Room #7 is full of busy bees! The kiddos have been hard at work; keep reading to see some of the highlights!
We started a new unit in Math this week. During this unit, students are focusing on shapes – learning their names, understanding their attributes, and describing the differences among them. Students are also finding out about teen numbers as well as exploring the concepts of addition and subtraction.
· Spin and Graph – After spinning a pattern block spinner, students graphed how many times the spinner landed on a particular shape! As an extra challenge, they used invisible buddy lines to see how many more shapes the “winning” pattern block had than the others!
· Teen Puzzles – The kiddos concentrated on
putting together a variety of puzzles. On the bottom of each puzzle were the numbers 11-19. This station had the students recognizingthose numerals and putting them in consecutive order! The pictures also helped them to check their sequencing!
· Pattern Block Puzzles – At this station, the students had the opportunity to explore relationships among shapes and determine how many ways the shapes could be arranged in a specific space. Using pattern blocks, the children filled in a particular puzzle shape in different ways and recorded the number of blocks used each time! Everyone became very creative with this station – definitely a fan favorite!
· Mix It Up! – This fun game could be played either with a partner or independently! Given a deck of number cards from 10-20, the students mixed up the cards and put them back in number order. It was really cool to watch them problem solve to make certain the numbers were in the correct positions. Additionally, the cherubs often sang parts of our teen number song to assist in this tricky work!
· Copy Cat – A class favorite! With a partner, the first person created a design using various pattern blocks. Then, the partner worked conscientiously to replicate the original creation! This act took a lot of concentration and attention to specific details!
· What Does the Shape Say? – Two weeks ago, the students were introduced to an anchor chart that illustrates all different shapes: rectangle, rhombus, square, circle, triangle, trapezoid, and hexagon. The class worked together to first name the shapes and then label them. Next, we chatted about how each shape would describe itself: how many sides, vertices, and if it has parallel (yes! The cherubs know what this concept means!) lines. Lastly, they attached speech bubbles with accurate descriptions of each shape. This week, the boys and girls challenged themselves to write those descriptions in their very own shape book! Tricky work, but fun!
· Roll and Color Teen Numbers - At this station, the mathematicians of Room #7 rolled a giant die with the teen numbers 11-16 (represented in 10-frame form). Next, they found that specific number on their activity sheet and colored it in!
Our Daily Five is up and running! As of right now, the kids are practicing three of the five parts: Read to Self, Work on Writing, and Word Work. This was the first week the students were able to explore the various materials they can use while doing Word Work. Everyone did such an amazing job staying on task with each of the three components. The element of choice really engages the boys and girls; they are invested in their learning!
As it is a new month, the kids created gorgeous, one-of-a-kind self-portraits using oil pastels. As usual, they concentrated on including all the features of their faces into their pictures. Many even included extra details by adding intricate and festive designs to their shirts. Come on by Room #7 to sneak a peek at the cherubs’ handiwork!
The boys and girls in Room #7 are working hard on their writing! As they continue to focus on first, telling their stories; second, planning them on their 3 page booklets; 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 agree that stories with lots of details are way more interesting and fun to read!
I hope those of you who were able to come to the Publishing Party enjoyed your kiddos’ hard work! They were excited to share it with you! Have a wonderful weekend!
Enjoy your weekend!