Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Room 52 had a great trip to Chapters/ Indigo yesterday and selected some more books for our school Library along with some of the students making purchases of their own.  Here are some of the images from our trip yesterday.

For Community Circle today, the class had the opportunity to talk about the trip or something they did over the weekend that was fun.  I am noticing that the students are getting better at providing details when they talk about their experiences.  If you want, you could use the same model I have in class to have a discussion with your son or daughter about an event you have done together.  Here is the image that I put up whenever we do the circle.  I believe I have posted this before, but there is no harm in a repost!

Over the weekend, the students had to complete a reading response on the late Libyan dictator, Moammar Gadhafi.  A number of students did not know where Libyan was or what continent it was in.  I have encouraged the students to take a look at the news every night or every few nights so they can get a sense of what is going on in the world or the city of Toronto.  I am biased, but I would recommend the CBC.

We listened to the article -- taken from a school Library subscription at http://www.lesplan.com/ -- using something called PDF Aloud.  Basically, it takes a pdf type file and reads it.  I recognize that some of the students have challenges in reading, so this was meant to be an accommodation that would benefit the entire class.  We will be returning to the article at a future date to begin some comprehension type questions.

The poster the students the students are designing is coming together.  The homework from last night had the class write out jot notes explaining the reasons why their community would be an ideal place to live in.  I have been really emphasizing that the students be aware of what parts of the project are important.  Here is something written on the board:

Beside the items listed is a rough example created by me.  This was projected on the screen in an attempt to highlight what things are crucial in making this project a success.

By the time Band was done (for those participating), along with our outdoor break, the day was almost over.  I contemplated reviewing the Math test from last week but decided against it.  There are times when I can see that the minds of the students are not ready for certain types of information at particular times of day.  A review like this would be better for the morning.  For the students who had difficulty on the test, there will be a detailed review and a chance to do the questions over for partial marks.

Have a good night.

HOMEWORK:  Signed page 5s from the IEP, email information form for Ms. Sitarek, Read for 20 minutes, Scholastic orders are due tomorrow.