The Maples
11.14 - 11.18
***Mark Your Calendars!***
NO SCHOOL THIS WEEK!
Join us at our next Community Gathering, Wednesday, November 30
Work Time
Integrated Unit
Over the past month or so, the Maples have become mildly obsessed with collecting things outside in Camel Park and Fort Greene Park. One collection has become particularly extensive, and is a source of fascination for the entire class. It seemed natural, then, that the topic for this integrated unit be: Acorns! The Maples were thrilled, and have already started engaging in conversations. At Morning Meeting this week, we asked the question: What do you know about acorns? Here's what some of the Maples had to say:
Chloe: They crack really easily inside there’s yellow
Kamari: So I know about acorns because it’s so good and it’s so and you could collect them later, and sometimes they get, and they just grow and grow and until they get bigger and bigger.
Ada: Well, they grow on, they grow on oak trees.
Isobel: Actually acorns are not seeds but they actually are kind of like a nut.
Mila: Acorns…whenever they are already cracked open it looks like there’s a big pumpkin in it but it’s not a pumpkin but it’s not a pumpkin it’s a kind of...
Jackson: There are three layers of a acorn – a shell, a coat and an inside.
Analiese: Acorns grow on the street and they roll on the round so people can pick it up so they can give it to their teachers like you and Sara and then you can write on the board, you can write everything you want and you can do it however you do it.
Evelissa: Sometimes squirrels play with acorns.
Analiese: And they can eat it up!
Kedara: I see acorns a lot of times, also in Switzerland and New York and when I was starting to go home I was seeing acorns and leaves everywhere.
Jack: Acorns grow on trees and they fall off and squirrels can find them and eat them up.
Mekhi: They grow in the ground in the grass. But sometimes when they grow in the grass they don’t work but maybe when you water them they crack up they grow into flowers.
We're so excited to start this unit of study. Stay tuned for more!
Math Workshop
- Roll & Record: a game in which you roll a dice and record what number came up. This activity practices one to one correspondence and subitization (looking at an amount of objects and knowing how many without counting them individually).
- Inventory Bags: After discussing what it means to take an "inventory", each Maple got a brown paper bag filled with something. They counted it up and drew a picture of what was in their bag. We regrouped after the activity to discuss strategies for careful counting.
- Counting Jar Booklets: We revisited our Counting Jar, and each Maple got a personal counting bag. They counted how many and recorded their answers.
Things to do at home:
- Keep up the counting! Practice careful counting, and ask your Maple: What's your strategy?
- If you have dice at home, we can send you a copy of the Roll & Record worksheet. It's really fun, and is played just like a game (we say there's a "race to the top" to see which number wins!)
Reading Workshop
On Monday, we decorated our book bags to start book shopping at our school library. Book shopping is an excellent opportunity to heighten engagement in early literacy, and to maintain independent reading skills at home. The Maples are incredibly excited to bring books home ... in fact, after decorating their bags, some of them even tried to do some book shopping from our classroom!
Writing Workshop
Buddy Time!
More Pictures From The Week...
Ask Me About ...
- The song we sing for Anansi's six sons in Anansi the Spider
- Reading and singing! The Maples read two books this week that can be read in song: From Head To Toe by Eric Carle, and Over In The Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats
- Picture day! Ask your Maple about their outfit and their favorite pose.
- Ask your Maple - what do you want to know about acorns? What do you know already?