I'm still a little busy, so today's post will be short.
First, in response to everyone I was able to talk to, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Your input is essential in making the class the best that it can be. Most of you asked what can be done at home to improve our students learning. Most studies regarding bilingualism (which in this case means assuming Chinese and Taiwanese are your child's first languages) state that children need to have a good level of competence in both languages. This means that at home you should help your child using Chinese. Make sure their Chinese/Taiwanese is good and help them learn things in Chinese/Taiwanese. We will do English at school and the things that they learn can be transferred between languages (even if they don't know the appropriate word).
It is good to welcome back Elijah (back to Peter Pan Class) and Sharon (back to my class) who have been away for the beginning of our school year. They both seem happy to be back, although I think Sharon, and her mum, where a little scared by Sean enthusiastic greeting. I've never taught Elijah before, but he seems to understand what to do and he draws very well.
The music teacher was late this morning, so we had our own music class for a while which was fun. We also read "The Cat in the Hat" which seemed to be fun for everyone. Including storytime was in response to feedback from those of you who were worried about reading. Exposure to literature helps children read.
We had fun in the pool this afternoon. Johnny is a great swimmer, Oscar is and excellent diver (picking up the most tiles every time), and Richard, Vivian Sh and Sophia enjoyed playing in the water.
In science class, we planted some seeds, so we will watch them grow over the next couple of days. Will try to post photos soon.
Glen.
Monday, 31 August 2009
Monday, 24 August 2009
A note to all my readers
I am most sorry, but this week I am unlikely to be able to write in this blog. I have a major assignment I need to post on Friday, and every spare moment will be spent on this. For those of you who are interested the topic is "a review of the literature that pertains to the best practices for developing literacy skills in English, which is an additional language for Taiwanese early childhood students who share two common mother tongues (Chinese and Taiwanese).
Until later,
Glen.
Until later,
Glen.
Friday, 21 August 2009
Plants, Pizzas and learning English
Friday was a good day. I might even go as far as to say it was a great day.
First thank you to Johnny's mum for sending an email. It is nice to hear from you. I hope that will be encouragement to others to add their comments.
We started the day by looking at our science experiment about plants which made one student ask "Why does it grow like that?" Which lead to talk about living vs. non-living, which lead to talk about cells, and through a numeracy exercise to an explanation of how plants grow.
We had book work to do, which the children are becoming more comfortable with. While Richard was waiting for the others to finish, he made things with blocks, but he doesn't make things. Richard uses blocks to make abstract objects, which is different from his friends who tend to make ships or airplanes or castles. Nice work Richard.
The girls play somewhat differently to boys and I don't always know the subject of their play. I often help some students with their books and cannot always be involved in their games. The boys like to show me what they have made, the girls like to play amongst themselves. However, I believe a lot of their play involves home games, because Nana came and told me that she had been making pizzas and Cherry was putting what looked like pizzas into a box.
Allen is one of our students who has some trouble with the work and with speaking, but today he colored in a picture in his book, and it was really beautiful. I think I may have found a way for him to express himself.
Tiffany is young and sometimes lacks the concentration to do her work on time. However, today she finished her work quickly and was surprised to discover that she picked up a book to read. It was a Chinese book, but not one with lots of pictures, so it looks like she likes to read. I have been reading about bilingualism and the advantages in learning two or more languages at the same time. I would not be surprised if Tiffany's interest in reading spreads across to English in time.
Brian made Teacher Jojo laugh today. He was speaking to Teacher Jojo in Chinese and I just happened to be passing by and he immediately and seamlessly switched from Chinese to English. Our children are full of talent.
And one last comment about Nado. He seems to have a strong sense of right and wrong, as when other children, in a playful mood and withhout bad intent, say something that is not respectful to me, Nado comes to my defence and tells them that they can't say that. I think it is really cute.
Anyway, it's time for me to enjoy my week. I'm planning a trip to Sun Moon Lake.
See you on Monday,
Glen.
First thank you to Johnny's mum for sending an email. It is nice to hear from you. I hope that will be encouragement to others to add their comments.
We started the day by looking at our science experiment about plants which made one student ask "Why does it grow like that?" Which lead to talk about living vs. non-living, which lead to talk about cells, and through a numeracy exercise to an explanation of how plants grow.
We had book work to do, which the children are becoming more comfortable with. While Richard was waiting for the others to finish, he made things with blocks, but he doesn't make things. Richard uses blocks to make abstract objects, which is different from his friends who tend to make ships or airplanes or castles. Nice work Richard.
The girls play somewhat differently to boys and I don't always know the subject of their play. I often help some students with their books and cannot always be involved in their games. The boys like to show me what they have made, the girls like to play amongst themselves. However, I believe a lot of their play involves home games, because Nana came and told me that she had been making pizzas and Cherry was putting what looked like pizzas into a box.
Allen is one of our students who has some trouble with the work and with speaking, but today he colored in a picture in his book, and it was really beautiful. I think I may have found a way for him to express himself.
Tiffany is young and sometimes lacks the concentration to do her work on time. However, today she finished her work quickly and was surprised to discover that she picked up a book to read. It was a Chinese book, but not one with lots of pictures, so it looks like she likes to read. I have been reading about bilingualism and the advantages in learning two or more languages at the same time. I would not be surprised if Tiffany's interest in reading spreads across to English in time.
Brian made Teacher Jojo laugh today. He was speaking to Teacher Jojo in Chinese and I just happened to be passing by and he immediately and seamlessly switched from Chinese to English. Our children are full of talent.
And one last comment about Nado. He seems to have a strong sense of right and wrong, as when other children, in a playful mood and withhout bad intent, say something that is not respectful to me, Nado comes to my defence and tells them that they can't say that. I think it is really cute.
Anyway, it's time for me to enjoy my week. I'm planning a trip to Sun Moon Lake.
See you on Monday,
Glen.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Printables and books
Today was another good day for Peter Pan class, although Gary didn't have a great start. Actually, we had a good day but we all didn't have a great start. I often try to do too much. In this Teacher Jojo helps me a lot. For one thing, she helps me keep focused on things that you and the school find important, the schedule and the books. She teaches me the reasons why these things are important. She also gives me some flexibility to expand the scope of what the children learn. We both believe that everything the children need to learn doesn't come out of books.
Anyway, I tried to do too many things in the first lesson. The dance class comes right after, and I always find my self in a rush on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so maybe I rushed some explanations this morning. It worked out all right in the end.
We had a reading test today, and almost everyone impressed me with their abilities. Some need practice with their reading tests, but we will get some spare time to help them later (right now we need to help those who fell behind when they took some time of at the beginning of the semester). I would like to tell you about Nado's reading test. I often tell you about Nado and I hope you don't feel I have favourites. I use Nado as an example, because he learns in a non-standard way. Someone at home obviously helped Nado practice for the test. He said the sentences very well and pointed to the words as he said them. However the words he pointed to were not always the words that he said. On one sentence he mixed up the word order, but didn't change the meaning of the sentence. I think he practice to say the sentences, even though he did not know how to read the words. Although this is not perfect, it is really great and complements his learning and thinking. He is smart, he can remember the sentences, he understands the meanings and he can talk well, so it shows how he can talk. Sometimes we will do things in a non-standard way, ways that are imperfect. But as a teacher of mine once said, "Fake it until you make it."
While I did the reading test with the students, I had them finish their books and color-in their printables. They may have brought them home to show you.
Before lunch, Teacher Jojo and I had a discussion. Teacher Jojo feels that the books are very difficult for the children and maybe if we had extra things (flashcards, props and real items) the children will be able to remember the words better. I take a slightly different view. The books are meant to be used for students from a different cultural background. When they view the items in the book, they are not learning new things, but identifying the items to the sounds and the letters. The words in many of the books are taken out of context and are not intended to be used to teach content, but the sounds and letters. It is virtually impossible to learn the world alphabetically. So I draw on the students prior knowledge if they know the items, we all name the items, and them use the sounds as the book intents them to be used. It means that not all the items that the students come across in one will be remember, but some will. What the students do get out of the exercise is an opportunity to learn and practice their listening skills and their phonic awarness. For example, an interaction with Nado:
Teacher Glen: What's this?
Nado: It's a boy.
Teacher Glen: Does boy start with 'B'?
Nado: BBB, /b/ /b/ /b/. Yes.
I take this view because of what I believe is important in education. I also try to move beyond the books and expand the children's world. Teacher Jojo agrees, but understands your desires better. So if you can helps us. What do you think? What do you want us to do?
We played a game as we prepare for the spelling test, and I think everyone had fun doing that. The test itself was interesting again this week and I will use two of our exemplary students. Nado obviously didn't get as much help with his spelling test as he did with his reading test. However, I said the words slowly and he identified the sounds and was able to spell many of the words. Sean, how knows how to spell, forgot how to spell one word and refused to go on. Oh, well.
Anyway, I tried to do too many things in the first lesson. The dance class comes right after, and I always find my self in a rush on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so maybe I rushed some explanations this morning. It worked out all right in the end.
We had a reading test today, and almost everyone impressed me with their abilities. Some need practice with their reading tests, but we will get some spare time to help them later (right now we need to help those who fell behind when they took some time of at the beginning of the semester). I would like to tell you about Nado's reading test. I often tell you about Nado and I hope you don't feel I have favourites. I use Nado as an example, because he learns in a non-standard way. Someone at home obviously helped Nado practice for the test. He said the sentences very well and pointed to the words as he said them. However the words he pointed to were not always the words that he said. On one sentence he mixed up the word order, but didn't change the meaning of the sentence. I think he practice to say the sentences, even though he did not know how to read the words. Although this is not perfect, it is really great and complements his learning and thinking. He is smart, he can remember the sentences, he understands the meanings and he can talk well, so it shows how he can talk. Sometimes we will do things in a non-standard way, ways that are imperfect. But as a teacher of mine once said, "Fake it until you make it."
While I did the reading test with the students, I had them finish their books and color-in their printables. They may have brought them home to show you.
Before lunch, Teacher Jojo and I had a discussion. Teacher Jojo feels that the books are very difficult for the children and maybe if we had extra things (flashcards, props and real items) the children will be able to remember the words better. I take a slightly different view. The books are meant to be used for students from a different cultural background. When they view the items in the book, they are not learning new things, but identifying the items to the sounds and the letters. The words in many of the books are taken out of context and are not intended to be used to teach content, but the sounds and letters. It is virtually impossible to learn the world alphabetically. So I draw on the students prior knowledge if they know the items, we all name the items, and them use the sounds as the book intents them to be used. It means that not all the items that the students come across in one will be remember, but some will. What the students do get out of the exercise is an opportunity to learn and practice their listening skills and their phonic awarness. For example, an interaction with Nado:
Teacher Glen: What's this?
Nado: It's a boy.
Teacher Glen: Does boy start with 'B'?
Nado: BBB, /b/ /b/ /b/. Yes.
I take this view because of what I believe is important in education. I also try to move beyond the books and expand the children's world. Teacher Jojo agrees, but understands your desires better. So if you can helps us. What do you think? What do you want us to do?
We played a game as we prepare for the spelling test, and I think everyone had fun doing that. The test itself was interesting again this week and I will use two of our exemplary students. Nado obviously didn't get as much help with his spelling test as he did with his reading test. However, I said the words slowly and he identified the sounds and was able to spell many of the words. Sean, how knows how to spell, forgot how to spell one word and refused to go on. Oh, well.
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Getting to know you
On the day that I told Andrew (Fu Da's owner) bout my blog, I am not able to give you an update. I've been spending too long working at night and I've been ordered to have an early night.
Andrew is very keen for the foreign teachers to develop closer communication with the parents of our students, so I would like to ask you what time is best? I can call you, see you at school, see you at your home or see you at my home. I don't speak very good Chinese, so Teacher Jojo is willing to help. You can always communicate with me via this blog, the web page or my email.
Andrew is very keen for the foreign teachers to develop closer communication with the parents of our students, so I would like to ask you what time is best? I can call you, see you at school, see you at your home or see you at my home. I don't speak very good Chinese, so Teacher Jojo is willing to help. You can always communicate with me via this blog, the web page or my email.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Photos
Some photos from last week.
Johnny blowing up his balloon, always trying hard.
The teachable moment I talked about on Friday.
Nana in a pig mask.
This is Johnny, Cherry and I making a house for Johnny's dolphin.
The girls and I blowing up balloons.
Johnny blowing up his balloon, always trying hard.
The teachable moment I talked about on Friday.
Nana in a pig mask.
This is Johnny, Cherry and I making a house for Johnny's dolphin.
The girls and I blowing up balloons.
Math and Writing
These are the two issue I want to talk about today. We had a bit of trouble in both classes, and I want to talk a little about both of these. Math is always an interesting subject to teach. The MPM book is organized in such a way that sometimes the children just understand, and sometimes that understanding takes time.
Today I found that a number of students had trouble with today's MPM lesson. Not everyone understood the method to arrive at the answers, but most students had the dedication to work towards the answers. Two students, Nado and Tiffany had more trouble than the others. It is not so much that they don't understand, they actually picked up the concepts required quite quickly. However, both of these students required someone to show them what to do, even after it was explained to the class. And both of them had trouble writing numbers, it is obviously unfamiliar to them. During the year they will have a lot of practice writing numbers, but the MPM book assumes that they are already proficient at this.
This brings out another point I wish to discuss briefly. It is possible for children to "study" too much outside of class, doing extra worksheets and classes focused on academic achievement. However, practicing some basic skills may be helpful for some. For those that have trouble writing numbers or the alphabet, practicing these things is fine. Allowing and encouraging the students to read for pleasure is also a good idea.
While we were waiting for the children to finish their MPM books, many other students had time to play with toys. This helps them learn so much in so many ways. Everyone gets to practice their English in a fun setting, and they also learn how to share and interact. Owen and Sean spent a lot of time and energy building a beautiful wall. Richard, Benson and Yoyo built some fantastic robots. Cherry, Vivian, Nana and Emily were playing some birthday game, although Emily hurt her leg. It sounded like everyone had a birthday today. Vivian and Gary from Snow White class played well together.
We read the story of "The Gingerbread Man" and everyone enjoyed that. It is a very active story and almost everyone joined in. I worry a little about Nado, as he has very strong reactions to things. He finds it difficult to concentrate and likes to throw the book down. He is young and will need some time to adjust to big class. Teacher Jojo and I are helping as much as we can.
The writing book is proving much more difficult that I had imagined. Last year in the early morning class, I was doing writing exercises with Goofy Class. Emily and Sean joined us for these classes and they often wrote good stories. However, the writing book is proving difficult for everyone. It is not that they are unable to make sentences. Today, we had to write six words for homework. As I wrote the words on the board, I asked the students to try and use the words in a sentence. A lot of the children had a lot of fun making crazy sentences, as well as quite normal sentences. However, when the writing book requires them to write a sentence, they find it difficult. It may be because the book is based on grammar and the children learn English as a first language, which does not require the understanding of grammar, or phonics, though learning English as a second language is enhanced by such methods. It is not beyond them, but it is difficult to grasp. It is not as natural as the way they learn language now. We will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
Glen.
Today I found that a number of students had trouble with today's MPM lesson. Not everyone understood the method to arrive at the answers, but most students had the dedication to work towards the answers. Two students, Nado and Tiffany had more trouble than the others. It is not so much that they don't understand, they actually picked up the concepts required quite quickly. However, both of these students required someone to show them what to do, even after it was explained to the class. And both of them had trouble writing numbers, it is obviously unfamiliar to them. During the year they will have a lot of practice writing numbers, but the MPM book assumes that they are already proficient at this.
This brings out another point I wish to discuss briefly. It is possible for children to "study" too much outside of class, doing extra worksheets and classes focused on academic achievement. However, practicing some basic skills may be helpful for some. For those that have trouble writing numbers or the alphabet, practicing these things is fine. Allowing and encouraging the students to read for pleasure is also a good idea.
While we were waiting for the children to finish their MPM books, many other students had time to play with toys. This helps them learn so much in so many ways. Everyone gets to practice their English in a fun setting, and they also learn how to share and interact. Owen and Sean spent a lot of time and energy building a beautiful wall. Richard, Benson and Yoyo built some fantastic robots. Cherry, Vivian, Nana and Emily were playing some birthday game, although Emily hurt her leg. It sounded like everyone had a birthday today. Vivian and Gary from Snow White class played well together.
We read the story of "The Gingerbread Man" and everyone enjoyed that. It is a very active story and almost everyone joined in. I worry a little about Nado, as he has very strong reactions to things. He finds it difficult to concentrate and likes to throw the book down. He is young and will need some time to adjust to big class. Teacher Jojo and I are helping as much as we can.
The writing book is proving much more difficult that I had imagined. Last year in the early morning class, I was doing writing exercises with Goofy Class. Emily and Sean joined us for these classes and they often wrote good stories. However, the writing book is proving difficult for everyone. It is not that they are unable to make sentences. Today, we had to write six words for homework. As I wrote the words on the board, I asked the students to try and use the words in a sentence. A lot of the children had a lot of fun making crazy sentences, as well as quite normal sentences. However, when the writing book requires them to write a sentence, they find it difficult. It may be because the book is based on grammar and the children learn English as a first language, which does not require the understanding of grammar, or phonics, though learning English as a second language is enhanced by such methods. It is not beyond them, but it is difficult to grasp. It is not as natural as the way they learn language now. We will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
Glen.
Monday, 17 August 2009
Blue, Red and Green
These were the colors of the day, after our backpack lesson.
We had a busy morning. Many children returned from holidays. Vivian and Gary are still with us from Snow White class, and we hope they continue to enjoy the move from the bilingual class to the all English class. I know it's not easy, but we will help all the student who want to stay in our class. Vivian is coping well, but Gary had an unhappy day. Maybe he was just pining for his former classmates. He became quite happy when he forgot why he was sad, but he seemed to remember after lunch. You'll make new friends soon. Talking about making new friends, I talked about Cherry playing with the girls last Friday, and our other new comer, Johnny, seems to be getting on well with many of the boys. During P.E. class he was playing well with Brian and Nado and many of the others.
It was Monday, and the end of holidays for some, so we had a long discussion at the beginning of class, it made us a little late for our music class. Sorry Teacher Hong. Some children talked their weekend and others talked about their holidays. Benson and Owen brought things for "Show-and-Tell." Owen brought leaflets from the places he visited when he toured Taiwan. He told me about the doll house museum. He especially liked the English Castle because there were people there that could shoot things. Benson brought some toys from home and that got us talking about our favorite cartoon characters. The boys talked about Ben 10 aliens and the girls talked about Hello Kitty, Melody, Dora, Cinnamorroll and Barbie. Some of these have links to printables if you would like to give your children something to color-in. To find more, jsut google "printables." Nana and Emily are the most talkative of the girls and Richard, Owen, Benson, Yoyo, Sean and Johnny are the most talkative of the boys. Everyone enjoyed their music class and then we did our bckpack book. We practiced drawing one color and had to choose between red, blue and green. Many children drew many pictures, althought the girls, especially Nana and Cherry drew many pictures. Blue was the most popular color.
After lunch we had P.E. class, everyone, except Gary, enjoyed the class, even though it was very hot. We came back and did some writing in our writing book. This is easier for some than for others, but I am sure in time we will all get it. Everyone is making some progress at least.
some of the parents are concerned that their child may be more advanced than the rest of the class. It is rare for someone to be better than the others at everything, and there is enough variety so that even the best students still have a lot to learn.
Please feel free to ask and questions or pass on any suggestions at any time.
Glen.
We had a busy morning. Many children returned from holidays. Vivian and Gary are still with us from Snow White class, and we hope they continue to enjoy the move from the bilingual class to the all English class. I know it's not easy, but we will help all the student who want to stay in our class. Vivian is coping well, but Gary had an unhappy day. Maybe he was just pining for his former classmates. He became quite happy when he forgot why he was sad, but he seemed to remember after lunch. You'll make new friends soon. Talking about making new friends, I talked about Cherry playing with the girls last Friday, and our other new comer, Johnny, seems to be getting on well with many of the boys. During P.E. class he was playing well with Brian and Nado and many of the others.
It was Monday, and the end of holidays for some, so we had a long discussion at the beginning of class, it made us a little late for our music class. Sorry Teacher Hong. Some children talked their weekend and others talked about their holidays. Benson and Owen brought things for "Show-and-Tell." Owen brought leaflets from the places he visited when he toured Taiwan. He told me about the doll house museum. He especially liked the English Castle because there were people there that could shoot things. Benson brought some toys from home and that got us talking about our favorite cartoon characters. The boys talked about Ben 10 aliens and the girls talked about Hello Kitty, Melody, Dora, Cinnamorroll and Barbie. Some of these have links to printables if you would like to give your children something to color-in. To find more, jsut google "printables." Nana and Emily are the most talkative of the girls and Richard, Owen, Benson, Yoyo, Sean and Johnny are the most talkative of the boys. Everyone enjoyed their music class and then we did our bckpack book. We practiced drawing one color and had to choose between red, blue and green. Many children drew many pictures, althought the girls, especially Nana and Cherry drew many pictures. Blue was the most popular color.
After lunch we had P.E. class, everyone, except Gary, enjoyed the class, even though it was very hot. We came back and did some writing in our writing book. This is easier for some than for others, but I am sure in time we will all get it. Everyone is making some progress at least.
some of the parents are concerned that their child may be more advanced than the rest of the class. It is rare for someone to be better than the others at everything, and there is enough variety so that even the best students still have a lot to learn.
Please feel free to ask and questions or pass on any suggestions at any time.
Glen.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
A Night to Remember
After another very good day, the boys went to Tainan Cultural Center to perform for the fundraiser for the victims of Typhoon Morakot. Unfortunately I had to work and I didn't arrive until after the performance. I heard they did very well. I got there in time to see the teachers sing. It was a good night, and Apple Line was able to raise $5 million. Congratulations to you all for helping.
During the day, the boys spent some of their time practicing for the performance. It was good to see them involved in something worthwhile. The other children had an opportunity to do something extra. After they had finished their work, we let them play with toys. I remembered that I had some old balloons, so I pulled them out. At first we didn't have enough balloons so that every child could have a balloon, and this caused some problems. Nana was upset that she didn't have a balloon. Then I found some more balloons, and the children enjoyed themselves playing with the balloons and testing their body and the ways to move. However, after a while I assume they got bored, because Nana suggested they play a game. All the other girls followed her. It made me think about what I said yesterday about Gardner's Multiple intelligence and made me think that Nana showed a high level of interpersonal intelligence, and maybe more students in this class lean this way.
After lunch we finished more work and went outside. I bought new balloons because the ones that I had first given them were old. One of the balloons had a small hole and was becoming smaller, and Sophia didn't want it any more. As we had a lot of water lying around after the typhoon, I showed the children how to find the hole by putting the balloon under the water. This is an example of a teachable moment. Sometimes when the children are playing, there will be an opportunity to use their play to teach them something. Teacher Jojo was able to take photos of this moment and we will post them next week. Teacher Jojo and I agree that these moments are great in helping the children learn, and we will be encouraging and helping the students to explore their world, after we have finished our textbooks, of course.
During the day, the boys spent some of their time practicing for the performance. It was good to see them involved in something worthwhile. The other children had an opportunity to do something extra. After they had finished their work, we let them play with toys. I remembered that I had some old balloons, so I pulled them out. At first we didn't have enough balloons so that every child could have a balloon, and this caused some problems. Nana was upset that she didn't have a balloon. Then I found some more balloons, and the children enjoyed themselves playing with the balloons and testing their body and the ways to move. However, after a while I assume they got bored, because Nana suggested they play a game. All the other girls followed her. It made me think about what I said yesterday about Gardner's Multiple intelligence and made me think that Nana showed a high level of interpersonal intelligence, and maybe more students in this class lean this way.
After lunch we finished more work and went outside. I bought new balloons because the ones that I had first given them were old. One of the balloons had a small hole and was becoming smaller, and Sophia didn't want it any more. As we had a lot of water lying around after the typhoon, I showed the children how to find the hole by putting the balloon under the water. This is an example of a teachable moment. Sometimes when the children are playing, there will be an opportunity to use their play to teach them something. Teacher Jojo was able to take photos of this moment and we will post them next week. Teacher Jojo and I agree that these moments are great in helping the children learn, and we will be encouraging and helping the students to explore their world, after we have finished our textbooks, of course.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Thursday August 13 Practice for Tomorrow's Benefit
Today was another good day. I am truly thankful for being blessed with many wonderful students and co-teacher.
Today started well when many students brought things for "Show and Tell."
Nana brought her Finding Nemo sticker, and we got to talk about turtles and clown fish (Johnny was wearing a clown fish shirt).
Richard brought a bag of toys, two action toys, some cards and a sticky ball.
Vivian brought her teddy bear called Vivian and her Mickey Mouse doll. She says she always sleeps with them. These came in useful for a play session where Vivian and Sophia both slept with the dolls. Nana became upset when she couldn't join that game, but they sorted things out in the end.
Johhny showed us his dolphin that he got from his previous school when someone busted his balloon on the fan. He says he also sleeps with his toy.
Yoyo brought some cards for everyone to see, but waited until after "Show and Tell" to show everyone.
The boys had a special dance practice today in preparation for tomorrow night's benefit. They are going to reprise their "Monkey Dance" from the graduation play. It was a favourite of many people. I hope everyone can join tomorrow nights activity and remember to give generously, it's for a worthy cause.
The day ended on a somewhat curious note. Big class is a time of change for many children. Students have many more demands at this level, and sometimes find it difficult to cope. I have seen some students become upset when they are unable to do the things they know are expected of them. But this afternoon I saw a student display a level of empathy that was astounding. During the spelling test, Sophia was not able to spell the words. Sean became very distraught by this and had to be comforted by Teacher Jojo. It reminded me of Gardener's Multiple Intelligences book and the interpersonal intelligence. All that meet Sean are aware of his intelligence, but I have never seen a student display his interpersonal intelligence to such a degree. In fact, many of the children in Peter Pan class display a large amount of empathy for others. It reminds us that we should do our bit on Friday night.
By the way, the spelling test went well. Apart from Sophia, everyone either made just a few mistakes or no mistakes. Well done everyone.
Today started well when many students brought things for "Show and Tell."
Nana brought her Finding Nemo sticker, and we got to talk about turtles and clown fish (Johnny was wearing a clown fish shirt).
Richard brought a bag of toys, two action toys, some cards and a sticky ball.
Vivian brought her teddy bear called Vivian and her Mickey Mouse doll. She says she always sleeps with them. These came in useful for a play session where Vivian and Sophia both slept with the dolls. Nana became upset when she couldn't join that game, but they sorted things out in the end.
Johhny showed us his dolphin that he got from his previous school when someone busted his balloon on the fan. He says he also sleeps with his toy.
Yoyo brought some cards for everyone to see, but waited until after "Show and Tell" to show everyone.
The boys had a special dance practice today in preparation for tomorrow night's benefit. They are going to reprise their "Monkey Dance" from the graduation play. It was a favourite of many people. I hope everyone can join tomorrow nights activity and remember to give generously, it's for a worthy cause.
The day ended on a somewhat curious note. Big class is a time of change for many children. Students have many more demands at this level, and sometimes find it difficult to cope. I have seen some students become upset when they are unable to do the things they know are expected of them. But this afternoon I saw a student display a level of empathy that was astounding. During the spelling test, Sophia was not able to spell the words. Sean became very distraught by this and had to be comforted by Teacher Jojo. It reminded me of Gardener's Multiple Intelligences book and the interpersonal intelligence. All that meet Sean are aware of his intelligence, but I have never seen a student display his interpersonal intelligence to such a degree. In fact, many of the children in Peter Pan class display a large amount of empathy for others. It reminds us that we should do our bit on Friday night.
By the way, the spelling test went well. Apart from Sophia, everyone either made just a few mistakes or no mistakes. Well done everyone.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Wednesday August 12 - A Good Day
We had a very good day today. We wondered whether the THSR has wheels, so we set that question for homework. So if your children need help finding information, you can go to the THSR page, or to the wikipedia page.
Johnny and Benson brought some toys for 'Show and Tell.' Please encourage your children to bring something for show and tell, it doesn't have to be a toy. Johnny bought a toy model of the THSR, that's what got us talking about the THSR, and a dolphin from an ocean park. Benson brought a transformer toy.
Brian showed me his dancing skills. He is working more independently now.
Oscar seems to getting happier each day. He was very happy today.
Cherry worked well, as did all the girls. Everyone seems to enjoy working on their books.
Talking to Teacher Jojo, we have some ambitious plans for Peter Pan class, and we will let you know when we can start to implement some of these.
Till tomorrow,
Glen.
Johnny and Benson brought some toys for 'Show and Tell.' Please encourage your children to bring something for show and tell, it doesn't have to be a toy. Johnny bought a toy model of the THSR, that's what got us talking about the THSR, and a dolphin from an ocean park. Benson brought a transformer toy.
Brian showed me his dancing skills. He is working more independently now.
Oscar seems to getting happier each day. He was very happy today.
Cherry worked well, as did all the girls. Everyone seems to enjoy working on their books.
Talking to Teacher Jojo, we have some ambitious plans for Peter Pan class, and we will let you know when we can start to implement some of these.
Till tomorrow,
Glen.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Tuesday, August 11, Week 2
Hi everyone,
I am so excited to writing this blog. I hope from reading these pages you will understand me, the class and maybe even your own children a little better. I have written something about myself and will post a little on this site, as well as the webpage. If you wish to pass comments, you can do so here or on the webpage. If you have any problem please contact me or Teacher Jojo.
Well, it's only week two, but it seems like a long time already. I'm sorry about taking the day of on Thursday, but I had a cold that I just could not get rid of, and I needed some rest to shake it. I think it is better for everyone if I come to school when I am healthy. And then Friday was the day Typhoon Morakot landed in Taiwan. I'm sure we all agree that it was quite a weekend. Now we have no water as well. Teacher Jojo is doing a really excellent job of keeping the children clean and happy during these trying times. I heard there will be water tomorrow, but then no water for two days. Oh, well, we'll just have to fill up buckets and do the best we can.
I must thank you for letting me teach your children. They really are wonderful children and you should be proud of yourselves. We almost had a full classroom last week, but may children have gone on holidays, so this week there are not as many faces in class. I appreciate the time I now have to get to know those how are here a little better. I hope your children are bringing home tales of the fun they are having in class.
Going throught the children in no particular order, I'll start with the boys.
Oscar seems like a quite boy, but I can see that he is willing to open up to people who are willing to put in the time to get to know him. He seems to want to try hard and do well.
Richard is a very happy and outgoing boy. He also likes to try hard and he likes to talk, but can get annoyed when something happens to him that he doesn't like.
Yoyo and Benson seem like two peas in a pod, as they get on well together. I see their personlaities as being a bit different however. Yoyo is a bit talkative and outgoing, whereas Benson is a bit more thoughtful.
Johnny is a great talker and likes to do lots of things. He also likes to get things done quickly so he can play, but he always does his work well.
Sean is a smart boy, but he sometimes needs help in keeping his focus on becoming big.
Now the girls.
Cherry is a new girl. Her mum said she was shy, but she came up to me on the first morning to tell me about herself. She can be reserved a little around the others, but she does things well, and she is always happy to help the others.
Nana is very talkative and likes to show what she knows. She also likes to have fun, and she loves to draw.
Sophia gets on well with almost everyone, but she finds some aspect of the school work difficult and will have to work hard to keep up with the others.
It was Vivian's first day back today. Although a little quiet at first, she can talk when she wants to and she tries to work hard.
I'm sure everyone will do very well this year. They are all very smart. We are having some problems reminding everyone to speak English in class, but I hope we can sort out this problem in due course. Please contact me if you have any prblems or concerns,
Glen.
I am so excited to writing this blog. I hope from reading these pages you will understand me, the class and maybe even your own children a little better. I have written something about myself and will post a little on this site, as well as the webpage. If you wish to pass comments, you can do so here or on the webpage. If you have any problem please contact me or Teacher Jojo.
Well, it's only week two, but it seems like a long time already. I'm sorry about taking the day of on Thursday, but I had a cold that I just could not get rid of, and I needed some rest to shake it. I think it is better for everyone if I come to school when I am healthy. And then Friday was the day Typhoon Morakot landed in Taiwan. I'm sure we all agree that it was quite a weekend. Now we have no water as well. Teacher Jojo is doing a really excellent job of keeping the children clean and happy during these trying times. I heard there will be water tomorrow, but then no water for two days. Oh, well, we'll just have to fill up buckets and do the best we can.
I must thank you for letting me teach your children. They really are wonderful children and you should be proud of yourselves. We almost had a full classroom last week, but may children have gone on holidays, so this week there are not as many faces in class. I appreciate the time I now have to get to know those how are here a little better. I hope your children are bringing home tales of the fun they are having in class.
Going throught the children in no particular order, I'll start with the boys.
Oscar seems like a quite boy, but I can see that he is willing to open up to people who are willing to put in the time to get to know him. He seems to want to try hard and do well.
Richard is a very happy and outgoing boy. He also likes to try hard and he likes to talk, but can get annoyed when something happens to him that he doesn't like.
Yoyo and Benson seem like two peas in a pod, as they get on well together. I see their personlaities as being a bit different however. Yoyo is a bit talkative and outgoing, whereas Benson is a bit more thoughtful.
Johnny is a great talker and likes to do lots of things. He also likes to get things done quickly so he can play, but he always does his work well.
Sean is a smart boy, but he sometimes needs help in keeping his focus on becoming big.
Now the girls.
Cherry is a new girl. Her mum said she was shy, but she came up to me on the first morning to tell me about herself. She can be reserved a little around the others, but she does things well, and she is always happy to help the others.
Nana is very talkative and likes to show what she knows. She also likes to have fun, and she loves to draw.
Sophia gets on well with almost everyone, but she finds some aspect of the school work difficult and will have to work hard to keep up with the others.
It was Vivian's first day back today. Although a little quiet at first, she can talk when she wants to and she tries to work hard.
I'm sure everyone will do very well this year. They are all very smart. We are having some problems reminding everyone to speak English in class, but I hope we can sort out this problem in due course. Please contact me if you have any prblems or concerns,
Glen.
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