Week Ending June 20th

(Letter sent via email)


Most Recent Facebook Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.707643052605700.1073741924.451515874885087&type=1 (Past ones listed under "Links to Facebook Photos")


A Song We Did During Needed Breaks - Learning to follow directions, getting rid of extra energy, learning to spell, and having fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCb40WSil4A

Physical / Outdoor Activity

This week while on duty I brought out the skipping rope (or "jump rope") for the children to learn how to play. It was a very popular choice and the kids had SO MUCH FUN learning how to do this! :) This is a great 'game' for learning to take turns, for eye / foot coordination and for watching the rope carefully to know when to JUMP!  It will definitely be something we do more of in the remaining days. :) There will be more pictures on Facebook shortly.

Maths - June 2014

To prepare for the math test later in the week, we reviewed "telling time" and each child (as you can see) was given their own clock to show me the time I asked them to show me. We did this over a period of two days.

Also in preparation for the math assessment, we reviewed "sequencing" (the ordering of real life events) both orally and with this game I happened to find at the Early Learning Centre Store. It happened to combine telling time with putting a child's school day in order. It was great practice for the test and almost everyone did perfectly on it! (and, they enjoyed learning it as a group!)

Lastly, we reviewed shapes before the test and for the sections that were difficult and still needed review after it, we had some "volunteer teachers" try to explain it in a "child's language."  We  also learned through songs, videos and demonstrations using the shapes we have. We will continue to do this in preparation for Year 3.

Literacy - June 2014

Please refer to the last update, as we have continued doing this both orally and in writing. (reading texts and checking for understanding or information retention) 

This past week was also an assessment for reading / comprehension, a spelling test and I read with each student one on one to accurately record how they are currently doing in their reading on their report cards. In case you missed it, the link to the Canada story is: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvTuync_6VU

Azeri - June 2014

This week Azeri workbooks were completed, as you can see how hard the children were working. Miss Sevda did an excellent job at combining the written work with some fun breaks, such as watching a cartoon on the big screen with questioning afterwards. :)

 

First Two Weeks of June Updates!

Dear Parents,

Hello! We hope you have all had a good couple of weeks! :)

By now you would have received a video (private link) of your child reading what they learned about Canada as we continued or study of non-fiction writings. Some children choose not to read on video and their story will be sent home with them. Here is a link to the actual story and the children helping me read it! That was optional for them and the shyer ones stayed back, which is fine! :) It was great practice in reading together and filling in the missing word. (learning to rhyme) The first time they heard the story they were very excited and it would have been nice to have recorded that. Still, this is really cute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvTuync_6VU

This will be updated in alphabetical order so that you can easily find what subject you may want to see activities of or read about. (for June)

Kind Regards,

Sandy and Sevda

Art

Although this is not one of the areas in which I am to teach, I wanted to do something fun and creative with the kids and this week during hot afternoons was the perfect opportunity. It was delightful to see the ideas the students had and the items they chose to make their 'creation.' It was also a project for fine motor skills because they thread most of their own item until near the end and I finished it for them. (lack of time)

Physical Development / Skills

As you know, the children have P.E. each week and swimming. However, since we also record on our section of the report cards a little about this I try to ensure that we do some physical activities so that I can accurately put my observations. This particular one I bought because it not only requires good eye and hand coordination, but it involves numbers. A lot of the time they play it independently (without me there) but when I am nearby, I ask them to either add, subtract or multiply the two numbers their dart (sticky, not sharp) landed on. :) I think at least someone plays this every day when they are finished their work!

For variety, I bought this last weekend for fun, but also for them to learn "hundreds." Depending on where their ring lands, there is either 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 points. At first they thought this was "too hard" but when I explained they could add them because the zeroes just stayed zero and they were really only adding the first number, they were so proud of themselves! "I added 200 and 300!"

The students LOVE to take the foam balls I found at ELC outside and it burns a lot of energy for them! When I am on duty l like to watch their happiness and joy while playing either soccer or catch and how they share with one another. Since everything else is using their hands, this allows them to use their legs and build skills with eye and foot coordination.

Another game for indoors or outdoors that builds eye/hand coordination.

Science

This term we finished "Living and Non-Living Things" which they all seemed to understand and like learning about, as they still talk about it! We have started "Electricity" which you may know from the homework.  Last week was "science week" and Mr. Alan asked us to do any type of science experiment in our classrooms each day. One day we weighed and measured things, another day we talked about magnets and what would stick to the white board and what would not, and on the only day I had my camera (see, it's not always in my hand) :) we voted on what would sink and what would float. Then, we discussed why. 

The children guessed correctly most of the time and like the math project last written about, I asked them to vote based on what THEY thought, and not to put their hands up because their friends did. It was surprisingly nice to see that they feel comfortable to disagree nicely with classmates and to say why they think the way they do. I asked them each to go around the room quietly and slowly and pick two things that could get wet because we would be putting them in a pail of water. They brought back some very interesting things. We all enjoyed it and I have a video that I need to shorten of us doing this project. :) I think I learned more about this topic than they did as my vote was usually wrong, and it was great to see that they didn't vote the way I did just because "I'm a teacher." I tell them all the time that we are learning too and we learn from them! :)

We have read about electricity and watched some videos online, and completed some worksheets. I am moving into some more "active" things that will make them more interested and hopefully have it be more fun. We watched a video on "Electricity Safety." They then coloured in a sheet but only the parts that showed a dangerous / unsafe thing about electricity. I marked them with them there and then as a group we talked about all the right answers. The next day, I wanted to show the video again (3 minutes) to remind them, but we were missing a cord for the whiteboard. I was very impressed with how well each of them remembered what we talked about without me giving them back their sheet or being able to see the video again. I asked them all to think of a "Safety Rule" in their head and we would take turns writing them all down. Their memories are excellent and they did not just repeat what was said in the video. They used their own words which meant they understood the rule and why we must obey it for their safety. Here we are making the list and shortly I'll post a picture of the completed project. (we are working on two others that are related) <Yusuf is getting a High-5 for giving a great answer in English! They love that!>

Maths

 

In the "routine" section I mentioned ordinal numbers, which is how we say the date. I used the cards when they were first made to play a group game on the floor, and said I needed help putting them in order. They were excited to think they were helping me and patiently waited for their turn. We then practiced saying the numbers in and out of order as I pointed to them. When we cleaned up, I would say a child's name and depending on what I knew of their math ability, I would say a number for them to give me which showed that they knew them in any order. (I put them in order as they gave them to me so they still felt like they were helping) :) Just a simple game brought many smiles!

The focus for this month has been on data handling and understanding and making graphs. We have done worksheets but I tried to come up with ways of making it more interesting for them and engaging. We stacked blocks together while making a "block" graph of our favourite food, animal and anything they could think of. I then asked questions such as, "If two less people liked ice cream what would be the most popular food?" (this also taught new vocabulary as popular was not a word many knew) We worked for a few days on this chart and in the bottom right you can see what they learned or worked on altogether: graphing, counting, adding, subtracting, taking turns, being creative, fine motor skills, explaining data, writing neatly, writing their names with a capital, measuring with rulers, all months of the year in order in English, their birthdays along with discussing ideas with friends. I also asked them not to pick a favourite colour or activity because their friend did and they listened, which shows that they are not afraid to give their honest preference even if it is different that their friends'.

 

 

 

 

As I've stated, it's always nice when they ask for the learning games I bought during inside breaks or when they first arrive.  This is one of their favourites and it is also one of the most difficult! They roll the dice and then have to answer the multiplication question on the piece they land on to stay there. If I'm playing with a group who are not ready for that we add the numbers instead.

 

 

 

When I bought this ball, I wasn't really thinking what I would use it for other than to roll on the floor or play with in an empty space at the back. However, I decided to write numbers on the white parts. During this game, I threw the ball to a student and whatever numbers their thumbs landed on they had to either add or multiply. What I asked them to do depended on what I knew they would find easier so that they were not embarrassed in front of the class. They then choose a friend to roll the ball to until everyone had at least one turn.

Literacy

 

 

 

This is not the Phonics program that we also do that many of you are familiar with. (Read, Write, Inc) This month we have been focusing on reading stories and checking to see how well the students understood it. In the past, just asking questions has not been very exciting for them and only a few were happy to participate. This ball changed everything! It's from a reading program that I learned about while earning my  Master's degree in teaching. Suddenly, to the children, it becomes more like a fun game and as you can see they were more attentive and listening well.

 

After the story is read, I throw the ball to one student at a time and say a colour. If they can, they read the question or I read it with them or to them. They either answer it or can ask a friend for help or ask for one more different question. We do this until we have answered every question on the ball. We do it twice so that every child has a chance to answer and if there are still someone who hasn't but wants to, I will just ask any question after throwing them the ball. They love it when we do this and it has helped A LOT with their willingness to talk about what they remember, and has helped me know more about what they remember or understood about the book. Questions include, "Where was the setting" / "Where did the story take place?" "What happened in the beginning?" "What happened in the story?" "What happened at the end?" "Who or what was in the story?" "What was your favourite part?" "Who was it written by?" I also ask more questions depending on what type of story it was. ("What was an adjective you remember?" "Were there any rhyming words?")

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This activity was a "Group Write." Since we did not have the book, we listened to and watched the story a couple of times on You Tube. We discussed it over a few days during literacy and they also drew pictures of characters in the story. In the above group activity, each student took a turn and wrote out part of the story. I followed the same format as the ball (the questions) if they didn't know what to write or I would start the sentence. It gave them practice reading out loud what was already written, writing while sounding out words, and putting part of a story in language that made sense to them. It is posted by the display of the castles, dragons and princesses they drew as that is what the story was about.  (I will take a picture ASAP) :)  They were very proud of themselves after we read this together. I was very proud, too!

 

 

 

 

 

This was different than the above because they each wrote their own version of another story and drew what they wanted to from the book. It was interesting to see what they all chose to draw and what they wrote because their pictures/displays were all very different from one another's. As with other subjects, I have seen a big improvement in their creativity in both their drawing and their memory of stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When their work is finished, or during indoor breaks or "Golden Time" (where they choose what they want to do) we make available as many educational activities as possible. Since the back of the classroom had a large felt board I made letters for them to spell simple words with and for some, to practice saying the sound of the letter. There are also cute pictures (top left show some) on the board and some ask to move that to the red (where they spell the word) and put it beside the spelled word. There are animals, people, places and things. I do not ask them to go and do this; they choose to which is great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This was during an indoor break. I put out as many educational games and activities and do some with them which makes them want to do them more thankfully! They can choose to play or do anything but this entire group of children (whole class!) LOVE to learn and it shows! Here, we spelled our names using letter blocks and threaded them into a necklace. (they only wore them for the picture, I admit I wore mine longer which made them laugh) :)

 

 

 

 

The school has many, many resources but sometimes I see things I cannot resist buying! This was one of them. They ask a lot for it during indoor breaks or when they arrive in the morning. It's call "Fishing for Letters." I explained "Magnets" to them and that the "fishing pole" (wooden) has a magnet on it, and so do all the letters when they are turned over. They each pick a word from the ones that are there and take turns until they "fish" (find) the letters to spell their words. Other times, they spell their own word, and some play by themselves without the "fishing" part and try to spell out words. There are many things to do with this one simple game and they are always learning! (while having fun)

 

 

 

 

 

Since there was already a number mat, I brought a letter mat/puzzle. They love to take it apart and put it together again. (the letters come out too) It shows great team work! Depending on the child's level of English, we talk about colours, letter sounds, what word starts with that letter etc. (one on one or in a small group)  For some, I ask them to go to each letter in a simple word like they were spelling it. (eg: cat) There are shapes as well. Other times, it is used as another soft place to sit and play games or read.

 

Classroom Management, Routines and Responsibilities

Classroom Management
The classroom management we have been using since shortly after my arrival is called the "traffic light system." I have successfully used it at schools in other countries and it has always worked and still is! The students enjoy it and learned how it works very quickly.

In the morning, each students starts on "Green" which means "Go" and "Keep on doing what you're doing." After a couple of warnings they are moved to "Yellow" which means "Slow down and think more about what you should be doing instead of what you are." Yesterday during a Parent/Teacher conference I was asked what examples of this would be.

The children know them well and every so often I ask them, "How do we stay on the GREEN, or why do I sometimes move your name (little circles with their name on it) to YELLOW?" They know our class "slogan" which we say every day, which is "LOOK, LISTEN, and LEARN." They need to be looking while one of us is teaching, so we know (or hope) :) they are listening, which is the only way they can learn unless we are doing something active. Even then, they must be listening to either the teacher or other students speak as we do an activity. Not listening, talking while a teacher is teaching, not helping to tidy up or follow any direction or instruction a couple of times is what can have them moved to the yellow.

To be moved to the "RED" - they know it means "STOP doing what you are doing please, and follow the classroom rules of looking, listening, and learning. This also includes participating, not being rude, not hurting others' feelings or hurting them physically, and being respectful to each other and of the classroom.

The students know that by the end of the day they can be moved back by changing their misbehaviour as long as they don’t purposely misbehave or disobey all day and then suddenly start doing as asked. Nobody has done that and each child works hard to be back on the green if they are moved during the day.

At the end of the day, if they are on the GREEN light, they receive a sticker on their chart below. After 10 days in a row of receiving a sticker, they are then given a ‘surprise’ which many have received one or two of already. Even if they have missed some days of being on the GREEN, once they reach 15 stickers, they still receive a surprise. It has been working out very well and they all seem to like this method.

Schedules and Routines

As can be seen on the whiteboard, we have a “Visual Daily Timetable” which the children can use to easily see the schedule for the day. They also like this and someone always notices if we decide to make a last minute change if needed or if a specialty class (P.E. or music for example) has been cancelled for that day. The word is printed below the picture so it also helps them to remember how to spell it.

Our morning routine is to start with the date, and each day a child who is sitting quietly with their hand raised is chosen to come up and fill in the chart. “Today is _________” “Yesterday was _________” and “Tomorrow will be _________.” (they write in the day in the blank spot)  It helps them all to learn the days of the week in English, in order, and how to spell them correctly. It also gives them practice speaking in front of the class.

Another student comes up to put on the date by picking from some pictures I have made of ordinal numbers. Ex. “Is it the 1^st or the 9^th?” This gives them practice in saying the date properly instead of “May thirty.” (They would say, “It is May 30^th.” Lastly, another student comes up to pick out the picture that describes the weather (below that chart) and put it in the correct spot. This also gives that child practice in speaking to the class. We make sure that everyone has equal turns at things like this as much as possible!

Responsibilities

To help teach responsibility and for everyone to feel important, (since they are!) each week we fill out this display I made. We rotate jobs and it so cute to see how seriously they take them! They are always eager to help with other things too but they are also often say, “May I do my job now?” Since I started doing this I have seen a great improvement in their willingness to help with other things and to do so with a good attitude. They know that doing their ‘job’ does not earn them a sticker, just like doing their school work doesn’t. It is just now part of their routine and what they know they have to do.

"Rules"

The main rules can be seen above, and usually I just need to point to them. "Eyes looking, ears listening, lips closed, and hand up to speak." There are three more that say "Feet still, hand still and sitting quietly."  The visual makes it easy to keep teaching because I continue talking as I look at a student and point at the poster and keep on going. It works!

Parent Teacher Conferences / Link to My You Tube Video

Dear Parents,

Salam! J

It was wonderful meeting so many of you yesterday during parent/teacher conferences finally! (or seeing you again) I understand that many of you have to work but I want to make it very clear that I am available any time if you would like to discuss anything with me. If it is a language problem we can make sure to have Miss Sevda there or somebody who can help us.

I appreciated the kind feedback yesterday regarding comments your children have made, what you thought of the room changes and the work we are doing! I also appreciated the honesty in wanting more information put into the blog and more pictures, rather than on Facebook. I have selected some photos that will show you what we have been doing and will go through each subject and explain in detail.  (Clicking on the picture will make it larger)

To make it easier, I will do each subject separately so that they are easier to find if you want to return later.

Since some of you mentioned that you did not have the opportunity to watch my teaching video or wanted to view it again, I uploaded it onto You Tube since the other site will be closing this weekend. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qayI_E-rtIA

Remember, I’m available by email always and at school before and after classroom hours.

Sincerely,

Sandy

P.S. I bought each student a magnet as something to remember our trip to Gobustan by, so please make sure if they were at school yesterday to ask them for it. :)

 

 

Links to Photos on Facebook

Dear Parents,

The pictures I have taken are now posted on Facebook's BTEC website. Until very recently, I was unaware that we could give our pictures to be uploaded there as I thought that the school ICT contact and photographer took all pictures and uploaded. In case you do not have the link I have posted the new albums below:

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.696294210407251.1073741900.451515874885087&type=1 – Spring Pictures

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.696298673740138.1073741901.451515874885087&type=1 – Nature Walk – Field Trip

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.696299157073423.1073741902.451515874885087&type=3 – Gobustan- Field Trip

Kind Regards,
Sandy

Class Trip

Dear Parents,

Thank you SO MUCH for those of you who were able to join us on our trip yesterday! It was nice to see you and I look forward to meeting the rest of you hopefully during parent meetings that are on Tuesday from 3-5.

I am wondering if you would like more pictures here or if you would prefer them to be on Facebook on the BTEC site. Please let me know as I am still sorting them. I have tried to take equal pictures of students but some are shy and do not want to be in the photo, and others jump in every photo! I have still tried to make it even. :)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Sandy

Two Group Photos

Week 6 & 7

Dear Parents,

My apologies again for the delay in updating this. I was away part of last week and wanted to combine these two weeks together!

I have also been sorting through hundreds of pictures I have taken and getting them ready and organized for upload onto the school's Facebook site.

In class, we have been doing a lot of review as we prepare for year end testing and report card writing. More specifically:

Literacy
We have been reading stories as a group and playing a fun game with a "ball" that has questions on it regarding the book. The children love it! Pictures are coming soon! This lets us know if they understood the book, could remember information from it and to re-tell it in their own words. It also helps with children who are shy and do not want to speak in front of the others. This made it more fun for them!

Math
Data Handling" / reading and making graphs has been the focus and I'll upload a picture of a project we did for this. It also included practice with writing, learning new words in English, fine motor skills, taking turns, counting, adding, subtracting, discussing ideas with friends and working together as a team!

Science
We have finished "Living and Non-Living Things" and have moved on to "Electricity" as you may have seen from the homework! :) Since this is "Science Week" we have also been doing little daily science experiments which the children have really enjoyed. (so have we) :) Pictures coming soon for this as well!

Azeri
Testing has begun and our students are doing really well! They are learning about a famous person; one from Azerbaijan and one who is English. More information coming soon.

Humanities
Learning about "Continents and Lakes" has been the topic and they have looked at maps, had group discussions and watched some You Tube videos that helped to explain this through interesting songs!

The students continue to have specialty lessons in music and library. Whenever possible in the schedule, we also include ICT (computers) and art. (again, pictures soon) :)

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sevda or myself. I'll be finishing the pictures over the weekend that I have taken so far and will let you know when they are available for viewing. I hope you have a great weekend!

Kind Regards,
Sandy & Sevda

Introduction to Sandy

Dear Parents,

Our sincere apologies for the delay in sending out a new blog. From now on it will be sent weekly until the end of the school year.

As many of you know, my name is Sandy and I started in your child's classroom in April. It has been a pleasure getting to know such wonderful students who bring a lot of joy to every day! I'm originally from Canada and earned one university degree there and two in the United States. I have a Master's degree in Teaching and Childhood Education.

Since pictures can say a lot more about a person sometimes than words can, here is a link to a video I made that tells you all about my teaching career so far. I have taught in seven countries, volunteered in two and have visited over one dozen. I am enjoying living in Baku!

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=12cea95aaf97e6d18bcb99c&skin_id=1603&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Please be sure to watch it as soon as possible as the owners of the website are closing down on May 31st. :)

I hope to meet more of you while I'm one of your child's teachers. You are more than welcome to visit our classroom at any time, as well as email me at this address. I will respond within 24 hours. 

On Fridays I will try to post updates and give more information about what we have been focusing on during class. I will also post some pictures of some changes and additions I made to the classroom to make learning more fun, exciting and hopefully easier! :) 

Do not hesitate to contact me as I would love to hear from you!

Kind Regards,
Sandy