You may have noticed the paperwhite bulbs growing in the hallway outside our classroom. Last week we "dissected" a few bulbs and examined the insides. Children noted that the start of the flowers and leaves are actually contained inside the bulb. For the past two weeks children have been writing about and illustrating and measuring their bulbs in the bulb journals. I'm hoping the flowers will bloom just in time for Tu B'shevat, the New Year of the Trees, when the almond trees bloom in Israel.
In Language Arts we finished our second unit on small moments. Some of our mini lessons included spelling and editing our high frequency words, using our writing partners to help us revise, and adding details. We ended the unit with a writing celebration with Morah Marcia's third grade class, who had recently published their own memoirs. It was inspiring for the Gan to hear and see what third grade writing looks like.
We had three special guests last week. Professor Meg Thacher from Smith College taught us about the phases of the moon and read us a picture book manuscript she's been working on. Later in the week, an educator from the Springfield Symphony introduced us to the families of instruments and children had a chance to try playing a violin, a cello, a saxophone, a trumpet, a flute, and a variety of percussion instruments. We spent some extra time in class learning about instruments, and watched an animated version of Peter and the Wolf to see how these instruments can be used to tell a story.
Also, Anna Sobel gave us a sample yoga class.
In Math, children practiced using rulers to measure their bulbs. We spent most of this past week learning and practicing how to use a number line to solve addition and subtraction problems. We started with a giant number line drawn on the carpet which children could jump up and down to act out number sentences. And yes, I made sure children knew it was not ok to draw on their own carpets at home....!
We spent some time learning about the Chinese New Year, and comparing it to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. We read several books, including Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year and Gung Hay Fat Choy and explored the connection between the new year and the lunar cycle. We created our own papier macher lion mask, and children had a chance to watch a few videos of Lion dancers in action, before trying their own. We also tried our hands at eating rice with chopsticks.
Here's just one pair of students performing a Lion dance in honor of Chinese New Year. Everyone who wanted a turn had a chance to be both the head and the tail (including me.) Have a great week!
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