Sneezes and Giggles

WARNING! The "sick" season has begun! There are sniffles, sneezes, coughs, and germs rapidly spreading around our school. We went through a mass amount of Kleenex in our room today and therefore, we also went through a great amount of hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes to keep our room clean. I myself am getting a bit of a cold too. When my kiddos heard my voice at Morning Meeting (low, scratchy, and quiet) one said, "Wow, Ms. Carlberg are you ok? Because if you're not you can go home and rest and we can get another teacher. It'll be ok, really." How sweet! I'm just fine, but please make sure you're washing hands like crazy!

Our day started a little different today because we had to practice bus safety. This was exhilarating (for the students, not so much for me) because we got to get on the bus in the morning and practice exiting through the back of the bus! It was nice for me to hear the bus expectations from the bus drivers so I can help reinforce those in our room too. Here were are walking to and sitting on the bus:

Look at this line! We are getting
better at walking straight
down the hallway. 

We started learning a new concept in math today- using the number line to solve problems. We practiced "hopping" on the number line to help us count. For example, I said, "I had three cookies. Then I bought 4 more. How many more do I have now?" While some of the kiddos may know how to add this in their head, we are teaching a problem solving technique that will prove valuable throughout the year and all of the student's schooling. Also, we learned how to use the number line to tell which number is bigger. This is an easy activity you can do with your kiddo anytime. (It's especially great for downtime in the car.) Ask, "Which is bigger ____ or ____? How did you know that?' For the students, being able to explain how they know is just as important as them knowing the right answer.

We also started learning about one of our C.A.R.E.S. values today! C.A.R.E.S values are important to our classroom community but also to our school. They are: Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self Control. Today we focused on Cooperation. After reading a book and discussing, the kiddos decided it means: working together, helping each other, helping others to solve problems. First, we discussed, then we practice during free choice, and we concluded by having a discussion at the end of the lesson. Here are some friends using cooperation:

Davajah, Anoosha, Wesley, and Justice putting
away puzzles.

Connor and Josiah putting away pattern
blocks.

Cooperation at it's best!

How heart-warming is this?!

Books We Read Today:

The Owl and the Woodpecker - Brian Wildsmith
I Am the Biggest Thing in the Ocean - Kevin Sherry (back by request)
The Mouse and the Motorcycle - Bevery Cleary (we'll read a chapter everyday after lunch


Interesting Tidbits from our Day

"It's ok that you're sick Ms. Carlberg. We know you're trying your best...and hey! that's one of our rules!"

"I don't really want to do stop free choice. I'd rather do that than math."

"You know that thing when we sit at our desks and use pencils and write about our life?" (Me: Writer's Workshop?") "YEAH THAT, I LOVE THAT!!"