Kindergartners are taking a break from Math stations this week for a new unit entitled Bunk Beds! This unit begins with the story of a PJ party – a sleepover during which eight children play, moving up and down bunk beds, teasing and tricking the babysitter who imagines she is losing and then gaining children.
The unit introduces the arithmetic rack, or rekenrek, as a powerful model and tool, to help act out the story. The rekenrek is a calculating frame consisting of two rows of ten beads with two sets of five in each row. The five-structure of this apparatus supports the development of part-whole relations in early number sense. In this unit, the cherubs move the beads on the rekenrek to illustrate and develop an understanding that eight can be named in many ways, for example 7 + 1 = 5 + 3 = 4 + 4. The kiddos absolutely adored exploring with their very own individual (and smaller!) rekenreks. They did an extraordinary job showing the different combinations to eight and were able to explain adeptly that no matter what combination of numbers one used, it still equaled eight.
At the end of the week, the boys and girls of Room #7 made their very own bunk bed stories choosing a target number that was just right for them. They loved the creativity aspect of this project, obviously enjoying the mingling of Math and English Language Arts! We made another class book! Additionally, as their stories were read, we used the class-size rekenrek to model the changing arrangements. Next week, we will go back to station work, but stay tuned because this unit will continue!
As Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approaches, Room #7 read a few books about this wonderful man who helped to change America over forty years ago. As we read about his life, the climate of America, and his renowned “I have a dream” speech, the students asked thoughtful, insightful questions. We discussed how the United States has changed for the better as well as how unfair it was back then for people of color. We were even lucky enough to hear his famous speech at the beginning of All School Meeting. With our Book Buddies, the kiddos wrote and illustrated what their dreams are. Their conversations were amazing to listen in on!
The boys and girls in Room #7 are concentrating on their writing! As they continue to focus on first, telling their stories; second, planning them on their 3-page stories; and third, writing and illustrating those stories, they are also thinking about including as many details as they possibly can! The goal is to have the reader feel as if he/she is right there in the author’s story. The class and I talked about how adding to one’s pictures and one’s words can really help with this endeavor! The kiddos agreed that stories with lots of details are way more interesting and fun to read!
Why do we reread? That’s exactly the question Room #7 has been exploring during our writing block. To introduce this skill, I used a very familiar tool – the pencil! The pencil is a very useful and magical tool because one can use it to both write a little, and read a little, one just needs to flip it over either way. In this manner, students can stay on track and remember what they were trying to write! The Kindergarten writers also named some other important reasons to reread their work:
- To make sure the writing makes sense
- To check that the sentence has an uppercase letter at the beginning and a punctuation mark at the end
- To ensure there are spaces
- To confirm that the pictures and words match
- To double-check to see if the words look right. Does the beginning/middle/ending sound of the word being said match with what is being written?
Last Friday, the brain growers of Room #7 learned a new word to help them continue to grow their growth mindset: Empathy! After hearing the definition, we read Leonardo the Terrible Monster, by Mo Willems (my all-time favorite children’s author). The kiddos were able to very quickly name all the instances that the main character felt empathy for the little boy in the story. Moreover, they themselves felt empathy throughout the book as they said words like, “Awwww,” and “Poor guy.” After debriefing, the cherubs defined empathy in their own words. They said empathy is:
- “When you feel other people’s feelings.”
- “When you feel someone’s feelings with your heart.”
- “Feeling bad for someone.”
- “You imagine how you would feel if you were that person.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_1Rt1R4xbM
We also reread The Most Magnificent Thing, now with the sense of empathy, and described how we are empathetic with the main character’s struggles. Next up: role playing!
Have a marvelous long weekend!