Science: Taste Test of Fruits & Vegetables

This week we focused our learning on ways to stay healthy. A big component of that is eating healthy foods. The class was able to sample several fruits and vegetables. We then created a class graph to show which fruit & vegetable were our favorite.

We sampled: blueberries, kiwi, red bell peppers, carrots, and cucumber.

This first sample was blueberries. I took a picture of each table group as they gave me a thumbs up or thumbs down on if they liked blueberries. I did this with each food item.

Here is our class graph. Blueberries was a clear winner for our favorite fruit. Vegetables was a close one. Carrots were favorite by 6 students, the red bell peppers were favored by 5 students and the cucumbers were a favorite of 4 students.

Earlier in the morning we read the book: The Little Red Hen. Afterwards we made bread. The smell from the Kindergarten wing was amazingly delicious! We were able to also sample the home-made bread and some store bought wheat bread. Again we did a taste test to see which was our favorite.

 These 7 students preferred the store-bought bread.

And these 8 students enjoyed the home-made bread we made in class better.

It was another close race.

This was such a fun (and delicious) activity. The students were able to taste good, healthy foods and the conversations we had were great!

Math: 3D Shapes

We have been discussing 3D shapes during math this week. We have been looking for "real world" examples of 3D shapes within our classroom  and school. In addition, they have had their "homework" to bring in a SD shape with clues to share tomorrow.

We have also talked about the attributes of solid figures (sphere, cube, cone, and cylinder). We are learning new vocabulary: faces, base, vertex/vertices, and edge. Today we attempted to make a 3D model of a cube with our bodies. 

We talked about the fact that a cube is made up of several 2D squares also know as "special rectangles". It was a little bit of a challenge for them to visualize this abstract concept, but they sure did have fun. I am not just giving them the answer or telling them how to solve the problems, but I am guiding them to solve these problems on their own. It is so much more empowering and engaging if it is done this way.

After Specials, we had an in-class Library check out. This afternoon our Librarian, Miss Holmes, came into our classroom to read a story and let the kids check out books. It was a fun change of pace.

Eating Healthy

This week we have been talking about the importance of eating healthy. The class already has a great knowledge of the "go foods" that are healthy and good to eat! Way to go parents!

The most challenging concept is grains & protein. We brainstormed a list of foods for each food group and they get it. Remember to talk with your child about making healthy food choices. Try asking them to identify which food group the foods you have for meals at home would fall under.

Valentine's Party Sign Up

We will be having our Valentine's Day party in a few weeks. I wanted to get this info out to parents as soon as possible. Please let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CAFAF29A3F49-valentines

Writing: Author's Chair

Today is Writing, we finished up writing about Recess using our 5 senses. We then had the chance to look through our previous writing pieces and select one that we were most proud of and wanted to share with the class. Students took turns in the Author's Chair. This was very powerful and rewarding for the class. They practiced being an attentive audience and enjoyed their turn to "show off" their favorite writing.

Here are some shots I took of the kids sharing their work.

Math: Number line game

Today we introduced a simple game in math using a number line (0-20). Each student had a bear that they put back-to-back starting at the number 10. The pair would roll a die and take turns moving their bear to match. One partner would move their number from 10 to 20 and the other would move it backwards from 10 to 0. They continued to play several rounds and would switch positions after each game. It was a lot of fun to hear their mathematical conversations and see how quickly they are understanding the concepts we have been teaching in math.

Math: Numbers 11-15

This week we are putting an enormous focus on teaching students the numbers 11-15. We want them to be able to read, write, and build these numbers.

We had a fun activity where kids were playing Number War. They each had a stack of numbers with 1-15 and would flip over the card to see which one was greater. However had a higher number would get both cards. They played until the stack was gone, counted up who had the most cards, and then started a new game.

During this time I had half of the group on the carpet practicing writing numbers 11-15 with white boards. I let students take turns "being the teacher" and they had a lot of fun. 

After about 15 minutes, I had the groups clean up their spot and switch games. This was a lot of fun and it gave me the opportunity to assist struggling students and also differentiate for kids who have already mastered this concept.

Science: Weathering

In Science today we talked about weathering. We used two pieces of chalk and rubbed them together to show what it looks like when wind, rain, and other elements effect the earth. We put some liquid glue down on the black paper so that we could collect the small grains of chalk for further viewing.