Why are all snowflakes different?

We loved seeing snowflakes fall on Tuesday! Have you ever wondered why are all snowflakes different? Research this and explain your answer in the comment section below (or you can email Mrs.Daniel).

 

 

Have a great weekend, "Wonder"garten Kids! :)

Freezing Bubbles!

Wow! Thank you to all that responded and performed experiments at home! What a great way to extend your child's learning and increase their interest in school. Great job, parents!

We performed the experiment in the classroom, and just like scientists, we had different trial and errors. We found that the bubbles would not freeze on a paper plate, but would on a hard plastic plate. Weird, huh? WONDER why?!?!

 

We are enjoying our "Wonder of the Week"! Stay tuned to see what we are wondering next...

100th Day!

We are excited about being 100 days smarter! We are even MORE excited that we are getting a "Snow Day" on the 100th day! That is awesome! Here is our Happy Dance!
Stay safe and have fun!

Week 22 Plans

Sight Words:
get
this
here

Reading
     Comparing texts
     Table of Contents in nonfiction texts

Math
    3 Dimensional Shapes

Science
    Last week of our PBL! The students are creating pic collages using the information we have   learned about the Eastern Box Turtle, Rabbit, Hedgehog, Bird, and Monarch Butteryfly.

Wonder of the Week

   Can you freeze a bubble? 
*Post your child's prediction under the Can you freeze a bubble? post and your child will get their own bottle of bubbles!*

FRIDAY- bring one 3 Dimensional item from home for our math lesson (canned good, cereal box, tennis ball,...)

Sight Word Practice

 

 

 

Be sure to practice your sight words at home this week!

here

 

this

 

get

 

 

A Day with No Shapes....A Day with Shapes

Yesterday we read, When the Earth Losts its Shapes. We wondered what it would be like if that really happened. After reading, the students were assined to draw a picture without using any shapes at all.

 

They were frustrated! Their pictures did not look good at all!

 

Today, they used shapes to create a picture. Here are a few samples (sorry that some are turned).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you freeze a bubble?

It is COLD outside today!!! Which leads me to ask this question, can you freeze a bubble? Research this over the weekend and share your thoughts!

How do birds survive the coldest winters?

Did you know that feathers help keep the bird warm during winter? Well, we figured so, but then we questioned why do they need feathers in the summer? Would they not get hot? We explored more to find out that birds actually have an oily coat during the winter. This locks in the heat to help birds survive the coldest winters. We glued a feather on a bird template today and then gave the feather an "oily coat".

Week 21

Wonder of the Week: How do birds survive the coldest winters?

Sight Words:
make
take
help

Reading-
   Shared Reading: Comparing two types of texts
   Independent and Guided Reading: Chunky Monkey reading strategy

Writing-
 Narrative Writing 
 Learning how to self-edit


Math-

  Shapes in our World

Science-
   Animals in Winter PBL


Check our blog daily for updates to guide your conversations and extend learning at home.
Have a great week!

How do birds survive the coldest winters?

This week, we will explore the question, "How do birds survive the coldest winters?".

View our introductory video below. Much thanks to my super sweet and smart 4-year-old, Emary Kate, for her narration. Enjoy.

 

Check back this week as we will perform experiments and answer the Wonder of the Week!

 

Why is salt put on roads when it snows?

Last week we explored the question, "Why is salt put on roads when it snows?"

The students listened to informational articles, watched a video, and performed an experiment with ice and salt. 

We found that the salt makes the water temperature rise, which causes the ice to melt. The salt looked like it was eating away at the ice. This was a neat experiment!

Have you ever wondered how birds survive the coldest winters? Stay tuned... 

Circles and Squares

Today we focused on circles and squares in math. We discussed their importance and observed how often we see them in the world around us.

On a tour of our school, we found these circles. 

We found these squares. 

 

We will learn about the attributes of shapes and how we use them in a variety of ways.

Look for circles and squares around your home today.

 

Congratulations to our Awesome Readers!

Parker

Jaden and Ian 

How do polar bears adapt to cold water?

We went to the Wonder Room today to find out the answer to the question, "How do polar bears adapt to cold water?".

First, we watched a video of a polar bear swimming in freezing cold water. 

Click on the link:

http://www.arkive.org/polar-bear/ursus-maritimus/video-00.html#video-06f.html

Next, the students experienced what it would feel like If they swam in cold water and how the polar bear would feel.
 

Blubber Experiment

2 buckets of ice water

1 insulated bag 1of shortening

The students placed one bare hand in a bucket of ice water and one hand with the 'blubber bags'. 

Mrs. Skinner even joined in on the fun! 

After the experiment we discussed what we learned from our time in the Wonder Room.

Feed the Birds!

We all enjoy watching birds fly and hearing them sing soft tunes in the early morning. During our research on migration, we learned that not all birds fly south for the winter. If birds can find food here, they will stay. Today we made bird food to help the birds stay "home" for the winter.

I encourage you to help your child find a special place for their bird food, visible from your window. If you see a bird eating the food, please take a picture and email it to me. I will post the pictures on our blog. 

Week 20 Lesson Plans

Sight Words:
they, said, want

Reading:
Main topic and supporting details
Chunky Monkey Reading Strategy

Writing:
Sequencing a narrative story from beginning to end.

Math:
We are working on the Unit 2 Assessment, focusing on counting and writing numerals to 20, identifying quantities with tens frames, and comparing sets.

Science:
How do animals survive in winter? Week 2 PBL

Wonder of the Week:
Why is sand/salt put on roads when it snows?
I encourage you to research this question at home. Your child can share their findings during our morning meeting.

Daily 5!

Here's an update on how our Daily 5 workstations are going!

The students are enjoying working on leveled iPad apps, Compass Odyssey assignments on the computers, building sight words on the activboard and using letter tiles, writing narrative stories, and of course applying our reading strategies in guided reading. 

This week we are focusing on "chunky monkey". We are looking for words we know within words of using letter chunks to help us read unknown words. Please work on this strategy at home. 

Great Job!

Great reading, Colten (400 steps) and Payton (300 steps). 

Narrative Writing

We are focusing on narrative writing for the next few weeks. Our Room 202 authors are excited to share their personal experiences through book making.

I introduced narrative writing with an anchor chart and the saying "narrative writing tells a story about a time in our lives." 

We read our mentor text, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, about a young child's experiences in the snow. 

We went back to our chart to write what we noticed about narrative texts. We had great responses. 

The students were excited to begin their books. 

First, they told a friend a story, orally. "If you can say it, you can write it!" 

Next, we started our book making process. 

We revisited parts of the text that helped us making our stories stronger. 

This is the introduction page. 

This is Lily's introduction page. 

After a week of intense writer's workshop, our books are complete and displayed for all to see! 

I am so proud of their hard work, great writing skills, and creativity! 

Congratulations to Our All*Star Readers!