Thank you KGB parents and students for all the lovely flowers! We love teaching this class! Kindly, Ms. Luisa and Brooke
The end of an epic Wednesday: play time creations!
After a full day going on the field trip and visiting the Werkstatt, there was a bit of play time at the end of the day. When the clean-up song came on, Jackson asked if some pictures could be taken of their creations before everything was put away. He and Bridge also wanted to talk about their creations for the website. Here's what they said:
Jackson, "These are our vehicles. This is my hand vehicle. We were working on it and playing with it."
Bridge, "This is my machine. It's a driller and it can drill through anything. And you can also push buttons on it and it can fly into space. It is also a satellite. And it can also fly to the moon and destroy a planet with one blast."
Jackson, "These are our vehicles. This is my hand vehicle. We were working on it and playing with it."
Bridge, "This is my machine. It's a driller and it can drill through anything. And you can also push buttons on it and it can fly into space. It is also a satellite. And it can also fly to the moon and destroy a planet with one blast."
Meanwhile, some others visited with the baby chicks
KGB visits the Werkstatt!
How did the class end up going to visit the Werkstatt? Here's the story:
Ms. McVean gave the class a microscope that she found. Then we didn’t know how to use it. A few kids from the class asked Eric Crabtree (5th grade teacher) how it work it. A day or two later Eric brought us a second microscope and broken one for us to take apart. Maggie, Nolan and Bridge were interested in taking it apart. So during play workshop I took them to the Werkstatt to get the tools we needed (tiny screwdrivers, etc) The 3 of them loved checking out the workshop and came back and told the class about it. Then everyone was interested (except Jessica!) and they kept asking to go. So I emailed Goran and asked if we could come in small groups.
So we went Wednesday and it was a BLAST! The students went in two small groups of 8 and had a ball seeing the tools like saws and drills being demonstrated and they all started taking scrap wood and building. It just sort of happened, we hadn’t really planned that. But the guys were great! They helped the kids and it was just so awesome. The kids had a complete blast, so did Talibor and Walter (from the Werkstatt).
Afterwards Jessica said, "This has been the best day ever! First a field trip and then the Werkstatt!"
Ms. McVean gave the class a microscope that she found. Then we didn’t know how to use it. A few kids from the class asked Eric Crabtree (5th grade teacher) how it work it. A day or two later Eric brought us a second microscope and broken one for us to take apart. Maggie, Nolan and Bridge were interested in taking it apart. So during play workshop I took them to the Werkstatt to get the tools we needed (tiny screwdrivers, etc) The 3 of them loved checking out the workshop and came back and told the class about it. Then everyone was interested (except Jessica!) and they kept asking to go. So I emailed Goran and asked if we could come in small groups.
So we went Wednesday and it was a BLAST! The students went in two small groups of 8 and had a ball seeing the tools like saws and drills being demonstrated and they all started taking scrap wood and building. It just sort of happened, we hadn’t really planned that. But the guys were great! They helped the kids and it was just so awesome. The kids had a complete blast, so did Talibor and Walter (from the Werkstatt).
Afterwards Jessica said, "This has been the best day ever! First a field trip and then the Werkstatt!"
Wednesday, May 18th - field trip!!!!!!!!! Technisches Museum!!!!!!
Thanks to Jerome, Ganna and Zoe for accompanying the group!
|
Tuesday, May 17th - science: making recycled paper
|
|
|
Friday, May 13th: paper and water absorption
KGB students worked in groups of 4 to put drops of water on 6 different kinds of paper and observe the results. Some paper absorbed quickly, some slowly, some did not absorb the water at all. Different kinds of paper materials can be used for different purposes depending on the water absorption rate.
Wednesday, May 11th - afternoon play
|
Wednesday, May 11: Science - marking and folding paper
Observations made during the marking and folding experiment:
Jessica, "It doesn't really work." (marking on the wax paper)
Sara, "It doesn't color." (she couldn't mark on it)
Sofiya, "When you wipe it, it gets on your finger." ( noticing what happens when she uses marker on the tagboard)
Dex, "It turns fatter!" (the paper towel absorbs the marker and the spot gets larger)
Maggie, "When you first mark it, it gets dark, but if you wait a little it gets lighter." (marking on chipboard)
Bridge, "This one (tagboard) is better with marker than this one (newsprint)."
Angelos, "Ms Brooke, I folded it but it's too fat!" (corrugated cardboard)
Jackson, "I folded the paper towel the most."
Jessica, "It doesn't really work." (marking on the wax paper)
Sara, "It doesn't color." (she couldn't mark on it)
Sofiya, "When you wipe it, it gets on your finger." ( noticing what happens when she uses marker on the tagboard)
Dex, "It turns fatter!" (the paper towel absorbs the marker and the spot gets larger)
Maggie, "When you first mark it, it gets dark, but if you wait a little it gets lighter." (marking on chipboard)
Bridge, "This one (tagboard) is better with marker than this one (newsprint)."
Angelos, "Ms Brooke, I folded it but it's too fat!" (corrugated cardboard)
Jackson, "I folded the paper towel the most."
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Science: exploring and observing 10 kinds of paper
Each student had samples of the paper (corrugated cardboard, cardboard, chipboard, tagboard, newsprint, kraft paper, waxed paper, paper towel, construction paper, printer paper, tissue) to observe. Here are some of the observations:
Colt, "They feel fluffy altogether."
Jessica, "One is more fragile to rip, one is not."
Dex, "I could make an envelope."
Eric, "If you put them altogether it feels hard."
Maggie, "This one is bumpy."
Victoria, "You could make a pillow with it."
Lillian, "This one is not see through."
Sophia, "This one can get into a circle." (you can roll it up)
Lillian adds, "Or you could say it's flexible."
Isabel, "They smell different."
Sofiya, "Some are thick and some can rip."
Eric, "I think they used a machine." (talking about how the corrugated cardboard is made)
Colt, "They feel fluffy altogether."
Jessica, "One is more fragile to rip, one is not."
Dex, "I could make an envelope."
Eric, "If you put them altogether it feels hard."
Maggie, "This one is bumpy."
Victoria, "You could make a pillow with it."
Lillian, "This one is not see through."
Sophia, "This one can get into a circle." (you can roll it up)
Lillian adds, "Or you could say it's flexible."
Isabel, "They smell different."
Sofiya, "Some are thick and some can rip."
Eric, "I think they used a machine." (talking about how the corrugated cardboard is made)
Monday, May 9th - afternoon action!
Happy Mother's Day! We hope all the moms liked the framed photos that were made at school!
Tuesday, May 3rd - KGB students make their own particleboard
Ms. Luisa very kindly cooked cornstarch with water on Monday evening to make the glue. On Tuesday, the students mixed sawdust/ wood shavings with the glue and shaped it how they desired.
|
Monday, May 2nd: play workshop
|
Friday afternoon, April 29th
|
|
|
Kindergarten Fashion Trends
Isabel shows off her new shoes. Definitely the coolest shoes in Kindergarten.....maybe even the whole school! |
Thursday afternoon fun! (April 28th)
Wednesday, April 27th
What's the new genre in writing?! The students looked at mentor texts to see if they could figure it out. You guessed it!.....how-to books!
Science Fun! The students experimented with sandpaper and wood samples.
The learning?.... materials have properties that can change (sanding the wood changed the shape)
The learning?.... materials have properties that can change (sanding the wood changed the shape)
Tuesday, April 26th - CELEBRATE!!!!
The Villa staff helped KGB students celebrate the end of a successful non-fiction writing unit. Everyone enjoyed chocolates and the information the students provided in their books.
Sofiya T demonstrates that with persistence and a vision, recycled matierals projects can be thoughtful and well constructed.
Here is what Sofiya says about her multi-day project:
"This is a magic tree house and it's a secret. And here (pointing to the paper towel tubes) is so nobody sees. And this is the door to come inside. The purple part and the pink part is the flowers. This one (pointing to the green paint) is the one that goes up buildings. I don't know how it's called. Brooke responds, "Vines?" Sofiya confirms. Brooke, "Where did you get this idea?" Sofiya, "From the movie." Brooke, "What movie?" Sofiya, "It's called The Secret Door." |
Thursday, April 21st - math
With a partner the students had to use two colors of cubes to make a number and record the number sentences on a white board. For example: some pairs explored how to build 6: 5+1, 4+2, 3+3. They challenged themselves to try and find all the ways to build a particular number sentence, thus 3+3 could be with 3 white cubes connected to 3 green cubes or alternating white and green etc.
Other Wednesday afternoon fun!
Wednesday afternoon: Bridge and Colt use play time to extend their learning and try to build a raft.
After experimenting with rafts of different shapes and sizes, Colt and Bridge challenge themselves by testing their raft with a lego man. At first, the lego man fell over and slid off. This led Colt to ask Bridge, "How can we make our raft safe?" Eventually Colt figured out how to place him.
|
Other students are drawn into this playful learning. They challenge the boys to test heavier objects. Note the real world connection Colt makes when saying, "it's not a ferry, it's supposed to be a raft." (because now kids wanted to test it with toy cars)
|
Science Tuesday and Wednesday
Day 1: Using paperclips and rubber bands the kids are challenged to sink their plywood and pine samples with no instructions. Some groups find success but most do not.
Day 2: With more guidance about how to use the materials and guiding questions around the positioning of the paper clips, the students get to work again.
Soundbites from the learning:
Jessica/Declan: "It's still not sinking."
Sara: "more heavier"
Sophia E, "This has more and it sinks" (rephrase = so the pine wood needs more paper clips than the plywood to sink)
Day 2: With more guidance about how to use the materials and guiding questions around the positioning of the paper clips, the students get to work again.
Soundbites from the learning:
Jessica/Declan: "It's still not sinking."
Sara: "more heavier"
Sophia E, "This has more and it sinks" (rephrase = so the pine wood needs more paper clips than the plywood to sink)
Tuesday, April 19th: Fun at Cobenzl Farm!
Thanks to Jerome, Ganna, Tini, and Jessica for accompanying the class!
Monday, April 18th
Quote of the day, "Only parents and teachers have a sixth sense. My dad told me." - Jackson (in connection with the read aloud story)
Math: adding shapes and writing number sentences (equations)
Math: adding shapes and writing number sentences (equations)
April 11-14
This week's science lesson focused on the effects of water on wood. The students observed how water reacted differently with two types of wood: particleboard and cedar. The students worked in pairs and used droppers to put individual drops of water on the two types of wood and observe what happened. Spoiler: the cedar absorbs the water faster than the particleboard. Afterward, the kids shared their observations. Here are a few sound bites:
"The drop of water on the cedar absorbed faster."
"In the end of the cedar got darker when wet."
"On the particleboard, when I put a drop of water it absorbed more slow."
At the end, as a whole class, we hypothesized and then observed if the cedar and particleboard samples would float or sink.
new vocabulary word: absorb
Learnings from this lesson:
- different kinds of wood absorb water at different rates
- both types of wood float (despite one feeling heavier than the other)
"The drop of water on the cedar absorbed faster."
"In the end of the cedar got darker when wet."
"On the particleboard, when I put a drop of water it absorbed more slow."
At the end, as a whole class, we hypothesized and then observed if the cedar and particleboard samples would float or sink.
new vocabulary word: absorb
Learnings from this lesson:
- different kinds of wood absorb water at different rates
- both types of wood float (despite one feeling heavier than the other)
|
Friday, April 8th: new science unit, bubble blowing & birthdays!
SCIENCE
The first lesson of the new, Materials & Motion science unit focused on observing wood. Each student had to 5 wood samples to observe. Here are some the observations:
Declan, "They're really strong."
Jackson, "This one is more slippery." (Brooke responds, "I think the words you mean is smooth.")
Bridge holds up the particle board and notes, "This is rougher than all the others."
Sara, "They're different sounds." (meaning they make different sounds when you tap them on the table)
Ashton, "This is more softer."
Victoria, "They don't look the same." Brooke prompts, "Why?" Victoria responds, "Some have green, some white, some black, some grey."
Eric, "This one is dirty (talking about the particleboard) and these are clean" (referring to the other 4)
Jessica, "They are different kinds of pieces of wood."
Isabel, "This one smell different."
Declan, "This one is tickly." Brooke responds, "Rough is how you would describe that." Declan smiles and responds, "No, tickly."
Sophia E, "You can make fire if you rub them (wood) together."
{Sophia didn't observe this, she just shared some background knowledge.}
What is made from wood?
Colt, "Paper!"
Nolan, "Trees!"
Maggie, "Some toys are made from wood."
Angelos, "Tree houses!"
Learnings from the first lesson:
The first lesson of the new, Materials & Motion science unit focused on observing wood. Each student had to 5 wood samples to observe. Here are some the observations:
Declan, "They're really strong."
Jackson, "This one is more slippery." (Brooke responds, "I think the words you mean is smooth.")
Bridge holds up the particle board and notes, "This is rougher than all the others."
Sara, "They're different sounds." (meaning they make different sounds when you tap them on the table)
Ashton, "This is more softer."
Victoria, "They don't look the same." Brooke prompts, "Why?" Victoria responds, "Some have green, some white, some black, some grey."
Eric, "This one is dirty (talking about the particleboard) and these are clean" (referring to the other 4)
Jessica, "They are different kinds of pieces of wood."
Isabel, "This one smell different."
Declan, "This one is tickly." Brooke responds, "Rough is how you would describe that." Declan smiles and responds, "No, tickly."
Sophia E, "You can make fire if you rub them (wood) together."
{Sophia didn't observe this, she just shared some background knowledge.}
What is made from wood?
Colt, "Paper!"
Nolan, "Trees!"
Maggie, "Some toys are made from wood."
Angelos, "Tree houses!"
Learnings from the first lesson:
- wood is a material
- wood comes from trees
- vocabulary to describe wood: smooth, rough, light, dark, heavy, light
- some wood is made by people: plywood, particleboard
- particleboard is made from sawdust and glue
- plywood is made from thin layers of woods and glue pressed together
Question of the day: Can you blow bubble with bubble gum?
The class was about equally split in claiming to be able to blow bubbles. After they were told they would get to try to learn to do it today, 3 or 4 confessed that they didn't actually know how to do it yet. It made a for a great teachable moment about the importance of telling the truth.
The class was about equally split in claiming to be able to blow bubbles. After they were told they would get to try to learn to do it today, 3 or 4 confessed that they didn't actually know how to do it yet. It made a for a great teachable moment about the importance of telling the truth.
Colton and Jaxon turn 12!!!!! (6 + 6) Happy birthday boys!
Math
In math the students have been learning measuring. First they measured height, estimated and measured length using their feet, estimated and measured and weight using balance scales and cubes, and estimated and measured time.
April 5th: Tuesday's free choice fun = magna tiles and/or drawing!
Just another manic Monday!!! (April 4th)
Ashton turns 6! Happy birthday!!!!!
Thursday, March 21st: field trip to ZOOM
The next Science unit will be Materials & Motion. In conjunction with this upcoming unit, the class visited ZOOM Museum's exhibit on plastic. On Friday, the class looked through photos from the field trip and debriefed the learning.
Guiding Question: What did you learn yesterday at ZOOM?
Bridge, "There are many kinds of plastic. Helmets are plastic."
Jessica, "You have to be careful with plastic in the ocean."
Sophia E, "Some plastic can be changed with hot and cold water."
Bridge adds, "And you can melt it back and use it again."
Eric, "If you throw plastic in the ocean fish will die."
Declan, "Toys are plastic!"
AShton, "When you throw it (plastic) on hot water you can build something. When you throw it on cold water it's hard."
Sophia E, "Beads are made of plastic."
Sara, "When we worked with plastic, when it got hard we couldn't do anything."
Sofiya T, "If you smash plastic together it will be heavy."
Nolan, "When you put plastic into cold water it can turn hard as a rock."
The plastic melting station:
Guiding Question: What did you learn yesterday at ZOOM?
Bridge, "There are many kinds of plastic. Helmets are plastic."
Jessica, "You have to be careful with plastic in the ocean."
Sophia E, "Some plastic can be changed with hot and cold water."
Bridge adds, "And you can melt it back and use it again."
Eric, "If you throw plastic in the ocean fish will die."
Declan, "Toys are plastic!"
AShton, "When you throw it (plastic) on hot water you can build something. When you throw it on cold water it's hard."
Sophia E, "Beads are made of plastic."
Sara, "When we worked with plastic, when it got hard we couldn't do anything."
Sofiya T, "If you smash plastic together it will be heavy."
Nolan, "When you put plastic into cold water it can turn hard as a rock."
The plastic melting station:
Finding plastic mixed-in with grains of sand with the help of a microscope and tweezers:
Nets can be made from plastic:
Lots of fun stuff is made from plastic:
|
Cleaning plastic from water: a daunting task that threatens our world:
Bus ride fun!
Thank you to all the parents who helped out on the field trip: Jerome, Emily, Jessica, Ganna, and Olga. Special thanks to Olga for booking this field trip on our behalf.
Wednesday March 16, 2016 - STEM Challenge
What is STEM? STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Important characteristics of STEM activities are: immersing students in hands-on inquiry and open-ended exploration guided by the engineering design process, involving students in teamwork, application of science and math skills, allowance for multiple right answers & re-framing failure as a necessary part of learning.
KG modified the March STEM Challenge to better accommodate our age group. With a partner, students chose a stuffed toy from a bag (without looking inside). The challenge was to design a costume for their stuffed toy, based on the characteristics they chose for their animal. Any materials in the classroom were allowed, so long as the stuffed toy was not permanently altered in any way. In addition to collaboration, students touched on each of the components of STEM. For SCIENCE they were exploring properties of materials to best suit their needs, with TECHNOLOGY they accessed scissors and tape (TECHNOLOGY is not always an ipad or computer! It's defined as using a product, tool or system that meets human/environmental needs), with ENGINEERING they designed and executed the creation of the costume, for MATH they had to estimate and apply spatial reasoning. The class was highly engaged during the activity and extremely proud of their creations.
|
Wednesday, March 16th: Inspired by Gene?....Declan brings a favorite book from home and reads it proudly to the class!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
During snack the kids played a game entitled, "Who's Smile Is It Anyway?" They had to look at pics (a few kids haven't had a photo yet) and guess who is was. Some were harder than others to figure out!
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
A guest reader!!!!! WOOHOO! Thanks to Gene, Bridge's dad, for coming to read to the class.
Afterwards Gene reflected, "It was fun," and "a great opportunity for parents."
Monday, March 14, 2016
In connection with our Human Body unit, some of the students started their day off by exploring x-rays at the light table.
Later on....
Need a banner?!....KGB students are happy to help! (March 10th)
Question of the day, Tuesday, March 8th:
Would you be interested in going to an all boys school (if you are a boy) or an all girls school (if you are a girl)?
yes: all 6 of the boys (2 were absent) answered yes, 6 of the 8 girls answered yes
no: 2 girls answered "no way"
Would you be interested in going to an all boys school (if you are a boy) or an all girls school (if you are a girl)?
yes: all 6 of the boys (2 were absent) answered yes, 6 of the 8 girls answered yes
no: 2 girls answered "no way"
Happenings of March 8th and 9th:
|
Sara brought slime for show and tell! AWESOME!.... AND YUCK! (March 9th)
Colt and Bridge asked to use the cameras.
Bridge's slideshow is on the left and Colt's is on the right.
Bridge's vision is more artsy, Sometimes he finds blurriness helps set the scene.
|
Colt prefers portraits and easily captures personalities.
|
Thursday & Friday, March 3rd &4th
Wednesday, March 2nd:
Outside in the hall.....cute babies to adore! Inside the class......paper airplanes galore!
Later that morning.....
Ashton, "Can we listen to music?"
Brooke, "Like what?"
Ashton, "Please?" (We've been talking about being respectful as a class!)
Brooke, "No, like what kind of music?"
Ashton, "Waku Waku! I know that song! (he starts to sing the chorus to prove his point)
Sara, "A ballet song!"
So first it was Shakira, followed by a song from Black Swan.
And then.....
Jessica, "Can we listen to Eye of the Tiger? Not Katy Perry, the other one."
So, then it was that old-school jam.
The music taste is very eclectic!
Question of the Day: Tell us something nice that someone did for you yesterday.
(not actually a question....just a sharing session)
Sofiya T, "Mom helped me plant some crystals."
Victoria, "My dog helped me when I got hurt."
Sara, "Isabel and Sofiya T played with me on the playground."
Nolan, "Jackson helped me escape during a playground game."
Jackson, "Bridge helped me escape during a playground game."
Isabel, "My doll played with me."
Angelos, "Eric helped me solve a problem."
Lillian, "My mommy and daddy said they'll take me and some friends skiing."
Bridge, "My new cook made me dinner."
Colt, "My brother helped me cut something out."
Jessica,"The cat that normally scratches got in (the house) and cuddled me all night."
Declan, "My mom, dad and Elsa built legos with me."
Maggie, "My babysitter helped me reach a banana."
Eric, "Angelos helped me hide during a playground game."
Sophia E, "My mom taught me how to blow-up a balloon."
Ashton, "My dad helped me bake cookies in MY kitchen."
Brooke, "A parent wrote me an email and said she appreciates what I do."
Ms Luisa, "My best friend went to visit my mom."
Ashton, "Can we listen to music?"
Brooke, "Like what?"
Ashton, "Please?" (We've been talking about being respectful as a class!)
Brooke, "No, like what kind of music?"
Ashton, "Waku Waku! I know that song! (he starts to sing the chorus to prove his point)
Sara, "A ballet song!"
So first it was Shakira, followed by a song from Black Swan.
And then.....
Jessica, "Can we listen to Eye of the Tiger? Not Katy Perry, the other one."
So, then it was that old-school jam.
The music taste is very eclectic!
Question of the Day: Tell us something nice that someone did for you yesterday.
(not actually a question....just a sharing session)
Sofiya T, "Mom helped me plant some crystals."
Victoria, "My dog helped me when I got hurt."
Sara, "Isabel and Sofiya T played with me on the playground."
Nolan, "Jackson helped me escape during a playground game."
Jackson, "Bridge helped me escape during a playground game."
Isabel, "My doll played with me."
Angelos, "Eric helped me solve a problem."
Lillian, "My mommy and daddy said they'll take me and some friends skiing."
Bridge, "My new cook made me dinner."
Colt, "My brother helped me cut something out."
Jessica,"The cat that normally scratches got in (the house) and cuddled me all night."
Declan, "My mom, dad and Elsa built legos with me."
Maggie, "My babysitter helped me reach a banana."
Eric, "Angelos helped me hide during a playground game."
Sophia E, "My mom taught me how to blow-up a balloon."
Ashton, "My dad helped me bake cookies in MY kitchen."
Brooke, "A parent wrote me an email and said she appreciates what I do."
Ms Luisa, "My best friend went to visit my mom."
That afternoon.....
Collaborating to Write a Non-Fiction Book About The Human Body February 29 & March 1st:
Before embarking on writing their own non-fiction books, the class worked together to write a book about the human body. Each student wrote and illustrated a page. Some kids wrote independently, others had support, many used words from the word wall. Then, we used Book Creator (an ipad app) to publish the book into movie format.
February 29th: Leap Year......Anything Can Happen!
The day started out, just like any other...
|
|
Later, Colt asked to snap some pictures using the camera....
But then Ashton asked for music..... and suddenly a small dance party was happening!
|
|
Though not all the kids participated in the dancing, some were briefly inspired! It wasn't a Michael Jackson song, but Angelos and Eric showed each other their moonwalk moves!
Integrated Math and Science Learning (February 24 & 25th)
Using "chains" the students measured their heights with the help of a partner. The next step was to count how many chains tall they are and record the data. The last step was to compare their individual heights with classmates and record that data as well..
PART 3 DAY 2: NEXT STEPS TO EXPLORING BIG BOOKS
(February 25, 2016)
(read Parts 1 & 2 below first)
The second day of this lesson led us to take notice what features we see in non-fiction books. Not all books have every feature, but some of the ones introduced were: table of contents, labels, captions, bold words, maps, and photographs. This two-part lesson was a way to introduce non-fiction in preparation for the new writing unit. The first non-fiction book the students will write will integrate our science unit about the human body. After that, each student will undertake writing books on topics about which they feel they are experts. With teacher support the students will be encouraged to try and incorporate feature(s) of non-fiction texts when they write.
Question of the Day (February 24th)
Do you ever wish you lived in your home country?
yes, a lot: 12 sometimes: 2 not so much: 1 never: 1 I do: 2
yes, a lot: 12 sometimes: 2 not so much: 1 never: 1 I do: 2
PART 1: EXPLORING BIG BOOKS
(February 24, 2016)
The class spent some time exploring different big books on Wednesday. There was only one minute to explore each text before passing it on to the next person. Here are some of the comments overheard while the books were being passed around.
Jessica, "Oh this is a beautiful book!"
Eric pulls his book in for a closer look and then asks, "Angelos, what in the world is this?!"
Bridge, "It's like a new adventure in each book."
Sofiya T, "EEEEWWWWW!"
Victoria crawls over and asks, "What?"
Sofiya T responds, "Germs!"
Jackson, "Oh I know this book!"
Nolan, "Wow! A waterfall!"
Maggie, "A Native American!"
Others (Colt, Lillian, Nolan, Sophia, Isabel, Angelos, Sara and Ashton) read/ponder their books rather quietly.
Jessica, "Oh this is a beautiful book!"
Eric pulls his book in for a closer look and then asks, "Angelos, what in the world is this?!"
Bridge, "It's like a new adventure in each book."
Sofiya T, "EEEEWWWWW!"
Victoria crawls over and asks, "What?"
Sofiya T responds, "Germs!"
Jackson, "Oh I know this book!"
Nolan, "Wow! A waterfall!"
Maggie, "A Native American!"
Others (Colt, Lillian, Nolan, Sophia, Isabel, Angelos, Sara and Ashton) read/ponder their books rather quietly.
PART 2: THE PURPOSE AND FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION
Observing both fiction and non-fiction texts, afterwards the students discussed what they noticed.
With the open ended question, "what did you notice about these books?" the answers were very concrete. The answers were things along the lines of, "they are big," "I like them," "I saw ____."
Then Jackson commented that some books had photographs. Building on that observation, the students thought about why that was true. Holding up one fiction and one non-fiction book the next guiding question was, "Why does this one have photographs and this one have illustrations?"
Bridge quickly said while pointing, "That one is an information book!" Someone else said, "It's a true book."
The next question was, "What are true information books called?" Honestly, it was impressive at this point that many kids were able to come-up with the terms fiction and non-fiction. There was some confusion about which book was which. After reviewing that concept, the class then sorted the books into the two groups. Only one non-fiction book was tricky because it actually had illustrations instead of photographs but we talked about how not all non-fiction books have photographs, the text itself needs to be a consideration. An example was dinosaurs: many non-fiction books about dinosaurs exist but none have photographs of dinosaurs (only skeletons Colt pointed out) because there are no photographs of dinosaurs in existence.
With the open ended question, "what did you notice about these books?" the answers were very concrete. The answers were things along the lines of, "they are big," "I like them," "I saw ____."
Then Jackson commented that some books had photographs. Building on that observation, the students thought about why that was true. Holding up one fiction and one non-fiction book the next guiding question was, "Why does this one have photographs and this one have illustrations?"
Bridge quickly said while pointing, "That one is an information book!" Someone else said, "It's a true book."
The next question was, "What are true information books called?" Honestly, it was impressive at this point that many kids were able to come-up with the terms fiction and non-fiction. There was some confusion about which book was which. After reviewing that concept, the class then sorted the books into the two groups. Only one non-fiction book was tricky because it actually had illustrations instead of photographs but we talked about how not all non-fiction books have photographs, the text itself needs to be a consideration. An example was dinosaurs: many non-fiction books about dinosaurs exist but none have photographs of dinosaurs (only skeletons Colt pointed out) because there are no photographs of dinosaurs in existence.
KINDERGARTEN FASHION: ATTITUDES REFLECTED IN T-SHIRTS:
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Question of the day: What are your grateful for?
Ashton: my sister Jessica: my family and our house
Declan: sleep Bridge: my 3 piggy banks and sleeping
Sara: my family Eric: the museum
Sophia E: grandma's long visit Isabel: my family
Maggie: a house Sofiya T: drawing
Colt: the toy from skiing Victoria: my toy pony
Nolan: everything from skiing Jackson: sleeping
Lillian: skiing all the way down the ski slope and my mom's birthday
Declan: sleep Bridge: my 3 piggy banks and sleeping
Sara: my family Eric: the museum
Sophia E: grandma's long visit Isabel: my family
Maggie: a house Sofiya T: drawing
Colt: the toy from skiing Victoria: my toy pony
Nolan: everything from skiing Jackson: sleeping
Lillian: skiing all the way down the ski slope and my mom's birthday
First day back after holiday and they didn't miss a beat! ( 2/22)
Sitting with a group of kids for 15-20 minutes while they play yields:
Cooperation:
Ashton asks, "Can I have some green please?"
(Jessica hands him some of the mint green she's using, despite having very little left.)
Sofiya T offers to Ashton, "You want some orange?"
Jessica asks, "Where's the heart shaped cookie cutter?"
Isabel replies, "Here Jeso." (she reaches across the table to hand it to her)
__________________________________________________________
Vocabulary Development:
Ashton, "Who has the thing?"
Brooke, "It's called a cookie cutter."
Ashton tries again, "Where is the cookie cutter?"
later......
Sofiya T, also gives this new vocabulary a try, "Where is the cookie cutter?"
__________________________________________________________
Compliments:
Colt drops by the play-doh table to check out what's going on.
Colt comments to Jessica, "Great hearts."
Jessica replies, "Thanks."
__________________________________________________________
Resourcefulness:
Don't have anything but a textured rolling pin? - - No problem!
The kids were resourceful and used a marker instead. - - Good thinking.
Ashton asks, "Can I have some green please?"
(Jessica hands him some of the mint green she's using, despite having very little left.)
Sofiya T offers to Ashton, "You want some orange?"
Jessica asks, "Where's the heart shaped cookie cutter?"
Isabel replies, "Here Jeso." (she reaches across the table to hand it to her)
__________________________________________________________
Vocabulary Development:
Ashton, "Who has the thing?"
Brooke, "It's called a cookie cutter."
Ashton tries again, "Where is the cookie cutter?"
later......
Sofiya T, also gives this new vocabulary a try, "Where is the cookie cutter?"
__________________________________________________________
Compliments:
Colt drops by the play-doh table to check out what's going on.
Colt comments to Jessica, "Great hearts."
Jessica replies, "Thanks."
__________________________________________________________
Resourcefulness:
Don't have anything but a textured rolling pin? - - No problem!
The kids were resourceful and used a marker instead. - - Good thinking.
February 11th.....the 100th day of school!
A big thank you to our room moms: Olga, Jessica and Emily for organizing and preparing the special snack. Thanks to other helping hands: Sylvia, Zoe and Ashley. Hey Dads.... you're missing all the fun! Please come in anytime to read or help out with special events!
February 10th..... Our PTF appropriations trampoline arrives!
THANKS PTF!!!!!
Thinking and learning with our new equipment:
Bridge calls out while bouncing, "Ms. Brooke, if you jump on 1 leg you don't go as high. If you jump on 2 legs you go higher."
Jessica (who is doing something else) chimes in by asking Bridge, "What if you jump on 1 leg harder?"
Bridge replies, "You go slower."
Other creativity and learning from February 10th.....
|
Bridge, Jackson and Nolan wanted to build a marble run. Brooke helped by walking them through the directions step by step. (Feb.9)
Question of the day: If you could change the color of the sky, what color would you want it to be?
Declan, Maggie, Victoria and Sofiya T: rainbow
Angelos: green
Nolan: yellow
Sara: pink
Eric: red
Jessica and Ms. Luisa: gold
Isabel: blue/purple/pink
Sophia E: blue/pink/red
Colton, Bridge, Jackson, Brooke: leave it
Declan, Maggie, Victoria and Sofiya T: rainbow
Angelos: green
Nolan: yellow
Sara: pink
Eric: red
Jessica and Ms. Luisa: gold
Isabel: blue/purple/pink
Sophia E: blue/pink/red
Colton, Bridge, Jackson, Brooke: leave it
Starting off our week right! (Monday, February 8th)
Katharine and Karl George (Eric's brother) gave a puppet show. (Feb 5th)
Some other happenings from Feb 3 - 5th.
|
Nolan, Jackson and Bridge used "The Force" to create their own Yodas! RAD!
Some of the boys work together to make a space station. (Feb 2)
Meanwhile... others engage in art.
Jackson noted, "Ms. Brooke, these girls are good at making purses!"
Maggie makes a kite on Monday, February 1st and it inspires others to do the same.
Here are some of the snippets of conversation that were had during this play-based learning:
Jessica to Maggie: "Can you teach me how to make a rhombus kite?"
(She really said rhombus! Her teacher's heart skipped a beat!)
Maggie: "How can we make them fly?"
Sofiya T: Let's ask Ms. Brooke to open the window."
Some of the boys problem solving:
Jackson: "There's no wind."
Nolan: "Let's run."
Jackson: "It doesn't work."
Nolan: "Let's hold them high."
later on Bridge questions....
"Where is the highest point?" (wondering if there would be more wind somewhere higher up)
Jessica to Maggie: "Can you teach me how to make a rhombus kite?"
(She really said rhombus! Her teacher's heart skipped a beat!)
Maggie: "How can we make them fly?"
Sofiya T: Let's ask Ms. Brooke to open the window."
Some of the boys problem solving:
Jackson: "There's no wind."
Nolan: "Let's run."
Jackson: "It doesn't work."
Nolan: "Let's hold them high."
later on Bridge questions....
"Where is the highest point?" (wondering if there would be more wind somewhere higher up)
Here are some other photos from Play Workshop and the playground.
Question of the day!
Each morning we have a question of the day. Sometimes we tally mark answers, other times it's more of a conversation or idea sharing. On Thursday, January 28th the question of the day was, "Do you think about what you might like to do (for a job) when you grow up?" We had some neat answers:
explorer: 11 computer instructor carpenter
lego maker police man army
vet: 111 horse back rider teacher
(Many absences that day so there were only 12 responses.)
Each morning we have a question of the day. Sometimes we tally mark answers, other times it's more of a conversation or idea sharing. On Thursday, January 28th the question of the day was, "Do you think about what you might like to do (for a job) when you grow up?" We had some neat answers:
explorer: 11 computer instructor carpenter
lego maker police man army
vet: 111 horse back rider teacher
(Many absences that day so there were only 12 responses.)