These weeks have been filled with special events! Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Alaska Day, the 100th Day of School, Pajama Day … You may wonder if work simply gets put on hold on those days, but the contrary is true. It’s easy to weave Language Arts and Math activities into our special events. For example, Valentine’s Day begins with the class practicing their reading skills as they deliver valentines to each other. Then they have a chance to read the Valentines themselves. Paper hearts, numbered by fives to 100, were hidden around the room and the children had a great time finding them and putting them in order. More math was practiced later in the day as the children created necklaces, challenging themselves with different kinds of patterns. Writing skills were practiced in a piece called “Love Is…” and we listened to poetry especially written for Valentine’s Day.
Reading valentines
Making patterned necklaces
Reading to each other
At the Message Board
The 100th Day of School included a lot of math activities. We played with numbers all day long: searching for 100 hearts and putting them in order, again counting by fives and by tens to 100, making beaded necklaces of 100 beads using 10 different colors of 10 beads each, counting out 100 small edible items for snack. The children each did a writing entitled What I will be like when I am 100 Years Old – great fun for the imagination and another way to practice those writing skills! We learned what a Googol (the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes) is and then wrote it. We learned a little about percentages, as each child colored a figure that represented their own interest in our subjects at school. Many of these papers are up on the bulletin boards – please take a look!
We’ve started out new unit – the ocean – and we’ll be going to the Berkshire Museum this Tuesday, to visit their Aquarium. This is a popular unit with a lot of great projects. You will see more of them in the weeks to come.
I look forward to seeing all of you at Parent-Teacher conferences next Thursday and Friday. If there are particular things you would like to focus on, please feel free to send me an email over the next couple of days.
Thank you to our parents for the last two Lunch Bunches – they were equally delicious and the class enjoys them so much!
Our next few weeks will continue to be busy – and lots of fun!
Andrea