IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

Today, during readers and math workshop, we were talking about finding “just right” books and numbers.

Yesterday, I told the story of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We talked about how Goldilocks was trying to find the porridge, chair, and bed that was just right for her. Today, I told the story of The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf. We talked about how each pig built a house, but only one house was just right, because it was able to keep the wolf out.

Then we had our friend Hayes try on three different shirts…

The first shirt Hayes tried on was much to small. Students decided that this shirt would be just right for a baby but it wasn’t just right for Hayes.

This shirt was much too small

The second shirt Hayes tried on was much too big. Students decided that this shirt would be just right for “somone’s daddy” but not for Hayes.

This shirt was much too big.

Lastly, Hayes tried on the green shirt. Everyone agreed that this was the shirt that was just right for Hayes. The students really seemed to understand this visual of “just right.” They also seemed to understand that what is “just right” for one friend might not be what’s “just right” for another friend, but that’s ok.

This shirt was just right.

We used this to further our discussion about books, and then we came back to this conversation during math workshop when students were picking numbers to use in their story problem. I had included the numbers 8 and 5 in the story problem I put in their math notebooks for today. We talked about how, if you can solve the problem with those numbers in your head, those numbers are not just right for you. Similarly, if those numbers are so challenging that you don’t know where to begin solving that problem, those numbers aren’t just right for you either. The numbers are just right for you if you don’t know the answer automatically but you know what to do to solve it.

I then wrote different sets of numbers up on the board for students to choose from. I challenged them to pick the numbers that were “just right” for them.We will be continuing this “just right” conversation in all areas of our learning in the coming weeks.

Today during math, our class explored the ten frame!  This is a rectangle divided into ten squares that can be used as a counting tool or as as an alternative to express numbers one through ten.  We started our lesson using a guided exploration of the ten frame by creating a giant one on the floor!  I asked students to get into the ten frame a few at a time and we talked about what number was represented.  Then, students were given a few frames to study and count individually.  Once they looked them over, they were asked to stand up at different times and do an action depending on the number their frame represented.  They enjoyed this movement break and grasped the ten frame concept quickly!

Tomorrow, we will use our new knowledge to learn a math game… ten frame war!

Ask your students about their first trip to the library today!  They will be allowed to bring their books home starting next week.  Some of your students have leveled readers in their folder to read for their log tonight and others will get their first book tomorrow!

Today was our first trip to the library! Mrs. Thomas was there with Mr. Wiggles to welcome the students. Then she read a book to the class by Mr. Wiggles all about how to take care of books. The children did such a nice job listening to the story. After the children listened to the story, Mrs. Thomas told the children that they would be able to check out a book each week. The children were so excited that they got to check out a book. This week they will stay at school, but after Mrs. Thomas talks about the procedures with taking books home, the children will be able to take them home each week. We are so excited about this new part of our schedule!

Last week we discussed characters and settings in a story. Today we began talking about how stories have a problem and a solution. Our story today was actually a letter from Miss Kelly, our custodian. It was a letter saying that she found Crystal Fluffy Speeder outside of our school and it had hurt its hoof so she put a bandaid on it. We discovered that Crystal got lonely over the weekend and tried to go visit the chickens, but when it went outside the door hurt its hoof and then it closed causing Crystal to get locked out of the building. Luckily, Miss Kelly came and took care of Crystal!

After telling our friends about what had happened, Shaniyia asked how did it get out there because it is just a puppet. They started suggesting that maybe Mr. Smith had something to do with it so a group of kiddos wrote a letter to Mr. Smith during Story Workshop asking how Crystal got out there. We slid it under the door to his office and are awaiting a response…It is such a great thing when I am thinking that the problems are how Crystal got stuck outside and got hurt, but the children found a new problem-how did it get out there in the first place! I love these minds!

The last few weeks we have been talking about gifts: what they are, why we have them, why they are important to have and share. We have noticed that friends have started to use vocabulary like: “He is showing the gift of sharing!”

Today we went around during our share time and shared one gift that each of us possess. It was lovely because there was such a variation of gifts: from having the gift of art to having the gift of dribbling to having the gift of sharing. We are going to continue to look closely at the gifts that each of us possess as it will help us continue to grow as a community.

We also played math games today instead of doing math notebooks (this will be a regular schedule for now: Monday-Thursday we will do math notebooks and Friday math games). It was dominoes today! We partnered up and the children played so amazingly well together! What I was having them focus on was not who was winning (not one game was finished) but matching numbers. It was a great exercise on one-to-one correspondence and counting. After we got done playing, we circled up and talked about what went well and what did not, and every person that shared discussed how their friends were fair when playing and that it was fun! I look forward to playing more games.

Starting next week Miss Jeffrey will be teaching some of the minilessons each day. We are looking at this opportunity as a co-teaching opportunity so I will always be there to add anything just like she will always be there to add anything. We are looking forward to this opportunity.

Since the first day of school, I have had a sweet gray billy goat marionette at school on our share chair. We have not addressed it at all until today. After Reader’s Workshop, I thought it was time to”wake her up.” She got down and she sat, walked, and looked at the kids. The children just fell in love her. They were all asking if they could pet her so she became part of our classroom community quickly. Ashu then asked what her name was, and to be honest we did not have one. So, I asked the kids to brainstorm about names for this sweet billy goat. After lunch we discussed names and wrote them all down on a board. At the very end of the day as part of our closing meeting, we voted on names and low and behold Crystal Speeder were the top choices!! I was smiling the whole time as friends voted for Crystal Speeder. Then we realized Speeder was tied with Fluffy so the friends decided that she needed to have three names Crystal Fluffy Speeder. I think that she will pop up here and there in class which will be a treat!!

So, ask your child about Crystal Speeder and see what they say!

P.S. I took picture of the voting, but I forgot to take a picture of Crystal Fluffy Speeder! Sorry!