Winter Voyage 2

Patrol 2's pictures are here for you to enjoy!

Winter Voyage 2014

This our first visit to the Douglas County Outdoor Ed Center in Larkspur.  Ask your child about hunting for treasure using mapping skills, strapping on snowshoes, sledding down a norh slope, and team building skills with Ms. Ann.  With the exception of a bloody nose we were all safe and happy all day.  My favorite part was when one of the camp leaders mentioned to me that is was so sweet the way our crew takes care of each other:)

Exploring the World of Worms!

Expeditionary Learning is so powerful for children!  Yesterday I unveiled a part of our new Expedition:  Worms!  We will be looking at the reciprocity between worms and the earth and how they need each other.  Very cool! 

Ask your children about how we they got to be scientists yesterday.  I set this up as a mystery piece.  Before letting the children into the room after PE I gave each one of them a scientific tool (i.e. a popsicle stick!) and we talked about how archeologists have to be very careful with their exploring and that good scientists observe closely.

Once inside the room each table group explored the tub of soil on their desks...and soon the excitement began...."Hey, there are worms in here!"  So much fun to be a part of.  Wish you could have been here, but hope the pictures below make you feel a part of our learning.

There is nothing simple about reading...

One of my favorite things to do while on break is to read for fun.  I read everything I can get my hands on, and while traveling to see my dad I had the luxury of reading magazines. 

While learning how to balance my life, I came across this article on parenting tips. This section was about balancing children's reading homework.

This is just what I would say to you.  When everyone is exhausted, just read to your child. Get in bed and feel the love.  

Note what the article says about children who now are reading on their own!!

Yes, that is where your child is now mid-year first grade.

Don't stop reading to them and with them!  Because the hardest part of reading is just beginning....the deep thinking that good readers need to be able to do to comprehend text which enables one to share stories.

We begin the year learning how to use multiple reading tools to figure out how to read words.  Now the fun begins!  

Readers are thinkers.

There is nothing simple about learning how to read.

Don't worry.  I'm here to help you learn how to work with your child on this.

Learn from my blogposts or come in and watch me work with your child.

Fieldwork to the Asian Market and Kingsland Restaurant

Our culminating outing for our China Expedition was enjoyed by all! Some of the highlights at the Asian Market were the live seafood, the head of a pig, and green bean popsicles! At the restaurant we bravely tried some new foods...a few of us even tried chicken feet! Please come to the ASM on January 15! We will host the meeting and share a bit more of our learning about China.

Happenings in Ms. Mary Beth's Crew

The Maker Station....using our imaginations to create.

What could you create with a cap, a cup lid, a spoon and a container?

Your children have started coming home with their "creations".  We've begun this new opportunity during Read/Write/Explore time.  Using common things found around the house and imagining what they could be made into.

Although you might not see it right away, the children are actually using creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking while working at this station.  

The 4C's are an integral part of the 21st Century learners journey towards being a valuable member of the work force.

They are loving it.  Thanks for honoring their creations:)

A peak inside the classroom and upcoming events...

• This week the children finish their self-portraits in Art
• We will go to the 3rd grade musical Wed. morning
• We take the Unit 4 math test on Friday
• Also on Friday, we will host a story teller from the Douglas County Library Spellbinders program 
• We continue working on "thinking strategies" as we listen to Jan Brett stories
• We've begun a new writing genre:  Life Stories

Reminders!

Bring in library books by Tuesday.

Please keep working on retelling stories with your child at home after they read their nightly book with you.  I will be formally assessing their reading level in January and retelling is an integral part of their score.

We're Moving Right Along

What joy this vision was for Aidan's mom as she looked back and saw him so engaged in his reading!

We've caught the reading bug!  Every Monday the children get to pick ten new books from the tubs of just right books for their independent reading time.  They love this!  It's just like going to a bookstore.  Nothing thrills me more than to watch them grow as readers!

Don't forget to think about books as gifts for the holiday this year. The children would love a book by Jan Brett, the illustrator/author of the book below and many more.   

Today we kicked off the study of her books.  Every day this month I'll read one of her books as we continue working on our "thinking strategies".  

This looks like:

Making predictions

Wondering

Questioning

Making connections to ourselves, to other books, and to the world

Inferring (what we might call reading between the lines)

Jan Brett can be found at http://www.janbrett.com/index.html

Her home page includes videos on how to draw the animals in her books which the children would love to see, along with pictures of all of the books she has written.

Happy Reading!

Mary Beth