Week in Review

Teamwork was the word of the week in Room 200. We have embarked on a Social Studies challenge with the objective to get our fiction candidate elected Mayor of KBK. 

We started the unit by learning about what a candidate is and what teams support the candidate. We used a carousel activity to gather questions and to jot ideas.

Once we understood the ideas of the candidate and teams, we started talking about the important jobs that each team has and what it takes to be a member of that team.

From there, after the students had a night to ponder which team would be best for them, the students began to apply for their team of choice. Each student had to list which team they wanted, why they wanted it, and what special skill they would bring to the team.

Once all applications were collected and reviewed, the students were assigned to their teams and nominated a leader of each team. The leader's job is to guide the team through the essential questions that the team needs to focus on. 

Following each team work day, the teams meet to discuss their progress. Here is our team meeting from Friday. This video contains a password because it contains names and faces. The password is in your email.

Elections Unit from LBright on Vimeo.

We also had the opportunity to be role models and spend time with Mrs. Momich's kindergarten class. Both classes had written on similar topics so we decided it would be fun to have our students share their writing. The kindergarteners were so excited to work with big kids and our kids jumped at the chance to be a big kid hero for the day. 

When we returned to the room, we watched a great Kid President video to capture the moment. 

Last but not least, we had an unusual sighting outside our window this week. Our friend J.M. noticed this friendly hawk checking out our school. He stayed on this perch for about 15 minutes. It was an excellent opportunity for us to do some unplanned, authentic learning.  We have even lined up a Skype session with a hawk expert this week! 

Thank you for checking in with us today. We have another great week under our belts. 

Week in Review

Happy November! We had a wonderful end to October this week. 

We started off our week with a super positive message from NED. This assembly talked to us about never giving up, encouraging others, and doing our best. This assembly was brought to us by our amazing PTO!

Thanks PTO!

Room 200 students spent the week studying our different types of pumpkins in our observation station. They measured and sketched them to gather their information needed for a project. 

We also gathered information from a video focusing on Libby's pumpkins in Morton, Illinois. 

Then we used our information and pumpkin specimens to make informational videos (and a huge mess). 

Here is one of their videos:

My Movie 3 (4) from LBright on Vimeo.

To see all of our pumpkin videos, click here.

We also spent time using our best teacher voices this week by making a few informational videos for math and Fundations. 

Here are a few of our fantastic teaching videos:

ScreenChomp addition from LBright on Vimeo.

ScreenChomp Fudations Unit 4 from LBright on Vimeo.

This was also a very exciting week for two of our students... Loris and Loopy! L & L created their first podcast this week showcasing one of their most recent reads, Bink and Gollie.

Please enjoy the premiere episode of Loris and Loopy!

EA10962D-DF1C-406D-A3A6-D0AD5985A751 (1) from LBright on Vimeo.

We also had a week filled with amazing guest readers. It is so fun to hear what talented and fluent readers they are all becoming. 

Last but not least, we had a spooktacular classroom party and school parade. Thank you to all of the parents who help with the party. It was a huge success.