Good morning JK parents!
Happy New Year to you all! We have begun studying penguins this week. The children are so excited to learn about these fascinating birds. We are also thrilled to welcome a new student to JK! The children have all loved playing and learning with Daniel. What a great addition to our classroom.
Math & Science:
In this center we conducted an experiment using Crisco to insulate our hands while comparing our bare hands submerged in ice water to a hand surrounded by Crisco. We made predictions about what would happen and which hand would stay warmer, as well as discussing all of the ways penguins keep themselves "warm" in the frigid temperatures of Antarctica. We discussed warm weather penguins living in the Galapagos Islands. They were all reminded of Happy Feet!
We managed to fit in some Star Wars Yoga too! Their balance and concentrations is incredible. Feel free to you tube it and try it at home. They all enjoy it.
We will continue to actively learn about penguins as we move, sing, play, question, role play, color, draw, paint, create, etc. If children are not talking and participating, the material they are studying is not as meaningful. They have to have a way to relate to penguins by relating the new information to things they already know (scaffolded learning). Many loved hearing of the way penguins slide down hills just like we sled. They were not thrilled about learning the babies eat food that has been regurgitated by their mother. There is actually a tiny pocket in the back of the male penguins throat that makes a milk like substance that the penguins live off of until the female penguins come back from their two months away. We practiced trying to waddle with an egg held on our feet like the male penguins do. It is so funny watching the determination as they try to hold the egg and not let it fall on the "ice". The children made a chart identifying what a penguin CAN, HAS and IS. We responsively discussed.
Each student worked in pairs to measure themselves with connector blocks and wooden blocks, comparing their height to that of a Little Blue and Emperor penguin we have on our wall. This process required many different skills of finding the beginning and ending point to measure, using non-standard units to measure, counting these different units, negotiating with friends about how they would measure and who would go first, comparisons of bigger, smaller, equal to, number writing and recognition, etc. I love interactive exercises. The conversations were lovely.
Language Arts:
Reading groups are again in full swing as we read through our RAZ books. We continue reading our chapter book as a class while we hunt for letters, letter sounds, and sight words. We are still all grasping the concept of "stretchy snake" while we try to identify each sound of each word. I began testing children using our ESGI tool, while they "played games with me" and allowed me to gather more details about their progress. This has to be done in stages for four and five year olds, to get accurate accounts, so will take the next month or so to assess. Please come in anytime in the morning before 8:15 and I am happy to share your child's progress with you. The next parent teacher conferences will be here before long. If you are unable to make it to scheduled times, I am happy to meet at your convenience! I am with your children each day so enjoy sharing the different things they experience in the classroom you might not see at home. Ask me questions and feel free ANYTIME to come visit!
The children wrote, dictated and illustrated a journal page answering "If I Were a Penguin". Most said they would fly, like the main character in "The Penguin Who Wanted to Fly". They used inventive spelling to label/dictate/write their sentences/pictures. We also read, The Emperor's Egg, Polar Wildlife, Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice, Penguins Scholastic, The Penguin Book Penguin Pete, Ahoy!, One Cool Friend, and Be Yourself Little Penguin. I like to vary fiction and non-fiction books. Please ask them to tell you about penguins and ask them questions like, "are birds?" Ask them if they can fly. Ask them what they eat and where they live and how they have fun. They love to share their knowledge! They should all know at least a few different names of penguins. (Macaroni still being the favorite, or Little Blue which is the smallest, and of course the Emperor which is the largest penguin in the world.)
Fine Arts:
The children all used their fingerprints to decorate their January calendars. Some went for the understated snow scenes and some labeled the parts of the calendar and tree along with creating their own snow blizzards! The great thing about differentiated learning is that the students are able to create different projects based on their comfort level, abilities and interests, with many additions for those who are ready for more. Our learning differentiation was great in our penguin study too. Some children wanted to learn more about the blubber and water and buoyancy and some children were more interested in studying the different types of penguins and how the colors and markings allow us to tell them apart. Some children were interested in the regions of penguin populations, and looking at all of the Southern Hemisphere areas where penguins live. All levels of interest were satisfied in this first week of our exploration. We continued making snowmen and adding to our writing center with more post office supplies for sending letters to classmates.
We celebrated another classmate's birthday, and welcomed Aeriana's mom in to read a favorite story of hers. Thank you for the delicious treats! We have seven five-year-olds in JK now!
We discussed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the contributions he made to our lives today. We read Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by Acorn books, and watched videos about MLK Jr. and his life. We talked about what it means to be equal in opportunities and treatment, and how we are different on the outside but the same on the inside. (Simple explanations are a great starting point, and allowing the children's questions to guide these discussions ensures they are meaningful in an age-appropriate way.) We discussed ways to honor Martin Luther King Junior, by helping our community, neighbors, and intentionally doing our part for his dream of all people living together in peace.
Enjoy your weekend, and stay warm!
Ms. Massey
