Back in the Classroom – The Second Term Begins

2014-04-11 | puppy1952

Our whistle stop trip to KZN became a beautiful memory as I hit the ground running straight into the new term. Returning to a classful of eager faces is always rewarding and after listening to all the holiday stories and catching up with all the lost teeth, and outings to Ratanga Junction, the circus and the beach we settled down into our ‘normal’ routine.

The first term is the hardest in Grade One as everything is so very new. Each term becomes easier although the pace of learning increases. The rewards of teaching fresh, new learners is great. I get to watch them grasp new Mathematical concepts with awe and wonder. I experience a special kind of thrill when I see them catch on to how a word can be decoded by using those funny phonemes the teacher has been drilling into them. Even in the first week of term their progress is impressive.

Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to get little ones to do just what you want them to do? Sometimes I wonder what goes through their heads. Is my teacher crazy asking me to do these funny finger exercises? Oh well, that’s what she wants we’ll go ahead and do it! It seems to make her happy. What do you mean sound out this word? Isn’t it a sound already? Hey – this is magic – I can read!

I was feeling very pleased with myself when one of my bright sparks read beautifully to me the other day. “Who taught you to read like that?” I asked. Without a missing a beat she replied “I taught myself!”

No credit to the teacher. No credit to the parents. Because children ‘catch’ reading and no matter how good a teacher you are that child will not learn to read until he is ready to ‘catch’ it. That’s why they believe they teach themselves. So parents, expose your child to the written word. Read to her and read with her. Let her catch this amazing thing called Literacy!

Eye exercises

Concentrating of on focussing those eyes

Een twee drie vier vyf, Vingertjies staan styf

Pointer, Middle, Ring, Baby

Watch the thumb to train the eye

Look at our sentences

May we read ours please?

Come on this is so easy

Now we can even write them by ourselves

It’s a lot of fun

We are working hard at this

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 – Writing, Creating and Prompting

2013-06-17 | puppy1952

The past week has been pretty hectic at school. The intermediate phase are in the throes of producing a their pantomime – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Although my little Grade Ones are not involved, I am. So for four days last week I had to leave them in the capable hands of a GAP student while I was on duty as Prompt. But the shows began at 10 and I was back with the girls by 12:30. So far we have had 2 full dress rehearsals, 2 morning shows and 2 evening shows. There are two more evening shows to go so if you have not yet seen it don’t delay – it is really good.

The teaching of handwriting is very important in Grade 1. So many skills are required to form a simple letter. Posture must be right. The fine muscles in the hand, fingers and wrist need to work correctly. Spacial perception has to be developed and in the beginning it all takes a great deal of concentration which is why children with an attention deficit struggle to learn to write.

Now just when we have got used to how to form the letters and learned how to keep them on a line the goal posts have been moved. The new skill we must learn is to write between the lines and we are practising this on paper before we get our feint lined books!

This takes concentration

A good exercise to strengthen those three fingers required for neat writing – the thumb, pointer and middle is paper tearing. The girls got busy making a new book cover. They had to tear coloured papers into small pieces and paste them onto an outline of a fish.

This is fun

Its good for my ‘three writing friends’

I am working hard at this

Not so good for my back when I stand and bend over my desk when I work!

But the bending over a low desk is not so good for my back!

Do you like the results?

The 16th of June is Youth Day in South Africa and as it fell on a Sunday (also Father’s Day) we got Monday off. I hope all my little ones and their parents had a good weekend. I certainly did – got a lot of Third Term preparation done as well as enjoying a relaxing time with my husband and daughter.

The last four days of term are now upon us. Can you believe it – half way through the year already!