This week was marked by the celebration of the 100th day of school! The children brought in 100 drops of water in a bottle, 100 balloons, 100 marbles, 100 foam cuisonnaire rods, and the hundreds came trickling in all week! I can’t begin to count how many times we counted to 100, but I do know that we counted backward by 100 once during our morning meeting this morning. Whew!

During Choice Time we attempted to make 100 homes from colorful paper, connect 100 cardboard triangles to a platform with tape, and paint 100 train cards. All of these tasks involved teamwork, persistence, and hand-eye coordination which we have been emphasising in the new year. I have been seeing an increase in endurance and focus in all areas of the curriculum, as well as classmates supporting each other.

Writing Workshop

The children have continued to be extremely motivated to write using the comic strip format to tell stories. This very graphic technique is ideal for encouraging the habit of including small details in drawings as the children aren’t overwhelmed by trying to fill an entire piece of paper. It also allows the kindergarteners and First Graders to tell an entire story in pictures, before going back to write words.

Everyone in the class was shown the same picture from the Chapter book that we just finished reading, My Father’s Dragon. The task was to write about the picture, and to include a detailed picture of the baby dragon. It was a lovely writing sample to capture the progress the children have made thus far this year.

Math Groups

Besides grouping by 10’s to count to 100 and participating in all kinds of 100 day activities, we have also been working with the concept of measurement. We used Unifix cubes to measure the height of our Amaryllis plant, and it is already 39 cubes tall. Then Ms. Courtney asked us to collect measurements from the Commons and we spent the day using manipulatives to discover the length and width of the grey tables. In addition to lining up the materials and counting, the children used the skills of estimation, and we had a conversation about fractions.

Birthday Books

On Tuesday the 6th Tavi’s Mom, Miriam, came in and read us the story Pandora. This beautifully illustarted Picture Story book has powerful messages, references the Mythological tale of the same name, and addresses deep feelings. Thank you Miriam and Tavi for the wonderful read-aloud and for gifting the book to our classroom. We will use the treehouse drawing in the story as part of out tiny home inspiration.

If you are interested in donating a book to the Lower Elementary classroom as part of a birthday celebration, that would be delightful! Here are some tiles that go along with our study of homes.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Ms. Jen

 

 

Friendship Train

On the way through the Commons on the way to woodworking, the children formed a line by saying, “Hop on-board the friendship train!” Looking ahead and behind, the Lower Elementary children made sure that everyone was gently holding shoulders forming a train. The students are clearly bonded at this time of year, and have a strong identity as collaborative peers. There were several children out this week with fever, colds, and stomach-aches! Stay healthy this weekend, and we will make sure that we wash hands, and clean the tabletops and materials each day.

Writing Workshop: Experts

This week we asked the class what they feel they are experts at… things that they are good at or know a lot about. The lists were wonderful, and are a good tool to use when thinking about what to write about during our literacy block. If you are an expert at “being a friend” then writing a story about friends might be a good idea! Today, children began to write comic strips and one table discussed writing several and having a comic book sale! “What should we call our company?” the entrepreneurs asked!

Math: Place Value

At math time it is clear that the group has a facility with numbers and interested in large quantities. We have been playing many games and participating in exercises that make place value visible. By using 1,000 cubes, 100 squares, 10 sticks, and 1 units, children can conceptualize big numbers. By manipulating them, they are developing the fine motor skills to write and represent those big numbers. As the example above shows… we are still working on this concept!

Theme & Choice

We noticed that the Amaryllis plant has doubled in size over the last week, measuring 24 Unfix cubes! We took this opportunity to create observational drawings and paintings of the classroom plant before it blooms. The 6-step process involved looking, sketching a draft, drawing on high-quality paper, tracing over the pencil line with a Sharpie, painting the drawing, and when that dried, adding the background.

My Father’s Dragon

We finished reading My Father’s Dragon out loud this week as a class, and in the last chapter the wild alligators form a line across the river to form a bridge. The class spontaneously lined up head to toe to simulate the alligators, and I pretended to cross the “bridge”. They thought this was very silly, and everyone ended up with the giggles. We will start the next book in the series by Ruth Stiles Gannett called Elmer and the Dragon.

 

Despite another short week, the Lower Elementary Students packed a lot of adventures into their days! It was LOVELY to see so many parents at Curriculum Night even without email reminders lost in cyberspace. We will open the doors again next Tuesday, January 30th at 7:00pm for those parents that want to hear about the vision for the year ahead.

Morning Meeting

The children have been expanding the time that they are able to sit and attend at meeting because we have added songs, counting, math, and story-telling into the routines! We have already learned Peace Like a River, and There’s A Little Wheel. I have been making up songs (poor kids!) during transitions as well! We are counting the number of days we have been in school, and today was day 92. Sohan wanted to count by one’s, and Oliver chose to use a clapping pattern hands-knees. This differentiated the odd numbers from the even ones in a lively manner! The challenge is always stopping all together at the end… when we reach 92!

Children have been sharing in our meetings things that they are learning, things that they have made, or things that they have found in nature. We have been learning to be respectful listeners, and thinking of comments and questions to ask. The children seem to really enjoy the spotlight, and it gives them the opportunity to speak in front of the group. Thank you for not brining in toys from home as children then get worried or sad if they are misplaced. We have no rotation for these sharing times, as having pop-up organically seems to be working for us!

Math with Ms. Jen and Ms. Vanessa

We have been using a number of materials to develop number awareness, one-to-one correspondence, computation, and symbol/quantity correlation. The 100 board (above) consists of 100 individual tiles that are placed 1-100 on the board. Some children are working in order… and some randomly pull tiles out of the wooden box (53) and are able to figure out where it goes. We also started playing a shape game using grid paper, where children decide where place shape, and write the numbers. For instance…

We also continue to use Cuisionnare rods to add, subtract and multiply, and thus working on solidifying the concepts of computation in a tangible way. The children are very facile with math facts, and we are making sure that understand the underlying concepts fully before moving back to working with very large numbers.

Writing Workshop

We had three children finish and edit stories this week! That means that they told a story from beginning to end over the course of several pages, all illustrated with pictures. Draw Me Too!, The Sea Monster Who Stole Christmas, and The Top Ten Fastest Trains in the World, are just a few of the tiles. When children are writing about things that they know and are excited about, they develop fluency. Fluency is one of the biggest things that we are working on!

Today at meeting we did a “Quick Write”. We asked the children to write on small pieces of paper the name of the new fish that Landan and Tina brought in on Wednesday. They were so excited about naming the fish, they were done in seconds. The children decided that Ms. Hannah should close her eyes and choose the new name randomly. She unfolded the paper and read the new name NICE! One of the other children wrote IDEA, and so the group thought that calling the fish NICE IDEA would be a fair compromise… so welcome to the classroom NICE IDEA!

Quiet Reading Time/ Cozy Cubby Time

Some children still use the Cozy Cubby Time to rest, but we are getting into the practice of looking at and reading books right after Lunch and Recess. Since the beginning of January, the children have been working on that new routine so much, that we were able to start two book clubs, My Father’s Dragon, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The children read-aloud together and then create hands-on projects based on their reading. This week the My Father’s Dragon book club made maps of the Islands featured in the stories.

The semi-independent book groups will last as long as it takes the children to carefully read the book to completion, and depending on the extravigance of the project. This has given me additional time to read with each individual child, offering them “just right” books.

Theme

Ms. Estee, Ms. Courtney, and I had the opportunity to connect about our Theme of “Tiny Houses”. This week and last children have been making the fourth wall on their Cozy Cubby, building thier own Tiny House right in the classroom! Several children decised to paint the outside of the wall, adding window treatments, hearts, and stars. We are connecting the walls to the cubbies with Gorrilla tape.

At meeting today I asked the children if they have studded animals or snuggly items they sleep with at home. I asked them to imagine building a home for them out of blocks, making sure they made windows and doors. The students were so EXCITED to tell about thier giraffes, bears, and even a stuffed car! However, the concept of size, and building a house “The size that could fit your stuffed animal” was a little abstract. We might need to schedule a visit for a visit to the classroom. We’ll keep you posted!

Curriculum Night…. Round 2: January 30th at 7:00pm!

Please come with questions! Some of the wonderful ones that came up this Tuesday were…

1. What happens during “Guided Reading” or “Reading Conferences”?
2. What happens at Choice Time, and is that the same as Theme Time? When are the children learning about science?
3. How do you focus on the diverse interest of the group while still developing a sense of communtiy?
4. When is work coming home?
5. How do children decide what to choose during Creativity Morning, and do the adults have any feedback into those choices?
6. How do you address the gender disparity in the classroom?
7. What is the Social Justice component of the curriculum, and what does that look like?
8. Why does the classroom look more like a preschool classroom? Is there a Montessori influence and what does that look like?

Please come with some of your own thoughts and questions… and I am more than happy to touch on these great ones again!

Happy Weekend,

Jen

 

 

 

 

 

Curriculum Night, January 23rd at 7:30pm

Please join us for a conversation about the Curriculum Plans for the second half of the school year on Tuesday, January 23rd! It will be your opportunity to ask questions of the teaching staff, experience aspects of your child’s day, and enjoy refreshments in the company of other parents and Acera staff.

Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Others, Take Care of your Classroom and World.

On Friday of last week, when children were feeling the effects of the first full week of school in the new year, we had our first “Emergency Meeting”.  The classroom has been rising to the new expectations geared at giving them more freedom of choice within certain limits, but it was clearly time for the “new rules” to be discussed.

Students were given the gift of three rules… Take care of yourself, Take care of others, and Take care of the classroom. R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Since then we have been pointing out when children are taking care of the classroom by putting things back where they belong. By noticing when children are taking care of others such as finding a classmate’s mitten, and more and more classmates are helping others. Taking care of yourself means focusing on your “work” whether it is painting, reading, block building, writing, or all of the other opportunities that are available to each individual.

We have been addressing every positive interaction and situation, and sometimes mistakes, with these expectations in mind. This has led to more learning and growth opportunities for the entire class! Even though this was another short week, the Lower Elementary students are expanding attention span, endurance while writing and reading, as well as organizing their materials.

Strength, Rigor, and Endurance

During every part of the day the teaching staff have been providing opportunities to develop strength, rigor, and endurance. This might mean that your child might be more tired than normal as they are working really hard during the school day! The Lower Elementary students are dramatically increasing in their ability to tell and write stories, read longer and longer text, and to attend to details of painting, drawing, and construction.

The most important thing that you can do as parents besides reading to your child(ren) each night, is to get them to bed at the most reasonable time. As a rule, if you need to wake-up your Kindergartener, First Grader, or Second Grader in the morning, they are going to bed too late. Children of this age need to have 10-12 hours of sleep each night as minimum. By Thursday night, your child will be exceptionally tired from the week. Please be aware that the amount of your child’s sleep effects their ability to focus, concentrate, and do their best work.

Informal Conferences

After reading all of the December conference reports and getting to know each student, I am offering meeting times for all families in January so we can get to know each other and talk about the goals for the winter and spring. The schedule of times will be available at Curriculum Night, but in general will be before school 8:00-8:30am, and after pick-up 3:15-4:00pm, and at the end of the day 5:00-5:30pm. It is my desire to work on IAP or Individual Action Plans for each child in collaboration with your hopes and wishes!

Weekly Blog Feedback

Whether you read the entire bog, briefly scan the photographs and captions, or have comments or suggestions, I would appreciate a brief response. This will help as I craft the blog to your needs as Acera parents in the months and years to come.

Many thanks,

Ms. Jen

It was a short, but wonderful week! We packed a pile of writing, reading, art, and math into three days. On Friday, we had a special visitor, Ms. Jenifer, who came into the classroom with a mystery bag of tools and utensils that she challenged the children to describe and identify.

Tuesday, November 28th

In Theme Time on Tuesday we began building monolithic communities using our shoebox creations. The children connected them with tunnels, doors, balconies, windows, and an intricate web of yarn which made up a combination communication network and method of travel for the citizens of the megalopolis.

Wednesday, November 29th

On Wednesday, Mr. Anthony read the book Beautiful Oops to the class. The book celebrates the opportunities presented by mistakes and illustrates how smudges, tears, splatters, and holes can be leveraged to add an unexpected depth to a piece of art. After the reading the children went to the art space and explored their own, intentional, mistakes. It was an awesome experience!

 

Friday, December 1st

On Friday, the class were presented with an assortment of tools and utensils from around the kitchen, workshop, and garage. Ms. Jenifer, a special guest, presented them to the students and challenged them to examine, draw, and figure out what the strange items were. Turkey basters were found to be paint squirters. Mesh tea ball infusers became lemon squeezers and lemon aid makers. The children had an awesome time discovering their own uses for sometimes puzzling utensils.

We had a full and wonderful week! Reading groups really took off with the children buddy reading, discussing characters, and delving into the settings of the books. On Monday Mr. Josh worked with the class on a model-sailboat project. Thursday we celebrated Aria’s birthday and her parents came in to sit with her as she read two books to the class. On Friday Estee, our Architecture teacher, introduced the concept of scale to the children through an activity where they created a bed for a mouse.

Monday, November 13th

My Math group began exploring 2-dimensional patterns this week. We worked with manipulatives, colors, letters, sound, and other discrete units to build and challenge each other with patterns of increasing complexity.

Tuesday, November 14th

In Theme Time on Tuesday we paused in our shoebox room construction and reflected on our progress. The children wrote about their space, commented about what they would like to add, and thought about how they would know that their creation was done. We also had time to make some of the additions that they had written about.

Wednesday, November 15th

Mr. Anthony presented the children with two projects on Wednesday. He presented playing card designs and then provided materials and guidance so that they could make their own cards. Their designs featured Emojis, unicorns, Minecraft figures, and even Jokers! We also had an opportunity to play with the idea of colorblocking using watercolor paint, permanent markers, rulers, french curves, and other tools.

Thursday, November 16th

Thursday morning Aria’s parents came to the classroom to celebrate her birthday. Aria read two books to the class and we all sang Happy Birthday. We completed most of the additions to our shoebox rooms that had been reflected on earlier in the week. The children cooperated wonderfully during cleanup, bringing a length of bubblewrap from table to table to collect unused materials at the end of our build time.

Friday, November 17th

How big would a bed for a mouse be? The same size as for a person? No! Estee introduced the concept of scale by showing the children chairs sized for small children and adults. We discussed that a mouse is roughly the size of a person’s clenched hand and that a bed for them would likely be no larger than a sandwich. The children worked with brightly-colored cardstock and were challenged to use two different construction methods (gluing, taping, stapling, folding, etc.) to make the bed. They then used fabric scraps to make a fluffy mattress and pillows for the bed.

Mr. David’s LE classroom had a excellent, albeit short, week. We expanded our understanding of what makes a room inviting and cozy by incorporating more fabric and furniture in our shoebox designs. Mr Anthony presented the art of Julian Beever, a Belgian artist who creates trompe-l’œil chalk drawings. The children used his technique to draw a 3-D butterfly on the playground.  Unfortunately I needed to be out on Thursday.

Monday, November 6th

We opened the week with Ms. Hannah and Word Work. The children expanded their vocabulary and understanding of different vowel sounds. Ms Vanessa challenged the children with a variety of yoga poses from Downward Facing Dog to Plank, to Mountain Pose. We also began reading groups on Monday. During these groups I meet with 2-4 children each day to read and reflect on books.

Tuesday, November 7th

Our shoebox rooms began to exhibit a more cozy, warm side as the children created more furnishings. Some of the children collaborated on multi-box spaces connected via tunnels and doors. We discussed how we could set up these miniature spaces so that they could become a model of a place that we would be comfortable spending a few days or a week in.

Wednesday, November 8th

The children were excited for the first week of their new Creativity Morning choices. They enjoyed printmaking, sewing, knitting, and performing music. In the afternoon we worked on our trompe-l’œil Butterfly on the playground. It was chilly out, but the children loved drawing and painting with chalk. After the butterfly, the children worked on their own 3D artwork on the blacktop.

 

Mr. David’s LE classroom had a wonderful week; building shoebox rooms, planning sailboats, learning new words, and delving into math. We also had an EXCELLENT Halloween Parade! Unfortunately I needed to be out on Thursday to take care of a minor plumbing emergency at home.

Monday, October 30th

In Word Work, we continued matching words to their beginning sounds, writing the words we were learning, and sorting words by short, long, and ‘oddball’ vowel sounds. The children are really enjoying discovering and sounding out new words. We practiced yoga with Ms Vanessa and played some movement games; Night at the Museum being a particular favorite. In this game, Ms. Vanessa chooses a particular theme for the museum (scary creatures, rainforest animals, etc.) and then challenges the children to hold the pose while she’s looking. The moment she looks away, they can change their pose and she has to figure out what new character they have taken on!

 

Tuesday, October 31st (Haloweeeeen!)

The children loved wearing and parading in their costumes today. There were many inventive and thoughtful costumes to be seen across the school. In the afternoon, at theme time, they began using a multitude of materials (fabric samples and scraps, clear plastic sheet, string, cardboard, etc.) to furnish and decorate the interior of the box that they had brought to create their ultimate room!

 

Wednesday, November 1st

This was the last week for the first session of Creativity Morning. On November 8th the children will begin a new 4-week session of new activities. The children wrote songs, created multi-media art involving batteries and LEDs, and built towers, robots, and other creations in Free Build. In the afternoon, Mr. Anthony introduced the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) by presenting a slideshow of art. We then worked on creating Day of the Dead banners for our classroom. The children folded and cut many layers of tissue paper to create intricate and delicate panels.

 

Friday, November 3rd

Friday LE had Construction time with Mr. Josh. He shared with the children a model sailboat from his childhood. They discussed the various features (mast, keel, bow, stern, etc.) and then Mr. Josh showed the children how to draw a design for their own craft. Over the next few weeks the children will complete their plan and then bring it to realization using their burgeoning shop skills. We enjoyed Game Friday in the afternoon with a wide selection of games from our library and games brought from home. The children enjoyed being the ‘expert’ and showing their friends how to play a favorite game.

This week we created some spooky features to incorporate into our burgeoning neighborhood model and also focused on transit options with train tunnels, maglev track, and an underground structure! Ms Vanessa led the class in Yoga, Mr. Anthony inspired the students to furnish a room with their favorite things, and we began a new type of writing Grab Bag Stories. It was an exciting week and one full of discovery and friendship. Please check out the collages below!

October 23rd – Math and Yoga

October 24th – Spooky Structures

October 25th – Art with Mr. Anthony

October 26th – Tunnels and Tubes

October 27th – Game Friday