We do a morning-share-type routine called Connections at the start of our daily ELA block, and one of the reasons I like this routine is that I get to know what's going on in my students' lives outside of school. It's during that time that kids often talk about their extracurricular activities, and it doesn't take long to figure out most kids' hobbies and interests. Clearly getting to know kids beyond just how they do in the classroom helps to build positive student-teacher relationships...which builds a stronger classroom culture and community...which translates into a mutual respect between student and teacher...which creates a sense of trust and attentiveness that often correlates with positive behavior and adherence to classroom expectations. What am I trying to get at? Well, let's just say that while I love learning more about my students, I also have an ulterior motive: better behaved kiddos. This weekend, I got to see five of my students in action on the basketball court. When I found out my friend Mr. B. would be coaching 4th graders this season, I had him send me the game schedule so that I could sneakily show up at one of the home games at the Healey. Well apparently, today's game was only the second game the team has ever played together! It was pretty darn impressive how well Mihali, Colin, Will, Petya, Owen, and the rest of their team did, especially considering they have literally only had two practices so far...

This week, students started learning about and researching the different types of energy. This research will contribute to a multidisciplinary project that Ms. Tosches, Mrs. O'Keefe, and I put together. Since students spend a large chunk of their time in science this year on renewable energy resources, and since we're currently in our nonfiction unit in ELA, and since we have the incredibly innovative brain of Ms. Tosches at our disposal, we found a way for students to apply their understanding of nonfiction text features to what they've learned about the various forms of energy. How? By creating Makey Makey boards with nonfiction text features that display facts about a specific form of energy. Stay tuned for updates on our most recent STEAM-related (and entirely foreign to me, yet equally fascinating) task.

Our Bucket Fillers of the week were Lyla and Leanne. Lyla is a sweetheart. Not only that, but she's dedicated to her schoolwork. She wants to do well, and it shows. For example, she was sick this week and missed a day of school. Despite her absence, she did her homework by looking online and completing the assignment I posted on Schoology. I love the commitment! Leanne had a really good week during ELA. She participated lots, which is something she's had a hard time with in the past. I love seeing her hand in the air and I hope she keeps it up!