This week children continued learning the “Cuentos Clasicos” Unit. We read the classic tale “Caperucita Roja”/ “Little Red Ridding Hood”. This classic fairy tale is one of my favorites that helps teach children about protective behaviors. This can be a difficult but important task and by using this classic tale I can assist preschoolers in the understanding and discussion of stranger danger concepts.
The main ideas of discussing in class:
What is a stranger?
How does your body tell you that you are scared?
Who are your safe people to talk to when you are scared?
What can you do when you don’t feel safe?
For the purpose of this preschool lesson plan on stranger danger concepts here is the basis of the story :little Red Riding Hood”: Granny is sick in bed and Little Red Riding Hood’s mother asks Little Red Riding Hood to take cakes to her. Granny lives on the other side of a very scary, deep, dark forest. On the way a wolf jumps out and asks Little Red Riding Hood what she is doing. She is very scared but answers the wolf regardless. The wolf runs away and uses the newly learned information to his advantage. Little Red Riding Hood continues to Granny’s house, but when she arrives a strange voice calls out “come in dear”. The wolf has dressed in Granny’s clothes and attempts to eat Little Red Riding Hood. A wood cutter hears her screams and comes to her and her Granny’s rescue. The wood cutter takes Granny and Little Red Riding Hood home safely.
Thus, after reading the story we discuss in class as:
Little Red Riding Hood does not know the wolf, and naively tells information. What is a stranger? I explained that strangers are people we do not know, some are nice, some not, but because we do not know them, we need to know how to keep ourselves safe.
Little Red Riding Hood might like to tell her mother she is scared. Who can you talk to when you are scared? Who are your safe people?
These are all important things that could be reinforced and discussed at home as well.
The kiddos loved the story as they participated in this tale. We had fun and did activities that helped with fine motricity such as: creating a little red riding hood, wolf, and basket. Kids learned our new vocabulary of the week:
Caperucita roja – little red riding hood,
Lobo –wolf,
Abuelita – grandmother,
Mamá-mother,
Cazador – hunter,
Canasta -basket.
Letra
This week we learned all about the letter Ll/ letra Ll. Be sure to point out the letter that we practice when you are reading. The Spanish and English pronunciation of this letter sound are virtually the same.
Leche – milk,
Lampara – lamp,
Leon – lion,
Lagartija – lizard,
Lechuga – lettuce,
Lapiz – pencil,
Luna – moon.
Números
We worked with the number 9 – número nueve. We had fun with our different activities, such as counting 1-9 using stickers, dots, counting objects, and tracing the number too.
La Figura y el Color
This week we continued learning the oval shape (óvalo). We talk about the shape while the kiddos took turns passing it around in order to examine it up close. They also traced this shape on the board and looked for this shape around the classroom. We also continued learning and working with the brown color /color café.
It was so nice to see everybody, after a fun break, ready to start from day one! Our new unit for Literacy is Logros (Achievements). During this unit we will be discussing and reading different texts on topics such as: common interests, transformations, the meaning of development, advice, choices, role models. We can already tell it will be a fun unit!
At the beginning of the week we had a discussion about personal goals/objectives and the steps necessary to take in order to achieve them. We had an argumentative exchange about “new year resolutions”. It always great to hear our students insightful comments. We started the draft of our first writing assignment- a book review. Other objectives this week included:
• Identify areas of strength
• Analyze text, craft, and structure, citing text evidence.
• Use text evidence from close reading to write to a source.
• Understand the genre writing features to write a book review (pre-write).
• Debate and construct and arguments: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and classmate-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
• With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Ciencias
How do you get your energy? What are some of the kinds of work that you do that require energy? Working in collaborative groups, students brainstormed ways organisms use energy to do work and make things happen. They sorted energy-use strips into categories: maintenance, growth/ reproduction, waste, and movement. They learned that all organism functions require energy.
Mathematics
This week we began working with Algebraic Expressions. Our objectives were:
review percents by completing an escape room
use variables to write algebraic expressions
Reminder! Students will now be graded on completing 40min of Prodigy a week. They will be graded every Monday, unfortunately there is no way for the students to check their own minutes but they are welcome to ask me at any time.
History & Geography
This week we began learning about the French Revolution. Our objectives were:
describe the old regime in France
identify the social classes, or Three Estates, of French society
understand how the influence of Enlightenment ideas, of English rights, and of the Glorious Revolution affected revolutionary movements in America and France
explain the French alliance during the American Revolution and its effect on both sides
English Writing & Spelling
This week we wrapped up our final Narrative writing pieces. Next week, we will begin writing Argumentative pieces.
Our Greek and Latin Roots this week were:
dict/dic: say, declare
graph/gram: write, draw, describe, record
scrib/script: record
Specialists
Music with Ms. Erin
In December we learned Hanukkah and Christmas holiday songs for voice, guitar, ukulele, piano, and percussion. We learned new chords on guitar and ukulele. We practiced harmonies and sectional vocal layering skills.
In January we will be learning the Italian terms for a wide range of tempos, from grave (very, very slow), to prestissimo (extremely fast). We will also learn about musical form, adding introduction, interlude, and coda to our knowledge base of verse, chorus (refrain), and bridge.
Character Education with Ms. Jennie
This month in character ed we are focusing on the theme of Self-Control. We are talking about how to have self-control over our bodies, our words, and our emotions – pretty important all through life! We have two quotes: Self Control: Stop. Think. What could happen if you act that way? Is that what you want? –Anonymous and the famous verse on love: “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” –St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5. And for our poem we are reading The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams – a sweet, short poem everyone can memorize.
The kids are finishing up their readers’ theatre scripts for Number the Stars and will perform them over the next couple weeks. Then we’ll be finishing up this novel and moving onto The War That Saved My Life next!
Emilie helped protect Ms. Jill by providing a label for hug safety. Everyone was very happy to have her back in class!
History & Geography
Goodness gracious! It is so wonderful to be back in the classroom with these awesome students! Their cards and well-wishes filled my home with happiness. So sweet. The care and support from all the SWS students and families was so heartwarming and appreciated. While it was hard to be laid up for so many weeks, there was a bit of a silver lining in that it forced me to have a more simple, quiet Christmas which was really nice. I hope you all enjoyed your break!
Our weekly objectives were to:
Recognize the importance of the kingdoms of Kush and Aksum.
Understand the rise and fall of the kingdoms of Kush and Aksum.
Describe how and by whom trans-Sahara trade was conducted.
Understand the importance of trans-Sahara trade.
Describe the empire of Ghana at the height of its power.
Understand how Ghana became powerful and wealthy and why it declined.
Describe the origin and flowering of the kingdom of Mali.
Understand the importance of Sundiata, Islam, and Timbuktu to the history of Mali.
Mathematics w/Laura
Happy 2019!
Decimals
Understanding Tenths
Understanding Hundredths
Comparing Decimals
We made flash cards for decimal-fraction equivalents that we need to know!
Puzzles available for extra credit and Friday (Math) Bingo
Remember: MATH …. It’s everywhere
La lectura
We played a game where, after students wrote about their vacation on a notecard, their classmates had to guess who wrote each one. This was a fun way to practice our writing and listening skills after a long break.
Our story this week was realistic fiction, El negocio va viento en popa. This is a lighthearted and amusing story about two young people who develop a creative and unusual business idea – greeting cards for stepfamilies. Students listened to the story and used a 3-2-1 strategy to stay on task. They wrote 3 important details, 2 interesting things, and 1 question.
Our word analysis this week focused on open syllable words and words stressed on the last syllable (agudas).
Our grammar focus this week was on the preterite tense (one of the two past tenses). Students will use their new booklets to help them edit their class writing. We also used our grammar focus to create our new spelling list for next week.
Ciencias
We jumped right back into our science investigations this week. We continued our “Mapping the Earth’s Surface” investigation. The final part of this investigation was a study of the rapid changes. Students think about processes that cause rapid changes to Earth’s surface: landslides, earthquakes, floods, and volcanoes.
Our focus question for this investigation was: What events can change the Earth’s surface quickly. We observed numerous pictures and read about how catastrophic events have the potential to change the Earth’s surface quickly. We also learned that scientists and engineers can do things to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
We had a great time working with our groups to plan and then decorate (and finally EAT) a cake to represent each of the four rapid changes that occur to the earth’s surface. Students quickly created a ‘breaking news’ to share their model.
Landslide: Deslizamiento de tierra
Volcano: El volcan
Earthquake: Un terremoto
Flood: Inundación
Specialists:
Music with Ms. Erin
In December we learned to sing and play Hanukkah and Christmas holiday songs, and identified whether the songs were in major or minor keys. Students also shared their instruments, and songs they play.
In January we will be learning about musical form; verse, chorus (refrain), introduction, and coda. We will also learn about theme and variations by studying the music of W. A. Mozart, J. S. Bach, and other classical composers.
Character Education with Ms. Jennie
This month in character ed we are focusing on the theme of Self-Control. We are talking about how to have self-control over our bodies, our words, and our emotions – pretty important all through life! We have two quotes: Self Control: Stop. Think. What could happen if you act that way? Is that what you want? –Anonymous and the famous verse on love: “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” –St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5. And for our poem we are reading The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams – a sweet, short poem everyone can memorize.
The kids are loving Wonder and we only wish we had more time each Wednesday to read this book!
This week we jumped right back into our studies of Ancient Greece. We learned about Athenian government and the daily life of its people. We compared and contrasted this to life in Sparta. On Friday we began to learn about the Olympic games.
Our objectives:
• locate Athens and Sparta on a map.
• Define democracy and identify Athens as the birthplace of democracy
• understand some aspects of Athenian democracy
• understand how Athenian boys and girls were educated
• recognize that men and women were not equal in Athenian Society
• understand the military lifestyle and education in Sparta
• identify ancient Greece as the site of the original Olympic Games
Science
This week we really began to delve into our insect domain. We read about insect habitats, learned a new insect song, and started an insect journal.
Our objectives were to:
• explain that insects are the largest group of animals on Earth
• explain that there are many different types of insects
•explain that insects live in virtually every habitat on Earth, with the exception of the oceans
• classify and identify particular insects as small, six-legged animals with three main body parts
• identify and describe the three main body parts of insects: head, thorax, and abdomen
• identify the placement and/or purpose of an insect’s body parts
• describe an insect’s exoskeleton
• explain why spiders are not insects
English Spelling and Writing
In our journals we used the idiom of the week, “she has a heart of gold”. We wrote about insect’s habitats and questions we have about insects in our science insect journals this week. The class got their new spelling sorts and took a practice test on Friday. Our Word Wall words were: name, line, made, many.
La lectura
This week we read La Cenicienta.
Our weekly objectives were to:
practice asking questions before, during, and after reading our story
identify causes of different effects within our story
create a picture chart of vocabulary for our story
begin writing about our New Years Resolutions
Our PUF words for next week are: adentro, nosotros, trabaja, tres, traigo, nuestro
Las matemáticas
This week we began working with mass. Our weekly objectives were to:
use a measuring scale to measure mass in kilograms and grams
compare and order masses
practice math as well as computer skills by adding Prodigy into our math station rotations
Specialists:
Character Education
This month in character ed we are focusing on the theme of Self-Control. We are talking about how to have self-control over our bodies, our words, and our emotions – pretty important all through life! This week we read Personal Space Camp which discusses how we all have a personal space bubble and need to respect other people’s personal space. We will also be reading My Mouth is a Volcano and When Sophie Gets Really, Really Angry. Our quote is: Self Control: Stop. Think. What could happen if you act that way? Is that what you want? –Anonymous. And for our poem we are reading The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams – a sweet, short poem everyone can memorize.
Music with Ms. Erin
In December we learned to sing and play Hanukkah and Christmas holiday songs, and identified whether the songs were in major or minor keys.
In January we will be learning about fast and slow tempos, as well as speeding up and slowing down within a musical piece or phrase. We will listen to music by the composers Grieg, Beethoven, and revisit Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by listening to the Winter movements.
We all really enjoyed reading the well-known story of Medio Pollito. This story tells about how a chick was born with only one leg, one wing, and one eye – a half-chicken. Medio-Pollito decides to go to the castle, because he’s so important, and along the way he helps the water, fire, and wind get out of tricky situations. When he arrives at the castle he is able to ask for a return favor from all three elements and this is how the Medio-Pollito came to be the weather vane we see atop barns and other buildings.
Our weekly objectives were to:
listen carefully during a directed drawing.
recall the order of events from our story
illustrate the important elements from our story
groups 1-2: write the beginning sound of spoken words (dictation)
groups 3-4: write the beginning syllable of spoken words.
Full body math!! Combining number recognition, missing addend AND exercise!
Las matemáticas
This week we started our new unit on numbers 12-16. Students are all easily able to count up to 16 in Spanish but we are looking for them to have automaticity in their number recognition in Spanish. We are also working on forming numbers up to 16, identifying how many tens and how many ones are needed. We are doing this with various activities.
Here is a fun number recognition game (in Spanish).
Bingo is a great way to work on number identification. It was also a very fun way to start our day on Friday!
History & Geography
This week in our social studies unit we l began to learn about presidents past and present. We started off the week by reading about Washington DC. We found where it was located on a map. We learned a little about the government and its federal buildings, as well as important monuments and memorials located in the city. The class took a virtual 360 tour of our nation’s capital on Tuesday. We also learned about George Washington as a young man and general this week.
Our objectives this week were:
• find Washington, DC on a map
• recognize the White House as the president’s home
• describe Washington, DC, as a city where the current president lives and where monuments of past presidents can be found
• identify the American flag
• describe the difference between a president and a king
• name George Washington as someone admired for his honesty
• understand that the cherry tree story is a legend
• describe George Washington as a general who fought for American independence • recognize that General Washington led his army to victory even though his army was smaller than the English army
Science
We have begun our next science domain, Seasons and Weather. In this domain students will be learning about the concept of weather and what different regions of the Earth’s weather is like. Students will learn to think about a year as in terms of weather that falls into patterns of four seasons. This week we made a piece of art that showed a tree going through the cycle of the four seasons, we observed weather outside our classroom, and we colored a map showing weather temperatures in different regions of the world.
Our objectives were to:
• demonstrate understanding of the following units of time and their relationship to one another: day, week, month, year
• name the four seasons in cyclical order, as experienced in the United States, and correctly name a few characteristics of each season
• characterize winter as generally the coldest season, summer is generally the warmest season, and spring and autumn as transitional seasons
• draw pictures that show an understanding of each season
• characterize the North and South Poles as always cold in temperature, the middle section the earth as usually warm, and the United States as having four seasons
• describe daily weather conditions of their own locality in terms of temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation
• identify ways that weather affects daily routines, such as dress, activities, etc
• identify a thermometer as an instrument used to measure temperature and describe how it works
Specialists:
Character Education with Ms. Jennie
This month in character ed we are focusing on the theme of Self-Control. We are talking about how to have self-control over our bodies, our words, and our emotions – pretty important all through life! This week we read Personal Space Camp which discusses how we all have a personal space bubble and need to respect other people’s personal space. We will also be reading My Mouth is a Volcano and When Sophie Gets Really, Really Angry. Our quote is: Self Control: Stop. Think. What could happen if you act that way? Is that what you want? –Anonymous. And for our poem we are reading The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams – a sweet, short poem everyone can memorize.
This week we started working with “Classic Tales” /“Cuentos Clásicos”. Classic tales are a quintessential part of our culture and a great way to teach life lessons. One of the great traits of fairy tales is that children always have a lesson to share. Then, this month children will learn different Classic Tales to share like “The three pigs and the wolf/ Los tres cerditos y el lobo”, “Red Riding Hood/Caperucita roja”, “Pinocchio/Pinocho”, and “The Little Red Hen/La gallinita roja”.
This week we focused on the classic tale “The three pigs and the wolf”. I read the kids a copy of this classic fairy tale. This basic story outline is a tale of three pigs and each builds a home. One takes little time in building the home out of straw and spends the rest of his time playing and relaxing. A second pig builds his home out of sticks, which takes slightly longer, but he too values relaxation time. A third pig chooses to build a home out of bricks, which requires a great deal of time and effort. He values taking the time to build a home properly over relaxation and recreation. When the Big Bad Wolf comes to the homes only the third pig’s house of bricks stand up to the pressure applied by the wolf.
After I read the kids the three pigs and the wolf tale, we talked about the moral of this story that has inspired generations to work hard for success, with hope that the hard work will eventually lead to favorable outcomes. As well, we had fun and worked hard in class doing our projects and cleaning up all the toys!!
We worked on projects of the three little pigs houses (straws or hay, sticks, and bricks), using different materials, such as straws or hay, sticks and red paper pretending the bricks. As well, we worked on the pig’s houses sequences, retelling what comes first, next, and last in the story.
Vocabulary learned this week:
Casa/house,
Tres cerditos/three little pigs,
Lobo/wolf.
Letra
This week we incorporated our touch investigation with the letter Ff/ letra Ff. Be sure to point out the letters that we practice when you are reading. This letter makes the same sound in Spanish and English.
foco/lightbulb,
futbol/soccer,
falda/skirt,
fresa/strawberry.
Número
This week the kids continued learning the number 8 / ocho, as well we we over the numbers that kids are learning in this class (1-8) the kiddos did different activities, as counting and recognizing the number through manipulatives, dice game, also they traced the number 8 eight in the classroom board.
La Figura y el Color
This month kids will learn the oval shape (ovalo). I talk about the shape with the kids passing around the oval shape, and they could examine this shape up close. Then, they traced this shape on the board and then looked for the oval shape around our classroom. As well, we introduced them to the new color:café/brown, so we used a brown crayons to draw shapes and numbers.
This week students did their science presentations. Students were introduced to ten new ecosystems in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Each student used a variety of resources, including the Internet and print materials, to research one of the ecosystems. The ecosystems all have an issue that poses a potential threat to the vitality of the system, such as acid rain, mineral extraction, habitat reduction, and so on. Students investigated and described the ecosystem, including food webs and abiotic factors. Each student prepared an individual report and participated in presentation of their findings. Once again, they outdid themselves!
Mathematics
This week we wrapped up our chapter on Percents. Our objectives were:
solve real-world problems
review understanding percents, writing equivalent fractions,percents, and decimals, and performing calculations with percents
Over breaks students should practice their math skills on Prodigy. This is their only English homework to keep their math skills sharp!
History & Geography
This week we finished our unit on the Enlightenment. Our objectives were:
explain how the ideas of the Enlightenment helped inspire American leaders to declare independence
recognize specific Enlightenment ideas reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution
Explain how the American patriots Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison each embodied the spirit of the Enlightenment
Demonstrate understanding of the unit on the unit test
English Writing & Spelling
This week we focused on cycl, circum, and centr
Students completed their second Narrative writing piece this week. They will finish one more after break then we will move on to Argumentative writing!
Puzzles available for extra credit and Friday (Math) Bingo
HAVE A WONDERFUL WINTER BREAK! NO NEW HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT!!!
But still think about prodigygame.com practice for at least 45 minutes each week.
Remember: MATH …. It’s everywhere (even on vacation!)
La lectura
This week we read an expository text about Elías Sifuientes. He has run Mexican restaurant for almost ten years. He explains whey he decided to leave his factory job and open his own business. He expresses fears and frustrations he went through in the beginning, including financial sacrifices and worries about his English speaking skills. But through perseverance, a positive attitude, and some college business training, he was able to succeed.
Our weekly objectives were to:
develop an understanding of the use of the diaeresis: guë and güi.
use vocabulary words to develop an understanding of shades of meaning (a group of words related by their meaning: whisper, murmur, talk, exclaim, shout) frustraba, agresivo, quejarse, supervisar, aconsejar
understand and apply the correct use of periods, question marks, and exclamation points in written work.
develop cursive handwriting skills by practicing formation of the cursive z and y.
Ciencias
We had a wonderful time comparing and contrasting Mount Saint Helens before the big blast and after the big blast. Students drew profile maps to compare the two.
We also enjoyed watching a brief movie about the explosion and how they scientists learned from the experience.
This week we continued our studies of Ancient Greece. The class had fun making a Trojan horse and Athenian’ coins. We learned about the Acropolis and the Parthenon in Athens. We finished drawing our gods and goddesses in our Greek packet.
Our objectives:
• locate Troy and Athens on a map
• understand the basic story of the Trojan War, including the trick of the Trojan horse
• Understand how Athenians worshiped Athena
Science
This week we finished our science domain Cycles in Nature. On Monday we took our domain assessment. We continued to observe our water cycle experiments. Our next highly anticipated domain is on Insects. We learned a new song identifying the body parts of an insect and read our first lesson.
Our objectives were to:
• Define the term water cycle
• describe evaporation
• review what we have learned in the Cycles in Nature domain
• explain that insects are the largest group of animals on Earth
• explain that there are many different types of insects
• explain most insects live solitary lives, but some, such as honeybees, paper wasps, ants, and termites, are social
• explain that insects live in virtually every habitat on Earth, with the exception of the oceans
English Spelling and Writing
In our journals we used the idiom of the week, “stay on your toes” The class did seasonal spelling activities and took their final spelling test on Friday. Our new Word Wall words were: little, mail, nice
La lectura
This week we read Como el Grinch robo la Navidad
Our weekly objectives were to:
practice sequencing
practice our high frequency words by playing KABOOM
Students took home 2 readers to practice over break! When we return we will be reviewing all our high frequency words so far.
Las matemáticas
Our weekly objectives were to:
finish our Metric Measurement unit by taking the chapter test
introduce Prodigy (officially!) in class
Students did take home their Prodigy Usernames and Passwords this week. Prodigy is a great online math practice game that helps review old concepts, encourages students to continue learning new concepts, and builds their computer skills. I high recommend working on it over winter break to keep those math sk
We had such a great time this week reading a bunch of different holiday stories. A few of our favorites were The Gingerbread Man and Clifford’s First Christmas. Everyone was so happy to make special presents for their family and to get the coveted….Friday computer time!
Las matemáticas
We had a great time with our holiday math this week. We really enjoyed using the gum drops and learning to use the number lines for math sums.
Circle Time with the Gingerbread Baby
History & Geography
This week in our social studies unit we learned about the Pilgrims interaction with the Wampanoag and the first Thanksgiving. We also had fun hearing several versions of the Gingerbread Man story. We wrote about them in our journal, colored a Gingerbread Man student book and made some crafts. On Friday we decorated cookies and baby gingerbread ornaments.
reading our Gingerbread Man books
Our objectives this week were:
• identify the seven continents of the world and the oceans.
• explain the significance of Plymouth Rock
• describe the Pilgrims’ first year in America
Science
This week we finished our Five Senses domain. The students listened to a poem called The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown and then acted out all the noises he heard. We also had a lesson on “super” senses, how our senses can be enhanced. On Thursday we had a review and our assessment.
Our objectives were to:
• demonstrate understanding of how the senses of sight and hearing can be enhanced
• distinguish fantasy from realistic text
• become familiar with instruments invented to aid the senses of sight and hearing
• review the 5 senses and the body parts associated with them
Caperucita roja – little red riding hood,
Leche – milk,
La Figura y el Color
This week we began learning about the French 
