5th Day of School

The kids and I are finally getting settled into the classroom. Workers are still coming in and out periodically to redo wiring and connect the other portables, so it certainly isn't done yet. I started working on my classroom library yesterday, since my book bins were finally delivered from The Container Store. I bought 3 cases. I was anxiously waiting for them to arrive and was at school until 7:30 last night trying to finish it (which I didn't). I have way more books than I realized!

Portable Life

The portable has been working out nicely. It is a little tight on space, but I changed the seating arrangement today which freed up a lot more space. I'll try to remember to take a picture soon. I'm hoping to do a lot of lessons and practice on working in groups so students learn to work effectively in the new arrangement. 

Bathrooms and water have been my biggest pet peeve so far this year. Students often do not want to use their recess time to do these things (I don't really blame them since the bathroom and water fountain are so far away and take a lot of time to get to). However, I'm not willing to compromise learning time for students to go all the way into the building. 

For water, I have encouraged students every day so far to bring water bottles. Those students who have still not brought one have very little sympathy in my book. 

My solution was to let each student go to the restroom or get a drink in the building once a week during class time. It's Tuesday and 4 students have used their weekly pass, not too shabby. Teachers, have you ever noticed the phenomenon where if one student asks to go to the bathroom/get a drink, five other kids shout out that they have to go too? Maybe this just happens in my class, but as soon as I remind them that it would be their only pass for the week, most kids say "never-mind." 

Since we're away from the building, I make students go to the building with partner for safety. The phenomenon mentioned previously helps me to find a partner because often there is someone else willing to use their weekly pass. I try not to send friends and always gender match the partners. If there isn't someone else who wants to use their pass, I just assign someone to go with the other person and don't count it against them. 

9/11

It was kind of strange to teach students who were just days old or not born yet about what happened 11 years ago. To most of them, it seemed like history. Some students had stories about what their siblings or parents were doing on that day. One of my student's parents had to postpone their wedding because of all of the airport closures. Other students asked what 9/11 was and acted as though they had never heard of it. 

Last year, I saved the September 2010 issue of Scholastic News and used the cover story "I was 11 on September 11th, 2001." Then, I found a video on BrainPop and invited the two other 5th grade classes to join us in watching it (since they don't have computers for their presentation stations yet). It was a tight squeeze for about 80 5th graders in one portable, but we made it work with standing room only and the new desk arrangement. 

After the other classes left, I read September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be All Right to wrap up.