Monday, Monday...

Have you ever had one of those days when you're sure you have it all together, but The Universe decides to keep you just a little bit humble and throw a curve ball your way?

All I have to say to that is: the students in Room 503 are FLEXIBLE!

I ran out of the house this morning with everything I needed...Everything that is except my computer that had everything we needed for today's Social Studies and Language Arts lessons!

YIKES!

Able to piece together what I needed for our Social Studies unit, we swapped our regularly scheduled times and had Social Studies in the morning and Language Arts in the afternoon. I went home during my planning period (with an extra ten minutes, thanks to Mrs. Veenstra) and retrieved my computer. The students were terrific about the whole thing!

We began exploring geography today, as it will go hand-in-hand with all of our Social Studies work. Students were introduced to the two main branches - Physical Geography and Human Geography - and have a short research assignment with regards to both this evening.

We began reading Old Yeller this afternoon. Well, some of us began reading it. Others had begun reading it sooner. Still others kept reading even though we stopped, as a class, after the first chapter. That is a sure sign of a great book! Chapter Two was assigned to be read individually this evening, though it's a safe bet to assume that most of the students in Room 503 are already well past the second chapter.

The students were delighted to find that many of the plants we potted last week, sprouted over the weekend! A notable observation: not one pot containing cilantro seeds sprouted as of yet. The students and I are all eager to see how long it will take before we see growth.

On a light note: Our classroom's air conditioning unit is about as vocal as every student in Room 503. Last week, as a class, we voted to bestow it with a name and welcome it via a birthday party to our class today. At 1:35 PM this afternoon we sang "Happy Birthday" to Squeaker and celebrated his/her (I am not sure we gave it a gender) inaugural with cupcakes.

Looking forward to another adventurous week!

Cheers,
Ms. Pitman