Special Guest in Science Class!

Last week, both Kindergarten and 3rd grade were treated to a special presentation by parent scientist, Alix Davatzes.  Alix is a professor in the Earth and Environmental Science Department of Temple University, and is a familiar face in Lower School science.  She and her husband Nick, who is also a Temple professor, have done many geology lessons over the past few years.  Alix spoke to the third grade about her field work as a geologist, and a few lucky students got to dress up in all of her field gear.  Next, we poured over a geology map to learn about tectonic activity all over the world.

 In Kindergarten, Alix started the lesson explaining the three types of rocks; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.  She taught a song about the three types of rocks, complete with hand motions! Next she showed the students many different types of fossils.  The students then made their own fossils by pressing shells into clay.  They made some beautiful specimens!

First Grade Reads Books Featuring Henry and Mudge and Annie

First grade has fallen in love with the characters of Henry, Mudge and Henry's cousin Annie. Cynthia Rylant captures the experiences of children and the way that they perceive the world as well as the love that children have for their pets. For the past few weeks, reading workshop has commenced with a chapter read aloud and children sharing their connections, and engaging in the comprehension strategy of envisioning a scene in detail and then describing their visualization to a partner.  Children have connected to the feelings of worry, loneliness, taking one's pet to the vet, growing friendships and closely noticing the natural world.


These books have been favorite choices for the first graders to select for their own just right reading. Cynthia Rylant is a master of using descriptive language in her writing- another benefit of children reading her books and incorporating her beautiful vocabulary in their own speaking and writing. The reading level of these books range from first grade in the Puppy Mudge series through second grade in the Henry and Mudge and Annie series.  Students in kindergarten through second grade love to listen to and read books in this series.

“El reporte del día” en tercer y cuarto grado / “The report of the day” in third and fourth grade

In third and fourth grade Spanish class, the students continue to focus on the development of the four linguistic skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. We began the year by learning and/or revising units from previous years in preparation for our goal of presenting El Reporte del día (The Report of the Day). Many fun and engaging games, activities, and worksheets were crafted and implemented to review such topics as greetings, numbers, seasons, weather, days of the week, and months of the year. The concept of telling time and the use of expressions to differentiate between a.m. and p.m. was also introduced. Opportunities to practice the skill were provided through PowerPoint presentations, Time Bingo, Foam Analog Clock activities, and worksheets.

               
Students engaged in "Greetings" dialogue.           Students putting the months of the year in sequence.


Students playing the "Matamosca" (Swatter) game w/ days of the week flashcards.


                  
Students playing "Days, Months, Seasons Bingo."    Student working on "El calendario" (The calendar) puzzle.


After many occasions to “play,” the students were ready to culminate their learning. Presently, during each Spanish class experience, one student opens class with El reporte del día. Through the course of the school year, everyone will have the chance to share the daily news. At this time, the students are reading from a script and filling in the blanks as they state the day’s forecast with the goal to report from memory. With much practice, the third and fourth graders will certainly meet this aim. It is a challenge they are willingly taking on.

Third Grade Panda Stories

For the past several weeks, the third grade has been working hard on their writing. After having done a great deal of research on pandas last semester, our focus on pandas has taken a playful turn as students write their own creative stories about pandas. 

This has been an opportunity for great creative expression for the students, as they each invented a unique panda character to tell their story.  There is a panda that enters a bamboo-eating contest;  panda who sleeps too much; a panda who hates bamboo, and the panda that travels to the beach to escape the cold, and many more!

Embedded in the writing process, we’ve explored a range of important writing skills and concepts. We’ve discussed ways to develop a character and show the character’s personality through what the panda does, says, and feels. We’ve also touched on setting, dialogue, and developing plot.

This week, students will be putting the finishing touches on their panda stories as we create books. Students will be bringing their stories to life with beautiful illustrations on each page of their book!

Second Grade Explores Dewey

What do they have in common?

Second graders have been investigating how the library uses the Dewey Decimal System. We started by brainstorming different ideas on how we could organize books. Working in groups, students organized a small selection of books and then shared their ideas with the rest of the class. Students then worked with partners to investigate a small section of the stacks, attempting to discern the common thread of the books. After a short conference with a teacher to ensure they were on the right track, our second graders created signs sharing in both words and pictures the theme of the section they investigated. Stop by the library to see our work on Dewey!

Second graders work to organize a selection of books.

Studying Symmetry in First Grade

The first graders have had a lot of fun studying symmetry.  We initially discussed the idea of symmetry by having students stand up and look at where on their bodies they could draw a line of symmetry.  They quickly figured out that they could draw a line down the middle of their body and each side would match up if folded across the line.

We jumped right into hands-on activities that used pattern blocks to explore symmetry.  The students worked individually at first and then with a partner in a number of activities exploring symmetry.  They really enjoyed a game called 'Balancing Act' in which they took turns placing a pattern block on one side of a line and then having their partner place a block on the other side of the line to create a symmetrical design.

Our final symmetry activity was an art project where the students again worked with partners to make a symmetrical design.  They used squares, which they could then fold and cut into rectangles or triangles to make a symmetrical horizontal design.  After one student placed a shape, his or her partner placed a shape on the other side of the strip of paper and had to make sure it was a mirror image of the original shape.  These turned out beautifully and will be outside of the first grade room soon.

If you are interested in having some fun with symmetry at home, try these games:

Some Symmetry Games to Play

First Grade Post Office

Stamps for sale!
The First Grade Post Office is up and running through Spring Break.
It has been exciting seeing the Middle and Upper School students participate in our Post Office. Last week the Upper School French class wrote letters to First Graders about our hero research and sent them via our first grade mail system. The letters were in both English and French. They wrote about some of the heroes they had connections to and shared interesting facts. Then the French students met with all of the First Graders at lunch to continue this wonderful connection. Below are some photos of their visit and examples of some of their letters.

Dear Kendall,  Hi! My name is Jessica. My teacher told me that you like Nelson Madela and I like him, too! I like him because he never lost hope. He is very important to the South African people and he helped the country a lot. I hope that the life of Mandela always inspires you. Best, Jess

Dear Anjali, My name is Cora and I am a senior in the Upper School. I was told that Michelle Obama is your hero and wanted to tell you that I like Michelle and her actions too. I think she is noble for creating programs for healthy diets and encourages going outside to play. I also love her fashion sense! I can't wait to meet you so we can talk about Michelle! Sincerely, Cora

To the children (Matthew and Patrese) who chose Benjamin Franklin... Thank you for choosing Benjamin Franklin as your hero! I am going to let you in on a little secret: Ben is a personal hero of mine as well! I really admire his playfulness and how carefree he was during the Revolution in the face of danger. Did you know his favorite color was deep pink and green?It is my deepest hope that you follow in his footsteps and continue being as creative as your stamps say you are. 

Au Revoir! Lindsay