51: Halloween Eve, Eve

Halloween is on a Sunday this year.

So today we had our Annual Halloween Parade.

We didn't have one last year

and this year,

it looked a little different,

Indoors

No parents

No heat from the sun (It was over 80 degrees)

No candy bags

but still the same.

Excited children

Fun costumes

morning parade.

Then we tried to have a "normal" day.

We continued our pumpkin investigation.

Today we used all 5 senses.

We watched Mr. Almonte cut open a pumpkin.

We got to feel the inside of a pumpkin.

\We scooped out the seeds.

We smelled the pumpkin.

And we tried pumpkin pie!

Next week

we will plant the seeds and make more observations!

50: Pumpkins, Pizza, and Ponce

We were scientists today.

We started by making a prediction.

Then, we tested our hypothesis.

We made observations.

Then we recorded our observations,

Next, I wanted to see if students could transfer

their new knowledge.

It's a process. 

Today was the 50th Day of School.

Zero, the Hero brought ingredients to make pizza!

But we misread the salsa label

for tomato sauce.

My team partner improvised

aka Ketchup is just like pizza sauce.

Maybe not exactly,

but close enough for students to eat their 50th Day pizzas!

Even M ate.

Had to get a tote of cookies,

because cake for an entire class

wasn't an option!

Happy Birthday to my incredible TA!

She loves cake, just like me.

Need to order a regular size next time.

Still yummy though!

49: Shake 2021

 It's a good idea to dance and

move around before a long 

earthquake drill.

It's a class favorite song/dance now, 

We are One (in Spanish)

Finding things to do on the warm blacktop

with 4 year olds can be a challenge, 

but this year,

my creative TAs came up with

a few things to do.

#1. Practice writing your name on the white board.

When you already know how to write your name

you can draw a detailed picture

and try to write a sentence.

#2. Draw and write

#3. Some fine motor, number sense practice

using old Foss Kit materials.

We had number bingo too,

but didn't need it.

40 minutes later... back to class!

After school, I had the best visit at Kaiser,

or should I say the most productive,

useful appointment with a PT.

We set goals.

We practices 4 exercises that will help

strengthen my hip, knees, lower limbs

because going up and down 

in year 35 is very different than year 5!

48: Letting L Lead

One of the goals we have for L

is to have him join our class

more often.

Today, he participated more than he has ever has.

I made him the greeter this week.

I think he likes it.

He also participated during our time with our OT teacher

and was able to follow the song using his rhythm sticks.

He hadn't done that before. HUGE!

After OT class,

we usually break into small groups.

L wasn't ready.

He went up to the stage with one of his favorite books

and sat there.

What could I do?

Sometimes,

you just have to let them lead

and just follow.

So I did.

It was one of my favorite books too.

Can't wait to see what L does tomorrow.

 

47: Pumpkin Week

I love drawing with students.

Each piece is so different and

unique to that child.

Today we drew pumpkins

and used water color markers 

to make them look 3D!

Thanks to my favorite Art Educator blogger,

https://cassiestephens.blogspot.com

I discovered how easy it was "water color" with markers!

Loved how they came out!

And my daily M picture was amazing too!

 

46: Beginning with the End in Mind

We are a Leader in Me school.

This month our focus habit is Habit #2,

Beginning with the End in Mind.

Teacher Goal: Get a subscription to My Big World.

My Big World is an early childhood weekly magazine.

As a child,

I remember the thrill of getting my own copy of

My Weekly Reader each week from school.

It was my first current events text.

I want my students to have that reading experience too.

Thanks for Donorchoose donors,

we do now!

Add Bonus...

Goal for our L: To participate in class activities.

There are online resources that come with My Big World.

One of them is a game that checks for understanding of the text.

Today, L sat nearby as his friends played the game.

I invited him to play.

He sat on the rug with them instead. (Another goal for L)

Then after each friend played,

we encouraged him to come up and play too.

With a little support from Ms. Ponce,

HE DID!

Little steps to BIG GOALS!

Our class goal was for students to learn their

first and last names.

We're at 82% first and last,

and 100% first names!

Little steps...

45: Letting Them Lead the Way

We have a good routine established

so that students know what to expect.

I have been trying to refine my Small Group Instruction.

Each teacher has a focus each day of the week.

My focus...

Monday: Art

Tuesday: Math Concepts

Wednesday: Writing Workshop

Thursday: Reading Comprehension

Friday: Science

I read the book One Tree.

I asked students to draw a picture and tell me something they learned from the text.

A started with a tree, 

but today he wanted to show me that he knew his shapes.

He draw a square, then circle, and triangle.

But he wanted to draw lots of squares (what we had learned last week).

Quick assessment on shapes.

We can work on trees another time.

He is learning... and that's okay!

Today, J told me he didn't need to look at his name card anymore.

He already knew how to write it without it.

Name assessment... check!

My favorite part of teaching...

Letting them lead while I just observe.

44: No Phoning Home

Casualties of leaving your phone at home,

no photos of the school day.

Benefits of leaving your phone at home,

No message from dentist office 

when big boy's support staff misses appointments.

Didn't pick up 9+ potential spam calls during class.

No impulsive school buys on Amazon during lunch time.

Always can count on my daily dose of M.

M-Miss Fung, I found a stick. 

Me- Where do you think it came from?

M- It's a branch.

Me- Where did the branch come from?

M- A tree.

 5 minutes later...

M-Miss Fung, I broke my stick. Now I have two pieces. One for you and one for me. You can take the taller stick.

Me- Thanks M! I'll keep it safe in my pocket. See I have a pocket today. I was going to put my phone in there.

Hey Siri!

Find my phone!

43: Skulls, Scholastic, and Stickers

What can you do with a bunch of extra stickers from old Foss Kits?

Develop some letter knowledge and fine motor skills!

We completed our first work on canvas,

skulls for DDLM,

also know as Día de los Muertos.

It wasn't as I envisioned.

I was going to have them paint with acrylics,

but thought maybe oil pastels would be easier at this point in time.

They still came out wonderful,

but not as vibrant in color as paints.

We placed them on our school's altar.

The school day ended with a surprise in my box!

Our subscription to Big World arrived!

Thanks to donors,

my students get to read a weekly magazine,

just like when I was young

and had My Weekly Reader.

Fond reading memories that I can pass on!

42: Food for the Brain

Sometimes you get lucky

and get invited to incredible conferences,

where global leaders in business, health, education, 

economics, technology, medicine, sports, 

entertainment, policy...

sit down and share what they know and believe with you.

My brain is on overload!

Thanks MFF!

41: When you think it's going to be A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD, VERY LONG DAY

Woke up with a sore arm.

moved at a slower pace today,

booster yesterday,

somewhat expected

and it wasn't too bad.

What was bad 

was the attitude of a teen,

who needs to practice more coping skills,

but would rather send me to school

stressed out daily.

I thought it was going to be

A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD, VERY LONG DAY,

but then I saw M.

He normally greets me with positivity,

"I'm happy at school!"

"Miss Fung, I love you hundred times..."

but this morning I needed it more

and he provide more.

Me: M! What happened to your hair?

M: I wanted to give myself a haircut.

Me: All by yourself?

M: Yes! 

Me: That's great! It's a rite of passage! My son did that with his curls 

and I did that once, in middle school. It didn't turn out well, bangs.

As we're walking to class he says nonchalantly...

"Miss Fung, remember when you taught me to use scissors?"

How can my day get any better than that?

Yes, I remember.

40: Creativity

Nothing makes me more happy than watching students create

and use their imagination.

Today, I found a drawing on the table.

It was very detailed and looked like a two-level house.

I dated it, wrote M's name on it, 

and as I was placing it in his cubby,

M stopped me.

He wanted to show me the entire picture.

I was so amazed at his thinking and creation,

that I asked to video tape it.

Like I said,

nothing makes me happier than being able to soak up imagination.

And I got a booster after school today.

39: Night and Day

I wish my nights were more like my days.

I wish my high schooler loved school as much as my preschoolers.

I wish I had patience with B, like I do with my students.

It's tough being a parent for me.

Not so tough being a teacher.

I had a good day at school.

I am working on having good days at home.

38: It Was A Good Day

It wasn't a great night with my Dodgers on the brink of elimination,

but today was a new day.

Started off with a free breakfast (Bryce) and ice coffee for educators

from McDonalds.

Then was sad to see the demise of our canopy.

Apparently the Dodgers' bats were not the only casualty of the crazy wind last night.

But the day took a turn for the better.

Today, I wanted students to practice counting, number sense, and understand that print carries a message. 

I wasn't so concerned that students had 1 to 1 correspondence for their Tree Count Book.

My main objective was for students to understand the meaning of a written numeral.

I just love to let them go and just observe.

So much learning on my part by just observing...

I noticed that after guiding S through the first 2 pages, he took over the process and complete the last two on his own.

I noticed that although my main instructions were to draw a tree with a trunk and leaves,

some students gave me more, applying what we had learned about trees so far.

M drew roots on his trees!

I video my students a lot.

The videos provides data that I share with families on ClassDojo instantly.

And sometimes,

if I am lucky,

I catch a wonderful surprise!

Today as I taped F working on her book,

I saw her monitor and check her work

and then she independently added what she was missing,

and she checked again! 

In those few seconds,

I was able to access her knowledge of number sense

more deeply than I would have if she just filled out a sheet.

She was using strategies on her own!

Oh, and the Dodgers lived to see another game in October.

It was a good day.

37: TREE GALLERY

Crazy baseball playoffs are stressing me out.

Trees, don't.

Today's task: Paint a tree.

Love that they are all different!

That's what art is.

Go Dodgers!

36: Rainy Sorta Day

 It finally felt a little like Fall today

and there was a little rain.

So we had indoor "recess" today.

After over a year, 

I took out the blocks.

They were there all the time,

but not "encouraged" 

because it can be collaborative.

It still is,

but they need block play

and we have a lot of sanitizer.

We started our Tree Study this week.

I was so excited to take the students outside 

to observe trees (directed).

During one of my groups,

E's foot fell out of his shoe,

not the first time,

probably not the last.

But I was so touched to see how many of his friends went to offer help.

I have a kind team this year.

Friday is Science Day again!

We waited too long.

Time to start again.

We focused on something that comes from a tree,

apples!

I wanted to finish up baseline data collection.

While having M try to write letters,

he came across the letter L... (video above)

I love it when they make connections!

35: You Know the Drill

 Thursday is Covid-19 testing day.

My students are really getting use to working in small groups. 

I love that they can work with others.

They are a kind group of kiddos!

Most of them. LOL

Luckily, Mr. Almonte

It may be a lot of attent