Odd or Even

Today's math lesson was mainly about odd and even numbers! We came up with some really neat ideas to help us understand and identify these numbers easily. Here is what the kiddies came up with:
- Even numbers always end in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8.
- Even numbers can be shared fairly with someone else.
- Odd numbers end in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.
- Odd numbers cannot be shared evenly with someone else... there is always leftover.
We had some great math thinking around an idea that came up: "numbers are always even when you count by twos." 

Some students did not agree with this statement and respectfully disagreed. It was mentioned that if you start on an odd number and count by twos, the numbers will always be dd.

The dialogue that took place between the class while they worked through this idea and thinking was rich and demonstrated great critical thinking skills. It was a truly amazing moment in P4!

Place Value

Today we had our first math lesson. It was all about place value. Place value is a tricky concept for young learners to grasp, so lots of hands on experiences and review help build a better understanding. Today, our first "hands on" fun was with the Smartboard! I created an interactive lesson where the boys and girls could come up and show numbers a variety of different ways using base ten blocks or numbers.
If you are unfamiliar with what the Smartboard is, it is basically a large interactive computer! A projector projects the image from my computer screen onto the board.  This allows students to come up to the board and "touch" it. They can write on it, move objects around and really interact with the screen. I guess the kiddies sorta become the "mouse." I love this tool and we use it every single day!
Today everyone had a blast testing it out and I am confident it helped us better understand place value too!

A little review for moms and dads who are saying ..... ummm what is place value?!
Here is an example:
The number 132 is 1hundred, 3 tens and 2 ones
You can show it with base ten men too!

There are other ways to show this same number but we are keeping it simple for now!

Do Unto Otters... I mean Others!

Day two was a busy one! We began the morning by reviewing our rules, routines and expectations. Although it may seem redundant, the boys and girls benefit from hearing them more than once. By next week I am sure things will be running like a well-oiled machine in Portable Four.

We read a story today called “Do Unto Otters.” This is a hilarious picture book that that explains the golden rule: “treat others’ the way you would like to be treated. We will reference this book often in the next few weeks while we build our own little classroom community.

 

 

 

Indoor Shoes

In an effort to keep our learning space clean and tidy I request that all students have a pair of indoor shoes to keep at school.
Portable life means lots of trips in and out of the classroom. As you can imagine, this can mean lots of dirt and mess. I think that a pair of shoes reserved for indoor use only will help minimize the mess. A clean environment will help optimize our learning. Thank you so much for your continued support!

First Day 2015

We had a wonderful first day in Portable 4! Once again I have inherited a beautiful group of kiddies. I feel so blessed!

Our day started with an introduction about me. I shared lots of pictures of myslef, the Mr. and our two beautiful girls.  We then jumped into an explanation of routines and expectations and we worked on a fun "All About Me" booklet. In the afternoon we took a tour of our classroom library and did some relaxing reading. The day ended with our evening meeting where we practiced reading our Poem Of The Week (P.O.T.W). Each week we will receive a new poem and as part of our nightly reading we are to practice reading it fluently and with lots of expression. At the end of the week we have a P.O.T.W test. This week we will write it as a class so that everyone knows what to expect on future tests. We are always more than prepared come Friday and everyone does well!

I am sure everyone is nice and tired after a day of getting back into routine... or at least I know I am! I look forward to a great year ahead.

Little Critters

 

 

How cute are these little back to school critters?!?

What would your caption be to this picture?

 

 



Can't wait to meet everyone!

The classroom is almost ready and I am very excited for my new group of kiddies!
September brings feelings of excitement and anticipation. Only six more sleeps until I meet my new chikadees!