Designing a Group Pumpkin

To begin our How-To writing and to celebrate Autumn the students began designing a group pumpkin.  While design the children practice working collaboratively, how to share work fairly, and how to come to a compromise when they did not agree.

After coming up with a group design, they painted a pumpkin.  All the while talking about each step and their sequence.  Soon they will start writing a group How-To Paint a Pumpkin book! Stay tuned!

Last week Mr. and Mrs. Callahan from Callahan's Karate came to speak to our class about respect, courage, focus, and being good leaders!  The children receive courage brackets to remind themselves that courage means that you might be afraid, but you try anyways!

Daily 5

We gave been busy building our Daily 5 routine and increasing independence while the students get to choose from 5 literacy based activities!
   
Children can Work on Writing in our writing journals.  Each journal has a different topic and will change throughout the year!  So far we have 3 journals going.  The topics are: A Made Up Story, Ouch, as story about a time you got hurt, and Favorite Things!


Another option the children can choose from is Read to Self.  We have been practicing choosing "just right" books and the children use this time to enjoy a book  quietly.

 
Children practice trick words and words from our current Fundations unit during Word Work!  We will learn lots of different ways to practice spelling words this year!  The activities we have practiced are Chalk Writing, Rainbow Writing, and Building Words with Letters.


 Children get to enjoy a book that is read to them during Listen to Reading.  The book this week is Clark the Shark. After they finish listening they pick some comprehension questions and discuss with their fellow
listeners!

The fifth and final choice is Read to Someone (not pictured).  Children can find a buddy and sit with them to enjoy a book!  They can take turns reading a page out loud or read together or choral read a story. 

Whole Body Listening

We have been practicing Whole Body Listening during our school day! While on the rug we do whole body listening "scans" to make sure our entire bodies are ready for learning.

Last week we started work on our Lego Robotics unit with Mrs. Dorer!  The boys and girls built two birds last Monday during Science.  This Monday the students programed the birds to start, dance, sing, and stop!

 

Ermi and Nathan working together to program their birds!

                     Derek and Saimya are taking turns using the program.    

We are excited about filling our FOURTH jar of rocks!

A New Blog!

I hope that our new classroom blog will be up and running soon! My hope is that through our blog families and friends can keep up with ALL the hard work we are doing at school! STAY TUNED!
-Miss Lua