A Wonderful Week

We had a wonderful week… a short and very sweet first three days with your beautiful children. The adjustment to the new classroom environment has been very smooth, and children have made many meaningful connections all ready to friends (new and old), materials, and to the teaching staff. Alaza and I are celebrating our second year working together, and Sarah (Sublowski) is joining us 2 to 3 mornings a week. Sarah has worked at Acera for many years and has been a wonderful small group leader during our literacy and math blocks. We will work in small groups and as individuals throughout the year so that we can individualize educational experiences. We hope that you will enjoy the weekly blog which offers a window into the daily classroom life.

Morning Jobs

We started each day with many, many opportunities for exploration and cooperation. The tables, full of activities, were very inticing and mostly opened ended this enabled students to come up with their own ideas. Some of the second year students taught new students how to make God’s Eye weavings! While exploring the place value shelf, several students worked together to make a block stack worth 9,567! Some students were drawn to partner play, and others enjoyed starting off the day engrossed in a book under the loft, or watching sand flow through a timer.

In a couple of weeks, when the students understand the scope of opportunites are available in the classroom, we will begin our Morning literacy work which includes sequenced phonetic instruction, handwriting, and story telling and writing.

Literacy

Our three small groups this week included writing A Book About Me, some initial literacy screening, and learning how to use geometric stencils called “Metal Insets” to build hand, wrist, and core strength. Each shape in the first book involves filling the shape with continuous curvilinear lines and the students demonstrated determination and grit! The literacy screening will take several weeks to complete as all students work at their own speed.

Math

We have started the year with some fun dice games including Dice Races. The game with one die introduces the concept, and using two dice does basic addition. While many of our students are capable of higher level math, everyone enjoyed the races! The classroom was full of excitement “One is in the lead!!” and the sound of rolling dice. Today we learned a great deal about the classroom as we made animal parades! The students were given animals, a strip of blue paper, scissors and glue. After they made the parade of animals, several of the children gave the animals individual instuments to play. So creative! Teachers chit-chatted with each student… “How many animals on YOUR parade? How many FEET are in your parade?” Students demonstrated a wide range of thoughtful strategies to add the correct number feet. Then, we gave the students the challenge of making a parade with only 12 feet.They discovered that there were several different kinds of parades that had 12 feet. We will continue this work next week.

Rest and Read

After Lunch and Recess we all curl up with a pillow or a book. After the students get comfortable with this routine we will start book clubs! We can’t wait!!

Project Time

The students of the Lower Elementary classroom have been incredibly creative during project time. Teachers have been listening and observing their work to understand personalities, friendships, creative use of materials, and are promoting the importance of agency. By making choices, combining materials in innovative ways, and collaborating with peers, the youngest children at Acera are learning about or school’s core capacities.

My Father’s Dragon

Our First chapter book is My Father’s Dragon, written by Ruth Stiles Gannett. We have packed a backpack with everything that the boy packed in the story to rescue the baby dragon trapped on Wild Island. It has been REALLY well received. We need a couple of things including a pair of outgrown boots, a small jackknife, and a bag of tangerines!

Reminders

Please, please, please send indoor shoes in!

Student-Teacher Relationships Are Everything!