Math Centers Week of April 8

Taking our 3-D learning even further! These mathematicians were challenged to build models of 3-D shape using play-do and toothpicks. I was so impressed with what they could do!

The activity below builds further understanding of the attributes of 3-D shapes.  Mathematicians were asked to sort shapes by whether or not they can slide, roll or be stacked. Take a look!

We also worked with graphs. This double sided sheet allowed for children to graph vertically and horizontally. Being able to read and use data from graphs is an important skill in kindergarten. One of the graphs actually has these mathematicians count using tally marks and then use that data to create a graph.

We also worked on subtraction. This fun activity used play-do to support this concept. Ask your child to tell you more!! You can do this at home as well!!

Adding more to our Thinking and Learning Binders

We added new poems to our binders this week and our readers were so excited to go back into their old poems and circle all the new heart words they have learned! It is truly amazing to see how their heart word knowledge builds them up as readers! Keep practicing at home!

How Does the Design of an Object Affect the Speed or Direction of an Object?

We are moving into the next phase in our study of motion! After much study and investigation our scientists have learned a great deal about how different pushes and pulls affect the motion of an object. We are taking this learning to the next level as we look closely at structures and how they affect objects in motion. Scientists worked in pairs, using a tennis ball, to investigate ways to make it move. In doing this, we discovered that surfaces greatly affected the motion of the ball.

Pulling back with one hand while pushing forward with the other caused the ball to spin

Objects moved easier on smooth surfaces

The ball moved easier when two people blew on it because it was a stronger force

When the ball was thrown hard and hit the pillow it bounced back. When it was thrown gently and hit the top of the pillow it rolled down the pillow.

The surface of the carpet is rough making it harder for the ball to move. We worked to create ramps to help the ball move. We made a steep ramp and a shallow ramp. Ask your scientist about the results!

We updated our chart...

Well we are now ready!! All of this learning has brought us to the culminating activity!! Scientists will work as designers and engineers to build a slide with a barrier so the object going down the slide does not hit the ground! I can't wait to see the structures they come up with!

Thinking and Learning Time Week of April 1

Take a look at what we've been up to this week!

Building reading skills with our Lexia Program

Focusing on finding heart words in little books to help read!

Sentence Scramble

Here our readers organize words to make a sentence. They must use their understanding of sentence structure; uppercase first, ending with a period, to build a sentence. After that, as writers, they copied the words focusing on handwriting, spaces and punctuation!!

This has been one of my favorite centers for me to watch. It really shows their growth and understanding of written language while forcing them to apply reading strategies to build a sentence that makes sense! Hopefully your leaners have been able to read their sentences to you when they have been bringing them home. This will be a center we do for the next couple of weeks, using different sentences.

Spin A Vowel

Here students use spinners to select a vowel. They then search for a picture on their sheet that has that vowel sound and color it the matching color. You can check your thinkers understanding by making sure each word with the same vowel sound is the same color :-)

Below you see us working whole group to sort 3-D shapes

This came home today. Hopefully you had a chance to talk about it with your mathematician!

3-D Shapes

This week mathematicians have started to broaden their study of geometry by looking closely at 3-D shapes!!

We began with the "explanation game". Partners looked at shapes quitely for one minute. Then they discussed what they noticed! I love doing this because they are able to teach themselves and learn from each other!

 After each partnership shared their notes with the class we came up with some consistent attributes each group had listed.

Our mathematicians figured all of this out on their own!! So exciting to see how making their thinking visible brings their ideas to the forefront of what we are doing!!

Today we learned a 3-D shape poem and worked to sort everyday things into categories based on their 3-D shape.

We then turned this into a graph!! 

This experience brought together real world learning about shapes, sorting and graphing!!

What a great day!

How the Native Americans made maple syrup!!

Here you see a place where a Native American man still comes to collect sap and make syrup!!

The large wooden log was carved out to place the sap in. Hot rocks were laid in the sap to heat it up to boiling!

A spile carved out of wood drains sap into a carved out log!

Eventually they began to use kettles to heat the sap over the fire.

What an amazing learning experience today!

Maple Syruping!

Well what an amazing trip!! We actually got to see sap dripping from the tree! That hardly ever happens!! Here are some pictures to show you our time together!

Step One:

Use a Caliper to measure a tree. It must be 10 inches in diameter, which makes it 40 years old!

Step Two:

Drill a hole in the tree.

Step Three:

Hammer in a spile

Step Four:

Hang the bucket on the spile and put a lid on it.

Step Five:

Boil the sap.

Step Six:

Enjoy!

YUM!

Then back to school to record what we learned! I hope your child was able to share their learning with you!

Morgan is helping a friend sound out some words!!

Jordan A. and Jordan D. talking about their thinking!

Ayla is using the "Blends" chart to help her write words!! I love watching them use what they know about literacy to help them with science!! :-)

 Love watching them work!