First Week of a New School Year! =)

Welcome back to school kids! In one week I've gotten to know my students a bit more and feel that we will be bonding extremely well!
This week we started on reading the novel "JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH" by ROALD DAHL. I feel this book is a great start to the school year. It's a classic children's novel, very descriptive, imaginative, and well written. I gave the students homework - to read 5 chapters at home and finish a work sheet. I wanted the kids to practice writing their own POEM, which we will recite in class next week.
For Science the 2 classes did different things, but focused on the same topics.

In Ryan, Belinda, Livia, and Jay's class I gave them a quiz on Lesson 1 "Living Organisms" by having them fill out the science comprehension booklet without using the textbook. I was impressed in that all of them got above 90%. However, the students must remember to use FULL SENTENCES to complete their work. I had them correct their mistakes in class on Friday.

In Richared, Sydney, Tiger, and Brian's class we went over Lesson 1 of the textbook and discussed in detail the differences between plant and animal cells. They should be able to remember all the parts of the cells now! We did the comprehension booklet in class on Thursday. The problem is that the students need to READ CAREFULLY at the textbook because the answers are right infront of them yet they would always ask the teacher instead (laziness!)

For vocabulary this week I introduced 44 new words (reading and science words). I know it's alot but usually they would have the weekend to copy and make sentences with them, just that the first week is always a bit more rushed. Vocabulary is important and in order to understand the materials covered in class this step is necessary and should be completed at home. I went over the vocabulary in class and gave example sentences. For the following weeks the vocabulary will be given out on Thursday/Friday and would be due Tuesday/Wednesday for each individual classes.

This week I also tested them on their writing skills. The topic was "Describe a Terrible Event that has Happened to You". I gave the students certain criterias to follow and allotted them an amount of time to finish in class. Then they had to each go up infront of the class to present their writing verbally. I wanted to see how their public speaking was and how they can write under certain restrictions. My findings were that each student needs to practice better public speaking skills (with the exception of Ryan) and needs to read the topic question more carefully. Many students wrote SEVERAL terrible events instead of just ONE. Grammar needs to be improved and also creativity. We will work on creative writing much more throughout the semester.

We also learned a new song this week "Bring it All Back" by S Club 7 (Richard, Sydney, Tiger, Brian's class will be introduced next week). The kids found it really interesting and we had alot of fun learning the lyrics, the meaning behind the song, and the tune.

INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS:

Ryan: Excellent public speaker, was the only one who made eye contact while reading. Grammar is really good but NEEDS TO WRITE NEATER!!! Ryan also needs to stop speaking out in class and raise his hand to speak.

Belinda: Loves to participate in class and is very neat, which can slow her down sometimes. Belinda can become restless in class and tends to just stand up and walk around. She understands the material well and I have no worries for her in the class.

Livia: Very dependable girl! I will always ask her to get the students to come back in time after the break. She is very proper, polite, and always the most well behaved! Fast worker and understands the materials well.

Jay: Jay needs to write a lot neater. He was the only one who finished his vocabulary at home! (with the exception of the sentences) Jay is a smart boy but can get distracted easily.

Sydney: Fastest worker in the class and a joy to teach! Sydney is really smart and well behaved. Reading and public speaking skills can be improved.

Brian: Very, very smart boy. Always contributes and pays the most attention. Brian needs to read louder. But for public speaking he was great!

Richard: He is a great reader and is always keen on reading. Richard needs to concentrate a bit more and work faster in class. A joy to have in the class!

Tiger: Tiger needs to pay more attention and read more properly - he reads TOO expressively (as in a joking way). He understands the material when he listens and pays attention. Very cute kid, just needs to concentrate more.

FUN DAY: We went to the batting cages at DaZhi! What a fun way to end the week! Look forward to next week and remember all your homework guys ;)!


Teacher Connie a.k.a BIG BUMBLE BEE