The school was a buzz this week with ASTEAMS and the upcoming vacation. The LE’s went off to explore the posters and projects with a partner and discovered many things including gum, caramel, and a group of mice with tails of different colors! They were certainly impressed with the displays, and were charged to ask questions or give a compliment.

Writing Workshop

The children’s writing has been exploding this week, especially after I read a book written by a First Grader I had in 1993! Adrian Suddenly Michael (why her middle name is Suddenly is another story) told a lovely story about a cat that met a dinosaur that has been inspiring students ever since! The children are excited about finishing up some of their many stories so that we can turn them into “hardcover books”.

In addition to writing stories, children have been building compound words, learning about the role of the verb, and developing great details in their illustrations.

Math Groups

This week we have been working on adding, subtracting, and finding equivalent fractions by using manipulatives from 1 whole to twelfths. The Lower Elementary students have been receiving individualized instruction over the last two weeks, and Vanessa and I are moving from child to child to give direct instruction and targeted practice on the concept of fractions. We have seen great improvement in understanding, motivation, and fine motor skills. Many of the children have been taught the “trick” of carrying the 1 in dynamic addition, however, we are working on trading up with actual place value blocks. This will help internalize the concept of 1’s, 10’s, 100’s, and 1,000’s. Once they master and comprehend this we will be moving into more abstractions.

Thematic Study

Our “Mini-Me” Tree Houses are taking shape and sparking the children’s imaginations! Building a tiny home for thier figures has been a wonderful way to build fine motor skills with tons of cutting, gluing, painting, tying, connecting, and squeezing those hot glue guns. Cries of “I can’t do it! It is too hard!” has been replaced with “Look what I did! I did it!” We are purposefully developing independance (I can do it myself), interdependance (I can ask a friend for help), and perserverance (I know this might be hard, but I am going to try and do my best).

We are also working on patience, flexibility, and problem-solving. How do I build an elevator? How can I attach the rope bridge from one “tree” to another? Also the children are working on making independant decisions. Do I want to use sticks or rocks on my exterior? What color am I going to paint the inside? How am I going th attach my tree house to my “trees” so that is strong, sturdy, and beautiful. The adults and children are acting as coaches and extra pairs of hands during Tuesday and Thursday afternoons… and having tons of fun!

Happy Spring Break!

Love,

Ms. Jen