Well, as the title says, today was the day after the sugar high. I don't think I've ever been able to make this observation before, since all of our parties are usually on a Friday or right before a long break, but I noticed that nearly all of my kiddos seemed a bit "mellow" today. (I can't say all of them, because there are usually one or two that continue to race through their day at seemingly breakneck speed.) I think it was the effect of coming down from a sugar high induced the day before by various forms of sugar: chocolate, juice, candy, cupcakes, etc. Either that or the excitement of the party wore off because, well, we had the party! It's probably the latter, but I think my reasoning is more creative. Go figure.
My students came in today ready to get down to business. As usual, I gave them the plan for the day right after announcements and gave them a few heads up regarding what was coming for the rest of the week (mainly a new format for comprehension quizzes--which will now include a short open response section--and notification that we will be taking our next unit quiz in Social Studies.).
We are finishing up the story Officer Buckle and Gloria in our anthology this week. In the next few days, the students are going to write a letter to Officer Buckle and Gloria from the perspective of one of the students at Napville Elementary School. They are also going to get a chance to offer their own safety tips to Officer Buckle. (Wish I could take credit for this project, but this one came straight out of the anthology series.) I'm looking forward to seeing what kinds of tips they come up with, considering the fact that they can't copy a tip from the book. I tell them to think of things their parents might tell them around the house, like "Don't sit too close to the TV," or "No jumping on the bed." While I've had some interesting tips written by students over the years, my favorite tips are "Don't ride your dog like a horse," and "Don't jump on your brother's head." I am not making those up. The illustrations that went with the tips said it all. I'll post the final projects later this week, once the children have had a chance to work on them.
Until then, I'll enjoy the calm and imagine what kinds of tips will be coming my way.
What reading series do you use? We have that story in our anthology also. I debate back and forth from using it and go in stages because it doesn't seem to reach my low readers.
ReplyDeleteAs a future educator I really enjoy reading your day by day blog. It opens up a whole new world to me. I really like hearing about the students and what they come up with. In my field experiences I have heard some pretty funny things and I think using projects where the students can use their own creativity is a wonderful way to go.
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