Our beloved Room 17 mascot, Eddie the Otter, is alive and well, and I never would have guessed how deeply he has endeared himself to my students. I thought of giving a brief update about our furry friend, because he has become such an integral part of our community. I first introduced Eddie as a cute little friend who could motivate my students towards good behavior. Eddie only stays with students who work quietly, follow the classroom rules, and are kind to others. If I forget to give Eddie to a student in the morning, I will undoubtedly be asked by someone in the class, "Who gets Eddie today?" Now into our 151st day of school, the children are still excited to receive Eddie as their desk buddy. Of course, Eddie dislikes unfocused behavior, disrespect, too much talking, and loud noise, so he will occasionally leave a student if he observes any of those things. I later expanded Eddie's role in our class to include writing in a fictitious journal about his daily experiences at school with us. Students reflected on his feelings in response to a variety of things that happen during the day. This is a great writing minilesson that teaches the diary format, and is a highly interactive activity in which I and the students literally share the pen when writing sentences, words, and adding punctuation. We end up editing a lot as well and helping each other with spelling. Here is sample we wrote from Eddie's point of view: January 17, 2014 What became fascinating for me was how the students began to exercise some empathy when they reflected on how Eddie might feel sad, happy, anxious, or excited about certain events. Things got really interesting one day, several months ago, when a student told me during class, "Ms. Long, so-and-so told me that Eddie hates me!" I promptly took Eddie away from the student who said these mean words. As a teacher, I try not to get upset when things don't go smoothly in my classroom (sometimes easier said than done!), and instead look for a way to turn it into a positive learning experience for me and my students. The next day, I told the class that Eddie was very unhappy that someone had put mean words into his mouth. "Eddie is in our class to help us, to be a kind friend, and to encourage us and make us feel comfortable here." I explained that Eddie would be going on a long vacation to the Monterey Bay, away from Room 17 (okay, I had actually tucked him away in a safe, secret place), and wouldn't be coming back for a couple of weeks. My students listened intently, and were aghast at this news. We proceeded to write a farewell "postcard" from Eddie's point of view, which went like this: February 6, 2014 One girl actually came to me later that day when school was dismissed to say, "Can you tell Eddie I miss him?"
The revelation then hit me: Eddie had become real to these children. We are almost near the end of the year, and Eddie has long since returned to us. The children know the rules well on how to care for Eddie if they want to be his guardian for the day. I see children cuddle with him while they read, prop him up on their desks to show him "listening" to a lesson, and make him wave good-bye to me at the end of the day. He helps the children remember kindness and compassion for others. I am indebted to our otter friend for all he has done for me and my students.
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Listen!: Our learning community is currently focused on how to be good listeners. Truly focused listening can be a difficult skill to master, and we often underestimate this (at least, I do!). I have read two books in the past two weeks on how to listen well: Listen, Buddy! by Helen Lester, and The Conversation Club by Diane Stanley. These stories tell the importance of paying attention, speaking one at a time, and not interrupting others while they are speaking. If you can, remind your child of good listening behavior:
1) eyes focused on the speaker 2) mouth closed 3) hands empty 4) brain thinking about what is being said 5) heart listening, too--what the speaker is saying matters to them! Reading: We are deep in our reading theme of Friends and Family, which is Unit 1 in the Treasures program. This week we finished reading a sweet story, Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour Tea by Cynthia Rylant. The story is tied to the Big Question of the week (a question used as a springboard for discussion before plunging into the literature selection), Why do pets make good friends? Math: Updated link, Math Instruction Guide, a.k.a., the MIG. LAUSD's write-up of the math standards and lesson pacing for 2nd grade has been added to Learning Links. We have been concentrating on addition and subtraction concepts. The Topic 1 test was given today. Book Orders: Please refer to the updated "Policies and Little Reminders" page regarding Scholastic Book Orders. An order form for Scholastic was sent home this afternoon. If students and families would like to order books, the due date has been set for Friday, September 7. PE in the Morning: While I appreciate communication with parents, I am requesting that we refrain from parent-teacher talk during the morning PE program on the playground. The ten minutes of PE are considered genuine instructional time, even if it is not within the classroom, and I would like to focus on watching and encouraging the students. Drop me a note in the office or send an e-mail. I will do my best to respond ASAP. Homework: Many students forget to take out their homework and place it on their desks in the morning. They also must make sure that their first and last names and date are written on the coversheet. Homework packets will be looked over for neatness, overall completedness, and the amount of care taken in doing the assignments. They will be returned home the following week (my apologies for being a week behind). Have a wonderful, safe, and enjoyable weekend. |
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