World Travelers

So, I guess I should have sent all the permission slip forms home, but it was a oversight on my part.  I just couldn't pass up the field trip opportunity...  Today, the D Day SAGE students joined Ms. Webb and I on a  trip to Argentina.  I took care of arranging the necessary passport paper work and we were off.  Since our time was brief, we had to make it a very quick trip.  The students made notes on our trip...

This picture was taken on our arrival in Argentina.  We even got our passport stamped!  We were pretty tired at this point, but geared up for our learning adventure as our day wore on!  We learned they speak Spanish here.  It is a good thing Senora Gates has been teaching us some basic vocabulary.  We were able to ask for a drink of water and where the restrooms were located.  We were pretty limited beyond that--  there wasn't time to do much shopping so we didn't get a chance to practice our number and color words.  

Argentina is a pretty amazing place.  The land is very different depending on where you are at in the country.  There are high mountains on the west side and ocean beaches on the east side.  A few of us decided to climb Cerro Torre in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.  (Dear Abby's Dad, Thanks for keeping me on my toes!)  (Mia, our newest classmate, was wishing she remembered her coat.  She said it was even colder here than on Briarcliff's windy playground!)

Another group of us headed to the southern part of the country to the pampas (grasslands).  We found emperor penguins!  Wow!  They were almost as tall as us!  (Mrs. Koch said we had to stay back so we didn't get pecked-- especially since she didn't have the permission slips!  She was being overly cautious.)

The rest of us went to see the gauchos.  That is what they call cowboys in Argentina.  We thought for sure we would get to ride horses.  Mrs. Koch vetoed that too!  :-(


We grabbed a quick steak and headed home.  (Did you know the people in Argentina eat beef almost every day.  They have a lot of farms and ranches there.)


On the bus ride home, Mrs. Koch read us a folktale from Argentina: The Gentle People.  It was a really neat story about the beautiful land, the gentle, kind people and what they did when their way of life was threatened.  In the story, every month right before the full moon, the Gentle People were granted one wish.  They always used it to make the world a better place.  We talked about what we might wish to make our world a better place.  Then we each wrote down our own wish.  Remind your child to tell you about his or her wish.  We slept the rest of the way home, so we wouldn't be too tired to do our work when we got back to school.


Once we were back at Briarcliff, we planted some wild flower seeds-- just like the flowers in the folktale!   We are hoping they will grow well in our classroom window.  We thought Mrs. Koch would let us rest, but oh no, she had lots of work for us!  We did have a good time on our trip to Argentina, you will have to ask us what all we learned!  We are hoping Mrs. Koch will take us somewhere cool next week too.  She said, "You never know...."

The boys and girls only whined for a little while about being tired.  We took a quick recess break and went back to work.  We found a little free time available in the library.  We used it to practice our Power Point skills and to begin a travel journal on the computers.  We are going to add some of the field trip pictures so we can share them with you at our spring Open House.  Today we practice/learned to open and save a new presentation.  We added a title to our travel journal and learned to format the font for color.  Lastly, we added a rectangle that filled the page, colored it and learned to send it behind our text.

 

We did just a little TOPS Math or Math Rules to practice our mathematical problem solving skills.  Then we were back on the computers in the Computer Lab.   

The students were introduced to a new, web based, digital storytelling application, Storybird.   Storybird uses a broad selection of art work to inspire you to write a story.  Each child was assigned a username and password today.  One of the great things about this application is students are able to continue their work from home, at their home school or here in SAGE.  All they have to do is login to the website.  They can even collaborate on a book with their classmates.  Another great feature of the site is you have the ability to print copies of your child's story (at no charge) on your home printer, share their stories through email, embed them in websites or blogs and even order hard or paperback copies of your child's book. 

The students spent some time exploring the available art work.  When they found an artist's work that inspired a story idea, they began creating their book.  Have your child login and share their story with you. 

We ended our day with our Spanish lesson with Senora Gates.

Now, they are tired!  I'm sure they will all be sleeping well tonight (and hopefully no one suffers from bus-lag.  LOL)

Have a great week!  Your kids are lots of fun!

Making Rainbows on a Gloomy Day!

The students started their day working on their mathematical problem solving skills in the TOPS Math or Math Rules programs.  Next, they were able to work at their individual Exploratory center tasks.  Ask your child about his or her progress.

After lunch and recess, the students met our newest Quirkle, Lindy Light.

We conducted two experiments to see how white light can be broken into the color spectrum.  In our first experiment we shined a flashlight through a bubble solution.  It was a disappointing experiment and really didn't show us the spectrum for which we hoped.

Fortunately, we had a prism and it did not disappoint!  Ask your child about his or her observations.

In the computer lab, the students continued exploring the features of Microsoft Power Point.  They learned to use the rectangle, oval and Autoshapes tools to create a variety of figures.  They also learned to format the figures for size, color and position.  To apply their learning, the students are combining  the figures to create an underwater scene.

It was a busy, but fun day!

What Great Workers!

Busy week for me!  I'm sorry this is so late.


We started our day working on our mathematical problem solving skills in the TOPS Math program.


Next, the students worked on their creative problem solving skills.  We reviewed/were introduced to the Components of Creativity:

• fluency
• flexibility
• originality
• elaboration

We discussed how we can strengthen each of these skills and how they help us produce quality work. The students were given three small squares of paper with a "D" shape in the middle.  They could rotate the paper in any manner.  There task was to create three different pictures incorporating that shape.  They did a good job and came up with several very elaborative and original pictures.  Ask you child to tell you about his or her pictures.

These were some of our favorites!

After recess and lunch, the students were introduced to our newest Quirkle, Kitchen Chemistry Kal.  We began our lesson by reading our book and discussing the vocabulary words which included concoction, extracted, casein, keen, curds and whey.  

 This week, we had a kitchen chemistry demonstration where we created glue using 1% milk, vinegar and baking soda.

 The students then recorded their observations and conclusions on their experiment log.

We ended our day with Spanish.  Senora Gates worked with the students on the following vocabulary:

1.     Classroom expression-¿Me permite ir a tomar agua?

2.     Colors search game

3.     Birthdays-Cumpleaños

4.     ¿Cuántos años tienes?

5.     Vowel sounds

Hola! Senora Gates has Begun Our Spanish Instruction!

Wow, we had a really busy and productive day!  We started our day welcoming new classmates and sharing a few, "Gosh I missed you over winter break!" comments.  We continue to grow at a steady pace.  I think it might be time to redo our class picture here on the blog.


We had a wonderful, long block of Exploratory this morning.  I meant to get some pictures but the thought escaped me as the whirlwind of small bodies with lots of questions sucked me into their swirling vortex.  LOL  So let me "paint" that verbal picture for you.... (supply your own Twilight Zone background music...)


Caleb, conscientious as ever was engrossed in the Wolves book seeking facts for his Application poster project.--If you looked at the unspoken truth in his eyes, it said something to the effect of, "Gees, how many facts does she really expect me to write!"  But, after having pointed out several prime details, he foraged on.....  He is currently typing the eight or so he recorded.  Ask him to share a couple of facts with you.


Benjamin, thrilled to have the Scorpions Comprehension worksheet behind him (Ask him to tell you a couple of a scorpion's predators.) has decided to make a model of a scorpion in its natural environment (an Application project).  Since I protect my Model Magic clay as if it were gold, I asked him to do a rough draft illustration of his model (which he did while standing the whole time--part of the verbal image...)  Wow, wow, wow!  He is an amazing illustrator for a first grader.  Mrs. Webb and I were blown away!  I can't wait to see what he does with the clay next week.


Benjamin's joy from getting past the Comprehension task paled by comparison to Alejandro's glowing relief of being done with the Magnets' Comprehension worksheet.  He couldn't wait to actually explore the magnets--which by the way is the whole point of the center.  Little was hidden in his expression that pretty much said, "I don't get why we have to do a worksheet, I picked this center to play with magnets."  (A sentiment often shared by his peers.)  We won't tell them the objective is learning to locate specific information in a non-fiction text by scanning for key words.  The topic could just has easily have been "pyramids" or "Barbie Dolls."  He happily spent our whole time block exploring the Magnashapes kit.


Abigayle will concur on what a pain the Comprehension worksheet can be.  Today, she finished up this task at the Planets center.  It was a bit painful, but she now knows why our weight is heavier on Earth than on the moon, which planet is known as the "Tipped Over" planet, and which planet is the smallest--and no, it is not Pluto and she knows why too!  She filled out her contract and plans to begin a mobile of our solar system next week.  (As she was putting her center away she asked, "What is a mobile?"... Perhaps an important question to have asked before filling out the contract?????  Fortunately for her, I think she will enjoy the task.  :-)


Cora worked quietly at a computer typing a paragraph about cheetah's to go with her Application cheetah model from the wild cat center.  This is her second revision as I asked her to see how much of it she could put in her own words.  Although it is a difficult task, she understands why we need to avoid plagiarism. At the end of the period, she added black marker dots to her cheetah model.


Anthony was bright eyed and bushy tailed, a pretty accurate description of this kindergarten boy, new to our class and excited to be here.  He chose the Pentominoes center from the math area.  I was concerned at first that this center might be too difficult for a kindergarten student.  He quickly let me know that he was more than ready for the challenge.  For his comprehension task, he had to use one inch square tiles to see how many were needed to cover each pentomino shape.  On the first figure, he announced, "five squares to cover it up." As  he covered the second figure across the room from me, I heard him say, "Ooooooooooooo cool!  This one took five squares too!"  Each subsequent figure raised the pitch of his voice ever higher as he discovered, to his astonishment, that all 12 figures had an area of 5 square inches.  (as you add that audio track to you mental picture, know that only dogs were hearing his last comments as he hit the upper range of his pitch. LOL)  Next, he had to draw each figure on graph paper.  I watched him for two or three to be sure he was on the right track.  On the third, I started to correct him as he seemed to have become confused and was coloring in the wrong squares.  He casually let me know he was intentionally drawing the figure flipped and rotated a quarter turn.  Yea, I was pretty much ready to let him work independently at this point!


Camila was working on an Analysis task where she is creating a butterfly puppet with eye spots so she can see how it uses them to keep away predators.  Her puppet is beautiful and accurate in body parts, proportion and design to one in our butterfly guide book.  (We did however argue over the placement of the proboscis.  She is sure I have had her glue it on the back of its "neck."  When it is completed, I think she will understand how we have taken a two dimensional drawing and turned it into a three dimensional puppet.)  She, however is struggling with two sides of her personality.  One side wants to be done now so she "fly it around" while the perfectionist in her keeps pushing for more details.  As long as it doesn't move into the stressed, unhealthy obsession, I will let the perfectionist win out.  It is good for kids to see just how well they can do.  Many of my students don't know what their personal best looks like.  Rarely are they asked to push themselves that hard.  It is important for them to discover their individual range of quality work.  Camila's puppet will be beautiful when she finishes.


Ella, who is thrilled, by the way, to have Reed in her SAGE class, is doing a great job on an Application poster showing the tack equipment needed to groom a horse.  She has completed her illustrations and mounted them on her poster.  Next week, she will copy her final draft text for each picture and add it to the poster.  She is pretty meticulous for a kindergarten student!


Reed is working her way through the Knowledge book on Insects (with a bit of adult assistance.)  We have discussed arthropods, invertebrates, the head, thorax and abdomen as well as the spiracles on their abdomen from which they breathe.  There is an occasional foggy look in her eyes, but for the most part, she gets it.  She watched an insects DVD and is about half way through the Comprehension worksheet.  I am impressed with her patience and willingness to stay with this task.  It is a challenging one.  You might ask her what project she is hoping to do when she finishes the Comprehension task.


Zachary is working on a timeline of Claude Monet's life.  Although it isn't yet complete, it is still worth a quick view of his progress.  Pretty impressive for a first grader and done for the most part, independently!  Bravo Zachary!  Keep pushing yourself to be as complete and accurate as your patience allows.


Sara is dutifully working on the Knowledge task at Trees.  She is quiet and conscientious and her work is always meticulous, attractive and accurate.  I am encouraging her to avoid letting stronger willed peers roll over the top of her.  She needs to learn to firmly, but politely stake-out her share of attention and help.  I do not want her to quietly wait her turn.  She needs to be respectful but persistent.  (Since she is just in kindergarten, I think we have time to help her figure that out.  :-)


What a fun, clever, unique group of children!  I think I may have the best job in the world!


After lunch, the students worked on their math problem solving skills in the individualized TOPS Math kit.  They did a nice job on their problems today!


In the computer lab, the students are learning about using Microsoft Power Point.  Today, we reviewed/learned how to find our individual file folders on the network drive.  The students learned to open a new Power Point Presentation, how to name the file and how to save their changes.  They learned to insert and type in a text box.  They also learned to format it for width, position and font color.   In the weeks ahead, they will become very competent with this application.


Before Spanish we had lots of wiggles trapped in our body!  To help them escape, we played Captain's Coming for a few minutes.  (Yes, I get to be the captain here too.  :-)  Ask your child about our game.

 The Captain's Coming!

Oh my gosh! The women have fallen overboard and their are male sharks in the water!

Next, the students had their first Spanish lesson with Senora Gates!  Each of the students selected an optional Spanish name.  We also learned about:

1.     Greetings.  Hola, Buenos días. 

2.     Names- Me llamo…¿Cómo te llamas? Mucho gusto.

3.     Friends-Amigos- Pablo, Livia, Antonio, Rosa

4.     Colors-rojo, azul, blanco, negro, amarillo, verde, anaranjado, rosado, morado, gris, azul cielo, café o marrón.  Game-Levántense- Siéntense

5.     Numbers 1-10 Los números 1 hasta 10

We ended our day learning a visual perception game called SET.  You have to find sets of three cards where the attributes are all the same or all different.  It is very "tight thinking" but it is a lot of fun.

They should be very tired today!  Have a great week!

Two More Winter Poems

Bring on the Heat- Hallie Heat that is....

So for me, blogging and preparing for the holidays are not tremendously compatible. My posts for the past two weeks and probably the next two will be a bit less elaborative. Hopefully things will settle down after break.

This past week, the students finished their snowman cards and wrote the final draft of their winter poems. They made a second copy of their poem for you. I will send them home right before winter break. Today, each student made a micro-podcast of their poem that you will find in the previous post. They did a great job on their poems and their first audio presentation!

Next, the students worked at their individual Exploratory areas.  A couple of students have moved on to their second center.  Ask your child about their center work and current task.

At recess today, I introduced the students to the game, Blokus.  It is a strategy board game that challenges spatial thinking and it a lot of fun for all ages.   If your family likes board games, it is a great one!

  

The students were introduced to our newest Quirkle, Hallie Heat.  In our experiment, we learned the warmer water (and air) rise, while colder water (and air) sink.  Your child has their experiment log to share their hypothesis, observations and results with you.

All of our cards were mailed out last week. We ended up making and mailing 62 cards. Thank you so much for your donations of stamps to assist us with the postage costs. We have received 43 cards so far. It is kind of exciting to check my box in the office now.

Today, we opened some of the cards we have received from other schools including ones in North Carolina, Hawaii, Arizona, New York and New Jersey.  We used a map of North America to locate the states and their relative direction and distance from Kansas City.   

We discussed the grade levels, number of students in each class and the average high temperature for December 15th in each town/city.   A couple of weeks ago, in the computer lab, the students were introduced to Google Earth and the features that allow us to zoom into a map to the point of virtually standing in front of the schools.  They were very observant and noted differences and similarities in each town/cities geographical location, proximity to the ocean, lakes or rivers, rural and urban areas, the physical size of the schools and even surrounding plant life.  As we were discussing the average high temperatures today, by looking at the map of North America, the students realized the colder temperatures were to the north while the souther locations were warmer.  

We had a fun day!

Our Winter Poems