October 4-7

Hello families! 

We had A LOT going on this week! We were so busy that I did not do a very good job with taking photos throughout the week. Make sure to check out the upcoming dates as our Active Living Committee has planned some fun spirit days coming up! 

Have a lovely Thanksgiving long weekend! 


Literacy

This week we focused on the letters 'A' and 'D.' The students have enjoyed reading the story and learning the songs and actions for each character. They also love the Storybots, ABC Mouse and Captain Seasalt videos for each letter. The students have been continuing to enjoy our Daily 5 Literacy time each day!

Here are the letters we have reviewed so far: P, U, O, M, X, A and D. 


Math

In math we have been continuing to review our numbers to 10. This week we focused on 8 and 9. We also reviewed patterns and made some fun fall art with the Montessori Botany Cabinet and learned about different types of lines to include in our patterns. Students were also given a patterns activity to complete where they created their own patterns and extended patterns to see if we are ready to move on to something new! 





Science

This week we reviewed the 5 senses with this catchy song! Many students got up and started dancing during the song.. it was pretty cute! 


We then talked about the 5 senses of fall time, and went outside to draw what we saw, heard, smelled and felt - we brainstormed ideas for fall tastes! Students were able to re-visit some of their sketching techniques when they finished their activity. 




The Great Lessons

This week we began learning the Montessori Great Lessons with Mrs. Proctor's class. We started our first lesson on Monday where we learned one theory about how the world started. We talked a lot about there being many different ideas and beliefs about how the world started and that this is only one theory. We really want students to understand that it's ok for them to agree or not agree with this theory and that there is no right or wrong answer - we can all believe in different ideas! 

The first demonstration talked about a big explosion that created stars. Mrs. P popped the balloon for us and stars went flying all over the classroom! We then viewed the stars on the mat and lit a candle to represent light coming to the universe. We then put the stars in water to show how stars grouped together to form galaxies. I showed students what I picture when I hear this theory, and students were asked to draw their version.







In our second demonstration, students brainstormed what they thought happened next. We then learned how the sun and planets were formed and how they orbit around the sun. This connects to our recent learning about seasons as well! Students enjoyed watching this video about the planets, and coloured their own solar system to reflect the unique colour and properties of each planet. 

We then focused on Earth and compared the size of the sun to the Earth using a dodge ball (sun) and a Montessori Golden Bead (Earth). We will continue with more lessons next week! 


Social Studies

In social studies, we began talking about different types of families and what makes our families special. We read the story "A Family is a Family is a Family," which talks about all different types of families and students drew a picture of their family members. 

Next week I will be sending home a sheet with students/families to complete regarding each child's cultural background! 

This week we also talked about Thanksgiving. We read a few stories, including one of my favourites, "Giving Thanks" and brainstormed all of the things we are thankful for. Students then wrote/drew the things they are thankful for on the turkey's feathers. Students had almost an hour for this activity but our class was a little riled up for the long weekend by the end of the day Thursday and some students didn't quite finish their turkeys. I gave students the option to keep them at school and finish it next week, or to take home and complete. If your child chose to take the work home to finish, it does not need to be returned! I only got one photo! 



Kelso's Choices

This week we finally began learning about Kelso's Choices! We discussed big vs small problems and examples of each. Kelso's Choices are meant to support students in solving small problems. We are going to start looking at all of the choices in more detail next week. The kids really seemed to understand and enjoy this concept so I am hoping it will be a successful tool in our classroom! 



Learning at Home

I am currently working on getting students' Google accounts set up as well as a Google Classroom for resources for families to use should your child be unable to attend school, but well enough to do some learning! Learning at home is completely optional and not expected, but I have had several questions about resources to use at home, specifically for literacy development.

Practicing literacy skills at home can be a great support for children! However, if your child is resisting and not enjoying learning to read or write at home, it can actually cause more harm than good. We want children to enjoy reading and writing and not develop a negative association with these skills. Here are a few resources that might help with making learning more fun and engaging at home! 



Upcoming Dates
  • Thursday, October 7th - ADmazing Savings Fundraiser due
  • Monday, October 11th - Thanksgiving
  • Thursday, October 14th - Crazy Hair Day (school wide)
  • Monday, October 18th - PD Day - No School
  • Thursday, October 21st - PJ Day (school wide)

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