All in!

This past week was cut short by the snow and it feels like a long time until we'll be back in the classroom.  I don't think it will be hard to get our momentum back though, because the children have been "all in" when it comes to learning.  Have a look at some highlights.  Below you will see two students teaming up to make a number poster- they are representing 11 in three different ways.  You can also see partners reading their Gratitude and Happiness books to one another.  Have a look at one friend enjoying the old fashioned themed dramatic play set up, another friend feeling proud about her Native American inspired symbolic story, and finally some of our finished and nearly finished weavings.  A week well spent!

Thinking About the Future

The title of this post is a bit of an intended pun...
The last post was about our study of what life was like where we live 100 and 200 years ago.  While this unit has been lots of fun, it's equally important to think about what life will be like in Vermont 100 years from now... insert RECYCLE RHONDA!  Rhonda is a talented outreach educator from CSWD who came to talk to us about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling, the three things we can to to take care of the earth for generations to come.

Traveling Back In Time

As you know a recent topic of study in our room has been Long Ago and Today.  This is an integrated unit that we're exploring through stories, math activities, craft projects and our sharing theme!  Have a look at the children learning to weave with paper (the ultimate patterning experience), trying out their weaving skills with cardboard looms, designing paper quilt squares with shapes, and learning about an egg scales that were used on Vermont farms about almost 100 years ago!  In one photo you can even catch a look at our cardboard "hearth" that's been a popular place for dramatic play.

What's New In Math?

What's new in Math is CHOICE and INDEPENDENCE! After some professional development last spring and summer, I became very enthusiastic about devoting a part of our math block to what is often referred to as "Math Menu"- essentially a structure where activities are planned to target and practice an array of skills but the children can choose which ones they will engage with and how.  Some activities are games- do you want to play with a partner or without?  Some activities are worksheets- do you want to work with numbers below ten or above? And still others are teacher dependent- and these of course would be a "have-to"- not a choice.  Getting this structure up and running has been a slow and deliberate process that Kathy Lamphere (math coach) and I have worked on together.  Here you can see the children fully engaged and even tracking their own progress!