Here we are Wee Wiggling and doing a few other things!

Students are using lego to explore spatial relationships and symmetry.

This week we started looking more closely at rhymes and word families.  We wrote letters on lego pieces to help students develop an understanding of how letters and sounds can be manipulated to make new words.  For example, if you take away the "h" in hat and substitute an "m" you now have mat.  Nonsense words like dat are acceptable here because the goal is for students to



We've been using items from around the classroom as props to retell familiar stories.

 Measuring with snapcubes

Measurement
We have been studying measurement in math. 
Our Learning Goals for this unit are to:


- Explore strategies for using non-standard and standard units to measure and compare length, mass, capacity, temperature and time
- Use measurement terms to as we conduct investigations in measurement
(short, tall, heavy, light, long, big, small)


We began by investigating linear measurement around the classroom and focused on just a few rules:
Start at an edge
Line up objects on again the next


Here are students exploring in the classroom:

"The sandbox lid is 19 cars long."

 Challenge: How long of a snake can you make with playdough?

Measuring the length of the puzzle with straws.

"The dino is 13 cubes long."


Once we had some practice with these tasks we explored a few more measurement rules. We discussed how we choose objects to use when we measure.

We tried to measure a block with shoes that were a variety of sizes.  Students explained that it didn't make sense when we use objects that were different lengths and we agreed it's important for objects to be the same size if we are going to use them to measure.

"The block is 3 shoes long." Much better!

We also agreed that when we measure we need to line up objects in a straight line.

We took advantage of a sunny day last week and went outside to see what we could find to measure in the playground.

Measuring the length of the fence in footsteps.

Measuring the height of our chalk outlines with mega blocks.

Measuring the width of the playground with hulahoops.

Making a starting line to measure distance travelled.

After spending time exploring measurement we made a chart of our Learning Goals and Success Criteria for students to refer to as they continue to investigate measurement.

We are also investigated other ways to measure.  A group of students enjoys using snapcubes to make their own beyblades.  We got some stopwatches and timed how long the beyblades can spin.

We use balance scales to explore mass and experiment to compare objects using the terms heavy and light. 

As always, we just can't resist sneaking some writing into activities!  Students use our chart of Success Criteria to refer to so they can draw and write about their findings.  Writing is really beginning to flourish in many JKs, and referring to word lists and charts to label work is a great tool to help developing writers communicate their thinking in writing.

You can support your child's learning at home by looking at the pictures and asking them to tell you (in full sentences!) what is going on.  If you are doing anything at home that requires measurement ask them for help.  For example, "will the bed fit if we move it to the other side of the room?  How can we find out".  Look at things around the house that are different sizes and encourage them to use measurement language to explain what they see.

GNP Reptile Rescue Visit

Here are some pictures from our Reptile Visit last week.  Gord is a KPR staff member who runs this rescue organization for reptiles with Carolyn.  They provide food, shelter and TLC for reptiles in need and help them find proper care.

This is a corn snake.  It lives in corn fields.



This is Archie.  He is a tortoise.  We learned to differentiate tortoises from turtles by the spikes on their legs and feet that help tortoises dig.  Archie is 15 years old and will live to be about 100 years old!  He is a vegetarian and will grow to be about as tall as Gord's knee.

This is Caroline.  She isn't normally so light in colour, but she is about to shed her skin.  She is a corn snake who lives in corn fields.

This is a boa named Bruce.  He is from Madagascar.

Thank you for your donations to GNP Rescue. 

We look forward to more special events like this in May!

Here is a peek at something new we have created in our classroom this year to support writing.  In our on-going quest to engage students in writing activities we have created "Learning Boxes".  Research and experience tells us that students will be more interested and work with greater perseverance at tasks that are meaningful to them.  As students show interest in topics we gather writing materials, books, and together create vocabulary lists to support their writing on the topic.  So far we have used Learning Boxes to write about pets, penguins, Valentine cards, invitations for our February concert and we are currently working on boxes to write about spring and chicks.

Students are able to set up and tidy up the boxes by themselves, providing them with the opportunity to take initiative in their learning and be responsible for materials in the classroom.

We usually set the boxes up on the benches in our cubby area so that students are spread out throughout the classroom as they work and play.

Students often end up working together as they write.  A conversation overhead here was "how do you spell look?'  Another student replied "llll, oooo, kkkk."

This was the box we created for students to write notes for each other and their families for Valentine's Day.


Here is an example of some of the writing that comes from working with Learning Boxes.

"My fish just swims."

"Goldfish can swim."

"My pet dog loves me and I love him."

"My mom feeds the fish in my house."



We borrowed a large castle from another classroom for a few weeks.  New and popular materials in the classroom are a great way for students to develop their personal and social skills as this kind of play requires them to listen to the point of view of others, share materials and wait for their turn.  It was noisy and loud, but a lot of great experience came out of working with the castle.  We were also so excited when students created their own "Learning Box" to draw and write about the castles they were creating.