Families,
We have had the great pleasure of having two different guests who have shared their expertise and experiences in Ghana.
Barbara, Max’s mom, came in to explain the significance of the Djembe drum in African culture. She brought a drum in and explained how it was crafted and by whom. We learned how important the drum is to communicate and how that piece of culture traveled to the Americas. Much of our music history began with the beats and rhythms of the African drum. Max was a great assistant. Thank you, Barbara!
Annie Ryder came in to show us pictures of the children that she takes care of in Ghana. We learned about their schools and the games they like to play. The boys love to play soccer. The women carry their babies swaddled on their backs and at the same time carry large pots of food or water on their heads. The men weave Kente cloth. When children are born they are given a name that corresponds with the day of the week that they were born. She was able to give each student their own Ghanian name. Ask your child what his or her name is! In the end we were dancing together in a big circle to the music of a contemporary African artist. Thank you, Annie!
Last week we were fairly busy with the play but we did manage to learn to add double digit numbers. This week we will learn to subtract double digit numbers. We work with base ten blocks for several lessons before we start computing on paper. Understanding the concept of place value is important to be able to manage the skills in computation. The children feel very accomplished when they can solve those problems accurately.
Bravo to all your children for a job well done in the performance of “The Lorax.” The children had to learn to be patient, work together, wait, practice, and then overcome their fears. They appeared to be very confident and poised on stage. Confidence is the key to success. Producing a play is ambitious but the rewards are tremendous. Thank you to the families who provided drinks and cookies for the reception. They were very well received and delicious!
We start our research projects tomorrow. Each child will select an African mammal to study. Expect to help your child read and take notes. Directions will be in their book bags.
Wednesday is Lunch Bunch and Friday is Pizza Day!
Enjoy the warmth of the sun.
Fondly,
Ms. Milani