Walk-About

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What a fun time was had by all on our annual Walk-About! I always enjoy connecting with families and students this day, and was pleased by the turnout we had. It was a little chilly, but I think we all survived. Students also learned some fun facts about water as they finished the event. Thank you to our PFO for their organizational skills! I hear the students raised quite a bit of money that will be put to good use by the school.

Math Conceptual Unit

We have started a new conceptual unit in math this week. Students are learning about comparing, ordering, and even & odd. We took a pre-test today to see what everyone's starting point is, and will divide into groups from there. After our test, the students practiced comparing numbers with a game. We will work on this same concept tomorrow with a different, but related game, and start more traditional paper pencil work as well. Remember, every unit begins with hands-on learning moving towards paper/pencil activities. Every day students will practice math facts, complete a DMR (Daily Math Review), participate in a mini-lesson, and play menu math games to reinforce the core curriculum concept.

A picture of our Math Vocabulary Wall

Pajama Day

On Monday the class had earned 21 compliments and voted to have pajama day as their reward. They had lots of fun and we still managed to get in all of our regular activities like Reading and Writing Workshop.

Choice Time

In previous years I have assigned centers each morning for the students to complete as they arrive at school. This gives all children something to work on as soon as they come to the classroom, and is especially effective for those who are arriving at staggered times.

This year I am trying something a little different, and giving the students more say in what they do in the morning. We still have centers, but we are calling it "Choice Time" because the children get to pick what they work on. I have been keeping notes aobut what they choose, and it is interesting to see how they make their decidions. Some people pick the same thing everyday, and others pick different activites. Some students choose what their friends pick, but many are completely independent in their choices. Typical activities include: reading, writing/drawing, listening center, legos, computers, art, math drawers, project work, etc.

Popular choices today were: painting outside, store (project), computers, and legos. Reading and writing are usually top choices, but apparently not today :)

Caterpillars

Mrs. Laudadio brought in some new critters to our classroom this week. We have quite a few caterpillars making a home here. They eat dill weed, and are getting fatter every day. One has started his pupa stage already. These caterpillars look very similar to Monarch Butterfly larvae, but they are fact another butterfly variety called an Eastern Black Swallowtail.

For more information on the species click here:

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1356