Week seven 2008

Happy Birthday to Emma! Here are some more highlights from week seven. Theme: The Alphabet Focus: Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz Numbers: 7, 8, 9 Classical composer: Vivaldi (The Virtuoso Violinist from Venice!) Table Activities: This week for table activity, we colored and cut the numerals 7, 8, and 9. Many of the children have gone from wanting help to wanting to complete their cutting independently (and asking for more). The curves are still tricky, but the practice is really paying off! Other table activities included lots of fun with math manipulatives, including: Pattern blocks, shapes fraction blocks, teddy bear counters, locking cubes, counting cubes on a number line to 100 and all the numbers in between. Music: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, 3rd Movement “Summer” includes the Storm which the children recognize very well. Here is a great link to listen for yourself and see if your child remembers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgO_cMfh4mE And, if you need a reason to start music lessons early, check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l_iR7iOh18&feature=related WOW! We focused on the Treble clef and practiced listening to notes. Are they “treble” or are they “bass”? Songs and rhymes included: “Shake Your Sillies Out”, “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” with our shiny twinkle stars, “Willaby Wallaby Woo” Art: Miss Cristina helped the children construct a square using two horizontal and two vertical lines. She talked about the attributes of the square and showed the children some amazing pictures of mosaics. The children began their own mosaic project, gluing small squares of bright colors to their previously painted square frames. They will be wonderfully unique!

Handwriting and Reading: We are working on handwriting and reading in two groups. One group practiced making the number 7 with the wooden pieces, then used the chalk and slates to “wet, dry, try” making number sevens. We repeated the activity with the letters “T” and “S”. We sorted pictures beginning with letters Ss-Zz and noted which of these letters have lowercase that look the same as uppercase, just smaller. We repeated this activity at least twice with each letter to increase independent letter and beginning sound recognition. Great activities for you to do consistently with your child are demonstrating each letters’ strokes starting at the top left, upper-case letter hunting in books and signs you read, making comparisons between two letters (for example, if your child guesses “M when it’s a W, point out the differences between both letters emphasizing the correct names for each.) Also, praise straight lines, shapes and letter-writing attempts when your child is drawing. Encourage them to use their helper hand. The other group also made the letters with wooden pieces and moved on to using the slates. Most of this group was able to make the letters without any assistance other than verbal cues. The “S” is tricky so we used the smiley face in the upper left hand corner as a guide. (For “S” we curve toward the smiley face, then away). For handwriting we continue encouraging correct grip, use of the helper hand, straight lines that go all the way from the top to bump the bottom, and correct order of strokes starting with the upper left corner. When this group sorted pictures by beginning sounds, we included the “th” and “sh” blends, and also placed the printed words on the corresponding pictures. Theme: We had lots of fun with S-Z themed crafts and movement this week. The Star and Sun crafts helped reinforce the shapes as well as the S sound. The example we gave the students used an “S” for each sunbeam, but we were so impressed with the creativity and unique way each student drew their rays. It is such a joy to watch the process of creation! The Octagon Spiders were a fun way to use the eight-sided shape and follow directions to put our creepy crawlers together. We also built wooden block zoos for a variety of animals. Noah’s mom came in and did Yoga. Stretching, holding, and relaxing our muscles are great ways to play. Thanks, Darla!

Storybooks: Silly Sally, Trio of Triceratops, The Universe, Seven in One Blow, The Seven Chinese Brothers, Whatever the Weather, Where the Wild Things Are, ABC T-Rex, Alphabetter, X Marks the Spot, Z is for Zookeeper. Math: Small group work included: Reinforcing counting by ones, twos and fives. On #8 day, the children used the large dice to roll numbers up to 8, then the children chose an activity card and we followed their lead to complete the activity the number of times on the die. (For example, the child rolls a 4, picks the “spin” card and says “Spin 4 times!”) One of the groups also practiced rolling both of the dice and adding the two numbers together to form an equation. On #9 day, one group practiced gathering 9 items from a large pile, counting accurately, and placing their items in different arrangements. (“Place your nine bean bags in the shape of a triangle.”) We then practices ABAB patterns with two colors. This is a great activity to practice at home. Make a simple color pattern and ask, “What comes next?” Then move to having your child create the pattern. The other group practiced equations that equal nine. Using tally marks, bean bags, and the white board, we completed the following equations: 4+5=9, 3+6=9, 2+7=9, 1+8=9, 0+9=9. It is fun to see the astonishment in their faces as we counted nine for the sum each and every time. One child exclaimed, “I can’t believe it. It’s nine again!” Free-Play Fun: We were thrilled to over-hear this exchange this week during a free-play table activity. Child one: “I think I’d like to play with that one.” Child two: “That’s a really good choice!” Child two gave child one some of the cubes he was playing with so they could share. It’s funny and heart-warming to hear our own words in their natural conversation and lets us know that our consistency and repetition are really paying off and reinforcing the great teaching you do at home! We spent some recess time in the reading loft, playing with the fishing pond, and using the bean bags to hit various “X” targets around the room. The children usually find ways to adapt the activity and use their imaginations. Many of them pretended the bean bags were treasure and they tried to get as much treasure as they could! Yo, ho, hey…off to week 8!