April News

April started off with a visit from author and illustrator David Biedrzycki. In anticipation of his visit we read a number of his books and decorated our classroom door to go along with his book Me and My Dragon. The students created their own dragons, named them, and wrote what they would do with their dragon. I love the creativity in this writing activity.

During Mr. Biedrzycki's visit, we learned what it was like to be an author and illustrator. We learned how he started his career and saw some of his earliest writings. It was interesting to see how he does all of his illustrations on his iPad.

This month in science, our unit of study was Protecting Our Earth. The students learned about air, land, and water pollution and how they affect the Earth. They also learned about how we can help the Earth but reducing, reusing, and recycling. We read several books to help us understand what these things mean. The students made posters and did a sorting activity. We concluded our unit by celebrating Earth Day.

We finished April with a lesson about electrical safety. Mr. Gooley from Middleton Light visited our classroom and showed us some of the safety tools the electrical workers use. He also taught us about the importance of staying away from wires and the green electrical boxes we often see around our neighborhood. We learned to never fly a kite near electrical wires and what to do if we are in a car and wires fall on the car. We now know a lot more about keeping safe around electricity. Thank you Mr. Gooley!

April was a great month!

March Fun!

March started with a visit from the Kid 2 Kid sixth graders. Alba, Armir, and Fallon read a story to the students about friendship and sharing. After, the students completed kindness hearts, played the listening game Telephone to learn about rumors, and did a role playing skit about including others. It was a great way to start the month!

March was all about Read Across America. Out theme this year was Mad About Books. Throughout the month we did a variety of fun activities such as rhyming hats for Cat in the Hat and number equations for One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish. 

On the 7th, Mr. LaCava read to our class as part of our Read Across America celebration. 

For a special writing project this month, we read several books about Saint Patrick's Day and leprechauns. We imagined what it would be like to catch a leprechaun and have him or her grant us three wishes.  This was a lot of fun and came out so cute.

This month in math, we did a special  STEM activity related to Saint Patrick's Day. The students were challenged to work with a partner to create a rainbow bridge, using play-dough and pipe-cleaners, that was strong enough to hold a "pot of gold". After looking at  pictures of bridges and talking about important features the students worked together to create a plan. Once their plan was complete, they began creating their bridges. It was fun to watch the teamwork and creativity of each group. I was so impressed with their perseverance!

 The Task

A Plan

Creating

Finished Products

During March, the students learned about Nonfiction Text. They learned about the role of a nonfiction author and illustrator. They learned about how the author and illustrator work together and use text features to help us understand and remember what we are reading. 

As you can see, the students learned a LOT about polar bears and walruses.

In science we did an investigation to see how blubber helps animals stay warm. First, the students put their bare hand into a container of ice cold water. Brrr...... Next, they put one hand in a special "blubber" glove and had their other hand bare. They put both hands into the cold water to see the difference. 

  Everyone agreed that the blubber glove kept their hand warm in the icy water. While this was a little messy for their teacher to make, it was a great learning activity ☺
We ended the month with a field trip to the North Shore Music Theater to see Curious George. The students (and teachers) enjoyed the show very much. 

March was a busy and engaging month here in Kindergarten!