Our Second Thanksgiving in Shenyang

This is a very food-centered post, but while living in China, I feel like most of my concerns and triumphs are food related. My cousin, Joanna, sent us ingredients to make a pumpkin pie (along with other yummy gifts) so that we didn't have worry about trying to make one by scratch. Pumpkin pie tasted delicious, after not having had any for at least two years. Thanks for the thoughtful package, Joanna! :)

Our teeny-tiny-toaster oven.

Ingredients to make a lot of yummy corn souffle.

The best-looking sour cream I've ever made.

Our Thanksgiving family-away-from-family. We had a large group of about 18 adults/teenagers and a few babies as well!



The lovely, and very festive, autumn decorations! Although at this point, I think we had snow outside...

Lots of scrumptious food, prepared and eaten with such thankfulness and gluttony. At this point, the turkey still had not arrived. Yes, you can buy turkey at one of the stores in our city!

~Julie

Classroom Check Up

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus...that's the phrase I think about when I look at the difference between mine and Adam's classrooms. Learning transpires in both places, but in very different ways. Here's a look at Adam's momentum project his 8th grade students worked on. They didn't do as well as he had hoped, and they TRASHED this classroom. I wish that I could show the video clips of their project, but I am not allowed to post pictures/movies of students. In my opinion, I think it is awesome. It is based on the band, OK GO's music video for "This Too Shall Pass". Look it up on You Tube and you'll get an idea what their project was like!

Mars

Venus

~julie

Biome Flip Book Review

After spending a few months learning about 6 of the earth's major biomes, the third grade students compiled information about each biome and organized it in a giant flip book. They had to write about one plant and animal from each biome and explain how it is specially designed for it's habitat. They also included 5 important facts and a section about how the Creator continues to provide for these biomes. This was their last activity and part of their final for this unit since I did not help them to put together their flip books.

Cute penguin!

~julie

Pilgrim Pocket Books

Welcome to my first attempt at Pocket Books. There is not a doubt, they are a lot of work. First off, you have to actually make the books out of large pieces of construction paper. Then you have to make a bajillion copies and show students how to cut, paste, and color. You have to glean the information that is crammed onto each document, and slowly fill up the pockets. We probably spend 7 hours on the Pilgrim Pocket Book--and learned a lot since it added so much to our curriculum--but we only actually finished half of the pocket book material. I have another one for pioneers, and another for Native Americans. I missed the chance to create the pioneer pocket books because I forgot I had bought this resource--but we will definitely do the Native American pocket book since our social studies book is so bland.


Here's a look at some of the information inside. There really was so much. I was surprised how much about Pilgrims, Wampanoags, and Plymouth I did not know, even after studying and reading about much in my own education, and teaching it last year.

There are lots of little information books about topics. Here you can see three: Building a Village; The Family; and Going to School. Did you know that pilgrim children who interrupted in school had to sit with a stick in their mouth as punishment? My kids thought that was pretty graphic, especially since I'm always reminding them NOT to interrupt. It was shocking to them that interrupting was punished so harshly! Interrupting shows lack of self-control, so I guess that's why they disciplined interrupters.

~julie

Egg Drops and Upper Cuts

On Friday, Adam's eighth grade science class designed and created protective gear for an egg and then watched as Mr. Johnson threw their projects from the fourth floor fire escape. Some of the elementary classes went outside to watch as eggs dropped from more than forty feet. 2nd grade B, 3rd grade and 2-3rd grade ESL and 1st grade ESL were all out their, screaming their little heads off as egg after egg was tossed down. Some eggs broke on the first plunge, while others survived for a second round. The second fall was much more dangerous, since Adam chucked them down towards the blacktop as hard as he could. Still, some eggs were able to survive!

Here is Adam throwing down one of the projects--the lighting is not the greatest.



This past week was busy with parent teacher conferences. Thursday and Friday were half days, which made the week go by much faster! We were still able to have Treasure Island rehearsal on Thursday and were able to finish blocking Act 1. Some of the actors also were able to create some fight sequences. A few of the sequences were very realistic and creative. I think I should promote those students to "fight choreographers".

Conferences were successful for third grade--I was glad to be able to meet more of my students' parents and have some meaningful and much needed conversations with them. A major difference that I see between this year's first quarter conferences and last year's is the amount of work I left the conferences with. So many parents requested extra handwriting or math or grammar homework. Now each student has a different set of optional homework...I still have two more conferences to go next week---I will be busy every day after school.

One of the high points of my week was getting to teach a mini-unit on one-room school houses (within our pioneer unit). At the end of the week, we role played one-room school house lessons. We learned math, reading, and spelling lessons while the desks were set up in rows. We recited the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of "school", and recited our lessons at the end. All the students were in different grade levels and ciphered their problems on their slates (our little whiteboards). So cute! The kids ate it up and begged that normal third grade always be like a one room school house.... I don't think so!

Getting ready for another busy week--Adam has a middle-school and high school lock-in this Friday and I think that I am helping by default this year. A lot of kids to supervise all night long! My TI will also not be able to come to school Tuesday--Friday. Her frequent absences are definitely becoming an added burden to me.

~julie

Wisdom from above

Ever since my walk with Him became real, I have been craving His wisdom. Maybe even before then, though. Wisdom is a tricky thing--something you can't just obtain naturally--you have to run after it all the time and catch it if you can. It's also a gift. Something that can be passed down to you by a mentor or parent. The best kind of wisdom is from above.

Sometimes I am impressed by wisdom of eight year old students. Literally, "out of the mouth of babes". Their theology is fresh, unbiased, and poignant. To have the mind of a child who has a heart for her father. Sometimes these little kids are very convicting. Being their teacher is a blessing and a privilege--it shows me how much a lack as a follower and how much more I need to grow. Their questions and ideas push me forward and hold me accountability. Having eleven little pairs of eyes watch my every action, and eleven pairs of super-sonic ears around is a great way to stay humble.

~julie

The Heat is On

Right on schedule too! I was pleasantly surprised that our apartment was a comfortable temperature when we arrived home today!

Here are a few more pictures that I wanted to share

At the hole-in-the-wall dvd store where we buy most of our tv shows and movies.

Adam waiting for the lady to tally up the total cost of our many movies and tv shows that we had picked out.



An old church building that is now club--and some interesting tree lights that move in downward patters--it reminds us of Avatar trees.


Our principal's cute son chewing on a date. He's making such a silly face!



Men on the clubhouse in our apartment complex, using a pulley to transport dirt (or something) onto the roof.

Adam, keeping score at one of the volleyball games.


One of our high school teachers meeting Jachin, our friends' new foster son.


Volleyball ref standing on a desk to officiate a game....I was amazed that the refs didn't fall or break the desks! I'm always too scared to stand on our desks.


Some cute paragraphs about Despereaux that two of my students wrote.


Update of the "Story Building" competitions. Four of the students have read and completed at least 13 chapter books and book reports. The yellow squares represent the second round of books they have read--the lights are turning on in the building of stories!


Some autumn and thanksgiving books in our classroom library...

~julie