Math occupied a good deal of our week. Working on the floor, tossing dice, and using clipboards to record their work, the children were busily engaged for several days by adding the sides fo the dice, and then comparing the sums using <, >, or =. This was a fun and successful experience for all and we’ll continue this next week as well. We also spent some time learning to read numbers to 50 (with writing practice coming next week).
We have a new vowel: short /o/, as in OX. We made the acquaintance of this sound via a hand puppet, a lovely woman named Ms. ODD, who just happens to be an OPERA singer. (and just as I was singing at the top of my lungs,who should walk through unexpectedly but Mr. Lindenmaier, Mr. Perkins, and Mr. Douglas! It was a tad embarrassing…) The class continues to want to read almost all the print they see. Even lunch time has turned into a language arts lesson of sorts, as they attempt to decode the jokes on the cheese wrappers and to read their yogurt flavors. It’s great to see.
We had some feathered friends visit this week. Keely has two birds at home, a Red Lored Amazon and a Military Macaw. Rochelle and Michael had offered to bring them in one afternoon, and so the class got to meet Lila and Lou and ask questions. All living creatures (children and birds) behaved themselves beautifully. Thank you, Rochelle and Michael, for this great show-and tell!
(I am attempting to attach a video here from the flip camera; please let me know if it works or not!)
I want to end by thanking you for all your cards, flowers, and gifts this week. It’s been a week filled with lots of lovely surprises, and I have truly felt appreciated. I love teaching this class; they’re just an awesome group of children, and I’ve loved helping to guide their growth this year. Thank you for your gifts. More importantly, thank you for sharing your children with me!
