels and bags. Definitely a learning curve for many.
When we returned it was lunch time so it was a smooth transition. Students have added on another five minutes to their 100 minutes of reading for 100 days of school. Some started on their next set of number chains. We wrote in our journals about our first day of swimming. I was very impressed with the sentences students were writing especially when I saw sight words being used.
By the way, today was the 95th day of school. I have a mischievous student named "Not Me" who has been flipping the numbers and popsicle sticks around to mix us up. I don't have a picture of Not Me and he/she is not on my class list 😊
See you tomorrow!
Ms. Cokar
Our schedule for the day was different than usual, and the students took it all in stride. After a morning meeting, we headed down to music (two days in a row of playing instruments!).
I had students take their snacks out and eat them when we returned. Some students wondered why we were eating snack so early, and we talked about possible reasons. I learned that I have to be careful how I phrase my words as I asked, "Why is it not a good idea to eat and swim?" because students were responding as if they imagined themselves swimming in the pool with food, therefore leaving crumbs and making a mess!
Due to the weather and the first bus being late, our time of being in the pool was delayed by about 15 - 20 minutes, however we still had our full time in the water. Students did a fairly good job of removing their swimsuits, putting on clothes, and then heading to the foyer to put on their boots. We had to be super speedy as the bus had to drop us off and pick up the next group of swimmers. A few things we noticed was that some kids were putting on their snow pants and jackets in the change room when they could do that in the foyer while waiting. Some students didn't like their socks getting wet due to the water on the floor, so my suggestion is to put socks on once they are out of the change room. We talked a lot about being responsible for our own things, including towels and bags. Definitely a learning curve for many.
When we returned it was lunch time so it was a smooth transition. Students have added on another five minutes to their 100 minutes of reading for 100 days of school. Some started on their next set of number chains. We wrote in our journals about our first day of swimming. I was very impressed with the sentences students were writing especially when I saw sight words being used.
By the way, today was the 95th day of school. I have a mischievous student named "Not Me" who has been flipping the numbers and popsicle sticks around to mix us up. I don't have a picture of Not Me and he/she is not on my class list 😊
See you tomorrow!
Ms. Cokar
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Swimming Tomorrow!
Good afternoon!
This morning students practiced bouncing a birdie on their badminton rackets. They quickly figured out that one end of the birdie bounces better than the other. Can you guess which end?
Students "raced to 100" and back by spinning a spinner and moving their counters. Then we also played our "circle of 100" game where students counted from 1 to 100 with the goal of not counted out.
A reminder that books are due tomorrow!
Swimming begins tomorrow! Make sure to send your son or daughter with their swimsuit under their clothes, as well as a towel and bag.
Thank you.
Ms. Cokar
This morning students practiced bouncing a birdie on their badminton rackets. They quickly figured out that one end of the birdie bounces better than the other. Can you guess which end?
Students "raced to 100" and back by spinning a spinner and moving their counters. Then we also played our "circle of 100" game where students counted from 1 to 100 with the goal of not counted out.
A reminder that books are due tomorrow!
Swimming begins tomorrow! Make sure to send your son or daughter with their swimsuit under their clothes, as well as a towel and bag.
Thank you.
Ms. Cokar
Monday, February 6, 2017
February 5
Good afternoon!
I hope everyone is staying warm! The weather was extreme today and it looks like the next few days will be very cold. I noticed many students showing Care for Self as they were bundled up to stay warm. A few students showed Care for Others by reminding friends to put on sweaters instead of stuffing them into backpacks when it was home time. Because of the weather, we had indoor recess and lunch in our classrooms.
Today in gym we practiced balancing a birdie on a badminton racket while walking along a line. Some students placed one hand behind their back while the other hand held the handle. I saw great concentration, especially when turning left or right on a line. Many students were successful when they switched to their opposite hand and continued to balance their racket and birdie.
In math we worked on the next set of paper chain links, so the numbers 11 to 20. This is building up to our 100 day celebration. Today we popped a balloon to countdown to the 100th day and inside was the reward of Maker Time! Yay! I wonder what it will be for tomorrow?
We are reviewing the past five weeks worth of sight words. I tasked the students to use at least 10 words, which I know they can do easily. We discussed how more than one sight word can be used in a sentence, and that the sentences did not have to begin with a sight word.
Reminders:
1. Swimming is this Wednesday. Please wear swimsuit under clothes, bring a towel, and a bag to place wet clothes.
2. Fun lunch is due Friday, February 10!
Stay warm and see you tomorrow.
Ms. Cokar
I hope everyone is staying warm! The weather was extreme today and it looks like the next few days will be very cold. I noticed many students showing Care for Self as they were bundled up to stay warm. A few students showed Care for Others by reminding friends to put on sweaters instead of stuffing them into backpacks when it was home time. Because of the weather, we had indoor recess and lunch in our classrooms.
Today in gym we practiced balancing a birdie on a badminton racket while walking along a line. Some students placed one hand behind their back while the other hand held the handle. I saw great concentration, especially when turning left or right on a line. Many students were successful when they switched to their opposite hand and continued to balance their racket and birdie.
In math we worked on the next set of paper chain links, so the numbers 11 to 20. This is building up to our 100 day celebration. Today we popped a balloon to countdown to the 100th day and inside was the reward of Maker Time! Yay! I wonder what it will be for tomorrow?
We are reviewing the past five weeks worth of sight words. I tasked the students to use at least 10 words, which I know they can do easily. We discussed how more than one sight word can be used in a sentence, and that the sentences did not have to begin with a sight word.
Reminders:
1. Swimming is this Wednesday. Please wear swimsuit under clothes, bring a towel, and a bag to place wet clothes.
2. Fun lunch is due Friday, February 10!
Stay warm and see you tomorrow.
Ms. Cokar
Thursday, February 2, 2017
February 2 - NO School on Friday!
Good afternoon,
These past few days in gym the students have been rotating through some stations, one of which is badminton. We will be learning about badminton soon, after swimming lessons are complete. Speaking of swimming, lessons begin on Wednesday, February 8. An Acknowledgement of Risk and Swimming Ability form, along with the payment should have been returned on Monday. This allows for the time the pool staff requires to group students according to their ability.
In Math the students made a 1 - 10 chain. They were familiar with this concept as they had completed one earlier in December. Students wrote the number, the word, and drew a picture to represent the correct number. Some found it hard to link numbers in the correct order, and a couple glued the pieces so the numbers were on the inside! I shared these mistakes so we could talk about them and know how to fix them should someone happen to make a similar mistake. Each day next week we will be making another set of 10 to make a chain of 100! How long do you think it will be? Peter thought it would be from our Smartboard all the way to the door.
We continue to discuss community. Today I showed the students a picture and asked them what it was (it was our classroom before their first day). They recognized it right away! We talked about how they knew it was a classroom and what any classroom could look like. Then we shared some ideas of what a classroom did not look like, and how do we know something is not a classroom. Later we actually wrote some words to share ideas.
Next week will be a review of all the sight words learned, practiced, and written in the past few weeks. I know many are recognizing these words as when we are reading together or while they read to self, students will excitedly share. Great work!
There is no school for students tomorrow, which is Friday, February 3. Have a happy and healthy weekend and I will see all my Room 5 Smarties on Monday!
Ms. Cokar
These past few days in gym the students have been rotating through some stations, one of which is badminton. We will be learning about badminton soon, after swimming lessons are complete. Speaking of swimming, lessons begin on Wednesday, February 8. An Acknowledgement of Risk and Swimming Ability form, along with the payment should have been returned on Monday. This allows for the time the pool staff requires to group students according to their ability.
In Math the students made a 1 - 10 chain. They were familiar with this concept as they had completed one earlier in December. Students wrote the number, the word, and drew a picture to represent the correct number. Some found it hard to link numbers in the correct order, and a couple glued the pieces so the numbers were on the inside! I shared these mistakes so we could talk about them and know how to fix them should someone happen to make a similar mistake. Each day next week we will be making another set of 10 to make a chain of 100! How long do you think it will be? Peter thought it would be from our Smartboard all the way to the door.
We continue to discuss community. Today I showed the students a picture and asked them what it was (it was our classroom before their first day). They recognized it right away! We talked about how they knew it was a classroom and what any classroom could look like. Then we shared some ideas of what a classroom did not look like, and how do we know something is not a classroom. Later we actually wrote some words to share ideas.
Next week will be a review of all the sight words learned, practiced, and written in the past few weeks. I know many are recognizing these words as when we are reading together or while they read to self, students will excitedly share. Great work!
There is no school for students tomorrow, which is Friday, February 3. Have a happy and healthy weekend and I will see all my Room 5 Smarties on Monday!
Ms. Cokar
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
February 1
Good afternoon! (If you can see this colour, Fransen is the one who chose it!)
This morning we had the chance to use our 5 senses. Do you know what they are? Alia says one of the is smell. She smells with her nose. Arop says he can lick something to taste it. Ally can see with her eyes. Cohen can grab things to touch and feel them. Hearing with our ears is what Amy said. We used all these senses to figure out what Ms. Cokar was hiding behind the trifold. Matty heard something that sounded like popping. Raina smelled popcorn. Even though we did not see, taste or touch anything, everyone knew it was POPCORN! Students were able to compare a kernel and one popcorn. They used their 5 senses again to compare. The best part was when we got to eat popcorn. But you know what? It did not taste like microwave popcorn or movie popcorn. Elizaveta said we could add sugar. Max said it would be better with butter.
This afternoon we practiced a lockdown. We did a pretty good job. One student was in the bathroom when the lockdown was announced. Ahmed knew exactly what to do. He looked carefully in the hallway and saw a teacher wave him in to her room instead of coming back to our class. This was what we had discussed.
We counted our days wrong! Today was actually the 90th day of school! Tomorrow will begin a 10 day countdown!
Have a great evening.
Ms. Cokar
This morning we had the chance to use our 5 senses. Do you know what they are? Alia says one of the is smell. She smells with her nose. Arop says he can lick something to taste it. Ally can see with her eyes. Cohen can grab things to touch and feel them. Hearing with our ears is what Amy said. We used all these senses to figure out what Ms. Cokar was hiding behind the trifold. Matty heard something that sounded like popping. Raina smelled popcorn. Even though we did not see, taste or touch anything, everyone knew it was POPCORN! Students were able to compare a kernel and one popcorn. They used their 5 senses again to compare. The best part was when we got to eat popcorn. But you know what? It did not taste like microwave popcorn or movie popcorn. Elizaveta said we could add sugar. Max said it would be better with butter.
This afternoon we practiced a lockdown. We did a pretty good job. One student was in the bathroom when the lockdown was announced. Ahmed knew exactly what to do. He looked carefully in the hallway and saw a teacher wave him in to her room instead of coming back to our class. This was what we had discussed.
We counted our days wrong! Today was actually the 90th day of school! Tomorrow will begin a 10 day countdown!
Have a great evening.
Ms. Cokar
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