Raz Kids = Reading Fun!

Last week, I sent home a parent letter with students about our new online reading program called Raz-Kids that I have subscribed Room 214 to. Each student in our class has a password (which is actually a picture) as well as the website address for Raz-Kids taped inside the front of their agenda.

The Raz Robot: Build and personalize a robot with all the reading points you earn!

This service will allow students to read books at their level (I've already set them up at their current reading level) on any device or computer that has a connection to the internet. They can log in from anywhere and choose from over 1000 books that will help them to become fluent masters of reading! There are also assignments that challenge students to use their comprehension and memory skills to answer questions about the books they read.

Personalize your Raz Rocket with more reading points!

All of their progress is tracked by me and as of next week, parents and guardians will be able to log in and track progress too. If you are having any trouble logging your child into Raz Kids, please let me know as soon as possible and I will provide you with 'tech support' and help you and your child to get it up and running.

Here are a quick set of instructions to get you going:

1) Go to Raz-Kids (http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login)

2) Enter the teacher name: zaksmith

3) Find your child's name in the list and click the button above their name.

4) Click on the picture (or pictures) that is the password for your child (found on the slip of paper taped into your child's agenda).

5) Start reading!

Here is the link to the Raz-Kids App for Apple users.

Here is the link to the Raz-Kids App for Android users.

**Note: You do not need the app to use Raz-Kids but it does make it easier...

SNAP Program a great success!

Grade 2 students in Room 214 have had the privilege of taking part in a school sponsored self regulation development program over the last two months called SNAP. Here is some specific information about this fantastic program that is run by Toronto's very own Child Development Institute. 

Room 214 would like to give a HUGE thanks to Faisa Mohamud of the Child Development Institute for leading such a fantastic program and dedicating her time (and patience) to our students here at Twentieth Street. THANK YOU!

SNAP®, which stands for Stop Now And Plan, is an evidence-based cognitive behavioural model that provides a framework for teaching children struggling with behaviour issues, and their parents, effective emotional regulation, self-control and problem-solving skills. The primary goal of SNAP® is to keep children and youth in school and out of trouble. SNAP® has demonstrated positive treatment outcomes among children under the age of 12 with conduct and related behavioural problems and their families.

Faisa talking to 20th St. students about the 'wheel of self control'

Studies have shown the following benefits in children and families who have taken part:

• Increased emotion-regulation and self-control skills in children and their parents
• Reduced aggression, bullying and antisocial behaviour
• Increased social competency
• Improved academic success by decreasing behavioural issues at school

His Name is STANLEY!!!

This week, students in grades k-3 were audience to the Lakeshore Collegiate production of That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown. This wacky story about a girl who gives up the chance for all the toys in the world to hold onto her favourite stuffy and best friend Stanley the Rabbit teaches all of us that some things in our lives are just too important to give away. We also read the picture book and watched a short film version of the story to compare and contrast.

In the story, the Queen writes a thank you letter to Emily Brown, who helps the Queen find her own stuffy to have adventures with. Students wanted the chance to write their own letters, so they were asked to pretend they were asked to write a letter to a character in story. Here are few letters that were written by students in room 214.

Daphne's letter

Gordie's Letter

Tinh's Letter

If you would like to print your own letter writing templates at home to practice more letter writing, please click here.

Sorting Woozles!!!

Since returning from the winter holidays, students in Room 214 have already been hard at work continuing with their learning of how to sort and categorize objects using various attributes. Our classroom was also very lucky this week to have Mrs. Christine Rowe-Quinn, our Family of Schools Math Coach, come for a visit to see us in action.

Students began this work before the holiday, but we revisited and reinforced these concepts this week using 'Woozles' (pictured below). These funny germ-like creatures have various attributes such as dots, colours (they were coloured red and blue), fuzziness and shape that can help us to sort them into various categories.

Please click here. to print a set at home to try with your child. Print two copies and use a different colour to colour each set (one set of eight will be one colour, the other set of eight a different colour). Then cut them out and sort away!

Woozle Cards (uncoloured)

We asked students to work in teams to create categories using the attributes listed above, then place their woozles into string loops depending on their sorting rules. Some students even decided to create their own Venn Diagrams, creating a middle category for commonalities between already sorted woozles. Wow!

Students sorting using 2 attributes!

Mrs. Christine Rowe-Quinn discussing patterning with students

We owe a big thank you to Christine for coming into our classroom and helping us all to become better mathematicians! THANK YOU!!!

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