If the world was a village of 100 people...

Today, students took a quiz over expectations.  All students passed the test and understand expectations.  We will discuss consequences for not following expectations on Monday.  

Students also worked on an activity that asked them to shrink the world down to 100 people and guess how many people would be European, able to read, and a home.  Students were surprised by what they noticed.  This will lead the class to discussing ethnocentrism on Monday.  

Examples
  /100 European
  /100 Asian
  /100 African
  /100 From the Western Hemisphere

Reminder: Students need either a binder or notebook by Monday

Nacirema Tribe

Minds were blown today in Social Studies today!  Students were put into groups and asked to read an article about the Nacirema tribe.  The article described strange rituals and practices, for example, ceremonial painting of the body(tattoos).  We discuss whether the culture was civilized or not and what it means to be a civilization.  At the end of class students discovered that the Nacirema backwards is American.  The culture we were discussing was their own culture.  We talked about being open minded toward other cultures and civilizations.  "Just because it seems weird to us does not mean it is wrong, bad, or uncivilized".

Expectation Quiz tomorrow

Students need a Social Studies notebook or binder by Monday

Brainology and Mindset

We are spending the first couple days of school to discuss how students brains work and having a growth mindset.  Students discovered that the brain is like muscle that they can grow and improve with practice.  By learning new things and practicing, we can increases our neurons and synapses. So tonight ask your son or daughter if they grew their brain today.  We discussed strategies that will help students handle adversity in the classroom.  We looked at John McEnroe's tennis career and his inability to learn from mistakes and take responsibility.  Students brainstormed appropriate responses for learning challenges.

Reminder: Review classroom expectations (Quiz on Friday)

Expectations and Mindset

We started class by writing down our classroom expectations which will be listed below.  Students will need to be ready to quiz over these expectations by Friday. Students participated in a rock, paper, scissors brain break tournament.  Brain break are a nice way to keep students active and paying attention.  Student learned whether they have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.  Students with growth mindsets take on challenges and learn from mistakes.  Tomorrow we will discuss learning strategies for a growth mindset.  Finally, we played two truths and a lie to learn more about our classmates.

—Respect (Everyone)

  - Raise your hand

  - Listen and pay attention to speaker

  - Voice Level 1-3

  - Golden Rule

  - Take care of classroom materials

—Responsible

  - Pick up after yourself

  - Get work done on time and correctly

  - Bring all materials

  - Get sleep

  - Fill out agenda

  - Ask lots of questions

—Integrity

  - Stay organized

  - Participate

  - Help each other

  - Focus on the teacher

  - Try your best

  - Use time wisely

First Day of School

It was a great first day! It is always wonderful to see all the new faces.  Today, we talked about classroom procedures for entering and exiting.  We took a tour of the classroom.  Students compiled a list of jobs for themselves and the teacher. I will use the job list to create a list of classroom expectations.  All classes will learn classroom expectations tomorrow.  Student were able to learn a little bit about Mr. Hajek.  I also had students answer questions so I can get to know them better. 

Social Studies students will need a notebook or binder by Monday, 8/25

iExcel students will need a free reading book by Wednesday, 8/20

First Day of School

Well, it's that time again! The first day of school is tomorrow. It will be exciting to see new faces in my classroom. I will use the first week to discuss and practice expectations as well as get to know the students. Students will learn how their brain works and strategies to help themselves work through challenges in all their classes.  

School year will be starting soon...