Quote of the Day from Kindergarten, Day 36

Today we celebrated Halloween as an "American tradition".  I dressed as Mary Had a Little Lamb.  One of my students asked me what I was.



I said: "Mary had a little _____."


He said: "Man!"



My kindergarteners--rewriting nursery rhymes since 2011.

Quote of the Day from Kindergarten, Day 35

Nadine: "Ms. Kirch, you know the boy from the other class with the silver hair and the white skin?  I'm going to marry him."

Really?  I wasn't aware that I had an albino student...

Ms. Doughty's Second Graders

After an addition quiz was graded, Ms. Doughty had the students look at their mistakes.  Then they had to write the answer to these questions:


"Why did you get these problems wrong?  Was there a pattern?"
Answer #1  "My fingers didn't work."
Answer #2  "I tried to count on my fingers but I didn't have enough."

"How will you learn your addition facts?"
Answer #3   "I will work hard and chriy [try] my best."


Well, they get an "A" for creativity...

This is what happens when...

So I have a kid who chews on the bottom of his shoes during carpet time.  I pulled him aside and gave him a stress toy (a little stretchy sac filled with sand) so that he could have something to do with his hands.  I guess he was really stressed...

Quote of the Day from Kindergarten, Day 28

Audrey: "Ms. Kirch!  Look at this [tiny] cut on my finger!"
Me: "I think you'll live."
Elisabeth: "Happily ever after!"

Teaching Columbus Day

So I've been thinking a little bit about how to teach this holiday to a group of five-year-olds.  I know what I learned in school: Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.  He had three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.  King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain sent him.  He discovered America.

I know that these kids are only five, and I don't want to overwhelm them with too much information, especially since this is the first exposure for some of them.  But I do want to make sure I'm not using a completely "all-powerful white man" mentality.  I'd like to get them to think a little bit about the other side of the story too.  For example: Is it possible to discover a place where there are already people living?  But I just don't know if this will be over their heads...

Fortunately, I just found a great video on Brain Pop Jr.  It is simple, yet it provides good facts and a healthy dose of perspective.  I highly recommend it if anyone reading this is talking about Christopher Columbus with students in lower elementary school... or if you're just interested in seeing what we're teaching "the kids these days."

http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/holidays/columbusday/

Any feedback is always welcome!

Samantha

Quote of the Day from Kindergarten, Day 21

Nadine: “Did you know that the tri-state area CAN be real... but I don’t think it is.”

Me: “Hmm... what does the ‘tri-state area’ mean?”

Nadine: “I don’t know, but I saw it on Phineas and Ferb once.”