This week was a lot fo fun as we had our Halloween/Fall Celebration on Monday, as well as our Indian culture and Diwali learning stations on Tuesday! On Monday, we began our day with a Dress-Up (Halloween Costume or pyjamas) parade around the school with the other elementary U-Connect classes. This was a fun way to start our morning!
After the parade and our morning meeting, we did some Halloween-themed addition. Students were given worksheets and they had to solve addition questions and colour by number to discover the mystery Halloween picture - they had a blast with this!
After recess, we did a journal writing activity where students were given fall-themed writing prompts. This was a nice way to have some fun while still working on our writing skills. After our journal writing, we did a fun skeleton art activity. After watching an education science video from "Mystery Doug" about why human skeletons have so many bones, we completed a hands-on art/science activity. Students created "x-rays" of their hands and wrists to show the bones inside. Using construction paper, wax crayons, oil, and Q-tips, we created a really cool piece of art that can be hung in a bright window to show off how it works. Check it out below!
After lunch, we truly tapped into the idea of a fun day and watched a short "movie" Called "Spookley the Square Pumpkin". This was definitely enjoyed by all! We finished off the day with a fall-themed read aloud and some centre time to continue to build connections between classmates through play. Overall, Monday was a great mix of fun and learning!
On Tuesday, we started our morning with our usual routine of quiet morning work, followed by our morning meeting. Next, we moved onto math where we learned how to add using base ten blocks and the concept of place value. I tried to challenge the class with some tricky questions but they all proved to me that they were math wizards!
After recess, I read the class one of my favourite books, called "Emmanuel's Dream". This book is based on the true story of a boy from Ghana who was born with one leg and had to persevere through challenges in life until he, ultimately, raised awareness for disabilities by riding his bike around Ghana. Through the reading of this story came a great discussion about our topic of diverse cultures, as well as the lessons of always trying your best, and accepting everyone for who they are. I was really proud of the types of comments and connections the class was making!
Next, we did a "Draw and Write" activity where students were prompted with a drawing and sentences builders to help develop their writing. After this activity we completed the first few pages of this weeks spelling packet.
After lunch, we spent the whole afternoon participating in our Indian culture and Diwali learning stations. The 3 other elementary U-Connect teachers and I set up stations in our classrooms and the students rotated through them to learn about this culture and celebration. There was a station where students painted small clay pots to be set outside with a tea candle as this is customary during Diwali. There was also a station on different Indian dance forms and the importance of dance in Indian culture. There was a station where students made beaded necklaces and learned about the symbolism that jewelry has in Indian culture and its representation of power. Finally, in my class, I ran a station where students learned about an Indian art form called rangoli and its connection to Diwali. Then students got to make their own rangoli using coffee filters. This was an amazing way for students to learn about another culture all while having fun! Check out some of the photos of this event below!
Overall, this week was amazing!! I had a blast and I know the students did too!
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