Run, Run, As Fast As You Can!

Today we made gingerbread cookies. They ran away from us. They left notes all over the place. We found them in room 8.

We decorated them and then we ate them! Yum yum yum yum!

-Written by Room 8 students

Gingerbread
by Room 8

You know that I like gingerbreads
you know that I like gingerbreads

Yummy yum yum

You like gingerbreads
You like gingerbreads

Tummy tummy tummy!
-By Alessa

Going to get our cookies from the oven. We were so surprised when they weren't there!

We found a clue in the library. It said to look for the person who answers the phone in a busy place.

We went to ask Ms. Nagam, our school secretary. She gave us a clue that said to find the leaders of the school.  

Ms. Amaral said we just missed them! Good thing they left another clue!

We finally found them, in our own classroom! They said they needed a rest after all that running around.

This is us writing our blog post to you. We help Mrs. Lowe spell all of the words. 

Then we read our own work over and over again to make sure it says what we want it to say. 

Here's what the kiddos wanted to tell you about today:
I liked the part when we ate it! - Koreen
I liked it when we decorated. - Alessa
I liked every part of the gingerbread hunt. - Dylan
I liked chasing them. - Monica
I like many gingerbreads! - Harleen
I like Poppa gingerbread. - Ethan
I liked when we were finding the notes. - Zakary
Gingerbread, gingerbread, you can't catch me. I'm a gingerbread man! - Isaac
I liked the part when we ate it. -Layla
Thank you for the gingerbread men. - Evelyn
I liked when we went on the adventure. - Xydney
I ate the foot! - Lily
I love the gingerbread men. Yummy! - Autumn
The best part was looking for the notes and gingerbread and then we ate them. -Kirsten
I liked when I found the notes and when we got to decorate them. -Isabella
I loved the gingerbread. It was SO good! - Keira
We found the cards. - Camilo
We found the cookies. - Kian

Gingerbread Engineers

Our class has been reading different versions of The Gingerbread Man story. The students get so animated at the end when the fox invites the gingerbread man to jump on his back in order to get across the river. At this point they could tell you the story from memory.

Today we looked at several pictures of fancy gingerbread houses. Then we made blueprints to build our own.  First we set a criteria of things that all good gingerbread houses should have.

Then we drew our plan and decided what kind of materials we would use.

In the afternoon we moved all of the furniture out of the way and built the most amazing gingerbread houses!

Hour of Code

"The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 

180+ countries. Anyone, anywhere can organize an Hour of Code event. 

One-hour tutorials are available in over 40 languages. No experience needed. 

Ages 4 to 104. 191,035 Hour of Code events around the world, 4,427 in Canada" 

- code.org

You can find more info here.

Our class has been preparing by learning how to code. We started without technology by the students using arrows to direct Mrs. Lowe through a maze.

Then we all tried the Kodable app all together. In no time at all the students were racing through levels and learning all sorts of skills including, vocabulary, reading, sequencing, problem solving, and cause and effect.

Today we learned a new way to code, using words! First we learned 6 new words: turn, jump, spin, grow, shrink and move. We practiced reading the words and doing the actions. Then we used our new words to program Daisy the Dino to perform a sequence of commands.

This afternoon the students got to play with Daisy all on their own!

Holiday Discovery Bins

This morning students walked in to find the tables filled with holiday discovery bins. They were so excited to get started that some of them forgot to take their snowsuits off!

The students were all so proud of their work they wanted to post it on the blog for you to see. 

Concert Reminder

Student-Led Conferences

This Wednesday, your child will be bringing home their very first kindergarten report card. They are written in comment form and do not include grades. The purpose of the report card is to give you a good idea of what your child is currently able to do and give you some ideas for things to work on. 

In addition to the report card, our school will be hosting an Open House on Thursday, November 26th from 4:30-7:00. During this time you are welcome to stop by our classroom with your child so that they can show you some of the things they've been learning. This is a time to celebrate your child's accomplishments and to make connections with the Stevenson staff and other families in our school.

If you would prefer to have a more private meeting, you are welcome to call the school to schedule an appointment for Friday morning. The phone number at the school is 204-832-1359.

During the Open House, the library will also be hosting a book fair. There will be games, prizes, and a great selection of books available for purchase. 

Planning for Play

Hi there, it's Mrs. Lowe writing today. I want to tell you about something awesome happening in room 8.

You may have heard that in our class we call playtime "Thinking and Learning" time. That's because play is the way that children learn their best! When children are playing they are observing, creating, problem solving, cooperating, and learning to work together.

Recently, I observed many of the students in our class were having a hard time settling into a particular activity. Some students were doing the same activity every day, with the same group of peers.

In an attempt to elevate the play, I introduced Play Plans. Before we go to Thinking and Learning time, we sit in a circle and all of the students think about what they would like to do with their time. We go around the circle and each child shares what their plan is. This gives me an opportunity ask questions about their plan like where they will play and who will join them. I can spot some possible problems, like too many children at one activity, and have the students make suggestions for solutions before the problem arrises. It also allows me to direct students to where they can find any supplies they may need. This helps students to be more independent at getting organized for play.

Since we have been creating Play Plans, I have noticed that students are much more purposeful in their play, are playing with a wider variety of playmates, getting along better and demonstrating greater independence.

Here are some of the activities that were happening today during Thinking and Learning time.

Painting on the Buddha Board

Sorting letters by colour

Dividing cars so everyone has an equal amount

Building a long road

Drawing his family on the Smart Board

Writing cards for their friends and teacher

Drawing snakes and playing librarian

Creating a game for others to play 

Feeding all the animals on the farm

Working together to build a track