Back in the Classroom – Group Teaching

2014-02-20 | puppy1952

Because this week ended today at 12:00 noon for a weekend of staff training, I am doing the BLOG early this week. It has been a short week yet we have packed in so much. We have reached the time of term when the girls are really settled and into the routine of school. They are learning so quickly and I am enormously proud of them. I know I say this every year but I am always amazed at the rate at which Grade Ones learn. It is the most rewarding part of this job.

In the first few weeks our focus in on getting into good routines, learning to follow instructions, to work quietly at our tables and to consider others. Once this is established and the teacher has begun to know her learners she can begin with group teaching. This has now started in my class although I am still teaching in small mixed-ability groups. Later in the term I will group the children into ability groups and allow the girls to progress at their own pace. Teaching in groups has so many advantages. It allows the teacher to focus on individuals and to give more individual attention to learners who need it. I also allows her to extend the fast workers.

Working with concrete apparatus at this age is vital

Can you see three with your eyes before you grab in in one go?

How do you change three into four? Just one more!

We are so smart!

While a group is busy working with the teacher on the mat the others have tasks to do on their own at their desks. These tasks are well within their ability and the girls do not need help from the teacher. The girls have to be able to work independently and quietly and with just the odd reminder from me the cope very well indeed.

These girls are working on a THRASS activity while a group of learners is having a group Reading lesson.

I am practising my known THRASS skills

I am colouring the words that begin with the dog phoneme ‘d’ Aren’t I clever!

We do all kinds of activities to learn our phonemes and graphemes. We have made the flying birds for ‘b’ a rabbit for ‘bb’ and yesterday we made a crown for our queen. Don’t forget the queen, queen. Her majesty the queen, queen. Queen begins with ‘q’ queen. And of course she needs a crown!

That is all I have for this short week, folks. It was a long afternoon of staff training where we performed many fun tasks focussing on the Habits of Mind. It’s all very exciting and promises to make us better prepared for teaching your children.

Parents we have already started listening to Speaker Reader presentations so if your child hasn’t anything prepared yet please make sure she has something by Monday. Projects begin next week too. Make sure your child has all her bits and pieces to compile her “Me from Birth to Now” poster.

Have an awesome Long Weekend!

Back in the Classroom – Our Senses, Animals, Butter and Valentine’s Day

2014-02-14 | puppy1952

Teachers travelling to the future from a bygone age may not recognise the schools they visit in the 21st Century – well our school certainly is one they might think was created from creatures from another planet! It appears that no work is ever done – it’s just fun, fun, fun. Songs and movement, dressing up, outings to exotic places – well I never – is this what the world of the future has come to – I am sure they would wonder.

Yes – it is fun at our school but wow – do our children learn – and they don’t even know it! On Thursday we went to Higgledy Piggledy Petting Farm at Imhoff’s Gift and used our senses to learn all about farm animals and also how to make butter. What is butter? asked one little girl. mmmm – I guess some people only use margarine on their bread in these heart safe days! The jury is still out on the truth of this one though. Personally I like to think a little bit of butter is better for Betty.

The girls smelled the stinky farm smells, listened to the cocks crow and other animal noises, touched the furry creatures and they were beside themselves with joy to be able to feed them first hand. Even the pigs were adorable.

The goats got loose and I got a photograph!

If we hold our food up high we won’t be stormed by hungry birds

I’m not too sure about this piggy

The goat is safely back in his pen

Cuddling a furry creature is just the best

We’re trying to tempt the guinea pigs out of their safe place

He is so soft

Love is holding a pet

The bunnies were the best

After washing our hands carefully we went on to make butter while brother class connected with the animals. What a fun thing that was. We learned that milk actually comes from a cow and that we could shake the cream from the top of the milk to change it into a solid that is called butter. And boy does it taste lovely and creamy on the biscuits our teacher gave us the next day.

Ready to learn about making butter!

Churn it up , Churn it down, Churn it all around

And what do you get – creamy butter!

This so amazing

It tasted delicious

We also learned how to milk a goat – yes we did – but it was not a real one!

It feels weird

Is this really where milk comes from?

What a crazy thing to do!

I’m getting the hang of this

What is my mother going to say!

We ate our homemade butter on biscuits on Valentine’s Day

mmm Creamy and delicious

Well – I’m not so sure about this

I think its okay

Yum Yum

Oh – yes – this is good!

On Friday there was more fun at school – we all dressed up in pink or red and white and celebrated Valentine’s Day. I was so spoiled by my little girls who brought me flowers and chocolates – Thank you girls and parents – I felt very pampered. Everybody looked amazing but we chose four specially lovely outfits and then the girls voted for a winner who was quite overcome with joy. The others made her feel very special when she was presented with a heart-shaped eraser and a lollipop!

The princesses all dressed up

Aren’t they gorgeous

Cuteness in pink red and white

But the kids weren’t the only ones dressing up – the teachers joined in the fun too. We also decorated the teachers’ lounge and had some romantic music playing. We were treated to a cupcake and a cutesy poem telling us how fab we are!

Don’t you love the tie!

Full of fun she is!

Love you daaarling

The gorgeous girls

Ladies in Red

Love you my friend!

Nothing like sharing Valentinés with a handsome young man!

We all love each other at SVPS

The girls were fascinated by the story of Valentine – ask them about it parents – I hope they remember it and can repeat it to you.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Back in the Classroom – Another busy week

2014-02-08 | puppy1952

Apologies to my parents for not posting yesterday but I had to leave school straight after sport and then it was into the car and off to Struisbaai for the weekend! So here I am in the most beautiful part of the Western Cape, listening to birdsong in the garden while I catch up on my blog.

Wow – what a great week we have had. It never fails to thrill me when I see the pace at which a young child learns. Already they are able to build sentences with their little pink words – some just the ones they know from the story while others are creating their own, sometimes funny, ones of their own.

Look at this long sentence!

This is easy

Have I got it right?

I am so pleased with myself

I did it all by myself

I can do it!

Can I make another one?

The girls are also learning to transcribe their sentences into their books but the emphasis at the moment is building them with our word cards before we stress over getting them into writing but look how far we’ve come.

I am proud of my work

Is this okay?

I am doing my best

On Tuesday evening we are having a “night school” on how we teach THRASS. Parents, do make an effort to attend.

We have already learnt all about Jean Pierre the brave ant who lives in Paris. We have sung his song and listened to his story. We now know that a is for ant and have found pictures of a words.

I cut out my ant and found the pictures that start with a

I am learning cutting out skills at the same time as learning phonemes and graphemes

It is fun finding the a words on the apple tree

It makes me happy to learn all about this French ant!

I am having fun while learning

Just look at what I can do

I am learning to focus on my tasks too

Now let me think!

I think I have it right

The girls are really making me proud with their beautiful work. Keep helping them at home with the homework tasks as practising new skills ensures that they will become a habit of the mind.

Back in the Classroom – Meeting Our Hoofie Leaders and starting Homework

2014-01-31 | puppy1952

On Tuesday the Grade Ones met their Hoofie Leaders. At SVPS all the children are divided into families of seven, consisting of a child from each grade. These families meet once a fortnight and are headed up by a Grade Seven learner. Before these gatherings occur the Grade Ones are introduced to their Head of Family (Hoofie Leader) who explains how the whole system works. We find that having these families reduces the occurrence of bullying because the children learn to get on with the other kids no matter what grade they’re in and families stick together and help each other out in times of need.

I feel special with my Hoofie Leader

Getting to know what it is all about

I think I’m going to like this

This week was yet another busy one full of new learning experiences. We continued with shapes, colours and reading. What fun it was to create pictures out of our diamond shapes. We had to remember to use our shapes in size order too! That was tricky when you were concentrating on the creative side.

Kites are flying. Have I got the sizes right?

Do you like my colours and patterns?

This week we focussed on the colour Orange. What fun we had honing our cutting out skills and strengthening the small muscles in our fingers and hands by colouring Ollie as brightly as we could. We then mounted him on black paper all by ourselves. Getting him to stand out was quite tricky but we managed!

I must cut very carefully

Tongue out helps me concentrate

So How am I doing?

It’s a piece of cake!

Don’t rush me – I’m nearly done!

Aren’t we clever!

Homework for Grade Ones began at the beginning of this week. We do not require you as the parent to teach your child. Everything that comes home has already been taught and just needs to be practiced. Any new skill that is taught must be practised in order to perfect it and this is the reason we give simple homework exercises daily. Make sure your child does the required homework as specified in the homework diary, remove notices from it and sign. It should take no longer than 20 minutes per day. Then watch your child thrive!

Funny Story of the week:- One little lass had a tummy ache. “Tell me exactly how it feels.” I said. “It feels like my tummy is biting me.” She replied. I sent her home!

Smart answer of the week:- Question: “What is a widow?” Answer: “A black spider!”

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and parents, please cover the THRASS Book sent home with your child today. This book will travel back and forth from school to home every day – it needs to last the whole year so a good quality plastic cover is required.

Quote

The thing I love most about teaching Grade 1 is watching children learn to read. Research has shown that children aged 6 turning 7 are at the perfect learning stage to start reading. In some countries children start earlier than this but by the time they are 10 our children will be at the same level as the 5 year-old starters. Our programme is geared to the 6/7 year-old whereas other countries gear theirs to younger learners.

Six and seven year-olds seem to just catch reading like one catches a cold, only its so much better! The only thing I do is expose them to the written word, provide them with some tools to work out new words and then watch it happen all by itself. Parents too, should be exposing their children to stories and books. More important than getting your child to read to you is for you to read to her. Remember when your baby was learning to talk? You didn’t teach her. You spoke to her – constantly. Well mostly it’s the same with Reading. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to read to your child. Then leave the rest to the teacher and follow the homework procedure vigilantly.

The girls have already started their journey into Reading. They are rapping the alphabet and the THRASS chart. They have been introduced to their first Reading words. It’s happening already!

I can read this!

I love this bird story!

It’s so easy

Concentration is required

This week we have introduced the beginnings of writing and the girls are working hard at getting their patterns right. Imagine having to hold your crayon correctly, remember to start in the right place and touch the top and bottom line. Lots of effort and concentration is required but once those neural pathways are set we will be ready to start on letter formation.

We are also working hard on our mathematical concepts. We know our shapes and are counting beautifully. Now we are working on recognising numerals and spotting how many dots make five no matter how they’re arranged! Some of us still need to count them all but soon we will get to see the number instantly. The teacher has some funny requirements too. We focus on one colour and have to do a page of things just that colour. Then we focus on a shape and have to make a picture of just that shape too! Oh well – we love her so we just do it!

Cutting and pasting a yellow scene

Getting to grips with rectangles

I’m making a rectangle cake

Do you like my robot?

It has to be just right and mine has his own style!

Our school encourages healthy eating habits. We know this is sometimes difficult because of all the tempting treats out there and busy parents find it easy to just pop in a packet of chips or some yummy biscuits into the lunch box. Treats are great but should be just that – treats. They should not substitute nourishing food. Research has shown that children who eat healthily perform better at school. We are a brain-based school and believe that correct eating feeds the brain and reduces hyperactivity and lethargy in children. And surprisingly children like healthy food. It is not difficult to pop something nourishing into a lunch box and if you do your child will be more alert and able to focus better in class. Let’s work together to make the learning process easier in every way possible.

Some healthy options

Funny story of the week —– Each morning we greet each other with a show of fingers 1 for very sad and want to cry, 2 for I am grumpy – 3 for I’m just fine thank you and 4 – I am excited, very happy and just fabulous. One morning a sweet little lass asks – “What’s the number for bored?” And this was Day 2 before we’d even started the day! At the end of the morning she assured me she wasn’t bored anymore!

Back in the Classroom – Welcome

2014-01-17 | puppy1952

To all my new parents – a very warm welcome to Grade 1 Fn! So often the reply to your “What did you do at school today?” is – “Nothing!” This is the place you can log into at the end of each week to see the what the answer should have been!

Two and half years ago I returned to teaching after a 10 year break during which I only did relief work – then the call came again. It was supposed to be for four months —- but still I’m “Back in the Classroom!”

The first day of school is always exciting but for Grade 1 it is a giant leap to the next phase of their lives. Even though the first few days have been short, I am sure you have found your girls to be quite exhausted by the time they got to bed! There is so much newness, so much to get used to and so much excitement. Be patient with them until they get used to their new lives. A good routine, healthy diet and early bedtime will make all the difference in getting them to settle.

There was a fabulous welcome to all the new little ones in the hall on Wednesday morning and then we all trooped to our classrooms and started working straight away! The girls were introduced to The Gruffalow, learnt about RED, made a picture from circles and are getting to grips with writing their names. They have had their minds filled with new expectations and routines and I have to say they’re coping beautifully.

Red is an exciting colour

I made balloons for my clown out of circles

There is just too so much to do!

At last – time to play on the mat!

Back in the Classroom – Awards Ceremony and Last Day of Term

2013-12-05 | puppy1952

Monday dawned and the count down to the end of term began. I was to spend less than an hour with my girls before an intermediate phase colleague took over while I went to the hall to attend the Foundation Phase Awards Ceremony. My angels would be called in at the appropriate time to receive their awards. It is an emotional time. As the children file up onto the stage the pre-recorded voices of their teachers plays over the system. She/he tells of the years events and experiences and it can be quite tear jerking. This year I had a sentence or two to say about each child in the class. It is quite weird to hear your own voice as you present your learners with their pack of certificates. We are all dressed in our best bib and tucker, exposed to the scrutiny of the entire Foundation Phase Parent Body! Hopefully they like what the hear and see!

Presenting the awards to one of the angels

The proud angels

Here is a copy of my voice over.

My precious girls – can you remember that first exciting day of Big School? Some of you came in with great confidence and enthusiasm – school was irresistible from the start.

A few were a little more suspecting – I could see in your little eyes that you were wondering what you were letting yourselves in for but you were going to give it a go.

One or two were just terrified and didn’t want to let go of Mom or Dad’s hand. We even had a few tears and a couple of rather loud screams. But look at you now. All grown up and ready for Grade 2.

What a diverse class of characters you have been. You have all crept into my heart and it is with great difficulty that I am letting you go to your Grade 2 teacher.

Zayaan my quietly confident angel, who presents such beautiful work. You go girl

Kendra who seems to be dreaming but always has the right answer. I will miss you.

Sienna full of impatient curiosity making sure I don’t forget anything. What will I do without you.

Meaka your indomitable spirit is an inspiration to me. I am proud of you.

Rachel I will miss you bouncing into the classroom and keeping me on my toes.

Martha my precious, gentle girl who has worked so very hard, you are irresistible,

Iris my articulate and creative girl I will miss those beautifully intricate drawings of yours.

Pippa your sparkle and determination to succeed is awesome.

Delightful Lia articulate in two languages, you make me proud.

Gabriella my Nature Girl – we are kindred spirits.

Phillipa your determination and perseverance have helped you overcome so much – well done my girl.

Maya breezing in daily with your incredible ideas – you amaze me.

Hayley, fit and fast and full of potential I will miss you.

Leah with your infectious laugh and zest for fun – you always make me smile.

Caroline, my deep thinking, philanthropic girl, thank you for being a kind friend to the others girls.

Gentle Kiana as good as gold, you have worked so beautifully; go well my girl.

Beautiful Terima, so thoughtful and creative, with your own special approach to life, you have delighted me.

Feisty Kayla – you may be small but you have a mighty spirit and I am so proud of the strides you have made in your personal growth this year.

Gentle Jade with the sparkling eyes, your calmness inspires sanity in me.

Fedeilis, you are a special girl. Your determination to succeed has made me proud.

Dynamic Desire – you have a strong character which will take you far – I am super proud of you.

Charley – everybody’s friend – hardly a day went by without you greeting me with a four. You are truly inspirational.

Gentle Jocelyn you have crept right out of your shell and I will miss those special moments with you.

Tarryn my special girl – Thank you for helping me teach the girls their Afrikaans gediggies – you are a treasure.

Madison my clever girl, I will miss your beautiful work, your quiet smile and gentle spirit. You make me proud.

Isabella – wow – so full of energy and lightening on the race track – but controlled and determined in the classroom – you’you’ve come so far my girl.

Gina your batteries are constantly charged, you are full of good ideas and you have are always ready for action. Keep it up my angel.

Morgan you do not miss a beat and if I do, I have to contend with that awesome stare – You are a loyal friend and determined worker. Keep it up my girl.

Dynamite comes in small packages, Gemma your energy is infectious, you have all the answers and I would not even try to keep you down. I am super proud of you.

And last but by no means least – Precious Emma – you are tiny and still but full of inner strength. What strides you have made this year. You blasted off slowly but have raced to the target. Well done beautiful girl.

And so you have come to the end of your very first year in Big School. You have bonded and blended in. You have added your mark to the SVPS family and I know you will continue to find school irresistible.

Remember you are fabulous. Girl Power to you all.

The girls had a day off on Tuesday when the Intermediate Phase has their awards ceremony and the Foundation Phase teachers took care of the older children – Quite a different experience. I had Grade 4 and they were great, if a little impatient to get up on that stage. They were the last to be called and were super excited when they came out and then it was time to go home.

On Tuesday evening we had our Grade 7 valedictory. How beautiful all our young leaders looked as they were allowed to come in smart clothes instead of uniform. It was an emotionally charged ceremony as we watched a pre-recorded interview with a past pupil who had risen up from dire circumstances, come to our school from a war torn African country, worked hard and excelled and finally emigrated to the USA with his adopted family and is now highly successful in the Military. His message was heart-warming and inspiring.

On Wednesday it was the last day and the final farewell to our classes. My girls are all going up to the same Grade 2 teacher and they are thrilled about that. Once again the teacher was spoilt when the girls presented her with the most charming end of year gifts. But what touched me the most were the messages both from the girls and the parents. Those little accolades of appreciation mean so much. Parents it has been a privilege and pleasure teaching your girls. Thank you for your support throughout the year.

Cup cakes for the picnic

Just love this message

They know I like pretty things!

To pamper and spoil

Thanks Gina for the party packs!

And for spoiling the teacher

My girls really know what I like!

mmm Chocolate is an essential food group for teachers

Our final excitement was a teddy bear’s picnic. I brought paddington bear to school and showed them the story on Youtube. We played the music of The Teddy Bear’s Picnic and we feasted, danced and shared stories about our own bears.

A bear as big as me

I love my bears

An armful to cuddle

There was long story to this one

See them gaily gad about

As the picnic on their holiday

Room assistant Carol brough her bear too!

Mine hangs out with me

Birthday girl enjoys two bears

They’re my friends

Enjoying a story with our cuddly friends

So many bears so much fun

Woofles

Bush Baby

I couldn’t leave one behind

I had to choose just one

And when the sugar high kicked in the parents arrived to collect the girls. Not my favourite day of the year – but we must all move on. I shall miss you my precious girls. Go well in Grade 2.

Thanks to my wonderful Grade 1 colleagues for a fabulous year. You all keep me inspired – I love you guys!

My Fabulous Colleagues Bridgette, Lisa, Monique and Me

Back in the Classroom – Celebrating my Birthday

2013-11-24 | puppy1952

Birthdays for a 7 year-old are very important be it your own or that of your friends. Of course when it’s your teacher that is a biggie! My little girls were thrilled to find out when my special day was and some started bringing little presents weeks in advance!

On Friday morning there was extra excitement as the girls poured into the classroom. My shoulder length, greying hair was now short and youthfully coloured. The little mouths were agape and the complements poured out. – You look pretty. You look young. I like your hair. You look like a queen. (not a princess – too old to be a princess!)

They could not wait for me to open their offerings so we gathered on the mat and I was blown away with all the spoiling. There was so much effort put into the cards and the pretty jewellery just had to be donned immediately. Thank you girls for your drawings, hearts, sums and messages. I will treasure your lovely earrings, necklaces and bracelets. The bunches and bunches of beautiful flowers are now in vases in my house and everybody has commented on how stunning they are. Thank you parents, too, for allowing your children to buy me gifts. My girls are so thoughtful – they chose and made their gifts knowing my colour preferences, love of birds as well as expressing how they felt about me. I feel so very, very spoilt!

After that excitement we practised for our awards ceremony and then did some normal work before playtime. I made the girls eat their healthy snack before celebrating with chocolate and vanilla cup cakes!

I was so impressed at the thought that went into the choices the girls made

Sweet treats and flowers and useful notebooks

Flowers, notes, pretty jewellery and bird pictures.

Thank you precious girls

More flowers and chocolates and a special coffee kit!

Next week is our last week together, girls. It’s going to be a busy one! We have one or two special surprises planned but we will also be putting in that last spurt of work to get you ready for Grade 2. So keep up with your homework and bring your energy and good attitude to school. We’ve blasted off and orbited and are now ready for the final Splashdown! Lets make the final week totally irresistible!

Back in the Classroom – Civvies Day

2013-11-17 | puppy1952

The term is winding down and we are trying to keep as closely to a normal routine as possible. The girls know that the pressure is off, they will all be progressing to the next grade and they’re wondering whether is is necessary to work so hard now. They are also a bit nervous about next year. They think they’ll miss their teacher and wonder how they’ll cope with a new one. Will they be with their best friend and what if they don’t like the girls they’re going to be with in Grade 2! Of course they will cope but they don’t know that yet. Moving on is good and we are doing everything we can to prepare them for the great move up. In the mean time, parents, keep up the diligence with homework. We want to consolidate those Maths and Reading skills. Some of the girls who made a slow start in Reading are now shooting ahead and I am proudly moving them up to higher levels. The better their grasp of the written word the better they will cope in Grade 2. Mathematical concepts are also falling into place as the children ‘get it’ with great glee. Many are begging for more difficult work cards.

As a reward for excellent behaviour in Assembly they were allowed to come to school in civvies on Friday. Although this usually brings out a slip in good behaviour I love seeing them in Mufti. Once the initial excitement of seeing each other in their lovely apparel wore off and the girls were warned that uniform behaviour was still the order of the day they settled down to a reasonably normal day of school work!

Such lovely Spring colours

Each in her own unique style

According to M on the right – Yellow is my favourite colour and that’s why she wore it!

A very pretty pose

Pretty in Pink

Enjoying the swings

Aren’t we cute

For the final two weeks of school we will be working less in our books and more in a special booklet of fun, educational activities – BUT the teaching will continue. Parents please continue to read to your children and encourage the girls to read, read, read on their own too. Keep counting in ones, twos, fives and tens and try to get into the higher number ranges. Challenge your girls with doubling and halving problems at least to 20 and help them to work with money – a wonderful way to get mathematical concepts across!

Back in the Classroom – Grade One on Show

2013-11-09 | puppy1952

Teaching very young children has both its challenges and rewards. They arrive on the first day of school, brand new, excited, full of enthusiasm and raring to learn. Each child wants the teacher’s attention immediately, as she is still egocentric and the centre of her own world. Teaching thirty little girls to follow a classroom routine, sit still, wait their turn and consider their peers has to be done along with the 3 RS. It is at this time of year that we see the results, and it always amazes us.

Learning to Read

Each grade at our school has a turn to demonstrate what they have been doing in class, at an Assembly. As our turn came around each term, we chose the more confident children to take the leading parts, making sure as many as possible got a turn. This term we were blown away as many of the less confident children got their chance to shine. Just a few months ago they would not have managed it, but all our children have grown so much in maturity and confidence, that even the shyest were able to learn a few lines, stand up confidently, and say them.

We, the teachers, breathed a sigh of relief when at the performance went off without a hitch. But when the principal complemented our little ones with the words, “You were beyond phenomenal,” we could have burst with pride.

Back in the Classroom – Time waits for no child

2013-10-12 | puppy1952

Time seems to be a tricky concept for most young children. Now with digital watches and clocks, reading time is a simple matter – but understanding how it all works is still quite complicated. So the best way to get this across is with an old fashioned clock – with an hour and minute hand. We have been learning to count in fives and this has helped the girls work their way around the minutes to 60. All year I have drawn their attention to the clock on the wall to show them how much time they have to complete a task. “When the big hand reaches this number you need to be done.” “Five minutes from number to number – how many minutes it that?” Now at last we are learning to actually tell the time. They know how many minutes make an hour, how long it takes the big hand to move from 12 to 12 and how long it takes the small hand to go from number to number. All of them now know how to read o’clock and some have already grasped the half and quarter hour!

I think it’s four o’clock?

To help the girls become familiar with the workings of time they got down to making their very own clocks. Not only did this task show them the way to measure time, it honed their fine motor skills for cutting and getting a split pin to do its job! They all thoroughly enjoyed decorating their clocks to be the smartest in the class!

Do you like my clock?

Taking time to decorate

Concentrating on the details

These clocks are now being used for time activities at school and are going home with the children daily. Parents, help your child to practise counting the minutes in fives, setting the hands to different times – mainly o’clock at this stage – and asking questions like, “how long will it take the big hand to get from 2 to 6” etc. Remember – always make it fun – this is just an introduction to a difficult concept.

The term is racing by and while I am delighted at the progress the girls have made it is not yet time to rest on our laurels. Now that the girls are confident in the basic Grade 1 skills, we are building on them in preparation for Grade 2. We are working at a faster pace and missing even a day of school means a lot of catching up when she returns. The girls are keen too, and are working hard to get to the next level in their Reading – so parents – don’t neglect the homework. Encourage the girls to be thorough in their word revision, let them read the group reader daily and help them with their supplementary ‘box’ book. Keep counting to the higher numbers and don’t neglect counting in twos, fives and tens. Let’s be sure that they go to Grade 2 thoroughly prepared!

Back in the Classroom – Dictionaries, Story Writing, Skeletons and Reports

2013-06-02 | puppy1952

Another good week has raced by and the little girls are just progressing by leaps and bounds. I have been busy with lots of individual assessments and though I have been back in Grade 1 for two years now – I am still blown away by how rapidly they learn.

We are now up to bonds of seven in Mathematics and we once again played dancing digits to get the feel of how numbers are related. Playing games always makes learning fun and they enjoyed a plus and minus activity on the mat when their work was done.

Who can cover their blocks first

The girls were very excited when I handed out their very first dictionaries. They decorated the cover and took them home to be covered in plastic. Now they are beginning to write their own stories, finding words they need from around the classroom, in their reading, from the THRASS chart and also by asking the teacher. Their first creative assignment was to sequence four pictures in the correct order and then make up the story. Wow – did they have fun! One little lass could not stop at one sentence per picture and almost wrote a novel.

Now let me think

Deep concentration

It’s about a birthday, isn’t it.

Coming to ask for words

We are learning about our bodies and how they move. The girls had fun cutting out skeletons and pasting them in moving positions.

Concentrating on cutting out neatly

Mine is very flexible

This is cool

We have had a few rainy days recently so movement in the classroom has become more important than ever! Here are the girls doing Singing in the Rain – in the classroom while it was raining outdoors!

Singing in the rain

The weather has indeed turned chilly and wet here in the Western Cape, South Africa. Voices on the radio warned that the weekend would be beset with storms and flooding and very low temperatures. Friday afternoon, Hubby left for a business trip, the boys had Scouts so after feeding them pizzas I snuggled under the duvet with my laptop and spent the evening working on reports. By Saturday morning the storm had arrived and poor Josh played a hockey match and came home drenched. I remained under the duvet and by 2:30 I’d completed my reports – such a good feeling to be done!