100th Day of School

Be habit strong by having the kids accomplish our Mission Statement by: Leading ( by using their strengths to work in a group.. Synergize) Achieving Goals (by following the STEM prompts) Kind (work cooperatively with others to complete one goal.. make it a win-win) Empowering: (use your engineering minds to come up with a plan by using your knowledge, imagination and willingness to try things, make changes and learn from mistakes) Responsible: (be responsible and use your math brain to help you make sure that you are using your 100 sense to complete the prompt as directed) Now, teachers.. check out these STEM activities for making learning fun, rigorous and memorable on this special day of school. Remember S is for Science (tie in the scientific method of inquiry and questioning into the activity you select. T is for Technology (have the kids use technology to show their plan, their investigation or results or to research the topic. E is for engineering (have kids make a written plan after asking questions and possibly exploring some scientific principals or accessing other knowledge first) M is for math. (use math to compare data (measurement, graphs, etc) So check out this link for 100 day STEM activities to use in your classroom. http://mrsrosssscienceclass.blogspot.com/2014/02/100th-day-stem-activities.html

How can you use this book to gain a deeper understanding of habits?

Mrs. Mooney found this book after our Professional Development the other day discussed Mindsets. I found a version that kids created with a "tear apart" story.. really cool.

See how you can use this story in your classroom. Be sure to share any ideas in the comment section below.

New Years Resolutions

Resolutions can be turned into goal setting (personal or academic). Mrs. Holladay used this fun story to motivate her Kindergarten students to write their New Year's Resolution Goals as well as illustrate what those goals would look like. Check it out!

Greetings!

Think of yourself at a restaurant and the waiter/waitress comes to the table and just stands silently, unexpressive, just waiting for you to order... what kind of tip would you be prepared to give them?

As the students entered school the first day back in January for the new year, I stood and greeted them in various ways as they entered. Many were like the waitress I described above. Is it important for our young children to learn how to greet people (teachers, guests, peers)...These small things are what will help them build relationships in their lives. So, how do we do it?

Think of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web. He built relationships that not only saved his life, won him a blue ribbon, but most importantly impacted others. And he did it by using his Voice! (Habit 8)

As you begin to dive deeper into the 7 habits with your students help them to think of ways to greet people and try it out! So many of the Habits are involved in this simple act. (Proactive, Listen with your ears, eyes and heart (do you look down when someone greets you? Many do, sadly), Win-Win (your greeting could change someone's weather). Well, what are you waiting for Make a Plan and Stick to it. Sounds like personal goal setting time for us.

What words or actions would be your signature in greeting others in our school? Wilbur used "Salutations!" Can't wait to hear this greeting from one of Dogwood's leaders!