My Annual Vocabulary Runway Show

I have a tradition in my classroom, we dress up on Halloween but we do something educational with it! I know, I know, I'm a Grinch! :) For the past few years I have assigned my kids vocabulary words. Some request silly words-zany, peculiar, disheveled. Some like the scary words like eerie. Some like the fancy words like dazzling, groovy and vibrant. They come in their costumes that day walk down a red carpet and present their little speech for their parents. Because this is our first presentation we keep their speeches short and sweet. "I am ancient. Ancient means very very old. Moms are ancient"-she wrote it herself! :) I love as we go throughout the year and I'm reading a story and say the word "peculiar" they all turn and say Johnny's word! 20 new words in their vernicular, just like that!

And nobody seems to mind learning something new on Halloween! :)

Inventing New Candy

So the top level of Bloom's now is Create. That is often a hard level to hit with what we do, especially with Kindergarteners. Our new chapter book that we are reading (a chapter per day) is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Being Halloween and all, I thought it was appropriate to ask the kiddos to invent a new kind of candy. Now, of course, I got answers like M&M's and Skittles (many Skittle rainbows, I think they'd be glad their ad campaign is working! :). Even though I stressed that we were inventing something new, some of their brains just have trouble going there yet. But we did get lots of good answers, I hope Willy Wonka isn't listening:

Wild Thing Ethics

So we all know the story of Where the Wild Things Are. Max leaves the Wild Things to go where he is loved best of all. The question I posed to my students: was that the right thing for Max to do. Here are their responses.

It was wrong that he left because he left them without a king.

right-he wanted to love his mom.

It was right because he was hungry.

right because his food was waiting for him.

right because he wanted to go where someone loved him.

Wild Things

Like many others, one of my all-time favorite stories is Where the Wild Things Are. I just think it's a really unique story when you look at children's literature, especially from the past. We are still working on using multiple perspectives and I asked my kiddos to pretend they were one of the Wild Things-what would they feel, see, do, etc.?

chase Max.

Our First Community Service Project

So I shared with you guys that I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer over the summer. I have been undergoing chemo treatments throughout the school year and have my last one today!!! I'm very excited to be done with this step of the process. Definitely not for sissies!

Well, I wanted to share with you a couple of things. First we made worry stones for me to take to the chemo treatment center today. The kids wrote the words and painted them. I had to use varnish over top because the paint was chipping off. I will deliver these today for patients to take and hopefully to encourage them.

Now in the beginning I really debated on whether to share this journey with colleagues or not. I knew I would be losing my hair so not really that easy to hide. I didn't want it getting back to the students because I didn't want them to worry about me. Most of their experiences with cancer lead back to losing someone from it and I didn't want them to think that was going to happen to me. But I did end up sharing it and I'm really glad I did-the support has just been overwhelming!

Wednesday we did our wear pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Day--look what I walked in to see:

Isn't that incredible! The kids kept asking if it was my birthday! :)

The 5th Grade teachers had their kids write messages for me. I did not teach this group because I looped up the year they were in Kinder and then looped back. But I know many of them from the clubs that I do-I do a book club and our Student Council. These are just some of them. Look how sweet and inspiring:

One good thing that has come out of this is I am trying to celebrate things more. I went to my first ever student birthday party. Usually I decline those invitations because if you go to one and then don't attend someone else's some parents claim favoritism. But Ruby (my german shepherd) and I were invited and it was in the park and it was a beautiful day, so we went. I talk about Ruby in class all the time so she was like a celebrity to those kiddos.

She even had her own treat bag! 

Just thought I'd share some heart-warming things from my week! :)