Brummitt's High Ability Blog Spot: You are Awesome!

NATIONAL COMPLIMENT DAY

National Compliment Day on January 24th offers a wonderful way to brighten someone’s day or to give credit for a job well done! Give an extra compliment annually on January 24th and any time one is deserved.

A compliment has a powerful effect. It can instill confidence in a child, or validate someone’s hard work. A compliment not only improves the receiver’s mood, but it also says something about the giver. It tells them you noticed. Whether we recognize someone’s achievement or their classic style, a compliment can go a long way.

To give a great compliment, first be sincere. People have a way of knowing when we are fake. If you don’t mean it, it’s worse than getting a thoughtless birthday gift.

Complimenting character versus a new haircut are different rewards. The first says you respect the person and the other tells them you paid attention. Sometimes the receiver needs to hear one or the other, or both.

Human beings like to be unique, original. Strive to give a compliment about what makes a person stand out above the rest. Take the time to reflect on what you admire about the person.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalComplimentDay

Make sure to compliment someone. Share the compliments you receive that make your day. Do they improve your day? Make a list of different ways to give a compliment and use #NationalComplimentDay to post on social media.

Educators, visit the National Day Calendar® Classroom for a lesson surrounding National Compliment Day.

NATIONAL COMPLIMENT DAY HISTORY

Kathy Chamberlin of Hopkinton, NH and Debby Hoffman of Concord, NH created National Compliment Day in 1998.

There are over 1,500 national days. Don’t miss a single one. Celebrate Every Day® with National Day Calendar®!

Thursday Jan 30

PTO Talent Show at CMS

Thursday Feb 13

Valentine’s Parties

Friday Feb 14

No School

Monday Feb 17

No School- President's day

1^st Grade:

This week, I introduced the children to another secret cipher. First, they were given a handout with the letters P,T,O,S. They had to cut the letters out and make a new word. The children then came up to the doc cam to display their word. I explained to the children that they are making magical connections.

I then showed them another secret message. This secret way to write a message was created by the artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. To decipher this message, the children needed to use mirrors. We then took post-it notes with different letters on them and made new letters.

I then introduced the word “anagram” which is a word or phrase made by rearranging the exact same letters into a new word. We will continue with anagrams next week.

2^nd Grade:

This week, I had the students silently read chapters seven and eight. We then met back up and went over the chapters. We discussed important parts of each chapter.

Chapter seven is where Elmer meets the lion with blackberry twigs in his hair. The lion is so upset, but wants to eat Elmer. Elmer instead distracts him by giving him a comb, brush and bows to fix his mane. In chapter eight, the story starts out with the boars discussing the invasion of the boy on their island.

Next week, we will reread the boar’s conversation. This sets us up for the six thinking hats activity that we will start next week.

3^rd Grade:

The children finished up their Interactions and Me Journal. If you recall from last week, they had to pick a Jane Goodall quote, and apply it to something that happened in their own life. They then presented their paragraph in class.

I then passed out a Jane Goodall booklet with an annotation book mark. An annotation is a note of explanation or comment added to a text or diagram. There are different symbols that the children use to mark something interesting, or when they make a prediction or inference, when they have a question, or when they are confused about something, are just a few examples of annotations. We will finish this up next week.

4^th Grade:

This week, we started working on a mystery packet together. I sent the girls off to read this on their own. It’s important to understand the terminology of a mystery.

I asked them if they’ve ever heard of a red herring. Most thought it was a bird. I had one student who knew the answer. A red herring is a misleading clue in a mystery story. It is a trick used by story tellers to keep the reader guessing about what’s really going on. We also discussed that the packet and all of its parts are needed to solve the mystery. Next week we will discuss more terminology and continue our packet.

1^st Grade:

This week in math, we went over their chapter check-up from last week. The children were able to design their own shapes for Imi and Zani. The children had grid paper to work with. They needed to use 8 square units or less.

Once they were finished with their new target, they had to cut them out and write the area on the back. We then did a Think Beyond card. The children were given two shapes. They needed to predict which one was bigger and decide how to measure.

I asked them if they could measure them with square units, and most said no. One student said you need triangles units to measure them, and he was right. They then needed to fit them in the shape correctly, trace each shape, and color each one with a separate color. We will begin a Think Deeply next week.

2^ndGrade:

This week, I read the children a fax from the Detective Duo, Dru and Teller, about bubble shapes. In this lesson, they will learn the difference between 2- and 3-dimensional solids and build both using straws.

We discussed the difference between both. A 2-D shape is flat and only has two dimensions, such as length and width. A 3-D shape is a solid shape that takes up space and has three dimensions, such as length, width, and height.

I put the children into groups and then directed them to the workbook page Building 2-D Shapes. They had to pick from 8 different shapes and make a total of six as a group. I gave them straws and pipe cleaners to make their shapes. They were very excited while doing this activity. We will continue with this activity next week.

3^rd Grade:

The children went on a field trip this week so we only met once. They finished up their number patterns worksheet and we started a 100’s chart pattern worksheet.

When they were finished they were able to work on their Zaccaro packets. If you’re not familiar with Edward Zaccaro, he is a teacher in Gifted Education and holds a master’s in gifted education. His workbooks offer a higher level of material that goes beyond calculation skills. Most of the children truly love the packets.

4^th Grade:

The children finished up their polyhedron math packets this week. I gave them more time due to a couple students who needed to get caught up. We reviewed as a group for the chapter check-up.