Pine Class News Update
January 11th, 2015
Happy New Year!
We hope that everyone had a restful break filled with fun and family and friends. It was great to see all the little Pines back in class this week with lots of great stories to tell and renewed excitement to learn and explore.
Thank you to all of the families for the very generous gift that you put together for each of us. We certainly did not expect anything like this. We are so grateful for your support in the classroom and at home. It feels like we're part of a really great team. :-)
We've been checking on our terrariums.
What's going on in here?
Looking for changes.
Did any of the plants grow? Is this moss changing color? Are there water droplets on the sides of the jar?
Writing and drawing observations in our logs.
"The vines are longer." "The moss turned a little yellow." "There are little red parts growing from this plant." "It looks more wet in the sand." "I would like to go for a walk in there."
"How to" Writing
We have entered a new unit in writing and are focusing on writing "How To" pieces. It has been exciting to watch students write about things they really know how to do and try to teach the steps to someone else. If you can talk through steps of different things you're doing at home together that's great too! "When I'm getting ready to go out in the cold first I put on my scarf. Then I put on my coat. Last I put on my hat and mittens."
Before the Break the Pine Class had a GREAT Time Reading with the Maple Class (Kindergarten)!
Math Games
During Math time we have been playing lots of games and digging a little deeper into the math in each game. Students are now filling out reflections about their work.
They can choose to answer a number of questions after playing a game:
Where is the Math in this game?
Does this game connect to something else you've learned?
Did you discover anything new?
Did you spot a pattern?