Universal Missive Of The Alphabet Writing Calendar Week 2014
I don't think it's whatever hugger-mugger that I LOVE holidays.
Every day, I await upwards a weird together with wacky vacation that is celebrated on the electrical current appointment to part alongside my students. My kids love this. And, almost every day, I remove maintain at to the lowest degree i pupil inquire me if it is really that holiday. Some of them seem to think that I only brand upwards something each twenty-four hours for the holiday. Uh no. I await upwards the daily celebration online. Someone who is agency to a greater extent than creative than me has invented these holidays!
Yesterday was "National Nothing Day." Of course, I had this written on the board. This led to this conversation:
Student: Oh, it's National Nothing Day. Does that hateful nosotros don't remove maintain to do anything today?
Me: Ha. Ha. No.
Student: Well, you're non inwards the vacation spirit today!
I may non remove maintain permit my students celebrate National Nothing Day inwards the agency they wished, but nosotros remove maintain been celebrating this week. This is my 2nd yr to celebrate Universal Letter Writing Week alongside my students. This is i of those things I do that is non mathematical. It isn't tied to whatever criterion or mathematical practice. There are several reasons that I remove maintain my students participate inwards this celebration.
1. I treasure the notes that students remove maintain given me.
2. I absolutely love getting mail. And, I know I'm non lone inwards this.
3. Teaching is oft a thankless profession.
4. Writing letters gets students writing. Writing is ALWAYS good.
5. Writing letters of cheers to teachers together with staff members is fifty-fifty better.
6. Origami envelopes are fun to fold. And, they await together with thus cute all stacked together.
7. Colored newspaper makes my day.
8. From lastly year, I know only how much these notes hateful to the recipients.
9. I firmly believe that this projection leads to a boost inwards staff morale.
This does remove maintain away from instructional time, but I've weighed the pros together with cons. And, inwards my case, the pros far outweigh the cons. The projection starts out alongside lots of colored paper.
We celebrated Universal Letter Writing Week for iii days. On Day 1, students were required to write a missive of the alphabet to a high schoolhouse teacher. On the Smart Board, I typed upwards the elevate of every unmarried instructor that students could pick from. I intentionally left my elevate off of the list. This calendar week was non nearly me getting letters. It was nearly encouraging those some me.
On Day 1, students remove maintain the longest fourth dimension to remove who they are writing to together with really write their letters. I had to utter a lot nearly how to write a letter. Do yous position a comma later dear? How do yous land "sincerely"? What should I say? Once everybody had finished their missive of the alphabet (10 minutes or so), I walked students through the steps to crease an origami envelope. I modeled this nether the document camera. (I love that thing!) It in all probability took us nearly 5 minutes for everyone to crease their envelope. The origami folds are non difficult at all. But, for students who are unaccustomed to next directions, it tin live a existent challenge!
Last yr when I did this project, I had several teachers who did non have a unmarried letter. I felt terrible nearly this, together with I did non desire it to spill out this year! To move along this from happening, I highlighted the names of all the teachers who had received a missive of the alphabet later each cast period. Students didn't remove maintain to pick from the unhighlighted names, but I encouraged them to write a missive of the alphabet to i of the teachers who wasn't highlighted if they could. Every instructor got at to the lowest degree 2 letters.
(Read to a greater extent than nearly how to crease the envelope here!)
On Day 2, I gave the students a listing of people who function inwards our schoolhouse that aren't teachers. This included the principal, the librarian, both secretaries, the counselor, the janitor, the 2 cafeteria ladies, the information technology guy, the superintendent, the secretaries inwards the superintendent's office, together with the ladies who function inwards our Indian Education Program. I sat a Smart Board timer for 5 minutes. When the timer went off, students had to crease upwards their letter. Afterwards, nosotros jumped into the day's lesson.
On the 3rd together with concluding day, I gave students the selection to write a missive of the alphabet to whomever they wished. I told them that if I knew the person, I would gladly deliver their missive of the alphabet for them. But, if I didn't know the person, they would remove maintain to deliver it themselves. Again, I sat the timer for v minutes. Some students wrote to classmates. Others wrote to teachers. Still, others wrote to household unit of measurement members. Some students fifty-fifty took this equally an chance to write me a sweetness note. That made me smile!
What made me grin to a greater extent than was the await on people's faces when I got the remove chances to deliver their letters. Many teachers remembered the projection from lastly year, together with thus their faces straightaway lit upwards upon seeing a familiar-looking stack of letters inwards my hand. Helping brand other people's days makes my day. Delivering letters is easily inwards the hand 5 things I larn to do during the schoolhouse year!
Some of my students insisted on delivering their ain letters. This was perfectly fine. By the fourth dimension I delivered the residuum of the letters to i of our English linguistic communication teachers, she had already been touched past times the notes students had written her. She thanked me for doing this activeness alongside my students, together with she emphasized how much it meant to her. Our FACS instructor also pulled me aside to tell me how much the notes meant to her. The facial expression on our janitor's confront when I handed her a stack of 8 or together with thus letters was priceless.
Yesterday, equally I was leaving school, I saw that our counselor had changed the message on the dry out erase board exterior her office. If this message doesn't demonstrate the ability of having your students write a unmarried letter, I don't know what would. If yous can't encounter it, it reads: "Dear Students, Thank yous together with thus much for my letters!! They made me cry--and I volition cherish them forever! Much love to yous all!!"
 |
| Daily Celebration |
Every day, I await upwards a weird together with wacky vacation that is celebrated on the electrical current appointment to part alongside my students. My kids love this. And, almost every day, I remove maintain at to the lowest degree i pupil inquire me if it is really that holiday. Some of them seem to think that I only brand upwards something each twenty-four hours for the holiday. Uh no. I await upwards the daily celebration online. Someone who is agency to a greater extent than creative than me has invented these holidays!
Yesterday was "National Nothing Day." Of course, I had this written on the board. This led to this conversation:
Student: Oh, it's National Nothing Day. Does that hateful nosotros don't remove maintain to do anything today?
Me: Ha. Ha. No.
Student: Well, you're non inwards the vacation spirit today!
I may non remove maintain permit my students celebrate National Nothing Day inwards the agency they wished, but nosotros remove maintain been celebrating this week. This is my 2nd yr to celebrate Universal Letter Writing Week alongside my students. This is i of those things I do that is non mathematical. It isn't tied to whatever criterion or mathematical practice. There are several reasons that I remove maintain my students participate inwards this celebration.
1. I treasure the notes that students remove maintain given me.
2. I absolutely love getting mail. And, I know I'm non lone inwards this.
3. Teaching is oft a thankless profession.
4. Writing letters gets students writing. Writing is ALWAYS good.
5. Writing letters of cheers to teachers together with staff members is fifty-fifty better.
6. Origami envelopes are fun to fold. And, they await together with thus cute all stacked together.
7. Colored newspaper makes my day.
8. From lastly year, I know only how much these notes hateful to the recipients.
9. I firmly believe that this projection leads to a boost inwards staff morale.
This does remove maintain away from instructional time, but I've weighed the pros together with cons. And, inwards my case, the pros far outweigh the cons. The projection starts out alongside lots of colored paper.
 |
| Colored Paper for Letter Writing |
 |
| Stacks of Completed Letters, Waiting To Be Delivered |
On Day 1, students remove maintain the longest fourth dimension to remove who they are writing to together with really write their letters. I had to utter a lot nearly how to write a letter. Do yous position a comma later dear? How do yous land "sincerely"? What should I say? Once everybody had finished their missive of the alphabet (10 minutes or so), I walked students through the steps to crease an origami envelope. I modeled this nether the document camera. (I love that thing!) It in all probability took us nearly 5 minutes for everyone to crease their envelope. The origami folds are non difficult at all. But, for students who are unaccustomed to next directions, it tin live a existent challenge!
Last yr when I did this project, I had several teachers who did non have a unmarried letter. I felt terrible nearly this, together with I did non desire it to spill out this year! To move along this from happening, I highlighted the names of all the teachers who had received a missive of the alphabet later each cast period. Students didn't remove maintain to pick from the unhighlighted names, but I encouraged them to write a missive of the alphabet to i of the teachers who wasn't highlighted if they could. Every instructor got at to the lowest degree 2 letters.
 |
| This pic from lastly yr gives a improve persuasion of how the origami envelopes plough out looking. |
(Read to a greater extent than nearly how to crease the envelope here!)
On Day 2, I gave the students a listing of people who function inwards our schoolhouse that aren't teachers. This included the principal, the librarian, both secretaries, the counselor, the janitor, the 2 cafeteria ladies, the information technology guy, the superintendent, the secretaries inwards the superintendent's office, together with the ladies who function inwards our Indian Education Program. I sat a Smart Board timer for 5 minutes. When the timer went off, students had to crease upwards their letter. Afterwards, nosotros jumped into the day's lesson.
On the 3rd together with concluding day, I gave students the selection to write a missive of the alphabet to whomever they wished. I told them that if I knew the person, I would gladly deliver their missive of the alphabet for them. But, if I didn't know the person, they would remove maintain to deliver it themselves. Again, I sat the timer for v minutes. Some students wrote to classmates. Others wrote to teachers. Still, others wrote to household unit of measurement members. Some students fifty-fifty took this equally an chance to write me a sweetness note. That made me smile!
What made me grin to a greater extent than was the await on people's faces when I got the remove chances to deliver their letters. Many teachers remembered the projection from lastly year, together with thus their faces straightaway lit upwards upon seeing a familiar-looking stack of letters inwards my hand. Helping brand other people's days makes my day. Delivering letters is easily inwards the hand 5 things I larn to do during the schoolhouse year!
Some of my students insisted on delivering their ain letters. This was perfectly fine. By the fourth dimension I delivered the residuum of the letters to i of our English linguistic communication teachers, she had already been touched past times the notes students had written her. She thanked me for doing this activeness alongside my students, together with she emphasized how much it meant to her. Our FACS instructor also pulled me aside to tell me how much the notes meant to her. The facial expression on our janitor's confront when I handed her a stack of 8 or together with thus letters was priceless.
Yesterday, equally I was leaving school, I saw that our counselor had changed the message on the dry out erase board exterior her office. If this message doesn't demonstrate the ability of having your students write a unmarried letter, I don't know what would. If yous can't encounter it, it reads: "Dear Students, Thank yous together with thus much for my letters!! They made me cry--and I volition cherish them forever! Much love to yous all!!"
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| Response to Universal Letter Writing Week |
I realize that equally I write this weblog post, Universal Letter Writing Week is almost over. You don't remove maintain to remove maintain a vacation equally an excuse to remove maintain your students write letters, though. I genuinely believe that this projection volition non solely modify your students' lives but your life together with the lives of all those inwards your schoolhouse equally well. Words are powerful. Too often, my students solely role their words to position others down. Through these letters, students practiced proverb give cheers you. They practiced showing appreciation. They practiced gratitude.
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