Pi R Scared

  As students returned from the Thanksgiving/Fall break the excitement came with them.  The break provided a chance to recharge.  I didn't give my students work over the break and told them I'd be offline too.  I told my students take a break and while some did work on missing assignments they didn't have to, it was their choice.  As the lessons began again this week, the students were excited, no longer seeming tired or worn out.   In just a few short weeks, students will have their winter break.  The time between this break and winter break is short and when you add in teacher work days, students only have 1 full week of school in December.   As school days seems to get longer and school years seems to increase in days, I think the placement of breaks is important.  Students and staff need time to recharge.  As school districts look at future calendars and decide on days, I hope they consider what happens after the short breaks and create more short breaks together throug

  Each year, I learn something new or a different way to approach a topic.  This year, the students in my class would have been virtual when fractions were introduced due to the pandemic.  This means that some of the foundations may be have been missed or the teacher couldn't do the hands on approach with these students.  One thing I'm doing to help with this is draw the circles.  I'm finding the visual part is needed to make the connection.  I'm also finding the need to work on multiplication facts and while we work on those, I'm emphasizing repeated addition.  Here's what I'm using to help.

Gimkit came out with a new mode almost a week ago and the students love it.  It's called Don't Look Down.  In this mode, students work to reach the 6 different summits.  Along the way they jump on various objects and test their skills.  This game can teach you about your risk takers and your cautious students.   If you want to add extra excitement, play with your students to see who gets higher.  This is currently the favorite mode for my classes and I'd recommend giving it a try if you haven't. 

      The connection we form with students can last beyond their year in our classroom.  Most of the things the students remember from class are connections we made and silly things we did.  A middle school teacher I used to work with made a lasting impact on their students.       Every Thursday, they would tell the students Happy Friday's Eve.  It was like a contest where the students tried to tell the teacher before this teacher could tell them.  My 8th graders each Thursday would finish their work and then ask to go see this teacher from 6th or 7th grade.  They would explain they have to tell this teacher Happy Friday's Eve before the teachers says it to them.  Every Thursday at least 15 students would finish work through out the day and then request to go see this teacher.  This is one small thing this teacher did to connect with students and it brought students back each year to see them.  This is a great way to check in with students and build those lasting connections.