Smarties

We are sooooo SMART!  That was the main back-to-school lesson in my class this year. After meeting some friends who had done a UDL course this summer, I was intrigued with the Multiple Intelligence part of the course.  Not as if this was new to me, anyone going through teacher's training is introduced to Howard Gardner's work on this.

What I really liked was how student's were introduced to these smarts.  One of the activities I learned about and did was make a class brain.  Simple enough; every child made a play dough snake.  These were piled up to make the brain.  The crucial part was then to map the class strengths.  After compiling surveys and talking about and finding our own strengths, they were written on a flag and put on the brain.  The idea is that students not only recognize each others' strengths but they know where to go to for help in these areas.  :) 

What I really wished for with these lessons is to create a kinder and more understanding classroom environment; one where students recognize their own and other's strengths and also recognize that each of us needs help from others in different areas and that is OK.

These are our back-to-school portraits which I tied in with the lesson. Everyone did their drawing, water-colour painted it, and then made a list of things they were good at.  These were typed up and the students added them to their dried paintings. 

Interesting that it is your fastidious kids who really find it difficult coming up with things they are good at.

And a more recent portrait of us all!

Thanks to Elma at Schuel Stoff for inspiring me to do another post.  The intentions are always present, it is the actual work that is a bit difficult.  

Pumpkin Time

Today was our much anticipated pumpkin day at school.  After the first hard frost we were invited to the pumpkin patch and every child got to pick their own pumpkin.  They had fun and each knew what they were looking for; size, colour, or shape were important to individual students.

We started our day with reading a selection of books from our pumpkin collection.

Next we measured and recorded the height of our pumpkin, counted the lines, and drew it.  Then we got to see if the pumpkin floated or sunk.  This is always a surprise to the students!

Then we had a step by step drawing lesson. Everyone enjoyed this and everyone was successful!  Our first attempt was done in our sketchbooks, then we got heavier paper, drew it again, traced with a fall coloured sharpie, and water-colour painted it.

Finally we cleaned our pumpkins and carved them!  Most of the students were able to carve their own.  I wouldn't have trusted them, but this is a group with many boys and they all have treasured pocket knifes that are used for a variety of tasks including sharpening arrows and skinning branches!

Crude, but effective; and well-loved too!

Proud as punch!

After dinner we finished cleaning up and then enjoyed a few more of our pumpkin stories.  While the grades two and three students practiced a reader's theater on pumpkins, the grade ones finished their paintings.

As the paintings dried we watched The Berenstain Bears - The Prize Pumpkin found here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vCKstWtfJg&feature=player_embedded&safe=active

Lastly our pumpkin paintings were cut out, labeled and displayed with our back-to-school scarecrows.  This was a fun day for us all!  Next up -- Apple Day!