Chopstick Challenge

Watch The Bridge to remind yourself how to be a team player. The video will remind you what collaboration looks like and will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone.

Bridge from Ting on Vimeo.

Work with a team on the Chopstick Challenge.  How far can you count?

  • Describe your team’s collaboration process.
  • Explain the disagreements, the possible results of pride, frustration and compromise.
  • Reflect: Post a comment on how you will be a good teammate.
  • Challenge: S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

Another Good Read About Empathy

September Roses is another sweet book about empathy. You might want to share today and tie it in with 14 Cows for America.

September Roses is another great book like 14 Cows for America. Both demonstrate how others show empathy. “On September 11, 2001, two sisters from South Africa are flying to New York City with 2,400 roses to be displayed at a flower show. As their plane approaches the airport, a cloud of black smoke billows over the Manhattan skyline. When they land, they learn of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. All flights are canceled; the sisters cannot go home, and they are stranded with boxes and boxes of roses.”

What can you do to show empathy today, this month, this school year?

Empathy

This year our Character Education theme is “Communities form Connections.” Through building relationships, we can build a better school, community and world. Each month we will highlight a character trait and use a read aloud to reinforce this trait.

September is Communities Show Empathy. Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah wrote 14 Cows for America. One inscription reads, “To all the little children who read this book. You are the peace the world has been waiting for. May you grow to be compassionate diplomats.” You have the ability to make the world and our school a better place.

What can you do this year to heal a sorrowing heart? How will you show empathy?

Please post your comment to our class blog. Remember… this blog is an extension of our classroom. Communicate clearly and be respectful of others.

April’s Word of the Month – Respect

pinduli02April is blue for respect.Respect is to show polite regard and consideration. Respect is a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, and important and should be treated a certain way. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

Cottage Lane’s book of the month, Pinduli, is a surprising story about self-image, self-acceptance, and treating others with respect. After reading, sharing and discussing this special book you will realize how a few tiny words – bad or good – can create something enormous!

Do you think that by hurting someone else’s feelings it made the animals who made Pinduli feel bad, feel better about themselves?

Additional Resources:

This month please practice respect toward others, adults and the Earth!

Autism Awareness

On Tuesday and Friday, please wear blue. As a school community, we are going to show our support for Autism Awareness and our monthly assembly, Respect! This is a great time to show respect for others and others diagnosed with Autism.

What else can you do? Please visit Mrs. McBride’s website for further details – Blue for Autism.

World Down Syndrome Day – March 21

March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD.) “It is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. Down Syndrome International (DSI) encourages friends all over the world to raise awareness of what Down Syndrome is, what it means to have Down syndrome, and how people with Down Syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities.”

Rock Your Socks tomorrow March 21st to show your support. Visit Mrs. McBride’s website for more information.

March’s Word of the Month – Integrity

Green with Integrity!

  • Integrity is the quality of being honest, having strong moral principles and total sincerity.
  • Honesty is often viewed as saying the right thing and integrity is doing the right thing.
  • Oprah Winfrey states, “Real integrity is doing the right thin knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”

Read and listen to our book of the month, Mr. Peabody’s Apples.

In the story, Tommy realizes the damage he has caused to Mr. Peabody. He says, “I have a lot of work to do.” Pretend you are Tommy and write an apology to Mr. Peabody which explains how Tommy plans to amend what he has done.