The Box from Alaska

I've been very erratic about this blog business. Just wanted to clarify that last entry, we never did get that new teacher and I am still teaching my 24 kids. Janeth moved over, her classroom was all set up, then another teacher quit which set off a chain reaction resulting in Janeth returning to her own class at S. So it was all for naught.

I had my Back to School Night and it was attended well. Now I am getting the class all settled in. I have some ideas for my whiz kids-I'm going to get them to practice writing their sight words (spelling) because they have mastered reading them. If I give them a special pen, & worksheet in a plastic sleeve then it just might seem exciting enough for them. I will also get them going writing numbers by twos. I set up some museums of Homophones, synonyms and homonyms. It's a good display.

Friday, I had a visit from a cluster of third graders - former students. They wanted to know if this year's class had seen the BOX. I had forgotten all about the BOX but they hadn't. Last year, we brought in a big empty cardboard box and attached a few intriguing labels - From Grand daddy in Alaska. We had all the kids guess what was in the box, and write about it but no touching or peeking. Then we hid a couple of kid's in the box with pig noses and had them jump out to surprise the class. I think you have to read Julius to understand why we needed to dress them up like pigs. Julius was a pig that arrived in a big crate from Alaska. Well, these kids hadn't forgotten the box and wanted us to do it again! So I went out and found a big enough box in the staff room and it's all decked out ready for the surprise opening tomorrow.

We just need to sneak a child into it and have him or her pop out with the pig mask. And this little pig will say "Whee Whee Whee all the way home!