iPad Minis!

Today we dove head first into the iPad minis! Although we had to go over a few 'ground rules' before we took the plunge, the kids finally got to explore those shiny new iPads that have been plugged in and calling our names from the back counter since the first week of school. What a teaser, how cruel of me! As teachers, we're supposed to build anticipation, right?!

The grade 3/4 class began their reading workshop with a 5 minute read to self period. They're still building stamina ... but they're really good at 5 minutes! Tomorrow we might try 6 minutes ;) After our read to self, I introduced them to the iPad minis. We have 10 of them for the school to share and teachers can sign them out in sets of 5. Conveniently enough, they're stored in my room ... For a small fee, of course. I spent hours registering them, updating the apps, setting up the iCloud accounts and keeping them charged :)

The kids were extremely excited to use them. The iPad minis have a way of inspiring creativity and maintaining interest - they're a tool that kids actually want to use! I had them log into the RazKids app (Click here for link), sign into our class and read with a partner. I was amazed. Each partnership was paired according to reading level and they went straight to work.

 

Information about RazKids will be sent home soon - it's an incredible reading program that has been purchased by our school for students to use either at school or at home!

 

The 3/4 French class also got to explore the minis today! They had an important job ... they were French app critics. Since all of the minis are synced together, they all have the same apps but I wasn't sure if the students would actually be interested in the French apps. Were they too babyish? Too boring? Not hard enough? Just not interesting? They did a wonderful job because they (not surprisingly) were brutally honest. It was great to hear their perspective.

 

So serious - they even wanted headphones!

 

 

Can't wait to dive a little deeper into the use of technology in the classroom! On the lesson plan for tomorrow ... Using the minis to videotape one another using simple French greetings and salutations.

 

:)

 





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First Week Fun!

Wow!!

It is so hard to believe that it is the third week of school already!! Didn't we JUST start?!

To sum it all up ... so far, so good! It's going to be a GREAT year!

The past few weeks have been spent learning all about one another, getting settled into routines and schedules, speaking FRENCH and taking tons of pictures along the way.

Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to:

In Grade 3/4 French, we talked lots about school rules and expectations. What better way to do this then to read "David va a l'ecole". That David is always up to no good!

Check out the following link to a cute (and free) David Craftivity from Fall into First ... I used it as a springboard, but decided that at a Grade 3/4 level, they would be able to make their own David's. You be the judge, but I think they're cute!

 

 

We brainstormed all the naughty things David did and then decided to turn it around to write about the things that he could do - to teach him right from wrong. The writing activity attached to it was "Oui, David! Tu peux ..." We had sentences starters (a discussion about verbs - yay!) on the board and students chose which one they would act out and write about. Too cute. They also completed a 'sort' "oui tu peux" or "non tu ne peux pas" activity from the following website: http://clin.ac-mayotte.fr/spip.php?article56 This website had TONS of resources - including a modified/shorter scanned version of the story in French.

The 1/2 Core French group also did the David activity - but in a shorter, more age appropriate kind of way. For instance, we read the story, talked about what not to do, made the David crafts (from Fall into First) and then wrote "Non David" on a sentence strip. It was so cute to see their ideas of David - some made David exactly the way he looks, striped blue shirt and all, and others went wayyyy outside the box and made him all different colours, holding one hand in the air and the other on his pants to duplicate the page where David keeps asking to go to the bathroom!!

This week, we've been integrating technology (whooohooo - 10 new Ipad Minis for the school). Stay tuned to what we've been learning!

TTFN,

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New beginnings ...

After much debate, I've decided to keep my blog up and running. I LOVE blogging, don't get me wrong ... it's not just for my own personal growth in an ever-changing techno-coloured world, but it's also for the community, for the parents and even for the students. So when I found out that my assignment for next year might be a little bit more difficult to 'blog' about, I thought that maybe I would take the site down.

NAHHHHH. Who am I kidding?! Just because it's titled as Ms. Kidd's Kindergarten, doesn't mean that's what it has to be right? The blog is a place to store and document student and classroom information, to collaborate with other teachers from across the continent and to stretch conversations at home from, "How was school today?" to "Tell me more about your science experiment today!" How on Earth could I go without blogging?! So, after (not-so-much) debate, I've decided to keep my blog up and running as Ms. Kidd's Kindergarten even though this September, I will be teaching:

Grade 3/4 Language
JK/SK Core French
1/2 Core French
and Grade 3/4 Phys. Ed and Core French

I've figured out a way to 'label' posts so that they are organized by class/grade on the left hand side of the blog, so if there is a blog post in reference to something specific to a class then it will go directly to that class on the right side with a label.

With that being said ... so long, sweet summer. This teacher is starting to think about school again!

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Kinder Kandinsky

If you've ever asked someone to borrow oil pastels from their room, you'll understand what I mean when I say I had to steal oil pastels today. Okay, not really steal. But I borrowed without asking ... and that's because it's really hard to get your hands on oil pastels. ESPECIALLY if you tell the person that you're borrowing from that you're going to let kindergarten use them!

Don't worry. They were returned, safe and sound. We didn't even break any! The oil pastels are an absolute treat for any artist ... even at a very young age, these kids can understand why these tools were such a special addition to the art centre today.

"They're special crayons because they're dark!"

"They're rubbery and soft."

"They look like paint!"

I sat down at a table with some supplies and called over a few students at a time to show them the art project of the day - Kandinsky circles! We went over the materials that we would be using, any special things that we needed to take into consideration (like personal space and rolling up our sleeves), and went over the directions. I showed them how to trace circles (using a tracer) and reminded them to write their names. Some students fit 4 circles on their page, some fit 5. We then had a discussion about their favourite colours ...

"I like yellow, just because."

"I like purple and blue."

"My favourite is orange because I like oranges!"

Here's a sneak peak of their creations ...

I'd love to share their final products, but ... they're not quite done yet!

Here's what they're SUPPOSED to look like. But ... keep in mind, I didn't show them what it SHOULD look like. And, if they're SUPPOSED to look like this, then that would imply that there is a right way and a wrong way ... I just told them to make circles, choose colours they like and go around and around!

If I showed them this, I think some of my little guys would get upset that their final product didn't match what it should look like. I'd rather not let these budding artists feel like anything less than budding artists at this point.

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Flubber. Gak. Goop.

We didn't just "make goop" this week ... Students dove head first into their own inquiry. Here's the story:

This week, one of the girls in my class brought out a ziploc bag full of bright blue goopy, flubbery gunk. First of all, I LOVE the initiative that she took and the confidence that she had to take it out of her school bag. Second of all, I LOVE that she set up her very own centre with this blue goopy gunk, calling all of her friends over to the table and indicating that the centre had too many friends when there wasn't enough goop to go around. 

Naturally, the students suggested that we make more. We researched the ingredients (which I had on had because I had been waiting for a rainy day to make this stuff), took a walk down to the breakfast kitchen to get the materials and supplies and got to work! 

From start to finish, students were incredibly engaged. Science lends itself quite naturally to the FDK program and this experiment was no exception. We have since made two batches and the learning has been endless. Kids LOVE goop! There's something about that sticky, gooey, malleable, slimy stuff that 5 year olds love. I know I'm totally dating myself, but if you're wondering what it reminds me of, its Robin Williams Flubber. Haha. 

Here's the recipe and instructions (so simple!):

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups elmer white glue
food coloring
1 1/3 cups warm water
3 teaspoons borax

1. In one container mix 1 1/2 cups warm water, white glue and a few drops of food colouring.
2. In a second container mix 1 1/3 cups of warm water and Borax.
3. Mix the Borax mixture into the glue mixture until combined (may be some liquid in bottom of container).
4. Place Fubber on a tray and let stand for a few minutes before playing with it!
5. Store in air tight container.

Here's the link: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/flubber-134095?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/flubber-134095?oc=linkback</a>

I have a couple of Grade 5/6 boys who come to help me at recess (i.e. stack chairs, clean the tables, sweep the floor, empty the water table, etc) and even THEY got a kick out of the goop. Usually when they finish their jobs, I let them play floor hockey in my room ... They are hockey crazy. This week they gave up the hockey sticks to play with the flubber instead. 

And to think ... If the goop had stayed in the little girls bag, none of this would have happened.

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Dramatic play ... En francais

As children take part in dramatic play, they come together to learn SO MUCH! This isn't new or ground-breaking by any means, but here are some ways in which dramatic play can enhance a child's learning ... 

1. They refine social and emotional norms (think: turn taking)
2. They increase their gross and fine motor skills (think: dressing a baby)
3. They develop literacy skills (think: writing down phone messages in the doctor's office or making a grocery list)
4. They learn to ask and answer questions, thus increasing their vocabulary, communication and language (think: role-playing house). 

As a French kindergarten teacher in a French immersion kindergarten class, I often wondered if the students would ever extend their French language acquisition into their play. I'm here to tell you that THEY DOOOOOOOO!! And,  it's WONDERFUL!!

Students played 'mini-prof' today and since they were playing ME, they were speaking French. They took turns playing 'teacher,' choosing the chef du jour, asking students to assis or debut, telling each other where they could "travaillent ou jouent" ... It truly was amazing. 

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Listening. Really listening.

When I think of assessment, I think how students can show me what they've learned. But what I really need to think about is how students can show me what they've learned or what they know. Taking what the students say and bringing it back to the curriculum to assess whether or not "they've got it" ... Taking conversations that have been had and relating it to a ministry document and deciding whether or not they have accurately represented learned information. In a play-based environment, this is the ONLY way to assess students learning without feeling like you're a chicken with your head cut off.

By taking a few minutes every day (even if its only 5 or 10) and investing "quality" time with students (even if its only a few students every day), I feel that I can get a better sense of "where they are and what they know" ...

After all, isn't that what FDK is all about? Learning though play ... Why stop a student from building a masterpiece and ask them to count for you when you can join them at the block centre and count how high their tower is?

:)

TTFN, Pin It