Week 26: March 26–29, 2018
After a restful March Break, the Grade 1-2s returned to school on Monday brimming with stories of travel, birthday celebrations, and fun days in the city with family and friends. This week, we continued exploring the idea of community and examining the different roles and responsibilities within our community that make it such a great place to live. Before the break, students had been working together to brainstorm different roles and to illustrate them on index cards. This week, they worked together to generate descriptions of the responsibilities associated with each individual role and to write them on the back of each corresponding card. Next week, these cards will form a flip-book, similar to the ones we use on our Word Wall. In CERES class, students looked at principles of hydraulics and explored different hydraulic systems around the school. They even stuck their hands in toilets (with gloves on, of course) to feel the pull of the hydraulic system. In art class, students explored different materials and mediums. They also created some wearable art at the end of the week. Throughout the week, during our math classes, we have been learning to read an analog clock. Now that the students are able to consistently count by fives, they are starting to identify the time by counting out the hours and minutes on a moveable clock. Many Grade 1-2s are also starting to demonstrate these new skills by calculating how many minutes remain in a given period or by counting down to events like recess and lunch. On Thursday, we welcomed visitors to the Early Learning and Grade 1-2 classrooms for a special open house event. Two students from our class acted as tour guides for the first time and were bursting with pride as they took on the task. Visitors commented on how articulate and thorough they were, and many other students in the class are eager to get their turn at being a tour guide. Finally, while the middle and high school students were having extra classes, we took a rainy walk over to the Deer Park Library for our monthly library visit. What a full week!
M and Z pool their skills to take on reading a more challenging book together first thing in the morning. This collaboration is so valuable for language growth as well as social skill building.
While learning about hydraulics in CERES class, M works with her classmates to take inventory of all the taps, pipes, and drains she can find in the school.
Z attempts to recall how to properly use tally marks in CERES class. Counting by 5s comes easily to Z these days but grouping the tally marks in sets of 5 is something she still needs a little practice on.
The Grade 1-2s and Early Learners use different materials to make prints in art class.
Z and M experiment with hydraulic systems in CERES class. They enjoy observing all the ways that transfer of water forces motion to occur.
As we examine communities in social studies and learn about the roles and responsibilities of different members of our community, G, M, and S come up with descriptions of the responsibilities of different people and record them on the back of handmade cards that will soon form a flip-book.
In Writer's Workshop, S writes about how happy she was to have visitors in the school during that morning's open house event. S describes how having visitors means that maybe next year, she will have even more awesome friends to play with.
The Grade 1-2s return from art class on Thursday with cellophane "fashion" creations to show. Instead of wearable art, M and Z decided to make a mixed-media picture as a gift.
During our library visit on a rainy Thursday afternoon, K helps A read a book that she has found. A says she feels lucky that K is such a good reader because she can help her decide whether it is a good book to check out.
As the non-fiction enthusiasts of the class, G and M often gravitate to the substantial science section at the Deer Park Library. They share interesting facts that they read in their books in an excited whisper as they sit tucked together in a library nook.