Math
This week in math we reviewed the attributes of the following shapes: triangle, square, circle, oval, diamond, and rectangle. We talked about whether or not the shapes had curved or straight sides. For the shapes with straight sides, we counted the number of sides and the corners. The students also used a set of shape cards that included different sized triangles, rectangles, and squares to make new shapes. By manipulating these shapes and combining them together, the students were able to create new shapes. We were able to arrange the shapes to make a rocket ship and even a cat!
We also worked in our number books this week to learn how to write the numbers 3 and 4. For each new number, we learn a short poem to help us remember how to form each number correctly. Here are the poems for numbers 3 and 4.
Around a tree, around a tree,
That's the way to make a 3!
Down and across and down once more,
That's the way to make a four!
The students also practiced their counting skills this week by playing a dice game. After rolling a single die, the students counted the number of dots and colored in an apple on an apple tree with the corresponding number. They loved this activity!
Jolly Phonics
I continue to be amazed at what a terrific job the students are doing in their Jolly Phonics notebooks, and parents I commend you for the work you are doing with your children at home with both the pictures and the labels. Keep up the great work! We introduced the following sounds this week:
Rr as in "rag"
Mm as in "mouse"
Dd as in "drum"
Writer's Workshop
The goal for Writer's Workshop this week was to help the students learn what to do when they become stuck on their pictures or words and to really boost their confidence. We learned how powerful the statement, "I will just try my best and keep on going!" can be. It's amazing how such a simple phrase can give the students the confidence they need to start writing.
Treasures Reading
This week we continued the theme of families and talked about the different ways families spend time together. We read a story titled Picnic at Apple Park, which was about a family getting together with relatives for a picnic at the park. We discussed the setting of the story and talked about the different ways we like to get together with our own families. We also introduced a new sight word---the---and talked about how this is one of those words we have to be able to look at and read. We can't sound it out!
Each morning we continue to reinforce phonemic awareness skills by playing a series of listening games. We work on identifying rhyming words; identifying the beginning, middle, and ending sound in words; blending sounds together, segmenting words into parts, and manipulating sounds in words to make new words. Click on the images below to see a sample weekly lesson.
Science
We continued to experiment with color mixing this week using Play-doh. We referred back to the story we read last week Mouse Paint to remind us what we learned about the primary and secondary colors. Then using red, blue, and yellow Play-doh, the students were able to mix the various colors to create orange, green, and purple Play-doh. The children shared some of their observations while they worked hard to mix their Play-doh. I loved one comment a student made. She said, "Oh no, I still see some red and yellow spots in there. I have to keep smooshing it until it's totally orange!" Her comment reflected the concept that the blending process isn't complete until you have one solid new color.
We also conducted another experiment this week called "Finding Hidden Color." The purpose of this experiment was to help the students explore colors by separating them. Using a black marker, we drew a line onto the middle of a coffee filter. We place the filter upside down on top of a paper cup and secured it in place with a rubber band. Then using an eyedropper, we dropped several drops of water onto the filter and watched as the black line began to separate into different colors of the rainbow. We made predictions before dropping the water onto the filter and shared our observations once the black line started to separate into different colors. What a great discussion we had!!
As always, thanks for reading!
Have a great weekend!!
No comments:
Post a Comment