Greetings again!
I just want to say how much I enjoy your children. I love watching their personalities come out!
We are going to be engaging in some activities to break down barriers of discrimination (primarily gender, but also the 'cool' vs. what some kids consider the 'uncool').
Here is the weekly schedule I would like to keep:
Monday
8:15-8:55 Social/Emotional - Journal
9:00-10:00 Direct Instruction - Language Arts
10:00-10:10 Break
10:10-11:00 Direct Instruction - Math
11:00-12:00 Lunch - first 30 minutes on the field for free play
12:00-1:00 Library (tentative)
1:00-2:00 Science
2:00-3:00 P.E.
3:00-3:15 Announcements and Dismissal
Tuesday:
Everything is the same until after lunch at which time (12:15-1:45) we are currently working on art pieces to sell (we are oil painting and an artist-friend is teaching with the help of Jim and myself - Jim is Yvana's grandfather and also a painter) in order to microfinance entrepreneurs in developing countries - thus the country reports brought home. Although we have a "no-homework" policy, many of the children did not focus during our one hour of computer time this week, so I decided to send their reports home. I was hoping the children could focus better in a quiet home environment. By the way, the art pieces are beautiful!
Wednesday:
Everything is the same, except the 12:00-1:00 period. I'm planning a history unit in this period - starting this week. I am planning to focus on U.S. history first - then California. Part of my motivation to start at this point is because I listened to children talk about the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and they had no idea which came first or the time frame. I hope to engage them in re-enactments, posters, portfolios, and more.
Thursday:
Again, all is the same, except the 1200-2:00 period. This is project time and at this point, students are exploring developing countries (i.e., poverty, government, geography, history...). This is also when we have access to the computer lab.
Friday:
The same except for the 12:00-3:00 time period when students are engaged in learning from Community Partners. Right now, students are engaged in Creative Movement, Engineering through Legos, Drama, and Art. They will have classes in Archeology and Drumming in the coming months.
I hope this informs you about what your children are doing. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any of your concerns.
Sincerely,
Kim
Arriving at Smith Ranch
Arriving at Smith Ranch!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Kim's Blog
Greetings parents,
Good news! Our DI (Direct Instruction) materials have arrived and we are beginning to introduce your children to the math and Language Arts programs. So far, so good! If you would like more information regarding this type of instruction, please don't hesitate to email me with questions. (kim@innovationsacademy.org)
Your children are also in the midst of oil painting some beautiful art pieces. My idea is to sell their finished pieces so that we are able to donate monies to people in need through an organization called Kiva (http://kiva.org). The students will be starting reports on the countries we will be donating to this week. Some of the students have expressed a desire to take their finished work home. Any ideas from you parents regarding this dilemma would be great!! We will be painting again next Tuesday. I would ask that you provide your child with a large t-shirt to put on over their clothes as oil paints stain.
Thanks,
Kim
My blog URL has changed - please take note of this!
Good news! Our DI (Direct Instruction) materials have arrived and we are beginning to introduce your children to the math and Language Arts programs. So far, so good! If you would like more information regarding this type of instruction, please don't hesitate to email me with questions. (kim@innovationsacademy.org)
Your children are also in the midst of oil painting some beautiful art pieces. My idea is to sell their finished pieces so that we are able to donate monies to people in need through an organization called Kiva (http://kiva.org). The students will be starting reports on the countries we will be donating to this week. Some of the students have expressed a desire to take their finished work home. Any ideas from you parents regarding this dilemma would be great!! We will be painting again next Tuesday. I would ask that you provide your child with a large t-shirt to put on over their clothes as oil paints stain.
Thanks,
Kim
My blog URL has changed - please take note of this!
Kim's Informational Class Blog
Greetings Parents,
It has been an immense pleasure getting to know your children! It's hard to believe we've only been together for nine days of school. Our first week was really about getting to know each other and team building! The wonderful result of our efforts was that many friendships formed. One child, at the end of the first week, said, "It feels like we've known each other forever, not just four days."
Besides getting to know each other and team building, we also took an incredibly educational field trip on Tuesday, September 9th! Students had the opportunity to ride the trolley from La Mesa all the way to the San Diego Convention Center to learn about space exploration. I want to thank the generous parent volunteers that spent their day helping groups of my students stay safe on the trolley and enjoy the many exhibits at the convention center (James's Mom, Yvana's grandparents, Isaiah's Mom, & Katie's Mom).
Your children and grandchildren have been sharing their dreams and goals with me, verbally and in writing. They've created "Vision Boards" about those dreams which are currently on display in our classroom. Please stop by and see them! We have also been talking and writing about how are thoughts move us into positive or sometimes negative actions. Some of your children/grandchildren have displayed incredible courage and vision by deciding to get up in front of their classmates and engage in public speaking. These are students who told me they would do anything to avoid speaking in front of a group. WOW! Are you impressed? I am!
I have been working with your children on multiplication facts. Only a few of them have the facts all the way to 12! This is not a problem as I have worked with multi-grade groups of students and understand how to help them grasp not only the concept of mutiplication/division, but also learn math stategies designed to help them solve various kinds of problems.
In addition to regular academic instruction, students have come up with some project ideas they believe are relevent in today's world. They will be delving into those projects in a more organized fashion in the coming week as they are introduced to Project Foundry. Some of the students automatically understood that these projects were meant to have a service component and wanted to create art. Their idea is to sell the art and donate the funds to a charity of their choice or maybe even to beautify the school. I have arranged for an oil painter to come into our classroom on Tuesday to begin a series of instruction on oil painting. Those students who are not interested in this form of communication/expression will have other options.
As parents and or guardians, you are your child's champion! We have a no homework policy at our school. That doesn't mean you can't read to your child or encourage your child to read. Take your children to museums when you can, turn the channel to something educational, and ask them about their interests whenever possible.
I am always available to contact at the following e-mail address: kim@innovationsacademy.org. My blog address (I will update frequently) is kimsiinnovationsclassblog.blogspot.com . Please log on frequently for information regarding what your children are doing in our classrooms!!!
Kim
It has been an immense pleasure getting to know your children! It's hard to believe we've only been together for nine days of school. Our first week was really about getting to know each other and team building! The wonderful result of our efforts was that many friendships formed. One child, at the end of the first week, said, "It feels like we've known each other forever, not just four days."
Besides getting to know each other and team building, we also took an incredibly educational field trip on Tuesday, September 9th! Students had the opportunity to ride the trolley from La Mesa all the way to the San Diego Convention Center to learn about space exploration. I want to thank the generous parent volunteers that spent their day helping groups of my students stay safe on the trolley and enjoy the many exhibits at the convention center (James's Mom, Yvana's grandparents, Isaiah's Mom, & Katie's Mom).
Your children and grandchildren have been sharing their dreams and goals with me, verbally and in writing. They've created "Vision Boards" about those dreams which are currently on display in our classroom. Please stop by and see them! We have also been talking and writing about how are thoughts move us into positive or sometimes negative actions. Some of your children/grandchildren have displayed incredible courage and vision by deciding to get up in front of their classmates and engage in public speaking. These are students who told me they would do anything to avoid speaking in front of a group. WOW! Are you impressed? I am!
I have been working with your children on multiplication facts. Only a few of them have the facts all the way to 12! This is not a problem as I have worked with multi-grade groups of students and understand how to help them grasp not only the concept of mutiplication/division, but also learn math stategies designed to help them solve various kinds of problems.
In addition to regular academic instruction, students have come up with some project ideas they believe are relevent in today's world. They will be delving into those projects in a more organized fashion in the coming week as they are introduced to Project Foundry. Some of the students automatically understood that these projects were meant to have a service component and wanted to create art. Their idea is to sell the art and donate the funds to a charity of their choice or maybe even to beautify the school. I have arranged for an oil painter to come into our classroom on Tuesday to begin a series of instruction on oil painting. Those students who are not interested in this form of communication/expression will have other options.
As parents and or guardians, you are your child's champion! We have a no homework policy at our school. That doesn't mean you can't read to your child or encourage your child to read. Take your children to museums when you can, turn the channel to something educational, and ask them about their interests whenever possible.
I am always available to contact at the following e-mail address: kim@innovationsacademy.org. My blog address (I will update frequently) is kimsiinnovationsclassblog.blogspot.com . Please log on frequently for information regarding what your children are doing in our classrooms!!!
Kim
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