Animals in Winter

In recent newsletters you may have read about our study of animals in winter.  Through books, videos, and exploration in the woods we've been learning about the three ways the animals around us cope with the cold, Vermont winter- they migrate, hibernate or adapt.  We had a great discussion after watching an episode of The Magic School Bus in which Ms. Frizzle's class visits the arctic- we decided that that our jackets, snowpants and mittens are the "insulation" that keeps our body heat in just like a seal's blubber, the walls of a thermos or a goose's feathers!  Here are some photos of us exploring the winter woods, discovering possible animal homes, modeling our own clay animals who stay active during the winter and making a book for our book boxes with all these facts.

A Room Full of Authors and Illustrators

In a previous post I alluded to the idea that in the coming weeks students would be writing their own stories (based on events in their lives) using all we have learned from reading Old Favorites.  I'm very proud of this crew of young writers who over the last two weeks brainstormed ideas in a writer's notebook, discussed those ideas with a partner and listened to feedback, chose an idea and planned the beginning, middle and end, and then wrote and illustrated the story across pages using connecting words such as  "next", "suddenly", and "in the end..." Here are some pictures that show the process.

Visual Phonics Link!

At long last!  Here is the link to the masterful Karin Vogel demonstrating the Visual Phonics cues we use.  Have fun practicing with your Kindergartners!

Visual Phonics Link

Deep Into Stories

A careful look at the previous post let's you in on a story REtelling lesson led by Miss Jess.  After reading the classic, Mrs.Wishy Washy to the class, each student reconstructed the story with pictures and words on a paper strip.  The challenges of placing the story events in order and matching pictures with words are two of the ways we are preparing for writing our own stories based on real life events next week.  Below you can see a different type of retelling activity that goes with the story Harry The Dirty Dog by Gene Zion.  In this "old favorite" we stressed that really great stories, the ones we love to hear again and again and come to know by heart, often have a very recognizable beginning, middle and end.  Hopefully this structure will come through in the our original stories in the weeks to come!

Cooperation!

As I looked back at photos from the week it was clear to me that whether the task was building at Explore Time, retelling a story, or gathering natural items on a scavenger hunt the children were doing a spectacular job working together. Here's little look:

 

Welcome Back!

I'm learning a new trick for posting photos directly from my phone to my blog . This photo is a test taken right before the break.

With Gratitude and Happiness

If you had a chance to read this week's newsletter you might recall the discussion we had about the connection between gratitude and happiness. Turns out, people who regularly take time out to acknowledge the things they are grateful for are happier and healthier! The week before Thanksgiving seemed like the right time to build "being grateful" into our mindfulness practice.  Here is the link to the music video we watched.  ...AND learned some signs to go along!  

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS SOMETIMES AN ADD BEFORE THE VIDEO IF YOU ARE VIEWING WITH YOUR KINDERGARTNER!

gratitude by Empty Hands

And now for a look through our week... you can see a finished weaving taken off the [cardboard] loom, a look at Melissa's Candle Day (all about her love for rainbows), designing paper quilt squares and story writing with some traditional Native American picture symbols.