Thursday, August 20, 2009

Week Two Musings

Drama, and Language Arts and Social Studies - oh, my (and of course, Math and Science, as well)!

We are almost through our second week of school and the students, Mrs. Hipple, Mrs. Stoyanoff and myself seem to have found a fairly good daily groove. Though we're still getting our feet wet in some areas, and experiencing a few hitches/glitches here and there (i.e. the locker situation), we all seem to be settling in to the 2009-2010 school year.

It looks like the locker situation should be remedied any day now. The lockers have been delivered and just need to be set up. I have not been given any information, but I am sure that the students should have their lockers next week. I applaud all of the students' patience with this, as I know how exciting it is to have one's own locker and a place to set up as one's own.

This week the students began reading Lewis Carroll's The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. Prior to reading the story, the students were given some questions and prompts. Here are some of their responses:

Make a list of ten things you know for a fact:
The world is round.
TPA is in Tempe.
Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War.
Make a list of ten rules which you follow without hesitation:
Don't cheat.
I don't touch my dad's computers.
Never stick your finger in an electrical socket.
Adults are...
...crazy when they have Red Bull.
...annoying sometimes.
...experienced people.
Growing up is...
...the hardest part of my life.
...hilarious.
...tiresome.

Today, the students were given some historical background on Victorian England (the period of time when Carroll was writing). It will be interesting to see - as we read about Alice and her adventures - what, where, and how the students' thoughts will meld with Victorian views and what the students' perspectives on the story will be.

This week in Language Arts we have added a few more vocabulary words to our repertoire and delved into three different types of sentences: simple, compound and complex. The students also had the opportunity to delve into creative writing this week.

Drama work focused on two types of communication: emotions and gesture. Today we brought the two together. We are also working daily on breath work, articulation and projection. The students are in the midst of learning Lewis Carroll's poem, Jabberwocky (which they will come across again in the spring when we read Through the Looking Glass). They are memorizing the poem stanza by stanza. If you hear repetitive nonsense words floating through your house, such as "bandersnatch" and "slithy toves"...no worries: Your students are studying English (though some of it is a bit funny sounding).

Our focus in Social Studies this week has been Geography and next week we will spend some time exploring archaeology. We will begin our first unit of study on August 31: The Stone Age.

Please remember that you are always welcome to stop by our room and share class time with us. Just stop in at the main office and obtain a pass first and then come join us.

Bradley Spiker celebrated his birthday yesterday and I would just like to send a big thank you to Mr./Mrs. Spiker for the delicious homemade Rice Krispy Treats. They were enjoyed by all (this teacher included)!

Thanks to those of you who donated paper towels, to those who have offered their time and services for upcoming classroom help, and for keeping me abreast of what's going on with your student by way of email.

Here's to another excellent week. May you all have a happy, safe and restful weekend.

Cheers,

Ms. Nicky Pitman