Chequamegon Glidden Elementary
North Campus
December
Is Shoe Tying a Lost Art?
Shoe tying was once a traditional childhood lesson often learned in kindergarten or even before entering school. Is it a lost art? I polled our elementary students and was shocked to find that over 75% of our students did not know how to tie their shoes. With elastic laces, velcro, and slip on shoes, the skill is not as essential as it used to be. Many parents and teachers prefer these type of shoes for ease and the time they save. However, athletic shoes with shoelaces still dominate the sportswear market. It would be so sad if the students got to middle school ready to play sports without learning this essential skill. I purchased a wooden shoe with laces to teach my first grade students. I can't believe how excited they were to learn! The students are now getting skilled in shoe tying...not a lost art in first grade!!
*Submitted by Michelle Hanson
4K
Submitted by Maria Hecimovich
5K
This month in kindergarten has been busy (as usual) and filled with new activities! The interactive bulletin board changed to a Christmas tree. Students used the bricks in the class for “presents” under the tree! (That was a bright twist I didn’t see coming!) Also new to kindergarteners this month is interactive sentence building. Students cut out the sentence, figure out the correct order, and glue the sentence down. Sometimes they use clues like which word starts with an uppercase letter or has an ending mark after it. Next they practice writing the sentence, paying special attention to forming letters they have worked so hard to learn and using finger spaces. Lastly, they make the picture match the words (because that’s what good writers do). They are extremely excited about becoming writers!
*Submitted by Heather Godbee
Oh Christmas Tree
Sparky
“Sparkly” is one of twenty-eight holiday songs Mrs. Nicole Corbett has been teaching in our district’s elementary music classes. We used this song as a theme for our classroom reward day on Friday, December 10th. Second graders work as a team to earn twelve magnets for positive class behaviors and were allowed to bring a favorite stuffed animal to school. Students wrote and drew pictures about their stuffed animals being tangled in lights and read aloud to their favorite stuffed animal. We appreciate the gift of music, Mrs. Corbett.
“Deck the halls. Deck the trees. Deck the whole world. Make it sparkly please!”
The Gift of the Read Aloud
Children love reading Jerry Pollata’s “Who Would Win?” book series, but what if he wrote a book about Giving vs Getting, who would win? Our classroom kindness focus for December has been on GIVING. Reading aloud is a gift that keeps on giving. Two stories I shared with my second grade learners were:
1. Santa’s Little Helper by Angela McAllister
A rabbit named Snowball learns to give by helping Santa fill stockings
Snowball finds a place to hide.
This story helped me share our district’s safety protocols. Students learned:
How to find a safe place to hide during a lockdown by placing “rabbit holes”(black circles) in various locations in the classroom.
A rabbit yoga pose to remind them to be still and quiet like Snowball.
The importance of knowing their last names, addresses, and phone numbers.
A rabbit named Howard learns to be grateful for what he has.
Howard finds happiness by giving rather than getting.
This story helped me reflect on being grateful for the safety training our district gives staff and students. During the week of December 6th our class prepared for an intruder drill by:
Reviewing the “In an Emergency, Take Action” mini poster which we attached to a lanyard.
Making an ID card for the back of our safety lanyards.
Practicing lock, lights, out of sight.
3rd Grade
In math they have been practicing their rounding and place value skills. With a small group they worked together on solving a problem and creating a visual to represent their thoughts. Through this we spent time discussing good teamwork skills and how they can continue to encourage each other.
Additionally we have been talking about our favorite books, spending time on kindness activities at home, and getting ready for a relaxing winter break!
*Submitted by Rachel Lee