Working and Learning As Unto the Lord...

Working and Learning As Unto the Lord...

What an exciting first nine weeks! I look back and marvel at all that God allowed us to learn and accomplish.

We all loved staring the year with "M and M writing," an activity in which students selected an M & M of a certain color from their M & M butterfly. Then, they wrote something about themselves that corresponded with the color. They thought it was fun, and I always enjoy learning some new things about the children.

7th and 8th graders made light work of creating their own design company and planning a roadway through the simulated Rainbow Bay community. They worked collaboratively to develop a company name, logo and motto. Their task was to create a proposal for a roadway system through the newly developed community, taking into consideration cost and environmental factors. The students did a superb job of working together and using each student's talents advantageously.

5th and 6th LAX has been such a blessing for me and is a class that I hope is challenging for the students. We have learned and put to use many new vocabulary words, and I sense that the students really enjoyed the choice novels they read. I loved reading their responses to the literature.
We read some challenging poetry; thought deep thoughts; and used cool graphic organizers to analyze literature and vocabulary. I LOVE it, and the curriculum, as well as the students, keep me on my toes. God is showing us spiritual lessons through the material as well.

4th graders have used very cool hands on materials to explore spatial relationships, including dimensions, symmetry, spatial transformations and using 2-D pictures to create 3-D models. At times, the activities have proved challenging and have required perseverance. I am happy to report that these 4th graders exhibit much patience and perseverance! I love that we are taking something they have a basic knowledge of to the next level.

3rd and 2nd grades solved a fun mystery, "Who Borrowed Mr. Bear?" It was serious business as we learned about what detectives and forensic scientists do as they "processed" a simulated crime scene and performed ten experiments on the evidence. We learned how to analyze and deduce information to figure out who the culprit was. The children wrote about their theories and used evidence to explain. After successfully sleuthing the case, the students wrote original mystery adventures for Mr. Bear. This was beneficial writing practice as well as creative fun!

1st graders have recently begun M25 and have written bio poems about themselves. I guided the students into writing words, phrases and sentences to tell about themselves. The results were precious. Check them out on my work line outside of my classroom.

I am praying expectantly for the new nine weeks and am eager to see what God will help us to do and learn next!