Now that we have established many of the important classroom routines, we have taken our learning to the next level. We continue to add letters and sight words to our repertoire. We have also added more small group work during Reading. Groups may play games to work on phonics skills, listen to and discuss a story, or even practice reading on their own! Children have been busy during Writer's Workshop, practicing "bubblegum stretching" words to add to their stories. Check out what else we've been up to...
Developing Identities
Children finished painting and (with teacher assistance working the glue gun) putting together their identity boxes. Each child got a chance to share in front of the class. This both provided an opportunity to practice speaking in front of the group and a way to learn about each other's interests and experiences. We will be displaying our boxes in the classroom, and children have enjoyed checking out each other's creations. We have also continued to come together as a class. During Learn and Explore, children may make choices based on where they want to play or who they want to play with. They may build together with blocks or play a game together on the rug. It has been wonderful to see these social connections and interactions in the classroom.
During Team Meeting we have talked about how we can help teammates. We discussed how to give someone else a reminder to make a better choice or how to ignore someone who is being too silly. These strategies help children support each other in the classroom, with the overall goal being an environment where everyone can focus on learning.
Stars of K105
Along with our conversations in Team Meeting, we have introduced the idea of "star behavior" to the class. This is a way of thinking about the choices we make, and recognizing when we are making the best choices and working hard. The class can earn stars together, or individual children can be recognized for setting a positive example or working hard at something that may be challenging for them. As we "fill the sky with stars" we will earn rewards such as new materials for Learn and Explore and special days.
Pumpkins on the Vine, Pumpkins on the Mind
We continued to work on the cross-curricular theme of pumpkins. In Discovery, we used our 5 senses to describe pumpkins and created observational drawings. Children noticed the lines on the pumpkins and debated whether they felt "hard" or "soft".
In Reading, we read a variety of nonfiction books about our subject. We learned about how a pumpkin grows, creating our own pumpkin stories and representations of the pumpkin lifecycle.
In a crossover activity in Math, we opened up our pumpkins to observe the inside and removed all the seeds to count. Children filled ten frames with seeds and worked with a teacher to count by tens. Groups counted 295, 391, 411, and 425 seeds!
Counting and Comparing
In Math, we have continued to discuss and practice counting strategies. Children learned about "inventories" and practiced counting bags of different objects. We also started a unit on comparing. This began with a conversation about measuring, and finding objects shorter or longer than a stick of ten Unifix cubes. We have also learned about comparing numbers, with lots of different opportunities to practice. One such activity is the game "Compare". Like the game "War", children flip over cards and determine who has the higher number. These games can be a great way to reinforce these ideas at home!
Check out some more shots of K105 at work below...