We are going on a Musical Field Trip on Friday! We would love you to come and join us and WE NEED DRIVERS! Please check your email for more info, and let me know if you can come and drive some kids!
As we end this year of 2010 and head out to our holiday in eight days, our class is looking at getting work we have in progress finished. The friends are so into their work, and are raising the quality of their work, so this is so exciting for them. They are realizing that they have a lot to share with others and are getting good at looking to a peer for support or mentoring.
Today we had a safety drill so your child may be talking about this. We stressed the fact that this was PRACTICE and not truly a fire. We talked about how a safety drill is a time where it’s not an option- everybody does it. And then we found out where our class meets during an emergency. This practice stimulated a lively discussion about many natural disasters. They were especially interested in why we don’t have tornadoes in San Diego very often. I imagine we will talk more about these topics. And we will be having an earthquake drill in the new year.
Today we looked at a video of how they make crayons. We expanded this experience by brainstorming possible ways crayons could be made- focusing on the ingredients and the order of the steps in this process. The friends came up with some interesting possibilities. (See the list at school) And then, the friends took time after each possibility to ask that person questions to make their theory more realistic. The children are getting so adept at asking real questions. Their questions helped the person to see where the flaws in their theory were, or where they didn’t explain themselves clearly enough. We have been trying to do this for many different topics. Then we watched the video twice, discussion it in between viewings. Finally, the friends made a list of questions they now have after watching the process. The main one was what ingredients went the vat. They were also very excited about the machines that were used in this process. Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ_MEFVx5jM&feature=channel
Finally, the children have been so excited to own their learning with out daily calendar experience. Each day we represent that day with a straw and we are counting the days by tens. Lately, the friends have been predicting and noticing what numbers are coming up next. At 57 the other day they felt close to another ten bundle. At 59 yesterday they were VERY excited. And today we got to "50-ten" (which is what many of them called it the first time we counted it). But is that what the number after 59 is called? The friends thought and remembered 60! This prompted a few friends to begin trying to calculate exactly how close we are to having 100 days at school… We will keep you posted as the friends continue to work this out.
Thanks for reading this weekly and for the feedback you have been sending. It helps me and also makes me feel like I'm doing something for you. (Not just the viewers from Croatia, Russia and other countries!)
Love, Jennifer
PS for some reason I cannot add photos to this post, I'm not sure if there is a glitch in the new way blogger is trying to have us add them... Hopefully I can edit and add them later...
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