Can you believe it’s May? Where did this year go? Read on for some fun snippets of our busy week!
We started a new science unit on plants! The class has been immersed with emergent texts on plants that are great resources as well as examples of informational writing. The students are loving learning about plants and all their different features!
We have been reading many books about plants, seeds, and flowers. In fact, we read The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Soon after, a special delivery letter arrived! Mr. McGregor, a character from the book, had written our class! Wowza! He asked the boys and girls a lot of important questions about gardening, plants, and how to take care of those plants. We decided to write a letter back to Mr. McGregor to answer his questions. The kiddos did an excellent job naming plant needs, environments where plants can flourish, and reasons why plants have roots! Way to go, Kindergarteners! Read on to see the letter that Mr. McGregor wrote us, and how we answered!
Dear Mrs. Quinn’s Class,
I hear you are learning about plants. Mrs. McGregor will be away for a while and she asked me to take care of the garden. So, I have a few questions. Would you mind helping me learn more about plants? Mrs. McGregor is so good at gardening so I don’t want to mess things up. Here is what I am wondering.
- I think I accidentally planted pebbles instead of the seeds Mrs. McGregor set out. They looked similar-why didn’t the pebbles grow?
- Mrs. McGregor asked me to plant some seedlings. They had stringy things hanging from the bottom so I cut them off. What were those stringy things and why are they so important?
- Also, I noticed that the soil was too smooth, so I dumped a bunch of rocks in it. Do plants grow best in rocks, sand, or soil?
- It’s supposed to be a hot one this summer. I thought I would give the garden some shade by building a canopy over it. My fourth question is this – do plants grow best in shade or sun?
Yours truly,
Mr. McGregor
And our response>...
Dear Mr. McGregor,
We are happy to help you because you need to learn a little bit. We are ready to help!
- The pebbles didn't grow because they are not alive. You need seeds to grow plants. Dig up the pebbles and plant the seeds. Don't forget, plants need sunshine, water and food.
- The stringy things are roots and they are important! Roots are important so the plants can grow. They bring water and food to the plant. They also help the plant stand up.
- Plants grow best in soil, especially smooth soil.
- Plants grow best in the sun.
We like eating fruits and veggies too! Keep gardening!
Love,
Room #7
This week during Math, Room #7 continued their work with number combinations using a new context: apple boxes. Children investigated the number of unique combinations for five apples of two colors, green and red, and recorded the combinations for a grocer who is confused about how many arrangements there can be. In contrast to the bunk beds investigation in which children can easily imagine someone going up and down the ladder, now they must exchange. That is, instead of moving a counter to another group, the counter must be removed and replaced. This action is more difficult.
To reinforce this trickier skill, cherubs worked to discover the various possible arrangements, and then we explored their findings as a whole class. The unit will extend into next week with a new station, Part-Whole Bingo. This game will be played throughout the remainder of the year as a way for children to extend composing and decomposing strategies as they establish equivalence, for example representing 7 as 5 + 2 or as 3 + 4, or even as 2 + 2 + 2 + 1.
The kiddos of Room #7 used their prior knowledge from the Bunk Bed unit to help them understand this new Apple Box unit. They really did a great job grasping the importance of how many red and green apples they were getting, not how the apples were arranged!
Together, we’ve been snipping out one sound and replacing it with another, which helps the class use knowledge of one word to write or read another. Here’s a game that’s easy, and the children love playing it (and they learn a lot from it).
• You say a word and ask your child to change the first sound. So if you say mop your child might say hop, stop, pop, drop.
• Again, this is a game that can be played anywhere, anytime – try it in the car, at the park, while taking a walk.
Say it – and play it!
Have a spring-filled weekend!