“Special Chairs” in the LRC

The start of a school year involves learning many new routines and procedures, especially for Kindergarteners.  In the LRC we practice the process of checking out books by first choosing a book from a small selection picked out by myself and Mrs. Figuray, the LRC assistant.  Once the Kindergarten students have mastered the procedure of choosing a book, standing in line, and checking out with their library card, we move on to practicing how to use a shelf marker.  A shelf marker is a tool to hold their spot on the book shelf as they browse a particular book and make a decision of whether or not to check-out the book.  If they do not want the book, the shelf marker tells them exactly where to put it back on the shelf.  It’s like a bookmark for the book shelf! 

 
One of our favorite routines in the LRC is using the “special chairs.”  These cozy Back Jack chairs are the perfect spot to curl up with a good book. With only 10 available, we’ve made it a fun tradition to practice patience and take turns. Each week, we rotate who gets to enjoy these comfy seats, making it a special day when it’s your turn to sit in a “special chair.” It’s always something to look forward to!  Here are our Kindergartners having their first experience in our “special chairs!”  

Sweet October Goals

 When you think of candy corn-do you think of sweet, delicious candy? Or do you think of your

goals for October? Well, if you said the second–continue reading.  If you need to run to Target

and get a bag of candy corn first-do that, then continue reading.

Each month, third graders set goals for themselves.  Because I’m a firm believer in making crafts

to build fine motor skills, sequencing and following directions, our goals for October were put on 

candy corn shapes that required to use these life skills.

We brainstormed goals we could set for ourselves–many wanted to get better at their

cursive writing since we just introduced a few letters.  Several students wanted to be

fluent with their multiplication facts, while others wanted to keep their desk clean-a big applause for that one.

We will try our best to reach our goals for October---and maybe eat some candy corn while we are at it.

Trees in Ms. Kilkenny's Class

 Ms. Kilkenny’s Pre-K class is studying TREES!.  The first thing we did was learn some new vocabulary words to be able to describe Trees.  Trees are not just big or small-they might be WIDE or TALL or THIN or SHORT.  We used motor movements to help us remember our new vocabulary words.

 

We explored the trees around Goodrich and found…

This TREE is W I D E

This TREE is TALL

This TREE is thin

This TREE  is SHORT

We also learned about all of the different parts of the tree and had fun exploring and sorting them in the Discovery Center.

Lighting the Way: Exploring Energy Systems

This year my 3rd/4th grade DEB group is diving into the theme of systems. We started our first unit by exploring energy systems. The students were tasked with a fun challenge right from the start—they had to create their own working systems! They were given a battery, wires, and a lightbulb to create a system that would make a lightbulb shine.

Some groups were successful on the first try, while others hit a few roadblocks. We took time to discuss why some circuits worked and why others didn’t. It was awesome to see how these discussions sparked new ideas and sent the groups back to the drawing board with fresh determination.

  

   

Next up, we raised the challenge by having the students create circuits to power a motor. The excitement in the room was high as their motors began to spin!

As we continued, the students explored how to light two bulbs at the same time. They discovered the ins and outs of series and parallel circuits, weighing the pros and cons of each setup. By the end of our circuit-building adventures, the students had a solid understanding of why some systems function smoothly while others... not so much! 

What Is Your Favorite Season?

What is your favorite season? Mine is definitely FALL, so I am loving this time of year! In 2nd grade, we just finished up our opinion writing unit, and made a final writing piece that answered that exact question. 

We have been working hard in 2nd grade to craft a solid paragraph. We have focused on capital letters, punctuation, and 6 specific sentence stems to answer a question. Our outline looks like this:

My favorite season is _______. Here are my reasons why. First, _______. Next, _______. Last, _______. These are the reasons why my favorite season is ________!

We filled out a writing organizer, we made a rough draft, and finally made a final draft of our seasons writing. To finish off this project, we made a craft to go with it. Students used Dot Markers to create a scene that reflected their favorite season. Check out some examples, and try to guess which season they were representing!

Introducing Our Holocaust Unit

This past week, sixth-graders began our Holocaust unit. Teaching the Holocaust at an elementary level requires both sensitivity and depth, ensuring that our students not only learn historical facts but also build empathy and critical thinking skills.

Gallery Walk – “See, Think, Wonder”

We started our unit with a gallery walk, displaying age-appropriate photographs from the Holocaust period. As students moved from one image to another, they completed a “See, Think, Wonder” sheet. This simple yet powerful tool encouraged them to look closely at each image, reflect on what they were seeing, and ask questions that sparked curiosity. 

The activity fostered rich conversations in our classroom. Some students wondered about the children in the pictures, others about the challenges families faced.

Exploring History Through Google Earth

Next, students explored a Google Earth project that allowed them to virtually visit different concentration camps. The virtual tour brought history to life in a new way, allowing students to visualize the scale of these camps and understand more about the geography of the Holocaust. As they navigated through these locations, they filled out a circle map with facts and details they learned, helping them gather information in an organized way.

The Google Earth project empowered students to not only explore history but also engage with it. They noted the distances between camps, the harsh environments, and the size of the camps.

Stepping Inside Anne Frank’s Shoes

One of the most meaningful parts of our unit so far has been exploring diary entries created by an AI generator from the perspective of Anne Frank. This allowed students to see a personal side of the Holocaust through the voice of a child. As they read, they filled out a “Step Inside” sheet, where they imagined what it must have been like to be Anne, hiding from danger and living in fear.

This activity allowed students to step into the shoes of someone their own age, fostering empathy and understanding. Many students shared how they would have felt in Anne’s situation, and some even expressed their fears, hopes, and dreams had they been in her place.

Writing Their Own Diary Entries

Finally, students took what they had learned and imagined they were children living during the Holocaust. They wrote their own diary entries, placing themselves in the historical context we had explored. This was not just a writing assignment, it was a reflection of their growing understanding, empathy, and emotional connection to history.

Their diary entries were thoughtful, heartbreaking, and insightful. Students imagined the fear, uncertainty, and hope that children of the Holocaust might have experienced. This activity helped students not only grasp historical events but also consider how those events impacted real people, especially children, just like them.

Teaching the Holocaust is not just about facts and dates—it’s about helping our students connect with history in a way that builds empathy, critical thinking, and a sense of social responsibility. By guiding students through thoughtful reflection and personal engagement, we’re creating opportunities for them to see history through human eyes.

Pumpkin Adjectives

As we continue to build our knowledge of nouns, adjectives, and verbs, we decided to have a fun, fall themed activity to go along with these skills. After finding 5 of the weirdest, different pumpkins, students were tasked with using adjectives to describe each of the pumpkins. 

Students took turns going to five different tables and exploring the pumpkins. As they did so, they were writing on an adjective paper the colors, shapes, size, and feels of each pumpkin. Students had so much fun practicing writing adjectives of the different, goofy pumpkins! After writing adjectives, students were given a pumpkin tracer to write a cinquain poem about pumpkins. Cinquain poems are 5-line poems that start with a subject in line 1, two adjectives to describe the subject in line 2, three verbs describing the subject in line 3, a four word sentence describing the pumpkin, and then line 5 was a synonym to the subject. Students had a ton of fun decorating their pumpkins and writing these poems!

Tinikling Folk Dance

 In 5th and 6th grade we have been exploring moving, playing and writing beats and rhythms. This week we are performing dances to the beat. To do so we are learning about the Philippenes and all about the Filipino culture. Students in these grade levels have seen the similarities and differences in their culture and to round it all out we are learning the very popular dance of the Filipino people, Tinikling. 

This dance mimics the movements of the Tikling bird, native to the Philippenes, and who caused so much mischief for the farmers in the region. To keep the bird from ruining their crops, they would lay bamboo poles down in their fields to keep them from eating their seeds. The birds were too clever for the farmers and found ways to "dance" over the poles, which became the inspiration for the fun and energetic dance. Below you will see pictures/video of the students performing the three basic steps and having a blast! 

See, Think, Wonder

Today, we began an exciting new reading unit with our 5th graders! Our focus for the next few weeks will be determining two or more main ideas from a text and how they are supported by key details. Within this unit, we will explore how geography influences natural disasters.

To kick off the unit, we engaged students in a dynamic and interactive exercise. Using a selection of photographs and maps related to natural disasters, students applied the "See Think Wonder" thinking routine. This strategy encourages them to look closely, think deeply, and ask thoughtful questions about what they observe. By analyzing the picures and maps, students practiced critical thinking and this promoted a sense of curiosity about the relationship between geography and natural events.

This approach not only prepares students for upcoming readings but also builds excitement around the topic. It's the perfect way to ignite curiosity and create a foundation for deeper exploration as we dive into how Earth's geography plays a pivotal role in shaping the impact of natural disasters.

Building Executive Functioning Skills

 As a way to support executive functioning skills in the classroom, 4th graders are practicing the process of backwards planning. Through this practice, we are thinking about tasks with the end in mind. The goal is to build skills for better time management, organization, and problem solving. For each part of the day, we are thinking about what the desired outcome is, then thinking about what we need to do and how to get ready to get there. 

Below are two parts of our day that we have thought through together. By doing this it helps structure our classroom with clear routines and expectations.