The Rookery

Every day in morning meeting, the Herons play a "juego" or game for four to five minutes.  Often, we play theater games like "Smile if You Love Me," "Alibi" and "Your Grandma's Big Fat Toe."  Sometimes we play camp games like "Frogger," "Name Tag," or "Ten." At first glance having…

After sharing a great variety of maps from our summer, the Herons have begun a more formal geography study.  Yesterday, we made linear maps in the manner of the ancient Romans who often had scrolls that described the path one took from one place to antoher (but portrayed every journey…

As you know, the first six weeks at Prairie Creek are crucial to developing the school community.  As teachers, we talk a lot about how best to connect kids and help them learn the skills they'll need to play and learn together successfully.  We pay special attention to recess —…

Today the Big Birds received their Blue Books.  Through the years, receiving the Blue Books has become a bit of a ceremony signifying we are now ready to learn.  These books hold everything we work on throughout the year and we use it to share our work at conferences. This…

        O.K. so independent reading doesn't make for the most exciting photographs.  Reading in the Herons is such a natural part of our day that I sometimes forget to write about it.  We read all of the time, not just the fifty minutes designated for it on…

We had a great first day today.  It was a whirlwind, to be sure, but it was wonderful.  One of my favorite things about teaching at Prairie Creek is the mixed age classroom.  Today, the fifth grade Herons immediately guided the fourth graders through our morning routine.  They encouraged our…

I've been in to school a few times in the past week and finally sat down to do one of the most necessary chores of the new year:  label changing. I peel off each fifth grader's name in disbelief.  Surely they'll walk through the door in September.  How could they…

Welcome!  I hope you take some time to visit other entries to get a feel for the Herons' classroom.  Typically, I use the blog to share stories from the class and help explain the philosophy behind the work we are doing.  I love writing it and it's become an important…

Things have been busy in Way Down South and Anville.  Many houses are now out on the land and the shingling classes will be filling up quickly in the coming week.  Often, as students focus intensely on their houses, their is a lull in governmental action (and intrigue).  I sense…

Hello all.  For the last month of school, all of the 4/5 teachers blog on the village blog:  http://prairiecreek.typepad.com — you can follow the adventure there.