Greetings!

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. This week in literacy, we have been discussing the different components of a book, specifically the characters and setting in a story. My hopes is that the children will apply this knowledge to the books they are writing and ask themselves if they have these different components in their story. When reading with your child at home, ask them who the characters were and what the setting was in the story to work on their comprehension skills. I have also been working with the students on how to access a reading book or math game on the Ipad independently. They really enjoy using the Ipad for a variety of things, so it is very important that they develop a sense of independence when on it. It hasn't taken them long to feel comfortable using it and accessing what they want... imagine that! We did a heart word activity that I must share because the students enjoyed it so much! They all taped a heart word on their forehead. They had a sheet with all the students names and then 15 heart words. They had to draw a line from a classmate's name to the heart word that was on their forehead. With process of elimination, the children had to guess which word was on their head. It was very fun and engaging!



Bella draws a line from Kaydence's name to the word "please." They couldn't wait to see what word they had!





In math, the children have showed an even deeper interest in maps, for they created a map of both their classroom and school. The objective of these activities was to enrich the children's understanding of measurement, distances, and spatial relationships. Next week: treasure maps! The children are still exploring the meaning of "half." We have looked at paper cut in half, food divided in half, and even a half a cup of water vs. a cup of water. Incorporating our vet center, we talked about the needs of the animals and how if you give a dog too little or too much food, it would not be good for them. The dog bowl, dog food, and measuring cups were put in the office, and the children have been taking good care of the animals by giving them the right amount of food.

In science, the investigation with weather is still occurring, however from it, an interest of water has been heavily expressed. To expand more on their wondering about the interaction between rain and different types of land, the children went outside with their science buckets, spray bottles, and clip boards to experiment with the different types of land surrounding their school. The buckets of water represented a heavy downpour, and the spray bottles represented a light rain. How many buckets of water will it take for the grass to stop soaking it up and for it to form a puddle? How about using the spray bottle? How many sprays did it take until a puddle formed? The children discovered it was faster for a puddle to form when they sprayed the water directly on a patch of dirt and no grass. When Alexis was putting grass on the dirt around the tree, Marlo exclaimed, "Remember we couldn't make a puddle with grass, so go get dirt!" They also poured water on the asphalt, and we watched throughout the day as the water disappeared and evaporated.


Bella and Nathan count how many sprays of water it takes to make a tiny puddle.

"I am thinking we won't have to spray as many times if we are over on the parking lot. Let's go!" (Bella D.)




-Alexis, Bella, Sophia, and Jordan explore the idea of evaporation.







The children already have ants in their pants because they are so excited for spring break! Hopefully the visit with COSI will help! Have a great rest of the weekend!