As a part of our Unit of Inquiry on Homes we have worked hard this week on designing a home to meet the needs of a certain environment or area. Your kiddo decided on the environment or area (i.e. desert, beach, New York, space, etc), they drew up a plan for their home after looking at a bin of recycables. Then they spent 2-3 days at inquiry centers creating their masterpieces. Here is a slideshow to show you their creations and their reasoning's behind certain design choices. We are really focusing on using the words "structure" and "function" when talking about their creations. One thing to note, it may look like trash made into a structure but to us they are our MASTERPIECES!!! Here are some pics of the process:
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What an amazing, eventful day we had in Kindergarten! We had specials in the morning, Miss Lyndsey came into the class to teach more about Kelso's choices, Mrs. Dessa brought some baby farm animals into our class, we started our art project to celebrate Earth Day, and we attended our school's talent show with our big buddies. Busy Fun! See you all next week! Have a fabulous weekend! P.S. No school on Monday but come on Tuesday! Today, the kiddos took a break from 3D shapes and focused on SUBTRACTION! The kiddos created story problems and wrote their equations for their story problems on whiteboards. Also, after they worked independently they got to share their stories and equations to their group. Throughout the day, the kiddos participated in music class, continued writing their fictional stories, and practiced handwriting and reading in small groups. Here are some quotes from the kiddos!
"I like how you put words into other words." Michael "I like how you can put popcorn words into sentences." Adelaide This morning our lovely peace choir crew performed for the whole school! They sang songs about peace and with uplifting messages. Also, they sang songs and lullabies that originated from Africa. Mrs.Dungan introduced our guest speaker, Usifu, and he spoke about his life and "Change for Kambia." Lewis and Clark Elementary so far has raised about $700.00! Wow!! We are still collecting change until Friday. If you have some coins laying around or in your pockets, you can always donate it to "Change for Kambia." After an exciting morning, the kiddos engaged in math centers. This week we are reviewing the names of 3D shapes, while learning the functions and attributes. Today, the kiddos had the opportunity to build 3D shapes, mold and draw a creative picture using shapes, and experiment to find the functions of the shapes.
We started Friday with a little running and walking across America. A big THANKS to all who came and joined us. So far our school has made it from LA to Denver. Those are some dedicated kiddos! Once our day officially started we had a typical Friday: Creative Movement, a visit from Ms. Myers our school counselor, library, and some Big Buddy time. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to be engineers. The kiddos were given a problem where they needed to create a paintbrush choosing from a variety of materials. Then they painted with their created paintbrushes and displayed their paintbrushes and masterpieces for all to see. At the end of the Day I passed out Sunglasses gifted to us by Ms. V's dad Cliff who is a Subaru Ambassador. Subaru sent him enough glasses for all of us to enjoy. Thanks Subaru and thank you Cliff!
As a part of our Unit of Inquiry on the communities we belong to your kiddos had wanted to do something for their big buddies. Over the last week we have had the opportunity to do just that. Last Friday I shared with your kiddos that our big buddies were about to start state testing on Monday and asked if they would like to do something to encourage them to do their best. They decided to make them notes with motivational sayings on them. So our kiddos wrote "Testing Grams" for our big buddies and delivered them this week. Some of the messages read, "You've Got This", "I believe in you," "You Go Girl," etc. The buddies were truly moved by the visit. Way to go kinder kiddos!
This morning the class got to explore in the Outdoor Discovery Core, again. This time the students came into the discovery area with a new eye to find 3-D shapes. The students looked at natural items to find 3-D shapes of nature. The kiddos found cubed rocks, cylinder trees and branches, sphere buds, and a cone bud. The students drew their findings on their data sheets. After, the class came back into the classroom to discuss their discoveries! After lunch, we discussed our homes unit by reflecting on the past and modern day homes of the Native American tribes across the Unites States. We discussed this topic by questioning and observing pictures that showed the Natives' Homes from the past. We observed how the Native tribes used the materials and the area around them to build their homes. During Inquiry time, we created a center where students had the opportunity to explore with marshmallows and toothpicks. Let's just say, that took a lot of self control to not eat the marshmallows! The kiddos made amazing structures, bridges, campfires, people, and shapes with these items! Also during this time, the kiddos explored with magnets and screws, created block towers with shapes, constructed tipis out paper and playdough, and role played teacher vs. student. Your kiddos brought home bags with a note explaining our LC's Service Project that will help get fresh water to a village in Africa. The kiddos in charge of the service project came in and explained the situation. Please check your kiddo's packpack. We went on a 3D shape hunt in the classroom. Your kiddos are learning about spheres, cylinders, cubes, and cones! Are they noticing these shapes at home? During inquiry centers kiddos were using sticks and playdough to make animals from our animal unit and a Tipi that we have been learning from our homes unit. I love seeing their learning come through their play. This afternoon we went into the Outdoor Discovery Core and charted signs of spring! We read the book Building an Igloo, by Ulli Steltzer and found it super fascinating and had lots of questions. We did some research and found the following video that your kiddos wanted to share with you. To start the day, the kiddos got their bodies moving in movement! The kiddos played a game that involved comparing numbers greater than and less than. How the game works is that each student receives a card with a number, then they move their bodies to the music until they hear the teacher clap, then the students pair up and compare their cards, and depending on their card they make their bodies into high, middle, or low shapes with their partner. Later in the day, the students explored the library. Mrs. Winter read the book Violet's Music and talked about how we can create our own music with the items around us or using our own bodies to make music. Just a little FYI, your kiddos might try to make music brushing their teeth tonight :) Beside learning how to make music, the kiddos were very engaged in their books today! They couldn't stop talking about their book choices! Thank you Ms. Alissa for reading to our wonderful kiddos and checking out their library books! To end the day, the kiddos had the chance to run and walk some laps with their big buddies! We loved being outside! Next week, the class will calculate the laps of both classes.
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by Mrs. WinterKindergarten is truly the BEST and that is why I want to share our world with you! Archives
September 2017
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