Today we are thankful for Blake! Happy Birthday Blake!
This morning we were able to attend chapel with the whole school to celebrate National Lutheran School's Week! During chapel Mr. Debrick talked to us about how special it is that we can learn about Jesus anytime we want! He talked about how no matter what we decide to do for a career when we grow up, we can always be a disciple of Jesus!
When we returned to the classroom, we had a shortened small group time! We worked on making wind chimes for the outside of our classroom!
We also explored with the magna tiles. I know you might be thinking, "Magna-tiles again?!"
There is value in using the same tools over and over. As children explore the same thing multiple times, they gain confidence with the materials. As children gain confidence, they more freely explore their creative skills! As the children explore the magna-tiles they gain knowledge and vocabulary concerning 3-D shapes. Furthermore, the children are working together to re-create favorite constructions.
"Remember the castle we built with the points on the top? Let's build that one!"
We played a fun game with me to learn who controls the wind. One person pretended to be God, and that person decided if the wind blew soft, hard, or like a tornado. The other friends responded to the wind accordingly.
"I want a turn to be God so I can blow the wind!"
"It's Devereux's turn to be God because he is blowing the wind."
After small group time, we had time for free choice in our classroom. We changed the estimation jar slightly to estimate how many items are in the jar. The children are practicing writing their names and their numbers!
As the children sign in using the estimation jar, they are learning correct letter and number formation. They are learning to be confident in their writing skills too! Fostering confidence in writing helps to create motivated writers.
Sammie checked the radar and saw that a tornado was about to come to St. Charles!
The children are making sense of their world through play. I am guessing that the interest in tornados is due to the recent experiences we have had here in St. Charles with tornados. Through play, children are able to act out such scenarios to help make sense of them.
Bella talked to the news reporter to assure everyone that the tornado has left St. Charles.
More magna-tile explorations!
Everyone was excited to see the new rice in the sensory table! So much learning happens at the sensory table. Children learn social skills as they ask each other to share the tools and space.
Student one: "Can I play too?"
Student two: "Sure! (Turns to the person next to him) Can you scoot over to make some room?"
"How many minutes until my turn with the spoon?"
"Here-you can have a spoon; I have two."
Math concepts are also explored at the sensory table. JJ, Brian, and Claire wondered how many spoons it took to fill a cup with rice. They are exploring estimation, counting, and volume.
As teachers, we scaffold the learning at the sensory table by posing questions.
"Hmm...I wonder if my cup has more rice than your cup? How can we tell?"
"Oh man...my cup isn't full of rice yet. How many spoons of rice do you think I need?"
"I'm trying to decide if the balance is level or not. How can you tell if it's level?"
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