Math
Our work with subtraction continues in Math. We learned some new games...grab bag subtraction, subtraction 5 in a row, and subtraction bowling (who knew this could be so fun!). Some of these are new and others are twists on all familiars. Subtraction 5 in a row is similar to BINGO, although you are subtracting two numbers to see where to place a chip. In subtraction bowling we are creating equations based on the number of pins knocked down...as you can imagine this was a big hit!
I am blown away to see the equations the kids are able to create each day in morning circle. I create things like __+__+__-__-__=10. The kids need to fill in the blanks to create a true equation! This has become a favorite element of morning circle, with many asking for more and more equations! We spent one day this week working on entire pages of these equations! WOW!
Language Arts
Have you ever had a time when you're doing something and thought to yourself, "Wow! This would make a great story?" We are practicing catching these moments and tucking them away in our pockets, so that when writing workshop comes around our pockets will be full of ideas! You might help your child catch some ideas! When we pull these stories out of our pockets, we are practicing using our fingers to tell stories with beginning, middles and ends. We continue to work with partners to plan our daily writing.
We are very lucky to have Sandra (Ella's Mom) coming to teach us handwriting! She is teaching us to make letters using four basic strokes, a simplistic, hands-on and wonderful approach (I am really enjoying learning alongside the kids!). We've been using wooden blocks, chalkboards, play dough and of course, paper and pencils! The goal is to make writing less laborious, as well as to help kids neaten up their writing. Thanks Sandra!
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we did some thinking (and writing) about our own dreams for our families, our school and the world. Check out these profound thoughts...they will be up on display soon!
Theme
Comets and constellations have been the focus this week. We learned the parts of a comet and made our very own comets, using aluminum foil and ribbon. What fun it has been to fly these in the gym!
We are perplexed by the fact that the constellations don't really look like the objects they represent! Hmmm....And how do you know exactly which stars to look for when you could see that shape in many places in the sky?
Each child has picked a constellation to focus on. Be sure to ask your child what he or she picked! These are all constellations that can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere, so you might even try locating it i we have a clear night! So far we have made images of our constellations using stars, and sketches with a bit of imagination and colored pencils. Next week we'll work on learning the stories of our constellations and will finally teach our friends about all that we've learned!
Investigations
We've had a bit of choosing time in the classroom this week, but we've also spent some time playing group games in the gym, as well as creating peace doves in honor of MLK day...look for these in the window next to the door!
Have a wonderful long weekend everyone! Remember no school on Monday!
Posts
Becky,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for these updates! I would not know what was going on without them since Kainoa always wants to do something else other than tell me about her day. What little she does tell me always makes much more sense once I read your post.
Thanks again!
Melissa