Another Snow Day

So much for taking down the snow globes in our hallway and replacing them with rainbows!  It looks like we are back to snow pants and boots.

Yesterday in math we were able to use today's weather forecast to learn more about probability.  We made predictions about whether or not we would have a snow day.  I shared that based on the forecast, it was unlikely we would have school, but not impossible.  Other probability terms we have been learning are certain, possible, and likely.  I encourage you to use these words with your child when you discuss the probability of events.  

Last week we learned about the penny and nickel.  Students had time to use their scientific eye to examine the coins and share what they noticed.  Children learned the following facts about pennies and nickels:

• The two sides of a coin have special names: heads and tails
• Abraham Lincoln is on the heads' side of a penny.  The Lincoln Memorial is on the tails' side.
• Thomas Jefferson is on the heads' side of a nickel.  The Monticello is on the tails' side of many nickels (One student shared that some nickels have different images on the tails' side!)
• A penny is worth one cent.  Children practiced counting combinations of pennies.
• A nickel is worth five cents.  
• Five pennies are equivalent to one nickel.  Children played a game called "Coin Exchange" to help them practice collecting five pennies and then exchanging them for one nickel.

Yesterday we returned to our science unit on trees.  In the fall the children learned about the different parts of a tree.  We visited a tree and drew a scientific drawing of that tree.  Yesterday, we visited the same tree to draw a winter scientific drawing of that tree.  Children noticed that in the fall, the tree had some leaves but the winter tree did not have any leaves.  We will complete our final scientific drawing of this tree later this spring.

In writing last week we continued our unit on How-To Books.  Children learned the following:

• Writers group information about the same topic together on the same page.  
• Writers of nonfiction books include a table of contents.
• Illustrators zoom in on the important part of a picture.  Writers include labels and captions in their illustrators to help their reader better understand what the picture is teaching them.

 In reading last week we continued to read and learn about nonfiction.  We also revisited reading strategies to use when we're stuck on a word.  I have noticed many children using the strategy "Chunky Monkey" when they come to a word they don't know (example: I see the chunk "and" in the word "stand."  I can use what I know to help me read this word I don't know.).  I taught the children that this can be a very effective strategy, but sometimes the chunk we know doesn't sound the same in the word we are trying to figure out (example: In the word "want" a child might say, "I see "an" in this word."  Unfortunately, the -an in "want" sounds different than the word "an."  In this case, Chunky Monkey won't be the best strategy to figure out the word.).  I retaught the other strategies we have learned so that children have a whole toolbox of accessible strategies to use when they come to a word they don't know.

I apologize for the lack of pictures this week.  I guess I wasn't very good about keeping my camera with me.  I will make sure that next week's post has more pictures as I know you enjoy seeing your children in action.

Happy shoveling!
~Katie