The children LOVED creating their own salt dough this week during science to build the landform creation that they mapped out with their small groups. They collaborated to create an interesting combination of landforms that showed their deep understanding of each one and how they are similar and different to each other. They also showed their knowledge of how several of the landforms are created and how they work together! (Ex: I put snow on the top of the mountain, but you can see that it runs down the mountain to form a river in the valley. Ex: I put a river in the middle of this canyon, because I know that water is what separated the canyon.) Awesome work, class! A special thank-you to the parents who found some flour and salt in their cabinets to send in to school to help us make several batches of clay! The children had a blast creating their landforms!
We celebrated Global School Play Day in our classroom! We dedicated an hour of our day on Wednesday afternoon to unstructured play. My job was to be as invisible as possible- which was hard to do! I watched in amazement as the children organized their games and materials, gathered players, shared directions and materials, and took turns to enjoy all of the games that you see in the picture above!
The children worked together.
They supported each other.
They took turns.
They applied strategy.
They demonstrated patience and focus.
They asked questions and looked for answers.
They challenged their thinking giving clues.
They practiced math skills through money counting!
They solved mysteries using deductive reasoning and clue gathering.
They smiled, laughed, and had fun!
They used their imaginations!
The children were sad to hear that their "play" time was up. We spent a few minutes reflecting on how unstructured play was helpful to our learning, and how we can improve upon this activity for next year!
Dr. Ernie Costello dropped by on Thursday morning to visit the 2nd grade and multiage students and talk to them about taking good care of their teeth in honor of dental health month. Dr. Costello shared such important information and reminders for us all!
He reminded us to choose healthy foods that would help our teeth stay strong. He reminded us about keeping our teeth, gums, and tongue clean and healthy. He reminded us to brush twice a day, especially at night!
Dr. Costello then reviewed the facts he shared with us through a fun and interactive game! Chase went up to the stage to represent our class. When we answered a question correctly, Chase was able to put on another piece of dentist gear!
Chase looks like he is ready to be a dentist!
Thank-you, Dr. Ernie! We learned so much from you and we couldn't wait to go straight home to brush our teeth! :)
Back in the classroom, we took a look through the treats that Dr. Costello had for us! He gave us a chart to keep track of our brushing, a new toothbrush and toothpaste, a floss pick, a timer, and a tooth eraser! We sat right down to write some notes expressing our thanks! Mrs. Sessler dropped in and was so impressed with the children's writing and their kind sentiments!
Another fun event of the week was the Scholastic Book Fair. The children were very excited to choose some fun new books and gadgets!
Here is a picture of some of our grammar practice this week. The children looked critically to find and edit errors in a passage on the white board.
It was finally time to share and show our landform models. It was great to hear the children put their learning into words and explain what they know!
We welcomed Riley's mom to our classroom on Friday afternoon to celebrate our superstar! They demonstrated how a pulley works using coat hangers, string, and a paper towel tube. The children were amazed to see how Riley was able to pull her toy several feet so quickly! It was a terrific example of how simple machines work.
Riley and her mom shared
When the Crayons Came Home with the class. We loved hearing the characters/crayons come to life with all of their awesome voices!
We are so happy to have a bubbly, happy, observant, and intelligent girl like Riley in our class this year! Her sweet smile is absolutely contagious! You had a terrific week, Riley!
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