Better Together!

Better Together

Making a difference can be a one man operation, but for 6A and 7A, making a difference meant working together! Having started our focus on community in November, we hit the ground running in December. Brainstorming ideas, more ideas and even more ideas for what we can do for our community. Ultimately we decided that we wanted to visit some seniors at the Long Term Care Unit at the hospital. It was shocking for them to hear that many of the residents spend Christmas alone, with no family to come visit them. This really lit a fire within them to do something special. 

This Wednesday was our big visit. Which meant we had Monday and Tuesday to put our plan into action. Bake 150 cookies, make 30 Christmas bags, make 30 cards, make 30 Christmas ornaments and make and pack 30 candy dishes. While it seemed slightly chaotic to anyone who wandered by during those 2 days, we worked together as 50 determined students to get it all done! It was touching to see the effort that was put into making these gifts special. 

Finally, as we continue to learn about our community and communities around the world with the arrival of students from Syria to our class we embarked on an epic Christmas Concert challenge. My amazing teaching partner taught our grade 6's to play Silent Night on the Ukulele, and with the help of our newcomers oldest brother, we learned how to sing the 2 lines of the song in Arabic! It was hard to hold back the happy tears as they sang at our concert on Thursday! 

While it has been a crazy busy month, I am proud of the work all these students managed to pull it off! 

Jamestown Community ~ November/December

Please click the link below to see our monthly summary that was posted on our classroom blog:

http://jamestownsixthgrade.blogspot.com/2016/12/classroom-champions-novemberdecember.html


Thank you! Happy Holidays!
Mrs. James

Being a Positive Member of a Community

Christmas Concert

This was a busy time of year for us.  Our two leadership classes put on the entire Christmas Concert for the school.  We put on a full-length play, in which our students take on various roles such as acting, singing, lights, set design, sound, stage hands, and Masters of Ceremonies.  The rest of the classes are assigned songs to sing between the scenes of the play.  Auditions and rehearsals begin mid-November and students work really hard as a team to prepare for this presentation.  

This is a great way for students to learn about how each and every job in a community is important.  They soon realize that every person involved in the play has a key role in making the presentation a success.  They take pride in their contributions to this team effort and we see this as one way that we can have a positive impact on our school community.

What is a Community?

Our challenge from Jesse Cockney this month was to decide which communities were important to us and think of ways to give back to them.  

After watching Jesse’s Community Video, we defined what community means using Frayer Model.  Then we listed examples of communities we belong to and wrote about what it meant to be a member of one of those communities. 

School Community

Next we examined all of the ways that we are positive members of the school community.  After watching Sam Effah’s video on community, students worked in small groups, using Google Slides to list ways we make a positive difference for the school and brainstorm other ways we can help out around the school.

Using the theme of gratitude, we brainstormed all of the people who contribute to the school community to make it a better place. We decided to show our gratitude for others by making Christmas cards for:  staff, parent volunteers, district technology staff, coaches, maintenance workers, and custodians. 

 

Local Community

Our next challenge was to find a way to make a positive impact in the Fort St. John community.  We read newspaper articles about local charities who are making a difference for people at Christmas time (food bank, pyjama drive, adopt a family, Hospital Foundation).  Because December has been so busy, we decided to wait until January to hold a bake sale as a fundraiser to help support a local charity.

Students wanted to have a Secret Santa gift exchange where they draw a name of someone in the class and buy them a gift.  We talked about how lucky we are to have enough money for food and presents, and how many families in our community might not be as lucky.  We have been experiencing a slump in the oil & gas industry for about a year (which is a huge industry in our part of the province).  Many of the students decided to donate their Secret Santa gift to the toy drive to make Christmas more special for children in need.

We sent some of our Christmas cards to a local Seniors home as well.  The students wanted to visit and sing Christmas carols, but the Seniors facilities in town were booked up already.  So we decided that we will learn a few card games in January and then plan a visit later in the year to play cards with the Seniors. 

We have lots of great ideas about how we can keep making a positive difference in the communities we are a part of and we will keep you posted throughout the year as we act on them.

Other small ways we experienced being a positive member of our school and local community this month:

• Created Christmas electronic storybooks and shared them with our Grade 1 buddies.
• Helped our Grade 1 buddies to participate in Hour of Code.
• Moved our desks into the hallway to help the Custodians prepare the room for floor waxing.
• Brought in non-perishable food items for the food bank and brought them as an entry fee to a local hockey game, where we actively cheered on our Trackers to victory.
• Made animated Christmas Cards on Scratch and sent them to our families.
• Played dodgeball against the local RCMP members during a lunch hour. 
• Baked and decorated gingerbread cookies to take home.
• Celebrated our contributions to the school with a pizza lunch that was sponsored by the Principal.

• 
  
  
  
  

Creating Community

Kieran's challenge for us this month was to look for ways to make our school a better place.  We started out by researching Random Acts of Kindness websites.  This led to a number of class, home and whole school projects for our students throughout the months of November and December.



The Class

How can we be nicer to each other?  How can we make someone's day?  Sometimes a simple compliment can make someone's day.  We tapes a paper of everyone's back.  Students were instructed to write something nice on everyone's paper.  Before I let them look at the papers, we talked about how it made them feel.  The best answer?  One student said it made him feel good writing so many positive things. Insert melted heart here.  When I finally let them look at their papers, some of them couldn't stop smiling.  Many Instagram profiles were updated with those papers that day.

We also decided to crate a Kindness Calendar.  Students shared their ideas of kind deeds that could be done in the school and we posted them on my door.  From that list, they had many options of what they could do to make our school a better place.  Each day. students take out their calendars.  Once they complete a good deed for the day, they put their calendars away.  Every Friday, they take their calendars home to spread the kindness to their outside of school lives.  I'm even making them take these home for Christmas break!

The School

One of the things our students found in their research was the 12-12 challenge.  on December 12, we challenged all students in the school to give 12 compliments to 12 different people in our school. It was an awesome experience.  Students talked about how it made them feel when they said something nice.....it was really better to give them receive.

We also did a sticky note challenge.  All the grade 6 students got 5 sticky notes.  They had a job to go out into the school and put positive notes on lockers and doors.  The activity even made the morning announcements.

Being able to focus on creating a positive community in our school was such an empowering focus for us.  Students realized that even small acts can make a big difference to the environment around us.

Jumping Into Community December

We were excited to continue community month into December. We have so much to offer all of our communities. It is amazing to see how excited my students get when they can share their talents with others. We began December by watching Lex’s community video again and reflecting on what we accomplished in November. We continued to brainstorm all the activities we would complete in December. Some students decided they wanted to keep doing what they were doing and we all agreed that was just fine.

Lex's Challenge: Part 2

Lex challenged us to create a positive plan for one of our communities and put the plan into action. Last month for our class project we wrote “Thank You” cards to all the staff members at our school right before Thanksgiving. Our class project this month was to make holiday cards and crafts for the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. Every student had a ton of fun making their crafts. The buzz of excitement was contagious and I’m so proud of how happy they were to complete this project. They do not even know who the people are that will be receiving their gifts of kindness. That makes this project that more special.

 

 

 

 

Individual Acts of Kindness

Students used our bulletin board to display their acts of kindness from our school and home communities. We are proud to share our love with the community. It is, after all, part of our school’s mission statement “To Love, To Learn, To Lead”.

“I sang in the Christmas parade.” -Tamiya

“I helped my neighbor cut wood.” -Mikey

“I helped cut my neighbors grass.” -Jose

“I picked up trash in my neighborhood.” -Leon’tay

“I helped a first grader.” -Jayden

“I helped someone on the bus.” -Alonso

“We help Kindergarten students each day during recess.” -Akira, Monse, Nataly, Racheal, Nataly

Behind the Scenes

We LOVED watching Lex’s “Behind the Scenes” video. We had fun taking a peek into his life in the OTC community. We are jealous of the cafeteria. Students want to have all those options in our cafeteria. If we are ever in Chula Vista, we want to have lunch with Lex at the OTC. We enjoyed seeing the track and gym where Lex trains to be a Paralympic athlete. Students were shocked when he sat down to the play the piano. They thought that was so cool! We even looked up the OTC on Google Maps to see the satellite image.After watching Lex’s video, we became inspired to film our own “Behind the Scenes” videos of our school, B.T. Bullock Elementary.

Behind the Scenes of BTB

Our Classroom

BTB Cafeteria

BTB Playground

Live Chat with Lex

We welcomed Lex into our classroom community this month through our live chat. He graciously answered all our questions and left us anticipating for the next time we’ll chat. Students were all a buzz for the rest of the day (and the week and month). It was truly an inspiring morning. “It was the best day ever!”

 

 

Communities in our Curriculum

Once again, community month for Classroom Champions aligned with our units on the Thirteen Colonies and Ecosystems. These are the two largest community topics we study in our curriculums. We spent time reading and comparing the Thirteen Colonies to one another. We explored what life would have been like during the time of the colonies. Students would really miss their technology. In science, we made foldables to compare the characteristics of the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (communities). We thought about “If you were an animal, where would you live?” and we discovered we would end up in different communities. Can animals participate in Classroom Champions too?

Standards

ELA: W.5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Social Studies: 5.H.1.2 Summarize the aspects of colonial life in the thirteen colonies.

Science: 5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.

All about community in kindergarten

This has been such a fun two months learning about community.  We have read books, learned what a community is and how they help us, had a dentist visit the classroom, made blankets for the Project Linus organization and notes to give appreciation to the staff at our school, recognizing that they are our school community.

Some classic books about community we read are Gloria, by Peggy Rathman, Firefighter Ted, by Andrea Beaty, Mrs.Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip, by Joseph Slate, Clothes Line Clues to Jobs People Do, by Kathryn Heling andDeborah Hembrook and Horray for our Heros, by Sarah Albee.  These are some fun books that the students were able to understand more about what a community member might do, that is can be a job or just a person helping others.  We also learned about people at a church can be a community, the lunch ladies, fire fighters, etc.  Books are such a great way to introduce a concept and information to start the conversations like community.

We did a community helpers picture sort where students had to match the worker with the equipment or tools the person might need to do their job.  After reading the several books and just general knowledge of the concept, the students did pretty well matching.  


I was able to connect with Portland Family Dentistry and have a dentist visit our classroom.  He was able to share how he helps the community by keeping teeth healthy and strong, helping kids and families.  He demonstrated some tooth brushing skills, flossing and let the kids brush silly string off the giant tooth with a giant tooth brush.  It was fun and engaging and very meaningful to the students to see a community worker in action.  The students see many community workers each day, but recognizing exactly who these people are and being able to ask questions was wonderful.


We did an activity for Christmas with our names.  Each letter of the students name was printed on a triangle that when glued together, made a tree.  Students with more letters in their name took longer.  I loved how spontaneously while working, students that finished early helped others that were taking longer.  We talked about how our classroom is a community and that helping others is a great way to be a community member.  When someone is hurt, needs help or a friend, that is being a community member.  Kids are as important to a community as adults.

For our service project, we decided to help the foster kids in our area by making the Project Linus blankets.  I found a great resource on Teachers Pay Teachers that worked through with the students how to plan a project, make it happen and reflect on the process.  I had students illustrate getting the fabric, cutting it, tying knots, and the delivery of the blankets.  I think it was great for the students to see the fabric didn't just show up cut and ready to give.  There is a process.  I tried to do as much of the cutting with the students so they could see that part of the process.  


The students loved tying the knots in the blankets, helping each other when they were done with their section.  They were talking about how much they loved the blanket, cozy feeling and how much the other kids would love having them.  Many wanted to go on a bus field trip to deliver them.  I told them I would  be taking them in my yellow Bettle VW car.  On the project plan page, many of them drew my car.  It was really cute.  I live in Oregon where we don't get snow much.  We eneded up with an inch and the city basically shuts down, so once I can get to the drop off site, I will deliver them and add some photos for this and also for the students to see the end process.  They really wanted to see the kids with the blankets.  I tried to explain that that was not possible.  The idea of foster care for many of them is hard to understand.


I have a reflection journal to have the students complete, when we are back in school, to share how they felt about the process of making the blankets and how they think the kids will feel getting the blanket from other kids helping them.  The journal also encourages the students to think about another service project that they can do in the future.  I look forward to seeing what they think and come up with.  

The last thing that is still in the process of being completed is giving love notes to people at school that help us.  I want the students to recognize all the people in our school community that help us outside our classroom.  We will give notes to the secretary, nurse, cooks, custodian, computer teacher, librarian, gym teacher, and art teacher.  I can add photos after it is completed.  It may be January if we are not back in school before winter break with the snow.

I love Classroom Champions and the experiences that the students, and myself, get to experience.  I love when other teachers walk into my room and see amazing things happening and then hearing it is our Classroom Champions lesson, they are amazed. 

Season of Giving!

Our students jumped right into this month's challenge after watching Lex Gillette's video.  From their prior experience in school-wide fund-raising projects (such a Penny's for Patience) students were inspired to run a can food drive.  Second Harvest Food Bank provided the cans and posters, and working with Ms. Shelley's and Ms. Hackett's class our students announced the school wide event in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.  Students collected and counted classroom donations each day to keep track of how many cans each class brought in (the winning grade level was rewarded with free-dress for a day.)  After the food drive, my students did extra research into food banks here in our community.  They compiled all the information into a flier they made for the families at our school that might need extra help with food over the holiday season.

Some of our students also volunteered at a benefit for Vida Verde.  They practiced during their lunch time and at home for 3 weeks, then woke up early Sunday December 5th to perform a song at the benefit brunch.  For all the students who were able to participate, this was a wonderful experience that let them be more involved and to give back to their community.  Check out a little bit of the video (official music video coming later) here.  

The students also loved their live chat with Lex Gillett (and their awesome Classroom Champion t-shirts!) Lex shared his holiday plans and students asked about the competitions he has coming up in late winter and early spring.  Both the conversation and the challenge have fit in so well with our school's November core value: hope!