What a difference a little water can make! It pounded against my skin revitalizing my sore body and helping me feel I could possibly proceed. After doing all of the morning rituals, all I needed yet was a cup of coffee, and I could head out the door.
As I entered the vacant parking lot, I felt as if I had missed an important meeting. Usually there are many more cars by the time I arrive, and today I was later than usual. I think everyone had the “After Fall Break Blues.”
Walking out on the track for 15 minutes helped further my revitalization. The crisp, cool air and the smell of fall were what I needed to get in the mood for another fantastic day at Jefferson School. When the bell sounded, we entered the building with the buzz of students sharing stories of their long weekend.
After the usual lunch count and flag salute, I reminded my students to smile and make someone else’s day special. If we just smiled at one other person who may have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, maybe we could change the mood all around the school. That would be 19 students each smiling at another student = 38, and if they smile at another = 76! With a big smile on my face, it was time for reading class.
We started class with a poem titled Casey at Bat. Since reading fluency is so important to comprehension, we read it chorally and discussed this famous poem Click on the following link to learn more about the poem. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_at_the_Bat)
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Reader’s Theater is a favorite of all the students. I could sure tell that as we read the story of Jackie Robinson in this format. Everyone had a part and performed with their voice working on reading fluency once again. Time sure flies when you’re having fun because reading was over in a flash.
When a few more students entered the room, we started language arts. Our Patriots Pen essays are due on Monday, so we handed them in. After that, we discussed Roving Reporter.
Our language arts class is going to start a blog called The Roving Reporter. Each day a student from our classroom will be the "Roving Reporter." He or she will compose an article and take photos using a digital camera. They will write what takes place during the school day as a 6th grader at Jefferson School. Since I am the teacher, I decided to model this process for the students. This is the first article of the year. All too soon, the clock told us it was time to move on to our next class. For me, it was having Mrs. McAllister’s class for social studies.
Chapter 2 in 6th grade social studies is about ancient Mesopotamia and many of the civilizations that arose in the Middle East. We also studied the history of Judaism. One of our objectives is to learn about the major religions of the world. Since we are at the end of the chapter, I handed out a review sheet. The chapter review will be on Wednesday. Tomorrow we will be reviewing the chapter 2 vocabulary. Social studies with my homeroom class was next, and I followed the same lesson plan.
Smells of breaded pork and tator tots drifted down the hall and into our room. Our stomachs began to growl uncontrollably. With mouths watering, we walked to the cafeteria for lunch. After gobbling down our lunch and a little time for visiting and recess, we headed to our room to see what was going to happen to Emily, the main character in our book Peppermints in the Parlor.
We found out that Emily was really a rich heiress and that her uncle Twice was the true owner of Sugar Hill Hall. All of the main characters, including the old people, threw peppermints at Mrs. Meeching and Mrs. Plumly in order for the police to capture them. It has been so much fun to read this book to my class because they were always sitting on the edge of their seat, waiting for the next bit of action. All too soon it was time for music and library.
When everyone returned to the classroom, we started math class. What is .810 divided by .9? That was the type of question on our math test that we were finishing up today. The answer, by the way, is .9. I was so proud of my class. They did a great job on their test.
After switching one more time for class, we settled down for band and study hall. Everyone had a lot of homework, so it was relatively quiet, except for the chirping of Mrs. Hudson’s birds across the hall. When all and the assignments were written in the planners and the bags were packed, we headed out the door to enjoy what was left of the beautiful fall day.
