100th Day of School

Here is a peek at our 100th day of school. 

We made 100th Day Crowns

We sorted 100 words into three categories: nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

  

100th Day Poems!

Making words with the letters in "one hundred."

 

The Moon

To kick off our science unit on the night sky we started to record the phase of the moon each day.  With a projector we put up a website that shows the phase and the leader of the day colors in the part we can see from earth.  It has provided a great visual so far for that which we cannot see during the school day!  You can help at home by observing the moon at night with your child.  In the primary grades one of our biggest science goals is the process of observation: being curious, noticing details, and asking questions.

Chinese New Year

One of our social studies goals is to work towards an understanding that people have different cultural backgrounds.  Our definition of culture is a shared set of beliefs, practices, attitudes, and behaviors that are passed down from one generation to the next.  Earlier this year we had a special guest, David Moses Bridges, share some cultural traditions of the Wabanaki people of Maine.  During Chinese New Year this year we learned about some of the cultural traditions of this holiday. 

Dragon Puppets

Making Lanterns

The Finished Lanterns

Good Luck Banners

The students got red envelopes, but instead of money inside they found our "Caught Being Good" cards.  Just as good!

 

Persuasive Letters

We have been working on the art of persuasive writing.  Each student wrote a letter to someone trying to persuade them about something they wanted to change.  The letters varied from requesting ice cream in the cafeteria, to more art classes during the week, to a chance to be in Kindergarten again!  We used an Oreo cookie to outline the format for this type of writing.  The students must first state their opinion (the top cookie of the Oreo), then give 3 reasons that support their opinion (the creamy center), and then finish off by stating their opinion again (the bottom cookie).  The students have a list of linking or transition words to refer to in their writing folders as they shift from each part of the writing.  Several students have heard responses back to their letters.  Here is a happy student who heard back from the principal about his request for a hot tub at school.  Her answer wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either!  An "I'll think about it" seemed just as good as a yes!

 

Valentine's Day 2013

We celebrated Valentine's Day with a fabulous buffet of foods and cards and treats from friends!  Check it out!

Economics Unit Project: School Store

Our School Store

Consumers Making Choices

Checking Out - Producers and Consumers practicing math!

For our Economics unit in Social Studies we created a school store.  Students were producers by bringing in some of their old toys for goods to sell.  Then they were consumers when they got to make their purchases.  We came up against some scarcity issues and learned that when goods are scarce people have to make choices.  Sometimes what you wanted to buy was not available.  We had a great discussion about the activity afterwards and solidified our knowledge of some key vocabulary words: producer, consumer, goods, scarcity.  It was also a great math activity to practice counting money and making change!