1. Snow Day! Probably the best part of the week was getting a phone call very early in the morning on Wednesday, telling me school was cancelled for the day! It was totally unexpected, and very welcome! I did know that there would be some snow, and was thinking we might have a delayed opening, but I didn't expect the whole day!
2. The Day After the Snow Day! Thursday morning, driving to work, was one of the golden gems of New England. The sky was blue and the sun was shining, causing the new fallen snow to sparkle and shine. It was a wet snow, so it was sticking to all the individual branches on the trees. I saw several snow people in yards on the way to school. This all sounds a little sappy, but it was truly beautiful. I'm lucky to have my classroom on the southern side of the building, so I told the kids to go to the window and think about how lucky they are to live in New Hampshire. They didn't hesitate. (They'd look out the window all day if I let them!) They all ooohed and ahhhhed and talked about how beautiful it was. I'm just kicking myself thinking about how I should have taken some photos. By the end of the day, the snow had fallen off the branches, but it's still beautiful. 
3. Another Advantage to a Snow Day! The kids were well rested and ready to work today! I think they were just due for a little break, and now they're back on track! (They've been pretty restless lately!) Yes, we're going to have to add a day to the calendar at the end of the school year, but right now, I'm very happy! I even saw some of the teachers smiling!
4. Passionate Conversation! The snow day made me happy, but this makes me very proud. I read this book to my students today. It's a great introduction for the kids about Martin Luther King Jr, and gives the concept of segregation along with Dr. King's peaceful ways to fight bad laws. I heard lots of passionate conversation from the kids when they heard about how blacks weren't allowed to use the same playgrounds and bathrooms as whites. They were horrified when they heard about Rosa Parks being arrested. "I think that's wrong!" "I don't agree with that!" "Black people and white people are the same on the inside." "It's what's in their heart that matters." When I got to the part when Dr. King was shot, you could hear a pin drop. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that my voice got a little crackly at that point, and I had to go slowly and carefully so I didn't lose control of my own emotions.) I had only planned 10 - 15 minutes for the story, but the conversation went on for close to a half hour. I was ok with that!
5. Great Idea from Ginger Snaps! I found this idea on Ginger Snaps' teacher blog. (Isn't she clever?) It just so happens that we're working on comparatives and superlatives this week, and my kids needed a "snowy" art project! It was simple, gave the kids some practice with the skill, and turned out really cute! Thanks Ginger!
Be sure to drop in on Doodlebugs Teaching to see more Five for Friday!
Ooooh! I hadn't seen Ginger's art project yet! We're getting ready to study the same thing! YAY!
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Third Grade Bookworm
I love your 5! We don't have any students who would be considered "black" in my class, but we have several different cultures and when we talked about Dr. King, they were very passionate about our school family and their class. It was very heart-warming and emotional for me. We are so grateful in our school family for the changes that Dr. King helped implement that make it so we can all go to school together, ride the bus together, drink from the same water fountains, etc.
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