so what is the WORK desk?

Thank you for taking time to meet with me during parent conferences. I thought it would be helpful to give some more information to one of the most asked question during conferences. What is the work desk? And has my child gone?

from the student's eyes, this is what they think about the work desk...

"because sometimes people be bad"

"so you don't talk to the person you are talking to"

"If somebody is not doing the rite thing"

"I think we use the work desk so that people can not get distracted"

"We work there when people are being loud"

"So we can get our work done"

The real truth, the work desk is meant to be a place for students to work independently with out distraction. It is located close to my table so that I can add extra assistance and still work with a small group. At times, I will move a student to sit there if they are talking - but it is not intended to be a punishment. I hope this helps clear the water.

Learning from our peers!

Today 1st grade teamed up with 5th grade to begin writing a creative story. We had a great time working with the leaders of school. We will be getting together in a few weeks to publish our writing using The I Touch app, Picture Book.

A Special Visitor...

Today we were glad to welcome Representative Jim Murphy to 1st Grade. This was a great time to ask questions, and I was very impressed with some of things that students were wanting to know. Representative Murphy talked about what he does, and how reading is a valuable tool he uses while making laws. He took time to read to the grade level. We were thankful for his visit!

Welcome Miss. Puckett

We are excited to have our student teacher from HBU. She started Monday! Below is the letter from her...

Dear Parent's

My name is Carissa Puckett, and I am a student teacher from Houston Baptist University. I will be in Mrs. Johnson's room until December. Yesterday was my first day at Meadow Wood, and I really enjoyed meeting your children. I will be observing the class, helping students with their work, and teaching lessons. I look forward to getting to know your children over the next few months.

Carissa Puckett

Fun Times and a Beautiful Day!

Today was a perfect day for a field trip! We started the morning at Miller Outdoor Theater. All the kids loved running on the hill and a picnic lunch! OUr trip to the museum was filled with hands on discovery and learning. I even made it up the power tower. I am sure your kids came home tired (the bus ride back was much quieter than the ride to the Museum). Enjoy the pictures and I would love to hear what your student's said - please feel free to post comments!

Something to ponder???

Natural light and artificial light...today we worked on sorting sources of light into these 2 groups.

We found pictures of the sun, stars, fire, light bulbs, flashlights, and glow sticks. We even had someone draw a gun to show the light that is created when a bullet flows through the barrel (I have to admit Mr. Johnson had to be consulted on if this really happens)!

Here is something to think about...
Is a candle natural or artificial?

Some argued that a person had to make the candle, but the light comes from the fire which would be a natural source. But if the fire is started by a match it might be artificial.

This led to an interesting discussion at my dinner tonight, we would love to see what you think. Please feel free to add your comments below.

Hands on learning (with a little bit of cold fingers!)

This week our scientist have been learning about heat and light. We did some hands on investigations. Students made a hypothesis about how best to melt an ice cube, and then tested their idea.

Several kids thought that holding it in their hand would work the best.

Zach said "blow on it"

Keeley said "hold it to the light"

Mohammad said "use a microwave"

Chris thought to "throw it against the wall"

Haytham said "put it in the sunlight"

After working in our classroom, we tried Haytham's idea. Students were amazed at how fast the "solid turned into a liquid" (What a great way to apply what we learned the last few weeks!)

Once the investigation was complete, we came to a conclusion...HEAT was the one thing that was in every idea that worked! It was a true (cold) hands on learning time!