This week’s focus was primarily based on questioning- working on open-ended questions rather than rapid fire. I have found this can sometimes be a challenge- depending on the content I am teaching. In our writing lesson, I chose an “I wonder” picture that would capture the student’s attention. Mrs. S does this every week to prompt students with open-ended questions that will allow them to use their critical thinking skills. The photo I chose was of a large cat running through the air (the feet could not be seen). I started off asking students about what they saw, and to look at the setting of the photo. This allowed the students to do more of the talking, and less guided instruction by me. I really enjoy engaging students in this type of activity, as they are always excited to find out what the next “I wonder” photo will be, and then we debrief/discuss student’s ideas afterwards. They then return to their desk and write about what they saw in the photo. This activity is completed in their journals- it is not marked for spelling or punctuation, but for content. Students are asked to write down their ideas and not worry about errors. I find this generally increases the amount that students typically write, as they can feel at ease when writing their sentences (at this point- typically 5-7 sentences is expected). I feel this is one of the best ways to assess student knowledge and creative thought process, and I will be continuing to implement this technique over the next few weeks.

We also started our fairy tale unit this week which was a lot of fun! We have been reading different fairy tales and talking about the components of the tale (beginning, middle and end). We have been working on elements of a story such as characters, setting, problem, and resolution. We have eased into the unit by exploring different types of known fairy tales, and will bring in more fractured tales as the unit progresses. We have also recently started our class fairy tale, which is being composed by the students. On Friday we had a classroom vote on the characters, setting and problem in the story, and will begin the introduction this week. Students were very excited to start the fairy tale, and are looking forward to performing for their parents. As our igloo melted from “global warming,” we decided to build a castle for our story. Mrs. S’s son came in to help us build on Friday and the kids were amazed at how it turned out!

This week I also had the opportunity to experience the Author Visit and take part as a judge in “Math Celebrations” at one of the nearby elementary schools. This was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of great kids. At first I was a bit nervous walking in as a judge for grade 6/7 math, but it went smoothly and was interesting to see how students worked in teams to come up with solutions to 4 different problems. They received either bronze, silver, or gold stickers for their ability to work as a team, come up with a strategy and solve the problem correctly. It was definitely difficult not being able to help guide them through the question (judges had to keep quiet)! This was another eventful week, and I am preparing for a very busy few weeks to come!