Our little scientists!

We began using our science journals last week. Students were asked to think about what a scientist is, who could be a scientist, and what scientists do. Each student recorded their thoughts by drawing pictures. It was awesome to see that some scientists were girls and some were boys. Most students drew their scientists with some kind of tool. After sharing some of their journal entries, we talked a little about scientists and who could be a scientist. Once one student recognized that they "do science" and that they are a scientist, other students chimed right in-recognizing that they "do science" too and now see that they are scientists too!

Character Education

We are so fortunate to have Mrs. Jackson, a beloved retired teacher, who does a character education lesson once a month for all of the Kindergarten and First Grade classes. She reads one or two books to the class that emphasize the character trait that she is teaching them about. She discussed "RESPONSIBILITY" with our class. The kids really enjoyed her books and lesson. Be sure to talk to your child about being responsible and what he/she learned from Mrs. Jackson's lesson.

Retelling

Last week, we began reading "Star Books." "Star Books" are books that we have deemed as classic childhood favorite books that have all of the important story elements. We read The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Caps for Sale last week. We read these books over and over again so that students get really familiar with them. The kids colored and cut out puppet pieces for the characters for The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Students sat with a friend and practiced retelling the story. Once everyone had the opportunity to practice retelling with their partner, we chose two students to share with the class and show them how they recalled parts of the story and tried to use character voices. They did a great job!

Resources!

Last week, our "resource classes" started up. The resource classes that we have at our school are Art1, Art2, Music1, Music2, and P.E. Our class went to Music and P.E. last week. They had a great time with Mrs. Bell, one of our new music teachers. They listened to a song, rhythm book and also got to hold little stuffed animals called "Beat Buddies." At the end of the day when we were sharing for our class meeting, lots of friends said that Music was their favorite part of the day. Students also went to P.E. with Coach Bailey, Coach Robinson, and Coach Jones. It was evident that they kept them busy and using their muscles because their little faces were beat red and they were super sweaty! Here's a look at the kids in Music. I didn't brave the heat again to try to capture a picture of them at P.E.

Class Meeting

We ended our day with a class meeting in which everyone sat around the edges of the carpet. We passed around the red ball and took turns telling each other our favorite part of the day. It's a nice way to reflect and end our day!

Math Workshop

Another fun, hands-on part of our day is Math Workshop. Students will review number recognition, writing numbers, exploring math materials, and building their number sense. Below, students are exploring pattern blocks. Students were encouraged to take a handful of different pattern blocks, trying to count how many they had and also trying to recall the names of each shape.

Calendar Math Skills

Students worked on reviewing days of the week, months of the year, and number recognition. Each day we add one straw to a place value pocket chart to count how many days we have been in school.