Hoppin' Into Junior Kindergarten!

Hi JK Parents and Friends!

This week we went upstairs to the science lab to experience "ooey gooey" science experiments.  The children were able to observe the interaction of chemicals that make glowsticks illuminate.  They also made their own slime and then watched a pumpkin explode, as a result of the breaking of a triple bond in a molecule of acetylene.  I am not sure they will remember the substances used, but they loved hearing that the pumpkin might have had too much Halloween candy!

This week in Spanish we celebrated Dia de los Muertos. We decorated skull cookies and shared our lanterns. The children were excited to wear their salt skull necklaces around Roycemore for everyone to see. We watched a video about Dia de los Muertos and discussed the significance of the celebrations and customs.

 "Dicen Feliz Dia de los Muertos!"  (Happy Day of the Dead)

 We painted our self portraits, paying special attention to our individual skin tones, hair color and eye color.  It is a great way to document the progression over the school year and observe the many ways our young artists are developing.

At the sensory table, we spent the closing of Halloween Day with sorting of bugs and centipedes, noting the similarities in texture, color, size and type of insect, counting each as we grouped them.

The short week flew by, as the class continued their practice of songs for Grandparent's Day in Music class, made November calendars decorated with pumpkin pie pieces (small, medium and large), and worked in small groups to then join our paper chains for one group art project.  Working collectively, making different patterns, using our fine motor skills, and collaborating on the best way to join each link to the class chain were all processes they worked through in this collective project.

We are studying the election this week and discussing ways we can be leaders in our own school, classroom, homes and communities.  Help our young citizens recognize ways they can be leaders and please feel free to share when you notice these efforts.

I am including an article on the importance and positive results of reading non-fiction books and would love to hear of any favorites your children have read.  Our themes are election and giving thanks this week and next, but we can find a way to incorporate their interests at any time.

Have a great week!

Why is nonfiction reading important for kids?
On average, kids today spend less than 4 minutes a day reading nonfiction1. Yes, 4 minutes. What can you actually read in 4 little minutes? How much can you truly understand and feel comfortable talking about later?

It is common knowledge that how much a child reads is important. Kids who read more will perform better, acquire a greater vocabulary and develop better critical thinking skills. However, what a child reads is also important. Statistics show that kids actually read an average of 25 minutes a day (which is very low compared to the 4 hours and 29 minutes a day they spend watching TV). Of those 25 minutes, just 4 are spent on nonfiction. But is that enough? How can reading nonfiction really help?

A study by Marzano underlined that nonfiction reading helps kids develop background knowledge. You might be thinking, “So what?” Well, that same study shows that background knowledge actually accounts for 33% of the variance in student achievement.

Educators now commonly assert that reading more nonfiction early on tremendously helps children reach the appropriate reading levels in later grade. An interesting report from ACT in 2006, Reading Between the Lines: What the ACT Reveals About College Readiness in Reading, states that “the clearest differentiator in reading between students who are college ready and students who are not is the ability to comprehend complex texts.” According to experts, nonfiction is a great way for kids to develop critical thinking and analytical skills and, you guessed it, the ability to read and understand complex texts.

Common Core State Standards are now addressing the growing importance of school curricula across the United States by increasing the amount of nonfiction texts in classroom reading lessons. In the past, 80% of the texts read in class were fiction. Now, the Common Core Standards aim for reading materials to be 50% fiction and 50% nonfiction. While it could take some time for this significant change to be fully implemented at school, the shift in what children read can also come from home!

Kids have to read nonfiction!
Of course, there’s no need to lock your child’s monster stories in a closet and replace them with boring textbooks! Work with them to learn what they’re interested in — whether it’s sports, science, or history — and look together for fun and interesting texts! Nonfiction is everywhere. The challenge is to find nonfiction texts that are engaging and age-appropriate for your little ones! Remember, the objective is to get them to read nonfiction daily and actually enjoy it! And while reading fiction is a great way to develop children's imaginations and creativity, it’s nonfiction that sparks their curiosity and opens their minds to the world!