Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out last week for Curriculum Night. I know Mrs. Simpson was very proud of the poems the kids shared out with you. These opportunities to share out are so important because they provide the kids a larger audience for their work.
I was also thankful for the opportunity to share our News and Journals with you. It is a very important structure that's part of our daily routine. I hope you noticed:
* The variety of topics discussed
* The opportunity to explore issues and items of interest with a bit more depth
* The attentiveness and respect the kids gave their peers
* The probing questions the kids asked of one another
* The kids' ability to speak out to a crowd
Speaking of news, I recently shared an article that talked about how information from the most recent census shows that women make 79 cents for every dollar men make - even when other factors are the same or similar. I asked why this might be. One of the girls responded "Maybe some people think girls can't do as good of a job." We talked about how ridiculous this idea is but then realized that some people may actually believe it. Many of the bosses we remembered seeing in different places tended to be men, not women. This felt very wrong. We'll be on the look out for ways women might be portrayed in unfair ways - in books, movies, shows, commercials, history books, etc. If you see anything please pass it along. If this is in fact a problem it would provide a nice opportunity to take on a class letter writing campaign.
This week we've been continuing our work with multiplication. The kids have played a new game (I hope you had a chance to play at home with them) and then worked to solve a variety of real world problems. Everyone in class will work today and tomorrow to create similar problems of their own. My goal is for them to begin noticing the types of problems that require multiplication, creating a number model or illustration to solve, and finding a reasonable answer. At this point our emphasis is on constructing an understanding of what multiplication is (repeated addition, equal groups). We'll continue this work next year as well as begin memorizing all those lovely multiplication facts!
In reading we are finishing up the short novel More Perfect Than the Moon. This is the fourth book in the Sarah, Plain and Tall series. There is one more book in the series that we will read together in the last few weeks of school. Sharing this series together has been a really nice experience. The kids love following along in their books as I read aloud. They also love turning to talk to their neighbors about something that has just happened in the story. All our work in these books is geared toward enjoying a good story and working to make sense of the text. This means making predictions and connections, asking questions, solving unknown words, imagining the story in our heads, and so much more. If you've not heard about the book be sure to ask at home.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE ARE SINGING AT THE SPARKLEBERRY FAIR ON SATURDAY. BE AT STAGE #1 AROUND 10:45. I'LL SEND OUT MAPS TODAY OR TOMORROW.
A few weeks ago I mentioned that we were working to take better responsibility for our personal belongings as well as the classroom supplies. In that newsletter I asked for the kinds of chores and other responsibilities your child has at home. I'm going to end this newsletter with the feedback I received. It's fun to share different strategies and stories with one another from time to time. Also, I really appreciate that you've provided me with good counterarguments at home when my kids say "But John NEVER has to make his bed in the morning!"
Some tasks are eagerly completed: yardwork, washing dishes and folding laundry
Others are forgotten and/or frequently left and stepped
over- towel post bath and books or LEGOs left in the living room at
bedtime. There has been improvement on
the latter since a family meeting a month ago.
We are seeking a compromise about where LEGOs/dolls and in progress
creations belong in their rooms at the end of the day.
Keep his room picked up and neat, make his bed each morning,
put his dirty clothes in the laundry, hang up his towel and keep the bathroom
picked up, give the dog a bath every other week, push in his chair and take dishes
to the sink after each meal, turn his shirts right-side out after taking them
off. He gets a weekly allowance of $5.00, but we deduct 25 cents whenever we
have to remind him to do one of these.
Make her bed, clean
her ENTIRE room, clear all dishes from table, load dishwasher, sort the
laundry, unload dryer, fold & put away clothes, sweep floors.
Feeding and giving fresh water to cats and dog twice daily,
scooping cat litter each afternoon, cleaning dining room table, coffee table, picking
up living room and dining room for extraneous clutter, cleans her bathroom [shares
this duty], folds and puts away her own laundry, other chores as assigned, also
gets up with alarm clock. Despite the list above, her bedroom at any given time
may look like a tornado hit it.
He is responsible to make his own bed, brushing his teeth;
clear the toys in his bedroom and cleaning after himself after eating.
Throughout the week, each day he has different chores, and they include:
setting the table and cleaning the table; vacuuming the house; sweeping the
floor; taking out the trash; loading the dish washer. I do their laundry every
Saturday: both he and his brother help each other to fold their laundry but
especially putting their socks, under pants and under shirts in the right drawers.
Sometimes he helps me with cooking- stirring or kneading a dough or putting
topping on a pizza etc.
Take his plate and cup to the sink after eating (he is good
with this); Put his dirty clothes in the laundry room (struggles with this
one); Feed our dogs (I remind him); Clean up any messes he makes.
Let’s start with always must do: Put clothes in hamper, hang towel on rack,
clean sink after brushing teeth, take shoes off and put them by the back door
when he comes into the house, put book bag by back door, flush the toilet(yes
that has been a problem. Mostly resolved
as I charge for my services if I flush it for him).Clear plate from table, put
up toys in the evening, care for electronics with extra attention, put homework
back in folder and then back in back pack, and answer the phone politely…Does with less
frequency: vacuum the floors, make bed,
put mail in the mailbox, get the newspaper, put books away(this is big because
Trent has books everywhere! He reads in
just about every room of the house.) write thank you notes, make himself a
sandwich…Does when asked: takes
garbage/recycling out to bin, picks up pinecones, wash dishes, change sheets on
his bed with help, sorts toys for goodwill
He is responsible for picking up things from the floor
before his brother vacuums. They sometimes switch roles but they have to agree
before this can be done. They are responsible for cleaning their own room. If
it gets out of hand they will ask for help and sometimes we are willing to
help, sometimes not. They know it's not our responsibility. He has to get his clothes ready for school
and bed each day and make sure his book bag is packed and in its designated
area. His own personal schedule is posted on the refrigerator so he can keep
track of what he should be doing just in case he gets amnesia.
He is responsible for
emptying the smaller trashcans into the main kitchen trashcan. He is
also responsible for making his bed too. He is starting to sweep the
kitchen floor but that is more sporadic than routinely. I too struggle
with the towels. I am very interested in seeing what other families are
doing.
Have a great weekend!
Chris
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