Gardening in Pre-K

 Ms. Kilkenny's Class Investigates Gardens

Ms. Kilkenny’s class has begun a brand new unit on gardening.  The first thing we did was take a trip around Goodrich to see if we had anything growing in our gardens.

We found Flowers!  We recorded our findings on our sheets. 

How do plants grow?  From seeds.  In the Discovery Center we investigated different kinds of seeds.  And, no you don’t plant a tomato to grow a tomato.  Who knew the seeds were so tiny!

We made our own individual green houses and we sprouted some bean seeds.  

We have a "Garden" in the Sensory Table

Students brought in garden items from home for Show and Tell.  Nice Garden gloves!

We loved investigating all of the different types of gardens-flower, fruits, vegetable and of course our favorite Herbs! Can you eat a plant?  Yes, if it is an herb! 

The best thing of all was taste testing herbs!  First, we had to pull apart the leaves of Rosemary, Chives and Thyme.

We mixed the herbs with cream cheese and put it on a cracker.  

We graphed our results:

Rosemary was the winner!

Step Inside!

In 5th grade we have started our final reading unit! This informational unit is focused on the history of AAPI in our country. We started out the unit by expanding our knowledge of Asia. One of the ways that we did this is through the thinking routine called "Step Inside." 

 "Step Inside" is a thinking strategy designed to foster empathy and deeper understanding by encouraging individuals to imagine themselves in the shoes of someone else. This routine prompts students to consider a situation or scenario from the perspective of a specific person or character involved, encouraging them to delve into the thoughts, emotions, motivations, and experiences of that individual. By stepping inside the mind of another, participants can gain insight into different viewpoints, develop empathy, and enrich their understanding of diverse perspectives, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively and navigate complex social interactions.

Here are some of the notes that students took during this routine:

It's crucial for 5th-grade students to engage in the "Step Inside" routine by immersing themselves in the life of a person from another country for several reasons. Firstly, it promotes empathy and understanding by allowing students to appreciate the diverse experiences and perspectives of people around the world. By stepping into the shoes of someone living in a different country, students can gain insight into the challenges, traditions, and values that shape their lives. This fosters a sense of global citizenship and appreciation for cultural diversity. Additionally, it cultivates critical thinking skills as students analyze the factors influencing the person's life, such as geography, history, and socio-economic conditions. Through this process, students not only broaden their worldview but also develop empathy, critical thinking, and cultural competence, essential skills for navigating an increasingly interconnected world.

Fun at The Forge

Every year, sixth graders go on their Outdoor Ed field trip at The Forge. Beyond acquiring outdoor skills, The Forge places a strong emphasis on personal growth and leadership development. Students are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones, confront challenges head-on, and develop resilience in the face of adversity. Whether it's conquering a fear of heights on the climbing wall or navigating through the forest on a scavenger hunt, every experience at The Forge is an opportunity for growth.

The Forge is overall a fun experience for everyone because it not only challenges you, but it also allows kids to create long lasting memories with their peers. You can team up for exciting quests, challenge each other, or simply enjoy some laughs together as you explore this magical place.

The fun never ends!

 

Character Review

Throughout the year we have read so many many books with some fantastic characters. In a couple of weeks we will celebrate by dressing as our favorite storybook character and complete a breakout challenge by reading clues about these characters to reveal keys and codes. We will need to open various locked boxes to discover if we have correctly identified the correct character. In order to prepare for this upcoming Character Day, we must review the most memorable characters from the books we have read all year long. 

Each day we are rereading three books with standout characters. Yesterday, we reviewed Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Amos McGee and the Lorax. Today, we reviewed The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Kissing Hand, and Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon. We got to share the fun with our 6th Grade Buddies. This afternoon, we listened to Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, discussed her characteristics, and made a craft. We are so excited to continue to review these fabulous characters in preparation for one of my favorite days of the year!

Volleyball Bowling?

Just kidding!  Volleyball Bowling sounds like a terrible idea.

We have ended out volleyball unit and are moving into our bowling unit. 

Last year was my first year doing bowling K-6 and it was AWESOME!!  We are so excited to do it again! We work on rolling skills throughout the year at each grade level, but by creating this specific bowling unit, we can really hone in on those skills.

Last year I found some great bowling activities from a fellow PE teacher and know they will work great again, as well as a few new ideas!  Because I do not have a giant bowling alley, many of our games have a TEAM aspect.  The groups of kids have to work together to collect the most cubes, earn the most money or to get a BINGO, etc.

I will even turn the gym into a Cosmic Bowling Alley for the end of the unit with Christmas Lights, LED rope lights and Black lights.

This should be an awesome unit and I cannot wait to watch these kids improve on their skills!

Here are some image highlights from last year:

        

    

Finding Surface Area

6th graders have been hard at work finding surface area of three dimensional shapes. After learning how to find the area of two dimensional shapes, they applied their learning to find the entire surface area of a shape.

We started by identifying and naming pyramids and prisms by looking at their attributes. After talking about the parts of each shape, students learned how to create a net of each shape based on the faces that make up each shape. We used Magna-tiles to create three dimensional shapes, trace the nets, and then find the area of each part. We then moved on to being able to draw a net of each shape and use an equation to find the total surface area. 

Students applied their learning to real world situations that would require surface area to be found to cover different structures. 

Investigating Asia

This week marked the beginning of our final informational unit in reading, with a focus on Asian American history. To kick off the unit, we started by filling out a circle map to capture what students already know about Asia. Many students came into the unit with prior knowledge of various countries and geographic features in Asia. The overarching goal of this unit is to deepen students' understanding of Asia and its diverse peoples.

We introduced our anchor text, World Studies: Asia, by reading the introduction together as a class. During this activity, students had the opportunity to contribute new ideas to their circle maps, building upon their existing knowledge base. Following the introduction, we divided the reading tasks among our teams. Team members one and two delved into a chapter on Asia's history, while team members three and four explored Asia's geography and climate.

To organize their learning effectively, students used a tree map to categorize and structure the information from their respective chapters. They then had time to independently read and take notes before discussing their findings with a partner seated next to them. After these peer discussions, each pair had the chance to participate in a Pairs Share activity, where they taught their findings to another pair. Through these activities, students not only expanded their knowledge of Asian American history but also demonstrated the power of collaborative learning.

🎵Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Bones🎵

 🎵🎵The foot bone's connected to the leg bone

The leg bone's connected to the knee bone

The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone🎵🎵

It might not be Halloween, but there skeletons are popping up around our room as 2nd grade students are learning about human body systems, the first of which is the skeletal system.

In our first lesson, students are learning the names of various bones in the skeletal system and how they work in the body.

They are learning how joints allow bones to bend and straighten. We will also be discussing things we can do to keep our bones strong.

During upcoming units, we will cover the muscular, nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems and how these 5 systems work together.

Goal Setting Masters!

In third grade, we have been consistently creating goals for ourselves each month this whole school year. Each month we do a different craft activity that will showcase these goals. Some of the ones we have done are 3D hearts for February, pots of gold for March, and now kites for April. Before we make our goals, we talk about setting strong, achievable goals that we can do in our personal lives and school lives. 

Students brainstormed and shared their personal and school goals with their table mates in a round robin, and helped each other create goals if someone was struggling to come up with one. Personal goals that were set were scoring two goals in their soccer game, smiling at a person every day, or doing more chores at home. School goals were set to accomplish iReady lessons, Zearn lessons, or trying hard on a specific task. They wrote two personal and two school goals after cutting out and decorating their kites. We hang them on our cabinets each month so students can see their goals every day!

Ukulele Made as Easy as 1, 2, 3!

 Students in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade have just begun learning the notes and strings of the ukulele. The ukulele is such a great instrument for this age group because of its managable, small size and small number of strings. I love to save this instrument for the last part of the year because the students can piece together all of the elements of music we have been working on and put them all into a final, musical performance. 

To play the ukulele they first have to learn how to safely get their instrument to their seat, how to hold them and how to strum using their thumb. They also read the music on the board and have to play along with pre-recorded tracks. This skill is something we work on quite a lot throughout the year. These kids have been doing amazing so far, and I can't wait to see how much they learn!

Below there is a video of the 3rd graders learning one of the first strings on the ukulele. They sounded great for just the 2nd day.