As our students were enjoying a long weekend, CEC teachers were gathered on Monday for some professional development and team building. It’s always fun to get to know the other teachers a little better and see the staff in a more relaxed setting. I’m so grateful for the staff I have the opportunity to work alongside at CEC. I am pushed to be better and inspired by them every day. 

This week I picked up teaching math in the Grade 3 classroom. We are finishing off the unit on numbers to 1000 and will be getting ready for our first test next week. Following that, I will be reviewing addition strategies. My first lesson teaching rounding was my first total flop. After all was said and done, only about 2 students knew what I was talking about! That was a big learning experience for me. I thought about my lesson all day and what I should have done differently or better. At the end of the day when we had a few minutes before hometime, we reviewed the concept again and I turned it into a game that the students were excited to play. They took turns placing numbers on the giant number line and making up numbers to try to stump their friends. As an exit ticket at hometime, I gave each student a number and they had to round it before they left for the day. This was a great assessment tool! I knew exactly who understood and who needed an extra lesson the following day. I know that every student learns differently and at their own pace so even though this was a hard lesson, it was truly eye-opening and helpful! The next day in small groups, we reviewed the concept again and played a game of Scoot using even and odd numbers. The kids loved this game, even though it was basically a worksheet, turning it into a game of hide and seek added another level of motivation. 

This week in health we were learning about strategies for mindfulness and things we can do to embrace our inner selves. We read a book called Good Morning, Sunshine! and practiced breathing strategies. Then we brainstormed things that we were thankful for in order to play a Gratitude Game. This activity lined up perfectly with Thanksgiving! We all went home afterward feeling calm, thankful and grateful for our many blessings! 

With gratitude, 

Miss Philip

After brainstorming things that we are thankful for, we played the Gratitude Game. Each student chose a colored stick and we went around the room sharing what we were thankful for in that category.