First Days Activities
The 2016-2017 school year is up and running and we are off to a great start! We started the year with a read aloud of "What Do you Do with an Idea." We paired the text with a bubble blowing activity. The students were asked to compare bubbles to ideas. The students made many great connections: ideas are fragile, ideas can stand alone or build upon another, someone can pop your bubble (idea), you can pop someone else's bubble (idea), good ideas take time and care, and many more. Ultimately, everyone came up with some really meaningful connections that built a foundation for being respectful classmates.
After determining ways to be a good communicator using the bubbles, the kids engaged in several team building activities. The students were given the challenge to build the tallest tower made of cups. Groups needed to work collaboratively and cooperatively to make the highest tower they could. A few days later, students were put into small groups with an inflated balloon. Students needed to effectively communicate with one another to keep the balloon in the air for as long as possible. We increased the difficulty by adding more people and more balloons. Scroll down to see pictures from this challenges.
Matt Tavares
More recently, we had the pleasure of being visited by the famous author, Matt Tavares! Matt Tavares is the author and illustrator of many picture books including "Zachary's Ball," "Henry Aaron's Dream," and "Becoming Babe Ruth." One of the most important messages Matt conveyed was the significance of the writing process, most importantly the revising and editing steps. He told us how proud he was of his rough drafts and how his editor made some serious suggestions that allowed him to change and improve his work. Please see the pictures below to see Zach be a model for a live drawing! If you would like to visit Matt Tavares's website click here.
The 2016-2017 school year is up and running and we are off to a great start! We started the year with a read aloud of "What Do you Do with an Idea." We paired the text with a bubble blowing activity. The students were asked to compare bubbles to ideas. The students made many great connections: ideas are fragile, ideas can stand alone or build upon another, someone can pop your bubble (idea), you can pop someone else's bubble (idea), good ideas take time and care, and many more. Ultimately, everyone came up with some really meaningful connections that built a foundation for being respectful classmates.
After determining ways to be a good communicator using the bubbles, the kids engaged in several team building activities. The students were given the challenge to build the tallest tower made of cups. Groups needed to work collaboratively and cooperatively to make the highest tower they could. A few days later, students were put into small groups with an inflated balloon. Students needed to effectively communicate with one another to keep the balloon in the air for as long as possible. We increased the difficulty by adding more people and more balloons. Scroll down to see pictures from this challenges.
Matt Tavares
More recently, we had the pleasure of being visited by the famous author, Matt Tavares! Matt Tavares is the author and illustrator of many picture books including "Zachary's Ball," "Henry Aaron's Dream," and "Becoming Babe Ruth." One of the most important messages Matt conveyed was the significance of the writing process, most importantly the revising and editing steps. He told us how proud he was of his rough drafts and how his editor made some serious suggestions that allowed him to change and improve his work. Please see the pictures below to see Zach be a model for a live drawing! If you would like to visit Matt Tavares's website click here.
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