This week the focus was on our monthly theme...Be Determined. We read a book called The Most Magnificent Thing. We read about a girl who wanted to create the most magnificent thing and kept trying until she was able. We brainstormed some ideas about things that we would like to overcome or have overcame.
We also read a book called Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, about a girl whose grandmother taught her to stand tall and be proud of herself despite the fact that she was short and had buck teeth and a voice like a bullfrog. The students then wrote about why they liked themselves and drew a self portrait.
One of my favorite activities that we do every year is read about bucket filling and dipping. In the story How Full is Your Bucket, a boy learns from his grandpa about the invisible bucket he carries over his head. Every time someone does something that makes him feel happy, drops go in his bucket. Every time someone does something that makes him bad, drops come out of his bucket. The students immediately understand this concept.
This year the students will have me for science and Mrs. Taylor for social studies. As a introduction to science and working together as a group, we did a fun activity called Saving Fred. Fred is a gummy worm that does not know how to swim yet refuses to wear a life preserver. Unfortunately for Fred, his boat capsized and he was stranded on top of his boat and his life preserver was trapped underneath the boat. The students needed to work together to save Fred....with one major stupulation...they could not touch Fred, his boat, or his life preserver with their hands. They had a lot of fun and worked together to find solutions to this problem.
We really had a great week. I am looking forward to a fun and exciting year!
