Peer Leaders

Three peer leaders will soon be coming in to teach the fifth graders the Second Steps program. This anti-bullying curriculum will help the kids learn about ways to get along with others and stop bullying in our school. The peer leaders are high school students who have been trained to work with the kids. I am so excited that Tess, Hailee and Madi will be coming in to interact with my students. They will be working with the kids every Wednesday afternoon from 2:40-3:00, while the teachers have our Professional Learning Community time.

Math Workshop

I have started a new math program this year we are calling Math Workshop. The students are divided into four groups for each lesson, based on their performance on an "Entrance Slip." We then rotate through four stations during our math workshop time. One group works on our Math calendar, one group works on the daily Assignment, one group has Teacher Time with me, and the last group does a Hands-on activity such as a computer program or a game.  This allows me to work more closely with small groups of learners.

Phenology

John Latimer has been working with my class for the last 14 years. He has a radio show on KAXE radio 91.7 fm in Grand Rapids. Every Tuesday morning he talks about phenology - which is the study of how nature changes throughout the year. He took my class on a walk today. We observed how the trees are dropping their leaves and looked at many other plants and animals in the woods near the school. John will be returning in the winter and again in the spring.

Adopt A Tree

The students started an Adopt-A-Tree project this fall. They each selected a deciduous tree to study. They spent a lot of time observing and recording information about their trees. My goal is to have the students become more observant. When they are out in the woods near their homes, I hope they will be able to identify some of the trees that are in their own backyards.