Grade 1-2

Congratulations to the 1^st and 2^nd Grade authors at BCD!  They recently hosted two very successful Authors’ Teas, reading aloud the stories they wrote and illustrated to audiences of family and friends.  Afterwards, many of the guests observed, “We never wrote stories like this when were in 1^st or 2^nd Grade!” and some asked, “How do you encourage children to write so well?”

The answer is this.  We read a lot in the 1-2 classroom.  We talk a lot about what we read.  We close our eyes and try to picture in detail the passages we most enjoy.  We wonder.  We question.  We reflect.  We predict.  We imagine.  In doing these things, we come to admire and care about the work of authors and illustrators.

When a love of reading, writing, and storytelling permeates a classroom, children naturally long to become storytellers themselves.  They look forward to the chance to weave their own tales through pictures and words.  They jump into the process (some more boldly than others!) by first creating a map of the story they want to tell.  Then, after writing a first draft, they share the draft with their classmates, answering questions and soliciting suggestions to fill in gaps and add details that will enrich their second drafts.  Some young authors are so inspired that they even write a third draft before producing their final work.

Just as we care about the authors and illustrators whose books we read, we care about our work as authors and illustrators.  We hope you’ll care enough to stop by the classroom sometime, browse our Authors’ Shelf – currently boasting more  than 18 books! – curl up on the couch, and lose yourself in a tale of imagination woven by one of our very own authors.  They’ll love it, and so will you.

Dear Families,

We had quite a day yesterday filling our hours with all things “trees”!

In the morning we went for a trail hike. Looking up, down, and all around we came upon a variety of things from uprooted trees and a yellow caterpillar to a lone mushroom, lots of lichen, moss and flowers of varying colors. This morning we read Sue Williams’ story I Went Walking, converted the title to We Went Hiking and created our own version of the book based on what we saw during yesterday’s hike.

We also worked on two art projects that focused on trees but in very different ways. First we took a look at the painting Tree of Life by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt. The children then painted their paper gold, let it dry, and then with brown paint created the tree trunk and swirling branches to mimic that of Klimt. Later in the afternoon, they worked with oil pastels to add design elements to the branches as Klimt had done. The results are hanging in our room – please come take a look!

Our second art project was making leaf prints in a most unusual way. This involved the children pulling a fresh leaf from their BCD trees. In general, we ask the children not to pull leaves off of their trees, but in this instance we needed fresh, healthy leaves that would have lots of chlorophyll within their veins.  Once back inside, they each placed a leaf on some cardstock, covered it with papertowel and then gently hammered the leaf to release the chlorophyll. All of that hammering resulted in some beautiful prints.

We ended our day working with Mrs. Allentuck’s fourth grade class to make tissue paper flowers to be presented to all of the grandparents and special friends who are visiting on Friday. We made close to 100 flowers!

Enjoy the long weekend with your children.

All the best,

Kay

Dear Families,

This week the first and second graders were assigned a BCD tree to study throughout the year. Our young Arborists are working in pairs (with nine in the class, one child is working independently) placing each first grader with a second grader. This week their first task was to find their specific tree by using picture clues, then record in writing and drawing three details of their tree, make a bark rubbing and measure the circumference of the trunk using string. During math class we compared the lengths of string, learned about rulers and yard sticks and set about finding the circumference in inches. We will be observing these trees from September through June noting the changes, characteristics, and recording information in individual tree books.

In conjunction, the class is also embarking on our community service project for the year. Along with our tree study we are going to create a document for the BCD community that will identify and map the trees on campus.

Next time you are on campus, ask your child to show you his/her BCD tree!

All the best,

Kay