OLDER CLASS:
I really enjoyed the older class parent meeting on Monday night. The meeting was full of energy and enthusiasm, and I really appreciated the input each person added to the meeting. Posing the question “What do you think it’s important to teach and not teach?” led to very productive discussions. I made a list of all of the topics parents mentioned and Sara actually found a way of working on two of the suggestions by looking for an iPad app that helps students with cursive and their signature. Parents particularly enjoyed when we read a mixture of every student’s writing in a “collage” format. Our next meeting in February will be on socialization in the older class.
A new project this week was for students to choose a current magazine and use that magazine’s format to create a magazine for a student their age. An example that I gave them was if they chose National Geographic, they could choose to do a cover and a feature pictorial article on The Middle Class. The article could include a visit to the class and a study of their recent bird project. This week each person should have chosen a magazine and completed five pages – this project will last for about a month and the sky is the limit.
Other work this week included completing the self-evaluation, 9 math work book pages, music, phys. ed., wackiest White House pets, J’s fish, and N reading to us in bookcorner. This week we will be completing our work on oceans. Today we covered five pages on the way tuna, squid, shrimp, pollock, and swordfish are caught commercially and the pros and cons of those methods. We also read the last ten pages in Earth Matters on oceans. In addition, students wrote to Sara and me twice this week in their journals.
MIDDLE CLASS:
We had a great trip to Poricy Park today. We learned all about the way the form of beaks, claws and feathers is adapted to their function and the bird’s habitat. We were able to start the process of dissecting owl pellets and will finish at school.
One of the great aspects of the trip was that our naturalist was Danielle Rucinski, a graduate of TNS. Thank you to Laura, Danielle, Mechele and Salvadora for driving.
I am looking forward to conferences. Please let Jill know if you need to change your time ASAP.
YOUNGER CLASS:
This week has been amazingly productive. We have begun working on every life-sized mural or model for our predator project, as well as completing a lot of research. Many in my class have also begun working on creative stories about their animals. I have been most impressed by how well they have worked together, helping each other in turn. Of course we have also worked on journals, math, and Spanish. We are working with Kim on learning the days of the week, months in the year, numbers up to 20, and words associated with our animals.
Next week we will continue to work on our projects as well as get our room ready for the open house.