This week we read Stella Luna and studied bats. We learned that bats use echolocation to find their way in the dark and to hunt for food. The children loved reading about many different kinds of bats, but loved hearing about the Vampire bat that drinks blood from cows and other farm animals most of all. We learned that bats can eat thousands of mosquitos in an hour and are incredibly advantageous to farmers, consuming bugs that would otherwise eat the farmer's crops!
Literacy:
Our reading groups have been discussing picture walks and how the pictures give us clues to learn the words on the corresponding page. Some of the children are learning to space between their first and last name using a finger space, and some are still practicing their letter formation in their first names. This year is critical in teaching them to begin at the top when writing their letters. Giving them a beginning point /dot helps when they are unsure of where to begin on the page. We will also work on making all of the letters uniform in size after they master the formation.
Literacy/Reading Buddies:
Our fifth and sixth grade reading buddies came to our room and read with the JK'ers, and each group of buddies completed a "Response to Reading" page, illustrating and dictating the meaning of the illustration to their buddy about the book they shared. These will be kept for their portfolios to take home at the end of the year. Most of the academic work we complete, along with their art projects, are put away for inclusion in the portfolios, or displayed on the walls before making their way there. I will share some of these things with you at conference time but feel free to always/anytime explore the classroom and ask about their work. They are happy to talk about it! We had our third grade reading buddies in our classroom to read with us as well! It's fun to see the different relationships and the subtle differences between our third grade group and our fifth/sixth grade group. All of the kids love doing art work and illustrations, especially the older children-as their time for art is more limited during the school day as they get older and have more academic responsibilities.
Math/Science/Performing Arts:
We have been practicing a few different plays for Halloween, including Five Little Pumpkins and 10 Pumpkins. These repetitive stories help children to learn sequencing. They are able to anticipate what will happen next and recite the order of the story line. These skills are important as they begin to formulate their own stories and are able to differentiate between the beginning, middle and end. We practiced counting and sorting this week with a game using Goldfish crackers. The children sorted by color, counted, and wrote their numbers, using a number line for reference for simple addition and subtraction.
We studied the skeletal structure of a bat and compared it to our human skeletons.
The children made replications of the skeletal system of a bat on their own cut outs that will hang from the ceiling and help decorate our room for Halloween! They loved seeing different
x-rays and knowing which animal or human to which each belonged. We played "Sequence" in groups, which not only helps with their counting and sequencing skills, but social growth as they compromise, discuss and share ideas through game play.
We used our minute math to compare children's heights, as they chose someone who was taller and shorter than they. We also chose random teen numbers to begin counting from as we learn that each number has a specific meaning and is not just part of a song or chant. One-to-one correspondence is an essential skill to learn and foundational for all math.
All of the children practiced their scissor skills, while making tissue paper banners in Spanish class. We also practiced cutting in our scissor center- on straight, curvy and zig-zag lines, using our "thumbs up" to remember how to properly hold scissors.
We wrapped up our bat theme week by asking the children to complete a chart as a group about what they learned. I was impressed by their new vocabulary learned and the details they provided about bats. Many of these facts are relayed each day as they earn their "ticket to line up". It's a great way for them to show their accomplishments to their peers in a low stress environment, while building again on their public speaking and self confidence.
We basked in the sunshine and enjoyed being outside. They will all love the snow but I am still grasping onto this amazing warm weather in October--IN CHICAGO!
We are all getting excited about Halloween and the fun we will have this week!
Have a great weekend!
Susie
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