So Long September

If you walked into room15 today, you would probably think that students have been here for far longer than just a month.  Students have quickly adjusted to new routines and expectations.  Very few reminders are needed now for where to put lunches, when to pass in homework, or what is acceptable behavior on the rug.  

Best of all, there is a pleasant buzz coming from our room. Kids are nice to each other. They are interested in what their friends have to say.  And yet they know when to be focused and behaving like students.  As such, lots of work is getting done. 

We have looked at ourselves as learners and used what we know about ourselves to write goals for 4th grade.  We have finished our first unit of math and are wrapping up a unit on matter in science.  Oral storytelling has been the focus in out writing class. This week will see the beginnings of taking our favorite stories to tell aloud and shaping them into interesting, well written personal narratives.  

We even got our first classroom pet today from the science center.  Various animals will visit us throughout the year. Right now, we have a baby snapping turtle that is 2-3 months old. He is about the size of the palm of your 4th grader's hand!  As fun as the pets are, they are also wonderful resources for writing inspiration and animal behavior observations. Students do all of the care taking on a volunteer basis and have the opportunity to spend recess interacting with the animals if they choose.  This can be a nice bonding time for kids who otherwise didn't think they had much in common.