Constantly Pondering...

It's been 2 days and I'm already missing these kids! They are a huge, integral part of my growth in pdp thus far. They have taught me to relax, let go, and let things happen! They have kept me on my toes and made me realize that my job as a teacher is never finished. But, she who loves her job, never works a day in her life.

Now onto the next adventure!

We were super fortunate to have Troy come to our school and teach us Hip Hop! Students have a few individual class lessons and then one buddy class lesson. In about a week, they will perform on stage for parents and friends! There was so much energy in the room!

Today we had a visit from Luci Cadman with the North Shore Black Bear Society! A very informative and engaging presentation! Students learning about basic bear biology, behaviour, and how to manage attractants! The highlight was the awesome bear tattoos at the end!

Today was a Box City type of day! For ADST, the students worked together in groups to communicate, plan, and execute their themed box cities! Students were assessed on their group work, planning, and communication, rather than the final product. As you can see, they had a blast!! Box Cities ranged from theme parks, to sky scrapers, to a Grouse Mountain replica!

Back into it with a BANG after spring break! I knew the students energy would be through the roof (and mine not so much), so I planned a few interactive presentations for them! Darren Colello, from the Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society, joined us today with an amazingly engaging and interactive workshop! We learned about the magnificent animals that we have in BC and were even able to touch a few animal bone models! What a great way to connect the science curriculum in a fun, interactive manner!

Making cross-curricular connections in units is vital to ensure understanding and further student knowledge! Today we did art where students had to draw overlapping 2D shapes. Some even added in parallel lines for effect. Students were able to describe their pictures and even talk about angles, lines, and vertices! This was a great summative assessment that was both fun for the students AND me!

Definition of inclusive.

Today we explored how to make 3D structures with toothpicks and marshmallows! This lesson allowed students to explore, plan, and create! They had SO much fun! Thanks to my module mate from SFU for teaching this to my students during our “Mock TTOC Day!”

We have been working on "compliment/attribute artwork". First we start off by using either warm or cool colours to paint the inside of our head and outside surrounding areas. In the inside portion, we write things that we are good at or that we like about ourselves. On the outside, every single student takes turns writing a compliment/comment about the person whose art it is! My students did such a wonderful and mindful job writing personable comments for every student. Such an eye opening experience!

Today, we took Math outside! We are learning about 2D and 3D shapes. Students had to work together with their group members and make shapes with their bodies! Later, students walked around the playground and tried to find as many real-life examples of 2D and 3D shapes!

We are introducing "stories" unit for ELA! We are learning about the basic elements of a story. Students are also learning about the power of words and how they can evoke emotion.

Students looove "the cave" for reading! It is such an inviting, cozy space! We a lovely art instillation for our up and coming weaving unit!

Allowing students to get creative with their stories evokes more engagement! Today we did emoji stories and learned about the power of words and the effect they have on emotions! The students loved it and it showed just how different stories can be even while using the same set of emojis!

You'll never see kids concentrate more than when they do coding! The classroom is usually silent, until one student makes their character do something hilarious. Then, of course, everyone rushes over to see and the classroom erupts in hysterical laughter! Code.org (Hour of Code) is a fantastic resource for beginners to advanced coders!

Vertical learning for math! How many 2D and 3D shapes can you design in a house? Students were so creative and came up with many different examples! Non-permanent surfaces allow students to take risks and make mistakes!

There was a “sea of pink” today in our classroom for Pink Shirt Day! Don’t forget to educate your students on the real story behind the day. Stand up for others! Be inclusive! I am so proud of my students for establishing a safe space in our classroom. Their maturity and openness is contagious ❤️🌈