We’ve gotten a lot done this month, and we’re planning much more! As the school year ends, we are going to pick up speed, rather than slow down. We’ve been going through the first six chapters of Matthew in our Bible lessons. After each passage I read, someone gives me an oral narration, or everyone does a picture narration. Then, we discuss the value of these passages and how they apply to us. When we discussed kindness, they decided they needed to look for an extra special way to show kindness to someone. So, parents, be on the lookout. “Catch” your son doing something EXTRA kind for someone – maybe you! We are going to begin an in-depth study on the account of Noah and the ark. They will find out how we know that there were dinosaurs on the ark. We will also begin reading accounts from Daniel. Daniel is action-packed and very interesting, especially to little boys.
We have made great strides in phonics. Each student is now reading his own book (some are on a second or third book.) Mondays and Fridays have been declared “1-on-1 days.” On these days, I set up stations around our classroom or outside on the playground. These stations include our “math wall” (where the boys can create and answer their own math problems), and the “word wall,” where they can create sentences or stories. We also set out Magnetix, Fiddlestix, snap cubes, tangrams, letter tiles, president cards, maps, puzzles, and any other “tool” we decide to use. While they are exploring from station to station, each child will have two turns for 1-on-1 attention.
In math, we have been working on double-digit addition for a while. Some of them really get the hang of it, and may be ready to “borrow from the 10’s” and do double-digit subtraction. They are actually asking for subtraction, so who am I to keep them from trying? We have also been doing “math races” a couple times a week. Two boys at a time will compete at the “math wall.” I give the math problem; they work it out. The first one who finishes with the correct answer wins a point. The student with the most points when our time is up wins the game. Surprisingly, we always have a different winner. We are also going to begin “word races.” I will be giving a word. The first to write it down with correct spelling wins a point. A few were also asking to begin writing in cursive. When the whole group found out that some were going to start cursive, they all wanted to try. There are several who may actually pick it up quickly. I have learned not to underestimate this class. Our recitations have been going very well. We have been reciting “A Child’s Thought,” by Robert Louis Stevenson. They are also in the process of learning 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. They have one more verse to go. We are working on the song, “Love Lifted Me.” I was surprised that these rough-housing boys could sing so well. They are also learning rhythm by playing an instrument to the beat of my clapping. When I switch the tempo, they adjust well.
Our science lessons still consist mostly of nature studies. We are going to begin looking at different trees. We’ll take our tree book with us on a nature walk. After we collect leaves from the ground or from low branches, we’ll make a collage, labeling each leaf.
Our new artist study will be on Albrecht Durer, and we just began listening to Mozart. We had been listening to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” during R&R and even sometimes during handwriting. They liked how it goes from soft and smooth, to loud and fast, back down to soft. They could tell me when the seasons “change” on the CD. Some had their favorite parts, others liked to hear all of the transitions.
As you can see, we’ve been busy, and are going to continue that way to very end. There is a “No Quitting” policy in my classroom. I very rarely need to remind them of that. They are very determined boys, but I don’t need to tell you that!
Developing Good Citizens of Heaven and Earth,
Mrs. Collings
