Alike and Different

This routine is from High Yield Routines for Grades K-8. Across our school, we are implementing the numeracy routines detailed in this book, focusing on one routine each month. For December, my class did the "Alike and Different" routine. Each day, I projected a Venn diagram on the whiteboard. I chose one student to pick our first number and another to pick our second - the numbers had to be between 0 and 100. Then, I gave each student a talking partner. With their talking partner, they had to identify ways in which the two numbers are similar and different. After students shared with their partners, I called on kids at random to share their thinking with the whole group and recorded it on the board. 

For example, if the numbers were 82 and 66, students might identify the following similarities:

• They are both even.

• They are both greater than 60.

• They are both double-digit numbers. 

Differences could be:

• 66 is smaller, while 82 is greater.

• 66 has the same number in the tens place and the ones place, while 82 has different numbers in each.

• 82 includes a straight line (the bottom line of the 2), while 66 is composed entirely of curves

Double-Digit Subtraction

We worked through this unit. I was hoping that by the end of December, the students would have mastered double-digit subtraction, and we'd be ready to move on. However, we're not quite there yet - we will spend at least the first week of January reviewing.

Upon reflection, I think that some of the strategies included in this unit are a bit too complicated. In future years, I plan on not teaching the expanded form or compensation strategies. My hunch is that the students will develop more competence if I teach fewer strategies and spend more time on each. 

Review Group

Based on summative assessment at the end of November, I identified a small group of students who were still struggling with double-digit addition. One of our Resource Teachers took these students out for review for one block on Friday mornings this month, and our other Resource Teacher put together duotangs of extra practice for them to do at home. As a result of these interventions, we have seen good progress from these students. 

We continued on with this Poet Prints Teaching unit. This month, we mostly focused on learning about water sources. For each water source, we completed a reading. We read a book from Epic about the ocean, and then, based on what they remembered from the book as well as their prior knowledge, students wrote four sentences about the ocean and drew a picture. We repeated this routine to learn about rivers and glaciers. 

We also learned about springs. For this water source, I could not find a book to use as a resource, so instead, I had Microsoft Copilot write a passage for the students to read. Then, they had to highlight four (non-consecutive) sentences in the passage that they found interesting and record the information rephrased in their own words. This was a good opportunity to learn the skill of rewording, which will be important as the students work on informational writing projects in the years to come. 

Speaking of informational writing...

We wrote informational reports about winter holidays. We used a Reading A-Z resource for this. This project offered an opportunity for students to share their unique cultural knowledge. I learned about Nisse the Danish elf, who visits one of my students each day in the runup to Christmas; Lunar New Year; and the Indian festival of Onam. My students teach me as much as I teach them! 

As a class, we put together a box of self-care items for an unhoused woman and donated it through The Shoebox Project. This organization has some great lesson plans on their website that connect to important concepts across the curriculum. Here are a few of the activities we engaged in:

Our school counsellor visited and taught the students about the importance of healthy relationships. 

We did a financial literacy activity: I gave students a copy of page 6 of this document and had them work in partners to plan a meal for a family, imagining that they have $20 to spend. This was a good opportunity to discuss the concept of cost of living and the challenges some people in our community face when trying to meet their basic needs. 

We watched The Ugly Duckling and discussed the duckling's experience of homelessness and discrimination.

In library, we read On Our Street: Our first talk about poverty. Then, students completed a "knew-new" graphic organizer - they identified something they'd already known about poverty and homelessness, then something new that they'd learned from the book. 

We wrote about Kindness from A-Z and compiled our writing into a class book, which has now become a favourite for independent and buddy reading! 

We read a nonfiction passage about snow from the unit linked above and filled in a graphic organizer. 

I had an appointment in the afternoon so I had a TTOC in for me. She did this snowman art lesson with the students. Instead of using white stickers as the instructions say, the students just cut and glued white paper. This is a simple and fun art project for those pre-winter break days when the energy level is starting to ramp up. 

This is actually not from the unit linked above - it’s an additional theme that I wanted to incorporate into our 12 days. 

We tried out some Nutcracker dance moves!

We also did this Nutcracker art project from Deep Space Sparkle, which the students absolutely LOVED. This took four days total:

Day 1: We did the backgrounds: we drew with pencil, then traced with Sharpie. Next, we painted, using only white, blue, and green paint. This was a good opportunity to explore color mixing. Also, students colored their nutcracker figures - I think this was their favourite part!

Day 2: We used blue and white paint to add another layer of details.

Day 3: We added glitter!

Day 4: We glued our colored figures to the background and added dollar store gem stickers.

In the past, I’ve also done a simplified version of this that only takes two days:

Day 1: Color the Nutcracker figures; paint the background with watercolor.

Day 2: Cut white paper as the snow and glue it on. Glue on the Nutcracker figure. Optional: use black construction paper to add a tree. 

We read a nonfiction booklet about reindeer from the unit linked above. We also did this reindeer art project, which is a good way to teach texture as an element of design (part of the curricular content for Arts Education 2 and 3). The students enjoyed designing their reindeers' sweaters! 

We did two activities from the unit linked above:

1. We read a reader's theater script of The Elves and the Shoemaker.

2. In library, students wrote about what a day in the life of an elf would be like. This was fun for them to imagine! 

I scheduled this for the day of our school-wide singalong. 

During our LA block, we read and discussed a nonfiction passage from the unit above about the history of winter holiday carols, with a focus on the idea of continuity and change, which is important in our provincial Social Studies curriculum.

We started the day with a cookie exchange - from 8:45 to 9:30, students’ families were invited to spend time in our classroom sharing cookies and warm drinks, reading books with their children, and catching up with each other. This was a cosy way to start our day!

Later, we built bridges for the gingerbread man. I’d planned this as a quick activity, but the students were very engaged, and we ended up spending the whole afternoon on this. I created groups of three to four students and gave each group some materials to work with: popsicle sticks; tin foil; pieces of cardboard; and cardboard rolls. I taped an image of a gingerbread man on a rock, and we used the rock to test the strength of the bridges once they were built. We also got out the toy cars to test whether we’d be able to drive cars over and/or under the bridges.

This was a good way for students to practice some of their ADST skills. I think the most valuable aspect was the collaboration. I found it interesting to observe students as they participated - to see how students could take the lead, listen to each other’s ideas, and persist when things weren’t working; and to see which aspects were challenging for some. I’ll definitely do this activity again in future years!

We made candy cane bark! This activity is not from the unit above - I just used a recipe I found online. I gave each student a turn to cut up pieces of candy cane using scissors, and they enjoyed this. However, apart from that, this mostly involved them watching me make the recipe. And eating it, of course! If I were to do a candy cane cooking or baking activity in the future, I'd probably choose something that is more hands-on for the students. 

We read a passage from the unit above about winter holiday trees in the past compared to the present and filled in a graphic organizer. Again, this connects to the Social Studies concept of continuity and change. 

We also did this art lesson. This was very time-consuming - if you plan to try it, I'd recommend allotting at least 80 minutes. I would do this project again. It was simple and accessible, and each student's turned out unique. It was a good project to keep the class (relatively) calm and focused during the hectic days leading up to the break. 

I had the students watch a video read aloud of The Polar Express on YouTube. I planned that they'd fill in a graphic organizer from the unit linked above that asks them to identify important events in the story, but we ran out of time. This was the day of the holiday concert dress rehearsal, so it was a very busy time! 

We did a Social Studies activity from the unit linked above about wants vs. needs vs. wishes. Also, I printed off the stocking template from the unit above and had students decorate them - this was a simple activity to fill time on the very last day before break.