Wednesday, April 15th 2020

Good Morning Division 1!

Shape of the Day

8:30 - 8:50am – Check in with yourself.  Ask yourself what number you are?  Consider why?   Record in your sleep log what time you went to bed last night (actually fell asleep) and the quality of your sleep (sound/woke up once or twice/tossed and turned) and what time you woke up this morning.  Record any dreams you recall.  Consider if they have any significance to you.  If you need more info on why we are doing this, check last week’s blog entries.

8:50 – 9:00am – Stretch break.  Listen to one or two of your favourite songs and move around.

9:00 – 10:15am – I have sent out a class code to all email addresses (either parents or students or both – if you did not receive one, please check your junk mail, as some group emails are automatically forwarded there).  Please use this code to link your account or to create one.  Once I’ve got you listed, I’ll send you a note to let you know.  I have assigned Grade 6 Geometry for the meantime.  I set a date of April 24^th (next Friday) to complete the unit.  This is because I have to set a date, not because I think you should have completed the unit.  Again, I want to work with families.  I think that students likely could finish this unit, but don’t expect you to if that’s not what best supports you.  It does give you an idea, however, of what you might wish to cover and a time frame. 

10:15 – 10:55 – Go Outside.  Be active.  Be mindful.  Read a book.

10:55 – 11:10 – Prepare for the Zoom Call.  The invitations were sent out yesterday afternoon. 

11:10 – 11:50 – Zoom Call – I will be there to meet and greet you as you enter the call. Have a check in number prepared to share with the class.  Today’s call will be like a circle, where we offer some thoughts and listen to one another.  You will then be asked to consider and share one challenge and one success since the pandemic really began to impact our lives.  We will have to limit our shares to 1 minute to be sure to include everyone.

11:50 – 1:00 – Lunch Break

1:00 – 2:00 – Creative writing.  The theme this week is BELONGING.  You will take this time to create a piece of writing that reflects the theme.  You can write some poetry (remember the forms of poetry we were using before the break: haiku, limerick, acrostic, ballad, ode) using poetic devices (metaphor, simile, alliteration, personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, euphemism, rhyme scheme, oxymoron).  If poetry isn’t your jam, you can start a short story.  Or, if you’d prefer to keep a journal that records your thoughts during this strange time, feel free to do that.  You could also create a comic strip (with some labels and speech bubbles).  After our Zoom conversation, you might have something to say that ties into belonging to our class.  This might also be a good connection to tie BELONGING into your writing.  Remember though, you MUST make sure that your writing has the clear theme of BELONGING.  

2:00 – 2:30 – Duo Lingo.  Work on your new language.  If you haven’t done so yet, and you get a chance, send me an email in your new language and I will do my best to decipher it!  

If you have not done so already, please clean your bedroom.  It is much easier to focus in a space that is tidy.  It will give you the same feeling as when you’ve cleaned out your desk.  Organize yourself.  Declutter your space and that will help to declutter your mind.  

When your room is clean (or as clean as you’re going to make it), sit/stand/lie down and breathe for three minutes.  Focus only on your breathing.  If a thought comes into your head, let it be with no judgment, and then go back to your breathing.  With each breath in and out, remind yourself that it is good to breathe.  When your three minutes are up, enjoy the space you created both in your mind and in your living space.