Friday, December 20, 2013
Holiday Fun - JibJab Style!
As part of our Music/Technology class this week, we made some JibJab videos. After watching (and getting a good laugh from) the one's that I made for them, the students all used the iPads to create their own!
I hope you enjoy them, and have a great Winter Break, a merry Christmas, happy New Year and any other holidays that you and your family may celebrate!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Oh, the many things we do.....
The other day, the children and I took a nature walk outside. It is so nice to go outside and get some fresh air everyday. Not knowing what we might find, we zipped up our coats, grabbed our clipboards, and headed outside. Sure enough, one of the first things we found was fresh celery in our garden! The children noticed that many of the other plants and flowers were crumpled over and dead, but the celery looked so green and crisp. Kaiden, Sophia and a few other students used a shovel to help harvest the celery. We were going to eat the celery for a snack that day, but Aurora had a better idea! Why not put peanut butter and raisins on the celery to make "ants on a log?" What a fantastic and healthy idea! The next day, the children experienced what it means to work as a team to get a task accomplished. The class and I traveled to the kitchen and every child had a job. Jobs included cutting the celery, washing and drying, spreading the peanut butter, and putting the raisins on the celery. It was fun to see the children form an assembly line and work together as a team. They were all very proud of the job they had, and they completed it wonderfully! The ending product tasted so yummy. Nina and CJ even tried the ants on a log even though they thought they didn't like celery... but they loved it! Children are more likely to eat vegetables that they grow and harvest themselves, so this is a great time to start thinking of spring gardening in your own home!
Above (Left:) Mackenzie, Lucia, Sam, and Kaiden design the "day" portrait.
Above (Right:) The children are amazed as they watch their art come to life!
Here is a link teaching you how to complete a melted crayon art portrait with your child. The ending product is amazing and is something you will have forever!
PS- Here is a tip: Do you have a lot of crayons laying around your house? Do you have broken crayons that your child never uses? Reuse those crayons in this project instead of buying a new pack!
http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Melted-Crayon-Art/345
Above (top:) Sophia harvests the fresh, crisp celery.
Above (left:) Luke, Avery, and Sophia work hard at spreading the peanut butter and placing the raisins on the celery.
Above (right:) Riley and Gabriel take turns cutting the edges off the celery.
Something else that I would like to tell you about is our collaborative melted crayon art project. Here is how the project developed: It was one sunny afternoon and the students needed plenty of table space to complete a project. They moved their pencil and crayon containers on the windowsill to give themselves more room. Soon after, the crayons were melting due to the sun! What could also melt crayons? This lead into a discussion about other sources of heat and what makes things hot. The children believe that if you put crayons in an oven, they will melt. Charles believes that if we would place crayons in a desert, they would melt because "it is hot in the desert." We talked about another source of heat... the hair dryer! For art that week, the children planned and designed a night and day portrait out of peeled crayons. This fit perfectly into the curriculum, for the children have been investigating day and night. The beautiful night portrait includes stars, the black sky, and a moon. The day portrait is of a sun shining down on a blue, wavy ocean. When the hair dryer was turned on, the children loved watching the crayon melt throughout the masterpiece. We talked about how the crayon started off as a solid, turned into a liquid due to the heat, and then turned back into a solid. The portraits are displayed in the hallway, so make sure to stop by and take a look at the works of art!
Above (Left:) Mackenzie, Lucia, Sam, and Kaiden design the "day" portrait.
Above (Right:) The children are amazed as they watch their art come to life!
Here is a link teaching you how to complete a melted crayon art portrait with your child. The ending product is amazing and is something you will have forever!
PS- Here is a tip: Do you have a lot of crayons laying around your house? Do you have broken crayons that your child never uses? Reuse those crayons in this project instead of buying a new pack!
http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Melted-Crayon-Art/345
Friday, November 15, 2013
"Mrs. Bowen, it's snowing!!"
Hi Families!
The students could not have been MORE excited to see snow falling on the ground this week. One by one, they would enter the classroom wanting to tell me all about the snow, their car ride, and how they would be going sled riding after school. Disregarding my original morning plans, the students bundled back up and we took a nature walk. They took their cameras out and took photographs of the beautiful snow-filled trees and bushes. The children noticed the puddles in the parking lot, which led into a discussion about the sun. The children made their observations and we compared the weather patterns that have been occurring.
The children have been investigating the difference between day and night. What are the objects found in the sky during the day and night? Why is it light outside during the day? What are the different animals we might see during the day and night? The children have had a blast learning about nocturnal and diurnal animals. They used clay, paint, and pipe cleaners to represent a nocturnal and diurnal animal, and have been working hard at their first "play." The play will teach other classes about nocturnal and diurnal animals. Luke has been so kind to take the role as our narrator, and the other students are taking the role as the animals. Nina made a mask of a pig, Charles made a mask of a fox, Sophia made a mask of a lamb, and Aurora made a mask of a mouse. They are having fun acting their part and making their puppet creations come alive!
The children are learning to be brave and sound out those "scary" words. They are learning strategies to hear past the first sound. I have demonstrated how writers decide what they will write, isolate the first word, say it and stretch it out, write the first sound, reread it, and listen for more sounds until the word is satisfactorily represented on the page. The children know that an alphabet chart can help them locate letters for sounds they have not yet internalized. Each child has their own alphabet chart nestled in their writing folders for easy access.
Other Photos:
Above (Left:) Avery was kind enough to let her chickens come to school! The children were thrilled! Luke, among many others, now wants to live on a farm.
Above (Right:) Mr. Morber did a terrific job as our mystery reader today. He read a book about bats, which fit perfectly in with our nocturnal animal investigation! Thank you, Mr. Morber!
For another activity to do with your child, check out this one! They recently created animal sculptures using clay, so this will be a great extension!
http://www.thechocolatemuffintree.com/2012/11/turkey-pinch-pots.html
Enjoy! Thank you for all your support!
The students could not have been MORE excited to see snow falling on the ground this week. One by one, they would enter the classroom wanting to tell me all about the snow, their car ride, and how they would be going sled riding after school. Disregarding my original morning plans, the students bundled back up and we took a nature walk. They took their cameras out and took photographs of the beautiful snow-filled trees and bushes. The children noticed the puddles in the parking lot, which led into a discussion about the sun. The children made their observations and we compared the weather patterns that have been occurring.
The children have been investigating the difference between day and night. What are the objects found in the sky during the day and night? Why is it light outside during the day? What are the different animals we might see during the day and night? The children have had a blast learning about nocturnal and diurnal animals. They used clay, paint, and pipe cleaners to represent a nocturnal and diurnal animal, and have been working hard at their first "play." The play will teach other classes about nocturnal and diurnal animals. Luke has been so kind to take the role as our narrator, and the other students are taking the role as the animals. Nina made a mask of a pig, Charles made a mask of a fox, Sophia made a mask of a lamb, and Aurora made a mask of a mouse. They are having fun acting their part and making their puppet creations come alive!
Above (Left:) Drew, Charles, and Sam show off their nocturnal animal masks!
Above (Right:) Luke, Aurora, Mackenzie, Isaac, and Lucia work together on the collaborative day/night mural
The children are learning to be brave and sound out those "scary" words. They are learning strategies to hear past the first sound. I have demonstrated how writers decide what they will write, isolate the first word, say it and stretch it out, write the first sound, reread it, and listen for more sounds until the word is satisfactorily represented on the page. The children know that an alphabet chart can help them locate letters for sounds they have not yet internalized. Each child has their own alphabet chart nestled in their writing folders for easy access.
Other Photos:
Above (Left:) Avery was kind enough to let her chickens come to school! The children were thrilled! Luke, among many others, now wants to live on a farm.
Above (Right:) Mr. Morber did a terrific job as our mystery reader today. He read a book about bats, which fit perfectly in with our nocturnal animal investigation! Thank you, Mr. Morber!
For another activity to do with your child, check out this one! They recently created animal sculptures using clay, so this will be a great extension!
Enjoy! Thank you for all your support!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Hi Everyone! Happy Saturday and Happy November!
Well, the children's puppetry project is underway! It all started from when the children were showing interest with playing, making, and watching puppets. However, they would create and use the puppets without a purpose. That is where I come in! The children are learning how to create characters from puppets, as well as retell stories using their creations. The children have been engaged with making stick and bag puppets, but it is not over yet! Not having any place to perform, the children brainstormed different ways to create a puppet theater. Aurora had the idea of making the theater out of a big box, and then cutting a hole in the front. They problem solved where the theater should go. Thinking that the box could go in front of our word wall, Sam brought up the point that it would cover up the words and it is not enough space to get around and enter the box. The children have had so much fun designing the puppet theater. They have covered the box with big, black paper, and have helped cutting the window out. How will they get in you ask? The children want to cut a door in the back, as well as hang lights, add curtains, and add the backdrop, or setting, for the show. Teaching about the elements of a good story right now is important, for the children are beginning to create their own books. The elements of a story include the characters, setting, problem and solution, and the beginning, middle, and end. I am also teaching the children that characters can be more then just people, but they can also be things and animals. The children are in the middle of making their own "Grouchy Ladybug" book, though they are adding their own special twist. For instance, Gabriel is writing about "The Angry Fox," Charles is writing about "The Angry Tiger," Nina is writing about "The Lonely Fish," and Kaiden is writing about "The Enthusiastic Fish." What wonderful titles! The children love to think about themselves as an author, and all it takes is a pencil and a few pieces of paper stapled together.
Below: Sam is helping Mrs. Bowen by clearing the space where our puppet theater went! Luke is busy taping the paper to the box. Nina is working on tracing letters to make the title for our puppet show.
The children have also been interested in the idea of frost. They were so excited one morning because they saw a lot of frost on the ground and on leaves during our nature walk. But what exactly is frost? When does frost go away? The children are beginning to investigate this concept. In the morning we made predictions on whether or not the frost would still be there by the time of recess. Eight children said it would be gone, and eight children thought it would still be there. Sure enough, we went out to the same spot the children saw the frost to see if it was still there and it wasn't! They are wondering why it is gone, as well as why frost forms on some leaves but not on all leaves.
Above: The children examine the exact spot where they had seen frost earlier that morning!
In math, the children are learning how to write their numbers correctly. To help at home, here are the chants that I am teaching them:
Zero: "Curve from the top: be a hero! Close the loop and make a zero."
One: "Top to the bottom....then you're done. You just made the number one!"
Two: "Half a moon, there's more to do; slide to the right, now that's a two!"
Three: "Backwards C, backwards C, and that is how you make a three!"
Four: "Trace down the side, cross the middle for fun. Top to bottom, and you are done!
Five: "Trace down the side, curve like that; back to the dot and make a hat!"
Six: Monkey's tail needs a fix! Come on, let's make a six!"
Seven: "Across the sky and down from heaven, that is how we make a seven!"
Eight: "Make and S and do not stop, go right back up and an eight you've got!"
Nine: "A hoop and a line, that is how we make the number nine!"
Reminder about snack: Parents, please do not send candy for snack. I know it was Halloween and you have an overload of candy at your home, but our school promotes healthy and nutritious snacks. Also, please limit snack to one snack only. The children take a very long time when they have more than one snack to eat.
I am sure you have been doing many fall activities with your child, but here is a yummy recipe that gets your child in the kitchen! http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Easy-Crock-Pot-Applesauce/424
- Mrs. Bowen
Well, the children's puppetry project is underway! It all started from when the children were showing interest with playing, making, and watching puppets. However, they would create and use the puppets without a purpose. That is where I come in! The children are learning how to create characters from puppets, as well as retell stories using their creations. The children have been engaged with making stick and bag puppets, but it is not over yet! Not having any place to perform, the children brainstormed different ways to create a puppet theater. Aurora had the idea of making the theater out of a big box, and then cutting a hole in the front. They problem solved where the theater should go. Thinking that the box could go in front of our word wall, Sam brought up the point that it would cover up the words and it is not enough space to get around and enter the box. The children have had so much fun designing the puppet theater. They have covered the box with big, black paper, and have helped cutting the window out. How will they get in you ask? The children want to cut a door in the back, as well as hang lights, add curtains, and add the backdrop, or setting, for the show. Teaching about the elements of a good story right now is important, for the children are beginning to create their own books. The elements of a story include the characters, setting, problem and solution, and the beginning, middle, and end. I am also teaching the children that characters can be more then just people, but they can also be things and animals. The children are in the middle of making their own "Grouchy Ladybug" book, though they are adding their own special twist. For instance, Gabriel is writing about "The Angry Fox," Charles is writing about "The Angry Tiger," Nina is writing about "The Lonely Fish," and Kaiden is writing about "The Enthusiastic Fish." What wonderful titles! The children love to think about themselves as an author, and all it takes is a pencil and a few pieces of paper stapled together.
Below: Sam is helping Mrs. Bowen by clearing the space where our puppet theater went! Luke is busy taping the paper to the box. Nina is working on tracing letters to make the title for our puppet show.
The children have also been interested in the idea of frost. They were so excited one morning because they saw a lot of frost on the ground and on leaves during our nature walk. But what exactly is frost? When does frost go away? The children are beginning to investigate this concept. In the morning we made predictions on whether or not the frost would still be there by the time of recess. Eight children said it would be gone, and eight children thought it would still be there. Sure enough, we went out to the same spot the children saw the frost to see if it was still there and it wasn't! They are wondering why it is gone, as well as why frost forms on some leaves but not on all leaves.
In math, the children are learning how to write their numbers correctly. To help at home, here are the chants that I am teaching them:
Zero: "Curve from the top: be a hero! Close the loop and make a zero."
One: "Top to the bottom....then you're done. You just made the number one!"
Two: "Half a moon, there's more to do; slide to the right, now that's a two!"
Three: "Backwards C, backwards C, and that is how you make a three!"
Four: "Trace down the side, cross the middle for fun. Top to bottom, and you are done!
Five: "Trace down the side, curve like that; back to the dot and make a hat!"
Six: Monkey's tail needs a fix! Come on, let's make a six!"
Seven: "Across the sky and down from heaven, that is how we make a seven!"
Eight: "Make and S and do not stop, go right back up and an eight you've got!"
Nine: "A hoop and a line, that is how we make the number nine!"
Reminder about snack: Parents, please do not send candy for snack. I know it was Halloween and you have an overload of candy at your home, but our school promotes healthy and nutritious snacks. Also, please limit snack to one snack only. The children take a very long time when they have more than one snack to eat.
I am sure you have been doing many fall activities with your child, but here is a yummy recipe that gets your child in the kitchen! http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Easy-Crock-Pot-Applesauce/424
- Mrs. Bowen
Friday, October 18, 2013
Greetings Families! I hope that everyone is having a fun and relaxing day off from school. I am currently at school right now staring at 5 empty tables, and yes, it sure is quiet here, but I do miss those faces!
Teaching the children writing is something I am very passionate about. I love how excited they get and how much they look forward to writers workshop. I have been helping the children persevere in the face of difficulty. They have been working on spelling as well as on drawing with detail, and I am teaching them that it is a sad day when a writer doesn't write what he or she wants to say because of worry that something is hard to draw or spell. Writing bravery and perseverance are qualities that are not learned overnight; many students will take longer than a day to internalize them. Little by little, as both you and I offer support and encouragement, the students will begin to take more risks. They will be able to keep trying, rather then quitting on their writing. I am really trying to get the children to tell stories through their illustrations, and not just looking at it as "drawing a picture." When at home, use language such as "what story are you writing today?" or "what is an easy way to let your readers know what this is?"
In language arts, the children have been working on re-telling a story by pulling out the important parts from the beginning, middle, and end. I like to use a hamburger to help children visualize this. The top bun is the beginning, the meat and cheese are the middle, and the bottom bun is the end! A hamburger would no be a hamburger without all those parts, and that is the same with stories! All good stories have a beginning, middle, and end, and as good readers, it is our job to decide what the important parts are of the story. During this upcoming week, the children will be making their own puppets to re-tell the story "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." The children have also been learning about characters in stories. They created their own characters out of art and recycled materials. Before they
got started, they made a plan of their characters and how they want it to look. Then, they collected all their materials in their character bags. In the next coming weeks, they will be writing their story using the character they created as the main character. Here are some examples of the characters that will be in their stories:
Sam: Jack the Alligator
Avery: Repunzel
Sophia: A magical mermaid
Gabriel: A ninja
Drew: A one-spotted ladybug
Riley: A lion
Mackenzie: A princess
Evan: A boy (who will driving a car)
CJ: An alligator
Kaiden: Ninja Kaiden
Aurora: A girl
Lucia: A lady bug
Nina: Herself
Rook: Pete the Cat
Issac: A ladybug
Sarah: A unicorn
Jadon: A ladybug
Luke: A unicorn
In math, the children learned about comparing heights and finding hidden numbers within numbers. This is a concept that I could use your help with! It is a very vital concept for the children to understand. Hidden numbers are two numbers that make up a number. For example, if I have 5 cubes
linked together, I can pull the cubes apart to find the hidden partners. The numbers might be 2 and 3 or 4 and 1. This concept gets the children to understand that when two numbers are put together, it makes a new number. The students who understand this concept are ready to dig deeper with addition!
We are very fortunate, for we have three University of Akron student teachers involved in our classroom! Miss Liz teaches us Spanish once a week, and Miss Huddle and Miss Jeffrey are engaged with our learning twice a week. They even taught their first lesson to us the other day! Miss Jeffrey introduced the children to coins, and Miss Huddle took us on a leaf hunt, and then we came back and graphed the different leaves that we found. The children are responding very well to the new teachers, and get very excited when one walks through the door.
Last week, the children showed the school how truly talented they are! They had their first performing arts show, and it went amazing! They LOVED being on stage and performing for the entire school. It gave them something to be proud of, which is something that I hope they feel everyday at school. I am providing the video for you to watch. Enjoy!
Last note: Parent/teachers conferences are next week! Your conference is either scheduled for Thursday, October 24th or Friday, October 25th. Please let me know if you need a reminder of when your conference is scheduled. Friday, October 25th is the second online school day. The children do not report to school, however there will be something on Edmoto for them to complete.
Enjoy this beautiful, fall weekend with your families! The children have been telling me many stories of apple and pumpkin picking, drinking apple cider, and even traveling to different cities to visit family! Each week, I will be giving you an idea to do with your family over the weekend. Of course it is not mandatory, but it is just a suggestion! This weekend, why don't you make pumpkin play dough with your little one? Here is a link to the recipe:
http://www.theidearoom.net/2009/11/pumpkin-spice-playdough.html
Have fun!
Teaching the children writing is something I am very passionate about. I love how excited they get and how much they look forward to writers workshop. I have been helping the children persevere in the face of difficulty. They have been working on spelling as well as on drawing with detail, and I am teaching them that it is a sad day when a writer doesn't write what he or she wants to say because of worry that something is hard to draw or spell. Writing bravery and perseverance are qualities that are not learned overnight; many students will take longer than a day to internalize them. Little by little, as both you and I offer support and encouragement, the students will begin to take more risks. They will be able to keep trying, rather then quitting on their writing. I am really trying to get the children to tell stories through their illustrations, and not just looking at it as "drawing a picture." When at home, use language such as "what story are you writing today?" or "what is an easy way to let your readers know what this is?"
In language arts, the children have been working on re-telling a story by pulling out the important parts from the beginning, middle, and end. I like to use a hamburger to help children visualize this. The top bun is the beginning, the meat and cheese are the middle, and the bottom bun is the end! A hamburger would no be a hamburger without all those parts, and that is the same with stories! All good stories have a beginning, middle, and end, and as good readers, it is our job to decide what the important parts are of the story. During this upcoming week, the children will be making their own puppets to re-tell the story "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." The children have also been learning about characters in stories. They created their own characters out of art and recycled materials. Before they
got started, they made a plan of their characters and how they want it to look. Then, they collected all their materials in their character bags. In the next coming weeks, they will be writing their story using the character they created as the main character. Here are some examples of the characters that will be in their stories:
Sam: Jack the Alligator
Avery: Repunzel
Sophia: A magical mermaid
Gabriel: A ninja
Drew: A one-spotted ladybug
Riley: A lion
Mackenzie: A princess
Evan: A boy (who will driving a car)
CJ: An alligator
Kaiden: Ninja Kaiden
Aurora: A girl
Lucia: A lady bug
Nina: Herself
Rook: Pete the Cat
Issac: A ladybug
Sarah: A unicorn
Jadon: A ladybug
Luke: A unicorn
In math, the children learned about comparing heights and finding hidden numbers within numbers. This is a concept that I could use your help with! It is a very vital concept for the children to understand. Hidden numbers are two numbers that make up a number. For example, if I have 5 cubes
linked together, I can pull the cubes apart to find the hidden partners. The numbers might be 2 and 3 or 4 and 1. This concept gets the children to understand that when two numbers are put together, it makes a new number. The students who understand this concept are ready to dig deeper with addition!
We are very fortunate, for we have three University of Akron student teachers involved in our classroom! Miss Liz teaches us Spanish once a week, and Miss Huddle and Miss Jeffrey are engaged with our learning twice a week. They even taught their first lesson to us the other day! Miss Jeffrey introduced the children to coins, and Miss Huddle took us on a leaf hunt, and then we came back and graphed the different leaves that we found. The children are responding very well to the new teachers, and get very excited when one walks through the door.
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Enjoy this beautiful, fall weekend with your families! The children have been telling me many stories of apple and pumpkin picking, drinking apple cider, and even traveling to different cities to visit family! Each week, I will be giving you an idea to do with your family over the weekend. Of course it is not mandatory, but it is just a suggestion! This weekend, why don't you make pumpkin play dough with your little one? Here is a link to the recipe:
http://www.theidearoom.net/2009/11/pumpkin-spice-playdough.html
Have fun!
Friday, October 4, 2013
Calling All Chefs!
Dear Families,
Thank you to all the families who came to the Fall Harvest Festival! It is one of the most magical evenings for the children, and they continue to look forward to it year after year. The Kindergarteners had a lot of fun preparing for the festival. They decided they wanted to make corn muffins to share. That was the first cooking project we had, and it went great! They got to wear real aprons which they loved. Before we started cooking, we looked at the recipe and talked about what recipes are, what they include, and why it was so important to follow directions when they are cooking. The children also wanted to decorate our classroom with pumpkins and leaves. I value their thinking and eagerness to create, so they did just that! Sam wanted to hang the leaves on string so it looked like they were "falling." Take a look at the pictures below to see our chefs in action!
The students are learning what strategies are and how they can make us better readers, writers, and mathematicians. They are "reading closely" and trying to pick out the most important part of the book. We read the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. We talked about how it wasn't very important to know what kind of food he was eating, but it was more important to know that caterpillars (and all animals and insects) need food in order to grow! In this case, the caterpillar needed to eat so it can turn into a beautiful butterfly! The students also had a very special afternoon on Friday, for the first graders came over to our room and read with them. They were SO excited and they got along great with the other children. Now, because the first graders filled our buckets, the students want to do something nice for them!
The students have been busy learning the skills needed to have neat handwriting. Correct pencil grip is something that I have been working on with the children, so please encourage them to hold their pencil the correct way at home. Please see the link below if you need a reminder as well! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM_dia8QGr0
The children have been showing me a deep interest in puppets, for they love to make puppets and they love to watch puppets! Next week, the children will be engaging in puppet projects, all while learning Kindergarten curriculum standards such as retelling stories and comparing and contrasting the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories. I can't wait to see where this project leads next! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
- Mrs. Bowen :)
Thank you to all the families who came to the Fall Harvest Festival! It is one of the most magical evenings for the children, and they continue to look forward to it year after year. The Kindergarteners had a lot of fun preparing for the festival. They decided they wanted to make corn muffins to share. That was the first cooking project we had, and it went great! They got to wear real aprons which they loved. Before we started cooking, we looked at the recipe and talked about what recipes are, what they include, and why it was so important to follow directions when they are cooking. The children also wanted to decorate our classroom with pumpkins and leaves. I value their thinking and eagerness to create, so they did just that! Sam wanted to hang the leaves on string so it looked like they were "falling." Take a look at the pictures below to see our chefs in action!
The students are learning what strategies are and how they can make us better readers, writers, and mathematicians. They are "reading closely" and trying to pick out the most important part of the book. We read the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. We talked about how it wasn't very important to know what kind of food he was eating, but it was more important to know that caterpillars (and all animals and insects) need food in order to grow! In this case, the caterpillar needed to eat so it can turn into a beautiful butterfly! The students also had a very special afternoon on Friday, for the first graders came over to our room and read with them. They were SO excited and they got along great with the other children. Now, because the first graders filled our buckets, the students want to do something nice for them!
The students have been busy learning the skills needed to have neat handwriting. Correct pencil grip is something that I have been working on with the children, so please encourage them to hold their pencil the correct way at home. Please see the link below if you need a reminder as well! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM_dia8QGr0
The children have been showing me a deep interest in puppets, for they love to make puppets and they love to watch puppets! Next week, the children will be engaging in puppet projects, all while learning Kindergarten curriculum standards such as retelling stories and comparing and contrasting the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories. I can't wait to see where this project leads next! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
- Mrs. Bowen :)
Friday, September 27, 2013
Hi Students and Families! I hope your child enjoyed their online school day today. I attended a professional development session today where I learned how to incorporate digital writing into the classroom. My brain is on overload with information but I couldn't be more excited to try the new programs and applications I learned today to enhance your child's writing skills. I am really excited to incorporate more QR codes into the classroom, as well as introduce the children to applications on the Ipad where they can write through webs, stories, and photographs.
This week, the children enjoyed preparing for the Fall Harvest Festival. We made a brainstorming web of all the ideas we could make for the festival that involved corn. Aurora came up with the idea of making corn muffins. Luke came up with the idea of making a salad and putting corn kernels on top. Jadon thought we could serve corn and peas mixed together. Sam loved the thought of making corn cookies! Before the children brainstormed ideas, we explored how corn grows, the different ways corn can me prepared, and the different parts of the corn. What better way to explore then by going out into our own garden? The children worked hard at shucking the corn, which required much coordination on their part.
The children are learning to be independent problem solvers. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of establishing clear structures and routine so children can carry on with independence during writing time. My vision is that children will start, work on, and complete their writing as best as they are able, moving from one text to another with verve and confidence. The message that I am teaching to the children is that they are their own best resource during a writer's workshop. At home, encourage your child to add more to their picture even when they think they have finished. A strategy that I teach them is to point to each thing or object they drew on their page, as ask themselves "How can I make this better?" We are also beginning to label our pictures! Help your child write down the sounds they hear in the word.
I would like to remind you that the Fall Harvest Festival will be on Thursday, October 3rd from 5:00-7:00 here at SCOPE Academy. Come for fun, games, and food! It is an event that you won't want to miss! I am looking forward to another eventful and rigorous week!
This week, the children enjoyed preparing for the Fall Harvest Festival. We made a brainstorming web of all the ideas we could make for the festival that involved corn. Aurora came up with the idea of making corn muffins. Luke came up with the idea of making a salad and putting corn kernels on top. Jadon thought we could serve corn and peas mixed together. Sam loved the thought of making corn cookies! Before the children brainstormed ideas, we explored how corn grows, the different ways corn can me prepared, and the different parts of the corn. What better way to explore then by going out into our own garden? The children worked hard at shucking the corn, which required much coordination on their part.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Welcome to Kindergarten!
Hello Kindergarten Families!
We are off to a great start in Kindergarten this year! It has been a busy few weeks as children make new friends, learn classroom routines and expectations, and curriculum material. I want students to expect school to be a dynamic and safe place to learn, and an objective that is realized immediately by involvement in purposeful and meaningful action. The first four weeks of school are always tiring and challenging for kindergarten students. I am amazed at the progress each child has made as they transitioned from the summer months to the full and rigorous days of school.
In math, the children have been participating in classification activities that allow them to analyze and observe their world and articulate their observations. “These balloons are exactly the same” and “These are the same but a different size” are examples of the type of language they have been using. The students are recognizing numbers as yet one more lens for classification. Language such as “I put a pencil, a book, and an eraser, 3 things, in my backpack for school" or " I put 5 toys in the closet to keep home” would be examples of this type of classification. From the moment students enter school, they practice the counting sequence so that when counting a set of objects, their attention can be on matching one count to one object, rather than on retrieving the number words. My goal is for children to realize that math is EVERYWHERE in the world around them, but it takes a mathematician to notice it.
From day one, the children have learned that they are readers and writers. The most foundational lesson when teaching a child to read is that there are three ways to read a book. These ways are reading the pictures, reading the words, and re-telling the story. So you know when you walk past your child's room and they have a book in their lap and are talking to themselves? Well, they are actually reading the pictures, which is the first step to reading! The children's stamina for read-to-self is 6 minutes! Of course, they need to make sure they stay in one spot, read the whole time, and not talk to anyone, which are certainly learned skills and will build over time.
As young writers, the students are learning that they think of something that they know about and use pictures and words to put their ideas on paper. Writer's workshop is one of their most favorite parts of the day. The children have also been busy exploring our garden. They have collected nature and made their self portraits, participated in a letter scavenger hunt, measured different vegetable plants and flowers using cubes and blocks, painted with vegetables, and so much more! The children are also fascinated with the toads and insects that roam the gardens, which I can foresee being a curriculum focus and interest among all the children.
Below: Evan is using his sense of hearing to observe the world around him. Rook is painting with vegetables! The children loved seeing the different shapes vegetables made. Isaac is measuring out in the garden using nonstandard units--- linking cubes!
Here are a few beginning of the year reminders and updates:
1. Please make sure that your child's snack is in a different place other than their lunch box. It takes them a lot of time to get their lunch box out and choose their snack. Often, they do not know which food is their snack, or they are taking more out then necessary. I would also encourage to provide your child with a healthy snack, for nutrition is a big part of our daily curriculum.
2. On Wednesday, I sent home an important form explaining a new text messaging service I am applying this year as a new way to communicate with parents. It is called "Remind 101" and is a completely closed system, which means your phone number remains private and I cannot respond to any messages that are sent. I will be using this service to notify you of any school closings or delays, class or school events, materials needed for the classroom, and much more! If you need another form, please let me know and I would be happy to send home another one.
3. The blog will be updated every week. I will notify you when the blog is updated via remind 101 (the text message application that was introduced to you on Wednesday.) The blog can be used to prompt your child about what is happening in school. They love seeing their pictures on the computer!
4. The blue take home folder should be returned everyday. If you have a note for me, you may put the note in the folder, for I check all folders in the morning.
5. Library is on Wednesday! Please double check that your child's book is sent back so that he or she may check out another book.
I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to be teaching your children. How lucky am I to have a job that I can't wait to get to every morning? I hope you have fun watching your child soar this year! I appreciate and welcome all comments, concerns, and questions regarding your child's education and success.
Pictures below: Sophia and Lucia are busy exploring the different features of their faces. The faces they made were then hung around "Our Class Rules" chart. Gabriel is focused on practicing his letters at the light table.
We are off to a great start in Kindergarten this year! It has been a busy few weeks as children make new friends, learn classroom routines and expectations, and curriculum material. I want students to expect school to be a dynamic and safe place to learn, and an objective that is realized immediately by involvement in purposeful and meaningful action. The first four weeks of school are always tiring and challenging for kindergarten students. I am amazed at the progress each child has made as they transitioned from the summer months to the full and rigorous days of school.
In math, the children have been participating in classification activities that allow them to analyze and observe their world and articulate their observations. “These balloons are exactly the same” and “These are the same but a different size” are examples of the type of language they have been using. The students are recognizing numbers as yet one more lens for classification. Language such as “I put a pencil, a book, and an eraser, 3 things, in my backpack for school" or " I put 5 toys in the closet to keep home” would be examples of this type of classification. From the moment students enter school, they practice the counting sequence so that when counting a set of objects, their attention can be on matching one count to one object, rather than on retrieving the number words. My goal is for children to realize that math is EVERYWHERE in the world around them, but it takes a mathematician to notice it.
From day one, the children have learned that they are readers and writers. The most foundational lesson when teaching a child to read is that there are three ways to read a book. These ways are reading the pictures, reading the words, and re-telling the story. So you know when you walk past your child's room and they have a book in their lap and are talking to themselves? Well, they are actually reading the pictures, which is the first step to reading! The children's stamina for read-to-self is 6 minutes! Of course, they need to make sure they stay in one spot, read the whole time, and not talk to anyone, which are certainly learned skills and will build over time.
As young writers, the students are learning that they think of something that they know about and use pictures and words to put their ideas on paper. Writer's workshop is one of their most favorite parts of the day. The children have also been busy exploring our garden. They have collected nature and made their self portraits, participated in a letter scavenger hunt, measured different vegetable plants and flowers using cubes and blocks, painted with vegetables, and so much more! The children are also fascinated with the toads and insects that roam the gardens, which I can foresee being a curriculum focus and interest among all the children.
Below: Evan is using his sense of hearing to observe the world around him. Rook is painting with vegetables! The children loved seeing the different shapes vegetables made. Isaac is measuring out in the garden using nonstandard units--- linking cubes!
Here are a few beginning of the year reminders and updates:
1. Please make sure that your child's snack is in a different place other than their lunch box. It takes them a lot of time to get their lunch box out and choose their snack. Often, they do not know which food is their snack, or they are taking more out then necessary. I would also encourage to provide your child with a healthy snack, for nutrition is a big part of our daily curriculum.
2. On Wednesday, I sent home an important form explaining a new text messaging service I am applying this year as a new way to communicate with parents. It is called "Remind 101" and is a completely closed system, which means your phone number remains private and I cannot respond to any messages that are sent. I will be using this service to notify you of any school closings or delays, class or school events, materials needed for the classroom, and much more! If you need another form, please let me know and I would be happy to send home another one.
3. The blog will be updated every week. I will notify you when the blog is updated via remind 101 (the text message application that was introduced to you on Wednesday.) The blog can be used to prompt your child about what is happening in school. They love seeing their pictures on the computer!
4. The blue take home folder should be returned everyday. If you have a note for me, you may put the note in the folder, for I check all folders in the morning.
5. Library is on Wednesday! Please double check that your child's book is sent back so that he or she may check out another book.
I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to be teaching your children. How lucky am I to have a job that I can't wait to get to every morning? I hope you have fun watching your child soar this year! I appreciate and welcome all comments, concerns, and questions regarding your child's education and success.
Pictures below: Sophia and Lucia are busy exploring the different features of their faces. The faces they made were then hung around "Our Class Rules" chart. Gabriel is focused on practicing his letters at the light table.
Monday, April 22, 2013
The Eggs are Here! The Eggs are Here!
Being a first grade teacher is so very special! It is just magical to see the students'
faces light up each and every time they learn something new! New learning experiences are apart of our classroom everyday, but something as extraordinary as hatching chickens will be an experience that is unforgettable. Seven chicken eggs arrived in our classroom last Wednesday, and were donated by a local farmer. You can only imagine how excited the children are. There is a lot to remember when hatching chicks, so the children are practicing a different kind of responsibility in the classroom rather than being responsible for their actions and for belongings. A few of these responsibilities include changing the water for humidity, checking both the room and the incubator temperature, and keeping track when the eggs are turned. We have developed a class Incubator Data Chart to help us keep track of these factors which the chicks are so dependent upon. Even though we have only had the chicks for 4 days, we have already learned so much! Through a web quest (a blog I made for the children that is designed for safe, child friendly research,) the children have investigated life cycles, oviparous animals, sequence, temperature, and the basic needs of living things. Along with the class generated data chart, the children are also keeping their own logs in a scientific journal given to them. I am anticipating the children going deeper into their interest with baby animals!
Above: Kaydence and Isabella are researching in both fiction and non fiction books for information about chicks! They are recording their new learning in their journals using specific headings to organize their research. They have pages for "What I think I know," "What I wonder," "New Learning," and "Yes, I was right!" The children love when they confirm that what they thought was right was actually true. Also above, Alexis and Marlo are building models of chickens.
We also have lady bugs in our classroom (contained, of course!) They were donated by Isabella and her grandmother. Wow, did they sure fill our bucket! It is neat to compare the life cycle of the lady bug with the chicken. We got the lady bugs when they were just tiny eggs, and have watched them grow into beautiful, spotted lady bugs!
Parents, you are more than welcome to come see our chicken eggs or the hatchlings at any time. Your child would love to show and tell you everything they are learning about! If your child is interested in researching more at home, here is the link to the webquest: http://thewonderfulworldofchicks.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 25, 2013
Happy snow day, friends!
Here is a joke to for you to start this snowy day with:
Question: How do you keep the snow from giving your feet a cold?
Answer: Don't walk around BRRRfooted!
For your online snow day assignment, here are a few things I would like you to do:
1. Pretend you were talking to someone who has never tasted hot chocolate. Write 5-10 sentences trying to persuade them to try or not try it, depending on whether you like hot chocolate or not. Remember to use as many detailed, or "juicy," words as you can think of and also give reasons for your opinions. Maybe if you have any hot chocolate at home, you can ask an adult to have some so you can use all your senses while writing! Remember to use your manners when asking!
2. Please write the fact families for these numbers:
7 and 1
8 and 2
10 and 5
6 and 3
9 and 2
*Remember, all fact families have two addition and two subtraction number models. Always start with the largest number (the sum of both numbers) when subtracting.
Please bring your short persuasive text as well as your finished fact families to school tomorrow so you can get credit for them
Enjoy your day, everyone!
Miss Leslie
Here is a joke to for you to start this snowy day with:
Question: How do you keep the snow from giving your feet a cold?
Answer: Don't walk around BRRRfooted!
For your online snow day assignment, here are a few things I would like you to do:
1. Pretend you were talking to someone who has never tasted hot chocolate. Write 5-10 sentences trying to persuade them to try or not try it, depending on whether you like hot chocolate or not. Remember to use as many detailed, or "juicy," words as you can think of and also give reasons for your opinions. Maybe if you have any hot chocolate at home, you can ask an adult to have some so you can use all your senses while writing! Remember to use your manners when asking!
2. Please write the fact families for these numbers:
7 and 1
8 and 2
10 and 5
6 and 3
9 and 2
*Remember, all fact families have two addition and two subtraction number models. Always start with the largest number (the sum of both numbers) when subtracting.
Please bring your short persuasive text as well as your finished fact families to school tomorrow so you can get credit for them
Enjoy your day, everyone!
Miss Leslie
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Welcome to America, Delphine Bourgoin!
Bonjour! 
It is with great pleasure for me to introduce to you Delphine Bourgoin, the newest and most dearest addition to our first grade class. Delphine is from France where she is studying to be a teacher. She has been given an educational opportunity to travel to America and gain a unique cultural experience while seeking a global viewpoint, international teaching experience, and the understanding of other cultures and people. She arrived at our school on February 25th, and she will be placed at our school until March 22nd. She will be immersed in our first grade classroom everyday, as well as teaching in other classes periodically to gain as much teaching experience as possible. The students and teachers have grown very fond of Miss Delphine, not only for her expertise of French culture, but also because of her warm personality and friendly nature. We recently Skyped with Delphine's family, and the children were so interested to learn that her daughter enjoys dancing and her son enjoys video games and basketball! We will be Skyping with Delphine's daughter's class as well. Mrs. Adams' first grade class is also lucky to have Anais Jusserand in their classroom, who is also seeking to experience the academic system of our country.
It is with great pleasure for me to introduce to you Delphine Bourgoin, the newest and most dearest addition to our first grade class. Delphine is from France where she is studying to be a teacher. She has been given an educational opportunity to travel to America and gain a unique cultural experience while seeking a global viewpoint, international teaching experience, and the understanding of other cultures and people. She arrived at our school on February 25th, and she will be placed at our school until March 22nd. She will be immersed in our first grade classroom everyday, as well as teaching in other classes periodically to gain as much teaching experience as possible. The students and teachers have grown very fond of Miss Delphine, not only for her expertise of French culture, but also because of her warm personality and friendly nature. We recently Skyped with Delphine's family, and the children were so interested to learn that her daughter enjoys dancing and her son enjoys video games and basketball! We will be Skyping with Delphine's daughter's class as well. Mrs. Adams' first grade class is also lucky to have Anais Jusserand in their classroom, who is also seeking to experience the academic system of our country.
In the picture above, Anais is on the left and Delphine is on the right.
Above: A group of students enjoy Skyping with Miss Delphine's family! Miss Delphine is also working with Sophia, incorporating the French language into Sophia's writing.
Read below to get to know Miss Delphine better!
- Family: She has a husband, a son (13,) a daughter (8,) and a cat back home in France.
- This is her third time visiting the United States. Previously she has visited New York City.
- She plays the saxophone and owns a motorcycle, or a "motor bike."
- Her favorite foods that she has tried here so far are the Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and chocolate brownies.
- She is shocked to be able to go out to dinner, and then go shopping afterwards (stores in France close at 7:00 pm!)
- She has noticed that Americans are "quiet drivers." She hasn't heard one honk and she said she is surprised to see no one sticking their head out the window yelling at the car next to them.
- She visited Amish Country over the weekend and absolutely loved it.
- She is overwhelmed with how friendly Americans are and how we have made it so easy for her to transition into the American culture. Thank you to anyone who has reached out to our guests!
Thank you to Mrs. Orsini, Claire's mom, for being Delphine's "social coordinator" and helping coordinate special events and activities for Delphine to experience while she is here with us in Ohio.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Hi Families! Happy Valentines Day!
As I am sure you are aware, the first graders are learning all about the basics of wood work.
Children are by nature creative and are very capable of participating in a wide variety of wood building projects, fostering a sense of pride and accomplishment. Children are also highly competent in producing ideas that work and woodwork and carpentry gives them the opportunity for self-expression.
If your child seems interested in all the possibilites of word work, consider taking them to Home Depot for free workshops! Here are the details:
As I am sure you are aware, the first graders are learning all about the basics of wood work.
Children are by nature creative and are very capable of participating in a wide variety of wood building projects, fostering a sense of pride and accomplishment. Children are also highly competent in producing ideas that work and woodwork and carpentry gives them the opportunity for self-expression.
Word work inspires creativity, confidence and builds self-esteem. Many lessons can be learned from wood building, including follow-through, persistence and the knowledge that the child can build something that can be used for years to come. In addition, wood building teaches a lot about practical mathematics applications, as they must take into account how many nails and screws are needed, how many turns of the screwdriver and how shapes and planes fit together, as well as planning, measuring and how to use kids' tools safely and effectively. Fine-motor skills and the principles of design also come into play when embarking on a wood building or assembly project.
Thinking about the art benefit auction, the children were brainstorming what piece of furniture would be most beneficial for the families at SCOPE Primary. They came up with many ideas, including a bed, rocking chair, stool, and a garden bench. By using the system of voting, the children decided to make a garden bench because the garden is one of our favorite spots to learn and play. They started with building the frame for the bench, pouring cement into the frame, and then painting tiles to add to the top. The next step is to add the legs! With the help of Mr. and Mrs. James, the children's problem solving skills were put to the test when they had to figure out what size pieces of wood would be best for the frame. Through trial and error, the children measured the wood pieces until they found the perfect size.
Above (Left): Mr. James and Marlo drill a hole into the frame of the bench. Isabella carefully observes!
Above (Right): Melania and J'Lyn use a trowel to smooth the concrete.
Above (Middle): The children are using the extra wood and concrete they had to make garden stepping stones!
Another project that they have been working one is making their own peg boards! They love using peg boards in the classroom to practice making shapes, and peg boards can even be used to practice addition and subtraction believe it or not. Through the process, they learned about measurement, accuracy, force, which way to tighten a screw and which way to loosen a screw, skip counting, and most importantly, safety. The children are now onto creating their own designs by using string and rubber bands. J'Lyn even turned hers into a guitar!
Above: Jordan is concentraing so hard when making his peg board. Another student beside him decides it would be best to use a screwdriver to make the pegs tight.
Lastly, we started talking about wood and art, and the children created beautiful portraits of themselves by transfering their picture onto a piece of wood using the basic skill of tracing and the gooey mess of mod podge. They are fascinated with tracing, and many asked to take tracing paper home to practice. This is a skill that many young children often are not exposed to, so investing in a tracing pad is highly reccommended! Also, tracing makes the children focus on the detail of the photo, which will help them add details in their own illustrations!
We are just getting started with wood work, and have already learned so much. I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. James for all their hard work with this project, Mrs. Lamb for donating wooden race car kits, and to all the parents for sending in tools so these carpenters can be successful at their jobs!
- FREE hands-on workshops designed for children ages 5 - 12 offered the 1st Saturday of every month at all The Home Depot stores between 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills, tool safety and instill a sense of pride and accomplishment.
- All kids get to keep their craft and receive a FREE Kids Workshop Apron, commemorative pin and certificate of achievement.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Hello Families! Happy New Year! I hope you all had as nice of a holiday as I did. It is exciting to be back!
The children are learning now about how parts of objects have specific properties that allow them to work with other parts to carry out a particular function. Something may not work well or at all if a part of it is missing, broken, worn out, mismatched, or disconnected. To further their learning I gave them a task: to build a table out of Lego's. It had to be a flat surface, and the table had to have legs to support it. After each child made their table, I told them they must take a leg off their table. They were sad to see that now their table was slanted! Their next task was to see if they could find and use a recycled material to support the table again. They enjoyed trying different things. Many children used play dough, others used straws. Isabella A. used floam- she was so proud of it! She even included a centerpiece!
Before break, the children were investigating the different states of matter. They enjoyed carrying out experiments to see physical results, and getting to create their own experiments based on what they are interested in learning about. Extending from their investigations before break, the children are now investigating the changes in properties that occur in objects and materials and how changes of position of an object is a result from pushing and pulling. Last week, the children had the opportunity to investigate what affects an object to sink or float. Does shape affect it? Does weight affect it? The children planned and implemented an investigation to test various clay shapes (eg., a clay ball, a clay block, flattened clay with edges) to determine how shape affects the ability of a material to float or sink in water. For the last few tests, the children were able to think of a shape they were interested in knowing if it sunk or float. Michael discovered that if you form the clay ball into a boat-shape, the clay will float! The children were excited to find out that shape does affect whether or not an object will float or sink.
The next investigation was student-directed and taught, for they were able to find different materials to test if weight affects an object to float or sink. We did a feather altogether, but the children's creativity flowed as they chose different materials to test such as wood balls, corks, tissue paper, beads, packing peanuts, and so much more! On their recording sheet, they were only expected to find 3 different materials to test, yet they didn't want to stop after that! The lesson went on farther, and the learning deepens.
This upcoming week we will be testing what various materials float and sink, such as plastic, cardboard, Styrofoam, etc... Taking everything they have learned, the children will then have to design and build their own small boat using the materials they discovered floated in water. They need to make sure the shape of their boat is correct, for they know now that shape affects if it will sink and float. We will test their boats to see if they can float for a specific amount of time, and then add pennies to their boat to see how much weight their boat can carry before it sinks. The children were so excited to start making their boats, some even decided to write down the materials they discovered would work and others made blueprints of what their boats would look like. It is going to be an exciting week!
The children have also been busy learning about measurement. They are still getting practice with measuring in non-standard units of measurement such as feet or hand spans, but now they starting to measure to the nearest inch on rulers and tape measures. They really enjoyed using tape measures to measure different parts of the body such as their friends wrist or ankle. They are also beginning to learn about the quarter hour on a clock. Any chance you can to ask your child what time it is will carry their knowledge from school to home. The children are learning the vocabulary "quarter-after, quarter-before, quarter-past, and quarter-to."
In reading and writing, the children have been having fun learning about homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled different and mean different things. For example, "aunt" and "ant" are homophones. They are also working on a new reading strategy: skip a word and come back to it. When children come to words they don't know, some stall on the unknown word and are unable to move on. These children must learn strategies to help them move forward. Your child is working on the accuracy strategy "Skip the word, and then come back." This strategy teaches a reader to skip over the word until the end of the sentence or passage. Then, the reader should back up and re-read the sentence again, using the first letter or letters of the skipped word and their context clues to decode the unknown word.
One last thing: On Wednesday, January 16th, it is "Appreciate a Dragon Day" at the Green Library. The children will choose a favorite dragon from literature and get creative-- read about them, write about them, draw them, paint them, make them! A dragon make-and-take craft will be available all day. Ask your librarian for further details!
Have a great week!
P.S- Thank you to all those who donated more pencils to the classroom. We were running low!
The children are learning now about how parts of objects have specific properties that allow them to work with other parts to carry out a particular function. Something may not work well or at all if a part of it is missing, broken, worn out, mismatched, or disconnected. To further their learning I gave them a task: to build a table out of Lego's. It had to be a flat surface, and the table had to have legs to support it. After each child made their table, I told them they must take a leg off their table. They were sad to see that now their table was slanted! Their next task was to see if they could find and use a recycled material to support the table again. They enjoyed trying different things. Many children used play dough, others used straws. Isabella A. used floam- she was so proud of it! She even included a centerpiece!
Before break, the children were investigating the different states of matter. They enjoyed carrying out experiments to see physical results, and getting to create their own experiments based on what they are interested in learning about. Extending from their investigations before break, the children are now investigating the changes in properties that occur in objects and materials and how changes of position of an object is a result from pushing and pulling. Last week, the children had the opportunity to investigate what affects an object to sink or float. Does shape affect it? Does weight affect it? The children planned and implemented an investigation to test various clay shapes (eg., a clay ball, a clay block, flattened clay with edges) to determine how shape affects the ability of a material to float or sink in water. For the last few tests, the children were able to think of a shape they were interested in knowing if it sunk or float. Michael discovered that if you form the clay ball into a boat-shape, the clay will float! The children were excited to find out that shape does affect whether or not an object will float or sink.
The next investigation was student-directed and taught, for they were able to find different materials to test if weight affects an object to float or sink. We did a feather altogether, but the children's creativity flowed as they chose different materials to test such as wood balls, corks, tissue paper, beads, packing peanuts, and so much more! On their recording sheet, they were only expected to find 3 different materials to test, yet they didn't want to stop after that! The lesson went on farther, and the learning deepens.
The children have also been busy learning about measurement. They are still getting practice with measuring in non-standard units of measurement such as feet or hand spans, but now they starting to measure to the nearest inch on rulers and tape measures. They really enjoyed using tape measures to measure different parts of the body such as their friends wrist or ankle. They are also beginning to learn about the quarter hour on a clock. Any chance you can to ask your child what time it is will carry their knowledge from school to home. The children are learning the vocabulary "quarter-after, quarter-before, quarter-past, and quarter-to."
In reading and writing, the children have been having fun learning about homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled different and mean different things. For example, "aunt" and "ant" are homophones. They are also working on a new reading strategy: skip a word and come back to it. When children come to words they don't know, some stall on the unknown word and are unable to move on. These children must learn strategies to help them move forward. Your child is working on the accuracy strategy "Skip the word, and then come back." This strategy teaches a reader to skip over the word until the end of the sentence or passage. Then, the reader should back up and re-read the sentence again, using the first letter or letters of the skipped word and their context clues to decode the unknown word.
One last thing: On Wednesday, January 16th, it is "Appreciate a Dragon Day" at the Green Library. The children will choose a favorite dragon from literature and get creative-- read about them, write about them, draw them, paint them, make them! A dragon make-and-take craft will be available all day. Ask your librarian for further details!
Have a great week!
P.S- Thank you to all those who donated more pencils to the classroom. We were running low!
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