Students were compliant and took things seriously for the first few minutes. Then a few started scooting, moving, whispering, using hand gestures with friends.
At the conclusion of the drill, we had a class debrief where I emphasized the need to practice well at every emergency drill and I answered questions. Their biggest concern, per the number of questions, seemed to be how we would handle a fire spontaneously igniting in our classroom that blocks both doors and the fire extinguisher (we are on the third floor and can't therefore just climb out the window). Spoiler alert: Yes, I do know how to use a fire extinguisher properly (aim at the base of the fire, not up in the air) as my husband was a volunteer firefighter for 22 years.
Please ask your child about today's drill/practice, how they thought it went, and answer any questions they have. My message to them is this:
In an actual emergency - the building is shaking, we see flames, or a lockdown is announced as "this is not a drill" - we will all be frightened. The thing that will keep us safe is having practiced so that we know what to do. When we treat our drills like a game or a joke as some did today, we don't help ourselves.
Math - Today we went on an Array Hunt, first in the classroom and then outside. HW tonight is to continue that hunt at home and explain to their family - see green Math NB. (Also an i-Ready math lesson, which far too many students are not doing)
Writing - Have you read your child's small moment telling the story of meeting their kindergarten buddy on Tuesday? It's in their black Writing NB. Some finished in class, others needed to finish it at home last night. All were assigned to share it with you.
Reading - We are continuing to "build our reading lives." Students are recording a list of steps/tasks/ideas that will support them as readers on the first page of their blue Reading NB. This list is in-progress, so encourage your child to add to it as they discover something that's helpful to them.
On the next page, readers are starting to keep track of their reading by entering date and book title (underlined) at the end of independent reading time in class, adding their reading goal for that night. We started on Monday so you should see 3 entries tonight. Goals vary by child and are set by them, but here are a couple of examples:
- read 3 chapters
- finish the book
If you haven't already, please ask to see the picture of your child's "just right" reading spot at home. It's glued onto the inside front cover of their blue Reading NB. (Unless they have not yet completed that assignment from last Friday, September 22nd.) If, in the future, this proves NOT to be a "just right" reading spot, they can always change it, of course!
Yes, we are taking AR (Accelerated Reader) quizzes on books this year. Almost every book in my classroom library has an AR quiz available (I just have to look it up and write on the inside cover) so there is no reason for students to be "choosing books to take a test on" when we visit the Keppel Library on Mondays. We use the results of the AR quiz to learn more about ourselves as readers.
i-Ready lessons - Almost every student has either i-Ready reading lessons or i-Ready math lessons (or both) assigned to them as part of their weekly HW (see personalized cover letter that came home with the i-Ready diagnostic test results on August 31st). Furthermore, I've assigned one i-Ready math lesson for HW a few days recently since we didn't have a separate math HW page that day ... including today.
When checking online, I see that many students are not keeping up with this important homework - important because i-Ready is individualized. Your child's lessons in the four math domains and the seven reading domains are assigned from the bottom up, meaning, the system assigns the area that they are lowest in first. The goal is to "fill in the gaps" in learning so that they can be more successful going forward.
If you are unsure if your child is assigned weekly HW in i-Ready and have misplaced the August 31st cover letter and results, please email me.