Kandinsky Tree

This week in the art room (...well actually it's the same room as the other subjects), the kids and I studied the art of Wassily Kandinsky. Our focus was on Kandinsky's use of color to represent emotion.

While doing some personal research into Kandinsky's art I found that he is considered to have painted the first piece of purely abstract art. What I found most interesting was that Kandinsky began his career by painting realistic images. As he progressed and grew as an artist he began to paint progressively abstract images. This was a shock to the kids as they thought an artist would develop in the opposite direction.

We studied Kandinsky's painting  Farbstudie Quadrate to look at his use of color and shape. I asked the kids to study the painting and then assign emotions to the individual circles in the painting. The kids came up with emotions such as happy, sad, joyful, excited, scared and angry.

Once again I looked to the website What's Happening in the Art Room? Mrs. VandenBush has some incredible ideas for art projects. I highly recommend her blog if you are looking for  fun things to do with your class.

We decided to create Kandinsky circles by using the technique of collage. I offered the kids many colors of construction paper and asked the to be mindful of their color choices in order to represent an emotion. The kids then tore or cut the paper into various sized circles which they then pasted together. They also wrote the emotion their circle represented.

brave

calm

happy

sad

The class displayed their circles in a group collage by putting them on a large tree in the hallway. It took forever to make the tree but I think it was worth the effort.

Next week is a ski trip but who knows what we'll get up to next week.

Field Trip to Mount Seymour

I know, I know, I am always saying how I love teaching things.... But of all the stuff you get to do when working with kids, I LOVE to go on field trips! Especially when they involve going outside all day. Extra especially when it involves being in the mountains all day

Ahh the great outdoors!

Today we went on the most incredible field trip. Skiing and snowboard at Mount Seymour. We actually won the field trip through a schools ski program my SA applied for back in the fall. Thirty nine kids most who had never been on skis or snowboards before (and some who hadn't even ever played in snow) got bus transportation, free lessons, lunch, and lift tickets!

I cannot say enough about the wonderful ski and snowboard instructors at Mount Seymour. They are incredible! These people have nerves of steel. The patience and knowledge they had on the hill was very impressive. I know I could not have done what they did today with my kids. Many of the kids were cold, uncomfortable and tired. Somehow these folks were able to keep smiling and stay  positive. They also kept the kids out on the hill for the entire time.




I often forget that many kids don't get the opportunity to get out into the mountains here in Vancouver. They are one of our most amazing resources here in the city. I really think getting any kid outside and into a fun activity is one of the most important gifts you can give them. Chances are they will go back to it if they enjoy it enough. Teaching kids to be fit and enjoy exercise is one of the best things we can do as teachers. Actually I think it is more important than even the core subjects we often put so much value on. Studies show that kids who exercise can focus longer and think more efficiently. It doesn't have to be skiing or snowboarding but something, anything that gets them moving.








Once again, thanks instructors!
I am hoping these people are enjoying a cold beer after a hard day's work. They deserve it!
Thanks Instructors!
Thanks Mount Seymour!










Next field trip on Wednesday! We are off to the symphony. It's going to be a good week......

Things have been so hectic the last couple of weeks. I haven't been able to find time to post anything! I can't believe it is only two more weeks left until the end of my teaching practicum. All of this has flown by so fast.

I am actually beginning to wonder what I am going to do with all the extra time I am going to have. I think the first thing on the list is to reintroduce myself to my family. I think they have forgotten what I look like!

I have just created a flurry of blog posts from all the handwritten notes I have been keeping. So if you are interested in reading forward get a nice cup of tea and find a comfy place to sit:)

Also, if you are would like to access some of the course materials I have created for the following post's activities you can find them posted here at www.sharemylesson.com

Spaced out: Combining Science and Language Arts

As much as I love to teach other subjects, science is one of my favorite things to teach. No other subject seems to ignite children's sense of inquiry quite like science. This term, the focus has been on Stars and planets. Originally I had a great unit designed around space stations for the kids to rotate through. Unfortunately, once I began my practicum, I realized that the kids just weren't ready to work quite as independently as I had hoped. It's OK though, I have been working through the unit station by station with the entire class. We've been having a blast and I have been getting opportunities to try new things and take risks in my teaching.

In an attempt to do a truly cross-curricular unit,I have also been focusing on familiarizing the kids with  non-fiction literature and writing. I think learning to read non-fiction text properly is essential.I wonder if the reason some people don't truly appreciate this kind of literature is because they don't really know how to read it.  I've been working on reading non-fiction information through note taking excercises. Initially I introduced the elements of non-fiction by creating an information page about the sun which contained examples of all the basic elements I wanted to introduce to the kids. I also had the kids practice note taking skills using visual organizers.

We have also explored asteroids and comets using the non-fiction approach. This time I approached the
material as a comparison activity for the children to read. The kids read information pages about asteroids and comets both structured using the same format then compared them using a chart similar to a venn diagram. It was great!

If you are interested in finding the learning materials I have described above you can find them posted here at sharemy lesson.com

Pink Day

February 27th is Pink Shirt Day in Vancouver. All across the city people are encouraged to wear pink to support an anti-bully initiative that was started in Nova Scotia. If you are interested in learning more you can check it out here. http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/

Our class contribution to the Pink Shirt Day assembly was an amazing poster. We traced our hands and forearms on pink paper and decorated them using black and pink.  I got the idea from a Pinterest post that showed traced arms in a collage to record students goals.  Our idea was our to demonstrate our individuality while at the same time showing how we make a class community. If I can be honest here for a minute, I have to say our poster blew everyone away. People are still complementing our class! The kids are so proud.

                   It was amazing to see the wonderful and individual creations the kids came up with

We talked about what we can do to support one another as a community, and how we can work together to make change. The kids came up with some amazing ideas and slogans.  We finally settled on "We stick up for each other". Other wonderful ideas were written around the edges of the poster.

"We are KIND to each other"

"We TAKE CARE of each other"

"We are PEACEFUL with each other"

"We are a COMMUNITY"

"We BELIEVE in each other"

Isn't it beautiful?

Math Games

In the last couple of weeks I have been getting the kids to play math games on Fridays. The kids see it as a special treat to wind down a week of hard focused work. I see it as the perfect opportunity to develop mental math skills. Even more importantly I have realized the impact  math games have on the kids themselves.

Many of my students are ESL learners and allowing them time to participate in structured activities with their peers is a very beneficial activity. They are developing vocabulary and cementing friendships with all of the students in their class.

I am also seeing how play in the classroom allows the kids to practice their social skills. Watching the kids negotiate which game they will play and for how long has been fascinating for me. Rarely do I have  interfere with the process (There was the time when, my Russian student told me he was forbidden by his grandfather back in Russia to play cards because they were evil. Although dice were just fine. It turns out he just really wanted to play the dice game....pretty smart excuse if you ask me.) However, most of the time the kids have it worked out to make games day fair to everyone.

Here are some of my favorites:
Digit Place
Pig
Oh No 99!
Shut the Box

There are tons of games online. I suggest looking around to find some that are suitable to your class.

Happy Gaming!

As the World Turns

Since the last post the kids and I have done some fantastic activities. Last week we incorporated a little Reader's Theater in the form of a play about the solar system called Neighbors in Space. The class split into two groups and worked for the afternoon in theater troops. We came together and preformed for one another at the end of the day. It was a real treat for the extroverts in the group and it gave some of the kids a chance to shine as leaders. It was also fantastic practice to develop speaking and listening skills. It just goes to show that learning can take place using many avenues.

I have been working hard to vary my lessons to appeal to all learners in my classroom. It has been a lot of fun to develop lessons that appeal to all of the multiple intelligences. Just by engaging kids on different levels I find I have more of their focus for longer periods of time. They also seem to genuinely enjoy coming to science class.

Melanie's diagrams of her day/ night cycle experiment

This week week we had a great time exploring the movements of the earth around it's axis and the sun. We explored day and night cycles and the reasons for the four seasons. I found these fantastic sponge globes at the dollar store. (By the way if I haven't mentioned it before, I think the dollar store was the best thing invented for teachers since the chalkboard!) I stuck BBQ skewers through the sponge globes and had the kids create their own seasons and day night cycles using flashlights as the sun. The kids loved it. It took an otherwise complex topic in the science curriculum and made it more accessible to my students.

Thanks to Kiya for demonstrating the activity! He's a great guinea pig for my lessons.

Jimi-scruff gives it two paws up!

If you are interested in finding the learning materials for these activities you can find them here at www.sharemylesson.com