Lets Venture Outside!

Clearly, a childhood spent outdoors playing, exploring and discovering is a valuable experience.   Study after study proves that children interacting with the outside environment is very crucial in human development.  We all can recall our own childhood excitement in discovering the mysterious outside world–definitely priceless! These outdoor experiences have helped in producing the worlds greatest risk takers, problems solvers and inventors.

Unfortunately, the latest trends amongst adolescents plugging into various technologies like, video games, personal computers and television are at an all-time high.  Students are now more than ever being diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, obesity and depression.  Sadly, children are being prescribed medications to deal with health problems.  Today, children’s body mass index is higher than before.  The American Heart Association for disease reported that heart disease in children has tripled in the past 20 years.

Being outside and participating in physical activity not only  increases children’s feeling of well-being but also increases their ability to focus on tasks.  As of 2008/2009, the BC ministry of education recognized the importance of healthy childhood development and implemented daily fitness into the curriculum in elementary schools.  Teachers realize learning is more meaningful and effective when students can interact and draw connections between their education and environment. Keeping it fun, active and hands-on is the key to developing skills such as, curiosity and a sense of wonder in our students that will last a lifetime.  In turn, we will raise healthier children (physically and mentally).

The 2009 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, [in collaboration with ParticipACTION and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute – Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group (CHEO-HALO)] reveals that children who are more physically active are also more academically fit, resulting in better scores in math and reading, higher grades, greater perceptual skill and overall academic readiness.

A few Suggestions to inspire a great outdoor classroom experience and learn about local ecosystems :

*My colleague recently took her students on a fabulous all-day nature field trip (free of charge) to Salt Spring Island.  An amazing experience that took them to a variety of ecosystems.  The students definitely left with a new appreciation for their environment.  For more information visit their website:  www.saltspringconservancy.ca.

*Another great leader in Canadian environment education is EDC’s EcoKids Program.  A great resource for teachers, students and families.  EcoKids recently unveiled a new website:  www.ecokids.ca. Definitely worth checking out, especially for the 2010 Great EcoKids Challenge.  Also, it provides:

• New lesson plans tailored to Provincial Curriculum Standards
• Free resource kits chalk full of useful classroom resources
• A “Homework Help” section for students
• A Teachers’ Forum to share creative and unique ideas about education and the environment

*The Surrey Nature Centre offers a range of environmental education programs in the marvellous natural setting of Green Timbers. They offer a new complement of programming for Fall, Winter, and Spring to keep students engaged throughout every season of the year.  Visit their website:  www.surrey.ca/naturecentre

*We all can worker together to help children live longer and healthier lives.  To limit TV time and get your kids moving visit these links below:

http://www.jumpropeforheart.ca/

http://www.familytlc.net/index.html

http://www.gameskidsplay.net/

http://www.healthyalberta.com/ActiveLiving/173.htm

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3033902

http://www.participaction.com/en-us/GettingActive/InspiringKids.aspx

International Children’s Day!

November 20, 2009 marks the day when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) to celebrate children.  Our classroom will be celebrating this special day throughout the week with music, art, books, activities and presentations.  Parents are invited to participate.

The grade 3 social studies prescribed learning outcomes we are currently covering are:

• C1 describe how an understanding of personal roles, rights, and responsibilities can affect the well-being of the school and community
• C2 summarize the roles and responsibilities of local governments

Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states the purpose of education is the “preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin.”

Shirley Hughes and Ken Wilson-Max are among eight renowned artists who illustrate children’s rights in a simplified version of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  IIlustrations are included from the publication For Every Child, as well as photographs showing the lives of children around the world:

http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/assets/pdf/every_child_colour_leaflet.pdf

A list of our class theme songs: (** Please note: Parental guidance/supervision is required when viewing YouTube videos)

• We Are The World-by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Cindy Lauper, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springstein…
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzw6GiqZyD0&feature=related
• What a wonderful World-by Louis Armstrong
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5IIXeR5OUI&feature=fvw
• Wavin’ Flag-K’naan
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC8V8S_REhk
• Heal the World-by Michael Jackson
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beFTORlM6TU
• That’s what friends are for-from the Disney Classic movie, “The Fox and the Hound.”
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTcHT4zpAGs&feature=fvw
• Imagine-John Lennon
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okd3hLlvvLw

A list of books to read with your child at home:

• Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree. 1964. New York: Harper and Row Publishers.
• Jane Cowen-Fletcher, It Takes A Village. 1994. New York: Scholastic Inc.
• Lois Ehlert, Planting a Rainbow. 1988. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers
• Nancy Carlson, I Like Me. 1990. New York: Penguin books, Inc
• Tony Johnston, & Tomie dePaola, The Quilt Story. 1985. New York: Scholastic Inc
• All the colors We Are. 1994. St. Paul, Minnesota: Redleaf Press.
• Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergartners, We are Alike, We Are Different. 1991. New York: Scholastic.
• Nina Pelleginin, Families Are Different. 1991. New York: Holiday House.
• Ellen Levine, I Hate English. 1989. New York: Scholastic, Inc
• Arthur Dorros, This is my House. 1992. New York: Scholastic Inc.
• Mary Ann Hoberman, A House is a House For Me. 1978. New York: Scholastic, Inc
• Marc Brown, Arthur’s Eyes. 1979. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company
• Robert McClosky, Make Way For Ducklings. 1969. New York: Penguin Books
• Aliki, Feelings. 1984. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
• Barbara Josse, Momma Do You Love Me? 1991. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
• Eric Carle, My Apron.

Link for United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child:
http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/hrdocs/un/child/declaration-en.html

Virtue of Education

I recently got a chance to listen to Geraldo Rivera speak on CNN about his new book,  The Great Progression: How Hispanics Will Lead America to a New Era of Prosperity. Seems like an interesting read that explores the contributions of the hispanic community to America’s culture and economy. I particularly enjoyed his comments on the importance of instilling the virtue of education in children to ensure we have hard-working & law-abiding citizens. Geraldo Rivera spoke  about parents needing to assume responsibility for their children’s success and cannot simply blame inner city schools .  Yes, many factors have now created a perfect storm for a crisis in public education especially the “vulnerable” children.  However, one basic and guaranteed practice to achieve success is for parents to help their children with their homework. Study after study proves that the link between the parent and school is crucial and an important factor in success.  As I have mentioned in earlier posts, parents are vital partners in their children’s education.  We inspire our students to create a better world and we nurture the love of learning every day.  Research shows that parental involvement plays an important role in their child’s academic success.   Volunteering in the classroom or school  is a great opportunity for parents to be more directly involved in their children’s education.  Some of the other ways to become more involved:

• Parents Advisory Committees: Parents are encouraged to participate in their school’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC). http://bccpac.bc.ca
• School Planning Councils:  Parents, teachers and principals on School Planning Councils (SPC) develop school plans to improve student achievement. http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/spc/
• Speaking Up! : A guide to advocating for students in public schools by the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC).http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/UserFiles/File/Advocacy%20Resources/SpeakingUp_2008_May%20Final%20(2).pdf

Summer Break Suggestions

During a long summer break, students often lose much of what they were taught during the school year.  Parents are encouraged to reinforce the skills and concepts that were taught in school during the year.  Here are a few suggestions for parents to promote out of school learning.

• Be a tourist for a day & visit historical places of interest in your area
• Encourage your child to keep a journal of summer activitiesWhat was the most Interesting thing your child saw today? What did he or she learn? How does he or she feel? Was it a good day, or not so great? Why?
• Register them in summer camp programs
• Encourage your child to read.  If reading is a problem, encourage them to read newspaper articles, children’s magazines, comic books etc.
• Visit your local library. For younger children many libraries have summer programs that include storytelling, plays and puppet shows.
• Start a collection: Rocks, flowers, shells, buttons, hockey cards, or stamps—anything your child finds interesting.
• Go for a walk with your child and discover the nature around you. Find and identified birds, bugs, flowers and trees.
• Stay up really late one night and watch the stars appear. Which one comes out first? Does the sky change throughout the night? Visit the planetarium. Night sky guides are available to the public. Discover interesting constellations. Who are Orion and Callisto? Discover the mythology behind the stars.
• Read an article about another country and look it up in an atlas. What’s it like there? How long would it take to get there? Find a question in everything you read.
• Create math problems out of real-life situations. For example: price compare at the grocery store—are the bulk products really cheaper? While travelling, calculate estimated times of arrival while going certain speeds and how many kilometres it takes from distance A to B
• To help your child keep up in math, get a set of flash cards & drill for 10 minutes every other day.  Also, play kid friendly card games: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/boxcars.shtml
• Visit the various attractions in your area.  For example, take a trip to children’s museum, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Aquarium, or Science World
• Have your child write their own book
• Involve your child in the planning of the garden. How can he or she help? Which vegetables need to be watered every day?
• Challenge your child to invent a product & write a report on how they would bring it to market, including why the product should be brought to market and what its competition is
• With your child visit your province’s website and learn about its tourist attractions.  Challenge your child to write an advertisement telling why someone should visit your province.
• Help your child write a letter to a manufacturer of a product with which they were unhappy.  Make sure your child tells the manufacturer why they were disappointed and what they expected.
• Take a virtual trip with your child.  Pick a place.  Plan how you are going to get there, how much it will cost, how much spending money they will need, what sites you are going to visit, and where you are going to stay.  Do your research on the Internet and/or in the public library.

Parents of ESL students

The BCTF’s ESL Provincial Specialist Association has produced a brochure for parents of ESL students in BC public schools: http://psas.bctf.ca/ESLPSA/

The brochure explains the following to parents:

• what ESL support might look like for their children,
• what is involved in learning a new language,
• how school in British Columbia may be different from what they experienced in their home countries,
• ways they can know how their children are doing at school, and
• what they can do to help their children learn.

The brochure has been translated into the fourteen most common languages spoken by students in BC public schools: http://www.bctf.ca/parents.aspx?id=3666

Additional online ESL Resources:

• elsanet.org
• readsociety.bc.ca
• westcoast.org
• eslpartyland.com
• eslcafe.com
• everythingesl.net
• bogglesworldesl.com
• eslgames.com
• esl-galaxy.com
• english-4kids.com
• usingenglish.com
• tolearnenglish.com
• songsforteaching.com
• eclecticenglish.com
• englishmeeting.com
• statscan.ca
• www.pinkflamingoresources.blogspot.com

Online resources for parents & teachers

General Resource: Not ESL Specific Resources:

www.nytimes.com/learning

www.bookbox.com

www.visuwords.com

www.lyrics.com

www.dawel.com/search.asp

www.nfb.ca/education

www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas

www.teacherplanet.com

www.softschools.com

http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jeather/writingfun/writingfun.html

www.readingonline.org

www.abcteach.com

www.usingenglish.com

www.westcoastreader.ca

www.eduplace.com

Instilling Gratitude at an Early Age

As the New Year begins many children are learning about setting short term and long term goals to improve something or to make something happen in 2009. Teachers and parents lead the way in helping students make a plan of how they will meet their academic goals and who can help them achieve it.  However, how about challenging our attitude? How about educating children about being more appreciative? Recently, I read about a great book called: “Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier” by Robert A. Emmons and thought I need to count my blessings more often in the New Year. There is numerous research proving that expressing gratitude makes children and adults happier. Also, helps build stronger and richer social interactions, more energy, better physical health, a stronger immune system, lower stress levels, and a longer life. So why don’t we all practise it? Unfortunately, through media we are led to believe that happiness lies in what we buy, what we achieve, and where we go on holidays. That being grateful to another person implies you owe them something or are dependent. Sadly, that doesn’t mix well with a “self-made, I-can-do-it-myself culture.” We need to work harder to make sure this notion doesn’t carry onto the next generation. Here’s a challenge I pose to parents and their children:
Before going to bed each evening:
Reaffirm what is here.  Look around you and realize how many things, people,
situations you have to be truly grateful for. Practise with your
child on stating a couple of things they are grateful for.

Raise a Reader

As a teacher I’m always looking for great read aloud storybooks and novels to fill my classroom library. There is a lot of value in reading mystery, biography, science fiction, fairy tales, folktales, humor, poetry and plays. Books are dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting your child’s imagination and creativity while helping their reading and writing skills. Books can offer boys and girls the opportunity to escape to a new world filled with adventure or learn about something new. The knowledge they gain from literature is powerful. It’s important that boys and girls are exposed to a variety of literature (fiction and/or non-fiction) so that they can connect and enjoy. Stocking a home library is important. Today many bookstores have recommendations for different age groups so it’s easier to pick the right book that fits with the child’s interests. A excellent resource for teachers and parents is “The Read-Aloud Handbook”: by Jim Trelease. This all-time bestselling guide is highly recommended by universities. My colleagues and I use it as a reference. Jim Trelease’s website explain’s the components of this book perfectly:

It’s divided into two parts: the first half contains the “ways” and “whys” of raising readers; and the last half consists of an annotated bibliography (The Treasury) of almost 1000 children’s books for reading aloud, from picture books to novels and anthologies, with synopses on hundreds of the stories and guides to the age of the audience for which it was written.

I found it was a very useful guide because it advocated the benefits of reading to children.  Also, it helps me find appropriate storybooks for young children. In doing so, this helps children see books as their friends.

Here’s a list of my favorite places to shop for children’s books:

• Chapters Bookstore
• Scholastic
• Kidsbooks

Parents and Teachers Partnering in Children’s Education

Parents and teachers working together.

The home and the school connection is vital. By working together, we can play an important role in your child’s development as a reader and writer. As many schools get underway to start the school year, focus on building connections and partnerships with parents is vital. Each school has a PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) that usually meets once a month to support the school. Parents are a valuable resource to the school system and we want to make parents feel valued, welcome and comfortable. Many schools hold “Meet the Teacher Night” early in the year to set the stage for proactive interactions between the home and school. At this time, parents get a chance to meet their child’s new teacher and see the classroom. Teachers introduce themselves to parents and encourage communication throughout the school year to promote student success.

It’s very important that parents take advantage of this valuable opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and talk about their child and the grade level expectations. In this way, parents see how they can play a role in their child’s education.If you can’t attend the “Meet the Teacher Night”, I do encourage you to schedule another day and time that would work for you. Throughout the school year, parents are always welcome to visit and discuss their child’s progress. Recently, I read this poem and I think it highlights my belief of parents and teachers working together to raise a child.

The Importance of Partnerships

I dreamed I stood in a studio

And watched two sculptors there.

The clay they worked was a young child’s mind,

And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher, the tools she used

Were books and music and art;

One a parent with a guiding hand,

And a gentle, loving heart.

Day after day the teacher worked,

With a touch that was deft and sure,

While the family also did their part,

And polished and smoothed it o’er.

And when at last the task was done,

They were proud of what they had wrought,

For the things they had moulded into the child

Could neither be sold nor bought.

And each agreed they may have failed

If each had worked alone,

For behind the teacher stood the school,

And behind the parent, the family home.

-Author Unknown

Turn Your Child into a Successful Reader

Reading can be fun and engaging for your child.

“Reading is thinking.” Children who are proficient readers construct meaning. They interact with their reading and use cognitive processes to extend their understanding. These strategies include making personal connections to the text, asking questions, visualizing (making pictures in their minds to help them make sense of the text), determining the important ideas in text, making inferences (reading between the lines, making predictions based on evidence in text, drawing conclusions and summarizing information and monitoring their comprehension.

Before Reading:

• Choose reading material (fiction/non-fiction) that is at your child’s reading ability. A quick strategy would be to have your child use the “Five Finger” Rule (Pick any page in a chapter book or 2 pages in the middle of a picture book and then have your child read aloud or whisper read the page(s) with lots of text. Every time your child gets stuck on a word, they put up 1 finger. Hold up 1 finger for EVERY word that they do not know and have difficulty with. 0-1 fingers-book is too easy, 2-3 fingers the book is at good level to help you grow as a reader, 4 fingers-the book is challenging, 5 fingers-the book is at a frustration level and try it again later in the year.
• Talk about the type of reading–different genres (Is it a story, poem, or a newspaper article?)
• Discuss what you both already know about the topic–Connecting to your child’s experiences
• Look at the title & illustrations together and have your child predict what might happen.

During Reading:

• Have your child pause and think about what they are reading. As they read they can either make a picture in their head (visualize) and think of the 5W’s (who, what,when, where, why?)
• Have your child predict what might happen next.
• Have your child use a variety of word decoding strategies (look a picture, look at how the word begins and sound it out, break the word apart into chunks, go back to beginning and try again, skip over it and read to the end of the sentence, make a guess by putting in a word that would make sense)

After Reading:

• Have your child make meaning with their reading by retelling in their own words what they have read. For example, in a story ask about characters, setting, problem, solution and the ending. For non-fiction, ask about facts, details and events.
• Have your child talk about their reading. For example, did they enjoy the story? What did you learn? How did the illustrations help you? What was their favorite part? What questions would you ask the author? If you could rewrite the ending how would you change it.

Asking Better Questions:

• “What do you think about______?”, “If you were a_____,what would you do to _____?”, “What words/ideas made you feel happy/sad/excited? Why?”, “Do you know anyone who is like (character)? How are they alike?”, “Remember when (character) did___. What did that tell you about him/her?Why do you think that?”, “How do you know that (character) was going to do___?”, “What make you think that___?”, “How do you know that?”, “What does___mean?”, “What happened before?”

Home Reading ideas:

• Have your child read restaurant menus, directions to games & model-making kits, write a thank-you letter and read recipes when baking or cooking together.
• Be a good reading model by showing interest in reading material of your own.
• Subscribe to children’s magazines or borrow from library. For example, ChickaDee, Owl and Highlights.
• Following a vacation, have your child pictures into a scrapbook/notebook. Then have your child write about each picture.
• Show your child cartoons in the newspaper and then have your child make up their own cartoon. Also, have your child create a newspaper.
• Read a series of books by the same author and compare the similarities and differences.
• Have your child make hand puppets and act out what they read.