Jesus is Born! Our Recaps of the Big Event

The children stood in a circle and each one told a sentence from their memory of the Bible story of Jesus' birth. We went around a couple of times until the whole story was told. Once the children has the sequence established. we created a word bank on the chalkboard. Then each child got to work trying to create sentences to retell the story in thier own words. After a meeting with their "editor', they copied the stories in neat handwriting and drew a nativity scene free hand. The pictures are terrific. As soon as I figure out how to scan the children's drawings, I will put them here with their stories.

Here are a few of the stories.

Sulmi wrote:
The Angel Gabriel told Mary, "You will be pregnant."
Mary was afraid.
Joseph led Mary on a donkey to Bethlehem.
All the people said "No".
Mary gave birth to Jesus.
Mary was happy.
Three kings followed a star.
The kings gave gifts to Jesus.
Mary and Joseph kneeled.


Rayan wrote:
An angel talked to Mary.
Mary will have a baby.
Then jesus was born.
The baby slept in a manger.
A star shone on the manger.
Shepherds watched their sheep,
The angels ang and smiled,
Three kings went to see Jesus.

Kristel wrote:
Mary was afraid because the angel said, "You will have a baby."
Mary and Joseph rode the donkey to Bethlehem.,
They knocked on all the doors.
Only one man said, "Yes, you can sleep here."
The shepherds saw the angels. They left their sheep and followed the star.
Far away they went to see the baby Jesus.
They gave gifts to the baby.
Cows and horses watched the baby.
Mary was happy.

Hipolito wrote:
The Angel Gabriel came down from Heaven.
The Angel Gabriel said, "Don't be afraid, Mary."
He said Mary will have a baby.
Mary and Joseph rode on a donkey.
Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem.
Mary and Joseph knocked on many doors.
Finally one man said, "We are full. There is no room, but you can sleep with the animals."
Mary hurt because she was pregnant.
Mary gave birth to the baby.
She was happy.
Joseph made a manger bed.
Mary wrapped the baby in cloths and put him on the manger.
A star shone down on Jesus.
Jesus was famous.
Then the angel came down to the shepherds.
The angel said, "Don't be afraid. Go to Bethlehem."
The men went to Bethlehem and saw the baby Jesus.
Later three kings followed the star.
The three kings gave Jesus gifts of gold.

Dreams

We learned about Marc Chagall. He was a French painter who painted many pictures that have a dream-like quality. Sometimes the things he painted really happened to him and sometimes they were just in his imagination. The children drew pictures of their dreams and then wrote stories about the drawings. All the stories went through a writing process that included individual, peer, and teacher editing.

Enjoy these "dreams".

Playing Football
By Alejandro Gomez

I was playing football with the other boys near my house. We play at Trial Farm School in the grass there. A boy put his foot out and I tripped over it. I fell. I was hurt.

Many boys play football. One team is red and the other team is blue. We play five on a side.

When I fell the boys teased me. They laughed at me. No one helped me. I cried. My mom took me to the hospital.
Later, when I was strong again, we played a football game in the stadium. There were many people sitting on the bleachers watching. We played hard. I drank a lot of water. I was tired but I continued to play anyway.

I kicked the ball. I made a goal! We won the game. All the people said “Hooray for Alejandro!”

Magic Fingers
By Misael Ayuso

The bus is a mess. It is old.
The bike is a mess. It is broken.
The boy doesn’t like messes.
The boy is sad.

The boy likes clean and new.
The boy has magic fingers.
The boy touches the bus. It is new.
The boy touches the bike. It is new.
The boy is happy because the bike and bus are clean.

The Boat Trip
By Sulmi Valencia

Sulmi enjoys riding in the boat nad seeing the water. The blue sky and clouds are beautiful. Sulmi sees a black bird. It flies into a green tree. Sulmi wants to swim in the water. She swims in the clean water. She can see the black bird and the tree.

Then the shark comes. It bites Sulmi’s arm. Sulmi yells for help. She cries. There is blood all over the water. Sulmi is hurt.

Sulmi swims fast. She sits by the green tree and rests. She will be better.

I Can Fly
By Rayan Poncio

I can fly.
I see the tree top.
I see a fox.
I see the house.
I see the girl jump.
I fly like an airplane.

A Dream
By Hipolito Cima

San was sleeping. He had a dream. He dreamed he was strong and his skin was green. He dreamed he was a man. He tossed and turned while he was sleeping.

He dreamed some men were flying a big plane with many people inside. The plane crashed into a factory where they refine oil. San, who was big and green and looked like Hulk, jumped near the broken plane. He ripped the crumpled metal side of the plane to open it. He let the people out. All the people thanked him.

Suddenly San was awake. His dream dissolved and he was no longer green or huge or strong. He was back to his normal size. San walked sleepily into the kitchen to eat breakfast. He smiled as he remembered his dream.

Animal Riddles

Can you guess our riddles?

The answers are at the bottom of the page.

Luis writes:

I like to swim in cold water.

I like to eat fish.

I like to play.

I have two flippers.

Who am I?

Misael writes:

I am white and black.

I eat bamboo.

I climb trees.

I am fat.

Who am I?

Sulmi writes:

I am gray.

I have a horn.

I get mad.

I paw my feet in the dirt and charge.

I live in Africa.

Who am I?

Elizanie writes:

I have sharp teeth.

I eat meat.

I have four legs.

I like to run.

I have lots of hair around my face.

Who am I?

Ginelli writes:

I have a pouch.

I keep my baby in my pouch.

I like to jump and hop.

I like to play with friends.

Who am I?

Sair writes:

I like to swim in rivers in Belize.

I eat rats.

I eat eggs.

I am different colors.

I am brown or black or gray.

I don't have legs.

Who am I?

Hipolito writes:

I eat meat.

I have a tail.

My fur is black and orange.

I live in Africa.

I have four legs

My teeth are big.

My feet have claws.

Who am I?

Alejandro writes:

I have feathers.

I have ears.

I live in trees.

I hunt for rats at night.

Who am I?

Kristel writes:

I am orange.

I eat rats.

I have a fat tail.

I have teeth.

I have a little black nose.

I live in the forest.

Who am I?

Answers: seal, panda, rhino, lion, kangaroo, snake, tiger, owl, fox

A New School Year

Below are some pictures taken the first week of school.

The children selected topics and wrote about one aspect of our school day or classroom.

Ginelli and Luis practice their multipliction tables.

Ginelli writes:

We have a playground. I play on the see-saw. I swing. I go down the slide. I play with Sulmi and Kristel.

We have many rules at school. Jesus said that all of the rules can be summed up into one: Love each other. Luis drew a "LOVE" picture and brought it to school.

Luis writes:

Miss Marshall teaches us about the Bible. We learn. We have a Bible verse book. We write a verse and draw a picture.

Hipolito and Sair play a game with multiplication flashcards

Hipolito writes:

We play during break. We buy chips and ideal for 2 shillings.

When break is finished we line up.

The teacher says, "No talking. Look forward."

The teacher tells us we can go in the room and sit at our desks.

Sair writes:

I like to read books. The boys read books together. I have fun reading. Reading books is important. Reading books makes you smart.

Rayan, Misael, and Elizanie are playing a math game.

Rayan writes:

We have assembly. We respect the Belize flag. We sign the Belize National Anthem. We stand up straight.

Misael writes:

We win marbles if we are good. We want to fill the jar. When the jar is full, we get a movie. I want to see the Batman movie.

Elizanie writes:

In spelling we practice words. We help each other. We focus, not talk. I got 100%.

JP gives the thumbs up. He's proud he knows how to do his math paper.

JP writes:

We have a turtle. I watch the turtle. The turtle eats banana. The turtle is a boy. We like the turtle. The turtle is fun, cute, and nice. The turtle pulls in his head and hides in his shell.

Kristel, Sulmi and Ginelli are friends. They like to work together.

Kristel writes:

I'm smart in math. I practice. I want to learn and not forget. I focus on my work. I don't chat. I am learning multiplication. I watch the teacher. I write in my math book.

Sulmi writes:

We work in the garden. We clean weeds. We rake grass. We help dig in the dirt. We plant tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, and flowers. We water the garden.

Alejandro likes working in the reading corner.

Alejandro writes:

We learn about respect. We made a movie. I encourage. I'm kind. We're happy.