Artist-In-Residence

The first and second grades have teamed up to work with acclaimed storyteller Eshu Bumpus on a student-written performance.  The story will be about worms and their importance to the environment (a theme in second grade that ties into our insect unit).  With Eshu's structuring, students have been voting on aspects of the story and developing quite a creative storyline.  Parents are invited to come in and help the children refine their ideas, rehearse, and take notes on what is being discussed.  We have time scheduled with Eshu on:

Thursday, Dec. 9th from 1-3 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 10th from 9-10 a.m. and 1-2 p.m.
Thursday, Dec 16th from 1-3 p.m.

http://eshu.folktales.net/

Please let me know if you want to come in so I can plan accordingly and alert you if there are time changes. Thanks!

Insect Wrap-Up

Our study of insects has come to a close.  Children noticed many important things about insects and are now excited to find insects and point them out. Here is one they found living in our classroom:

First Graders learned that insects need a habitat in which to live, that they eat different things (like humans do), and that their body parts have purposes (strong jaws for biting, legs for jumping, etc.).  They also learned a bit about predator/prey relationships and camouflage. To culminate the unit students designed their own insects. The criteria were that the insects needed to have all 7 parts that all insects have, and a name.

The Seven Parts:

1. Head
2. Thorax
3. Abdomen
4. Six jointed legs
5. Eyes
6. Antennae
7. Exoskeleton

They were encouraged to add creative adaptations. Some children gave their insect the ability to glow, one can hypnotize other insects, and some had many eyes. Take a look at the photos below to see what students creatively imagined!

December Events

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some family time.  I write to extend an invitation to parent visitors for this month. We have several events that our class will talk about. If you are someone who would like to share a book or experience with the class related to one of these (or anything I may have missed) please let me know! Please note that we do not endorse any particular religious or spiritual faith; we discuss all equally and seek to learn about other human beings and their beliefs.

December is National Read a New Book Month
December 1st through 8th is Hanukkah
December 9th is Human Rights Day
December 21st is the Winter Solstice
December 25th is Christmas
December 26th is Kwanzaa

Also, acclaimed storyteller Eshu Bumpus is working with the first and second grades together on a performance which will take place on December 21st. He has scheduled several work times with us to develop and rehearse a performance. Let me know if you would be interested in helping and I can send you the times.

Trusted Adults

Students from Amherst High School visited the first and second grades to talk about Internet safety and trusted adults.  They gave a fun, interactive presentation and invited the kids to participate a lot.  They talked about the importance of not sharing personal information (address, telephone number, parents' names, siblings' names, pets' names) or opening pictures from people they do not know.

After the presentation students brainstormed a list of adults in their lives they could trust.  The list included:

• parents
• teachers
• nurse
• librarian
• police officer
• firefighter
• coaches
• adult cousins
• aunts and uncles
• grandparents

After generating the list kids chose a person to draw on a quilt square. These were later attached together into a quilt of trusted adults, which now hangs on the wall in our cozy reading corner.  Students also received certificates from the Amherst High students for participating in the program.

Pumpkin Painting

Before Halloween we decided to have a pumpkin painting party to celebrate the season!  Many generous parents donated pumpkins, treats, and their valuable time to help with the painting, prep and clean-up. Each child got to bring their own pumpkin home and extra pumpkins were given as gifts to classrooms in the school.  A huge thanks to the parents who volunteered to help out. It was a really fun end to our week leading up to Halloween.

Word Wall

I am introducing students to sight words they can use often in writing and which they will come across often as they read.  We have been practicing them and posting them to our word wall. So far we have added the following words.

are
a
and
had
is
in
on
of
the

I will keep you updated as we add more.

It's Getting Buggy Around Here!

We introduced the insect unit with a video meant to grab the kids' curiosity and get them thinking about what they already know about insects.  They decided that insects have eyes, many have wings, and that they have legs. They also noted that many of them are colorful or can camouflage into their environments.  We read parts of What is an Insect?, by Jennifer W. Day and learned about the parts of an insect.  Then I taught the students a version of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes with the parts replaced with insect parts. Ask your child to teach it to you!

Later, we went on an insect collecting mission in back of the woodsy part of the playground dubbed cinderblock city by the students.  Turning over the cinderblocks revealed some worms, salamanders, and centipedes, though few insects. We did collect a squash bug and a couple of tiny flying insects. I plan on bringing in crickets for the children to observe and draw. 

Here are some photos of the collection mission outside:

Math Investigations

Early in the school year students in my class spent time exploring the math materials in the classroom. They gained familiarity with pattern blocks, geo blocks, power polygons, snap cubes, and geo boards. S.E.S. uses the Investigations in Number, Data, and Space math curriculum across all grades. A major component in the primary grades is using manipulative math tools to help children think about numbers and represent their thoughts with concrete objects and images.  Students also learn to represent their ideas with numbers and equations. Here are some photos of the explorations:

Students have been using these tools most recently in a geometry unit.  Soon they will begin thinking more deeply about patterns by making paper quilts.  As you can see by the designs above, they already have a strong sense of pattern and geometric layout.