Our Classroom & School Community

Last week, we completed our unit on Our School Community. 

We discussed how schools are the same and different. We brainstormed a list of ways on how schools can be different:

1. Size...schools can be very big or very small. Some can have many classes of each grade, and smaller schools have multiple grades in a classroom.
2. Age...some schools are very old and some are brand new and modern. 
3. Stories...some schools are all on one level and some have two (or more) floors.
4. Grades...some schools have just a few grades (primary schools, highschool) and some have K to 12. 

After, we discussed how schools change over time. We looked at pictures of what schools looked like 50 years ago and compared the similarities and differences.  

Our Classroom & School Community

Last week we continued learning about Our Classroom & School Community. 

First, we discussed why school maps are important. Why is it important to have a school map in each classroom? We brainstormed a variety of answers such as...

1. So a substitute teacher knows where to go.

2. So everyone knows where the exits are if there was an emergency. 

3. So new students/visitors know how to get to where they need to be. 

Then, we discussed the responsibilities of people in the school. We brainstormed a list of people's names and the jobs they do. We discussed the different responsibilities/jobs a principal, teacher, librarian, custodian, and admin assistant has. Then, we discussed what responsibilities students have. What would happen if everyone in the school didn't do their job? 

Our Classroom & School Community

In Social Studies, we have been learning about our classroom and school community.

First we learned about rules. In groups the students discussed the following questions: What are rules? Where do we have rules? Do adults have rules? Why are rules so important? What rules do you think are important in our classroom? Then, we reviewed our 5 classroom golden rules which are:

1. Listen when someone is talking.

2. Follow directions the first time they are given.

3. Treat everyone with kindness and respect.

4. Take care of our school and classroom.

5. Work and play safely and quietly. 

The next few days we learned about responsibility. Why do we have responsibilities at home? Why do we have responsibilities at school? What are some of our responsibilities at home and at school? We also discussed our classroom jobs and why they are important. 

Then we learned that we are responsible for our actions. All people are responsible for everything they say and do. If we say and do things that make ourselves and others happy, that is a good thing. But everyone makes mistakes sometimes. We sometimes say and do things that make others unhappy, and make ourselves feel badly, too. We need to be aware that there are consequences for everything we say and do. Everyone must be responsible for things said or done. We are responsible for being kind, truthful, and caring of others. We discussed why it is important to apologize and making up for our mistakes. 

Then, we discussed what rights are. Rights are important things that everyone deserves. Everyone has the right to be happy, to be safe, to have the things they need to live. At school we have the right to learn, to be safe, to have personal space, to work undisturbed and to be treated with respect. After, we discussed problem solving. How can we tell if something is a big problem or a small problem?  When solving problems it is important that we stop and think. If we don't stop and think sometimes we do things that are not helpful. 

Last week, we discussed maps. A map is usually a drawing showing what something looks like from above (bird's eye view). We created a map of our classroom.