On Wednesday, we went to Smolak Farm! Room #7 had a blast enjoying the hayride, picking pumpkins, and eating a delicious apple cider donut snack. On Friday, the boys and girls will transform themselves into scientists when they observe and draw their pumpkins as they see them, then measure how many cubes tall their pumpkins are! It will be interesting to see the differences and similarities between them! Thank you to the adults who chaperoned! It was a fabulous day!
On Tuesday, the students learned about buddy lines in Math. Buddy lines help the children to compare the amount of different objects. For example, when looking at a graph, sometimes it’s difficult to tell which column has more in it. However, if one draws a line from one item to the next until one can no longer draw anymore, that person will be able to discern which has more or less, and how many more or less. To practice this skill, the students partnered up and worked with each other’s names. After lining up their names, they drew buddy lines from one letter to the other and then finally determined whose name had more letters and whose name had less. The cherubs had a blast during the activity and can’t wait to use buddy lines in their everyday lives!
During Reader’s Workshop, the readers of Room #7 have been reading up a storm. They are learning how to approximate the language in our old favorite storybooks (e.g., The Carrot Seed, Billy Goats Gruff, Mrs. Wishy-Washy, etc.) and even use the exact words to bring their characters to life! They are working hard to make sure the words they read match the page they are reading as well as remembering to say more and more of the story. You can help with this work by allowing them to read and reread their old favorites with you at home! In this manner, your children will fall head over heels in love with their books by reading them over and over! Your child may not actually be able to read his/her books like you do, but we still call what they do reading. They will use what they remember and the pictures to read words to you. They will probably not look very much at the actual words in the book. Don’t worry about being a teacher here. Encourage the ‘reading’ of many words per page. Laugh at the funny parts. Ask questions when you have them for real. In the end, follow your child’s lead. And, don’t worry! We will be working toward really reading all year in Room #7! I want you to know, though, that the work I am asking you to help with right now is the beginning of actual reading and will set down a strong foundation upon which to build. Have fun!!
Have a great weekend, everyone!