Two Weeks in Photos

A love note after my time away

Bird's Eye View

The class on Cliff

Maxine and Alexander use their map reading skills to figure out where we're heading

Alexander is clearly in control

Our own personal navigator

They may look like they're bored and miserable, but we were actually listening for bird calls/songs- SILENTLY- for 60 seconds (note Alexander)

We were lucky to have Mr. Bransfield join us.  He was a big hit!

Listening for more sounds

We then partner up and head into the forest for a scavenger hunt for clues about where we were going.  Taydence found the letter R.

Once each team got a letter, they worked together to figure out what the clue was.

Taaa Daaa!  They were then given a map to follow and find their way to the tower, using landmarks, key/legend, a compass rose, and a bit of intuition.  Never hurts.

Alahna spotted this Pheobe in the tower.  We weren't sure, initially, what kind of bird it was, but using our powers of research and the handy dandy Peterson Guide, Alahna and Taydence were able to figure it out.  He/she looks grumpy.

Seth and I have a quiet break on the grass.

4 Winds: One of the best sessions ever!

We learned about the stages of dandelion growth, dandelion vocabulary, the parts of a dandelion, and much more.

Here, the class is sequencing with pictures, the growth stages of a dandelion.  The beauty of this lesson is that they all seemed to get it and have fun.

We then headed to Harrison Field to search for, pick, take apart, observe, and study the different stages and parts of a dandelion.  They were able to put to use the new dandelion vocabulary we learned: bud, bracts, and pappus.  We also collected them for an art project.

Did you know that the word dandelion is French and means lion's teeth?  Maxine was able to help us with the etymology.

(UES from Cliff St)

A Thousand Thanks!

I just have to say it-  It is without question that I have the best students, the best families, and the best classroom community!  There!  It's out there!  It should be shouted from the top of Cliff St!

I know it's kind of early and the year is not over yet, but in lieu of the past few weeks, I want to thank you for all of your kindnesses.  Namely~ (in no particular order of relevance)

~the fish tank upkeep

~the tadpoles

~the fans

~the hugs and kisses

~treats delivered to my doorstep

~your patience

~your support

~chocolate covered almonds

~liverwurst sandwiches

~volunteering

~time in the woods

~the music

~the suggestions

~the space

~and most importantly, the privilege of sharing the past two years with your remarkable babes.  

I'm getting choked up.  Post anesthesia, perhaps?  Nonetheless, you're a great community of parents, doing great things for your children.  Keep it up, as you'll be going through the slings and arrows of raising your babes together for the next ten years.  And for the love of God- COMMUNICATE with each other with open hearts and open minds!  Deep breath.  Step. Off. The. Soap. Box.

O.K.  So now for the update.  The following is a smattering of photos showing some of the things we've been up to.  Enjoy!

Alex and Tyree at an All School Assembly

The Unified Sports Team has much to celebrate!

Snow Drops are up!

Alahna examines the properties of force and motion.

An NAP schlepp up the hill to the shelter on an unseasonably hot day.

Listening to Amy tell a Native American Folk Tale.  Love the oral tradition.

Amy at work.

Lyn teaches us about galls during our 4 Winds session.

The Third Grade Puppet Show.

The start of our Nature Adventure mapping study. We're viewing our fair city from the top of Cliff St.

Happy Birthday, Em!

April Vacation on Key Largo.  Seven days of sunsets.

This is a domesticated critter who would try to join me at sunset time for cheese and crackers.  

Bahia Honda, Marathon Key, FLA

Each one was more beautiful than the next.

 Ok.  So the photos are a little thin.  I'm now going to try to upload some video.  Bear with me...

Hmmm.... not sure if they're going to work.  It's taking a long time and they don't look right.  However, let me explain.  As you know, we've been working on our Animal Reports.  Right now, we're in the midst of finishing up our realistic fiction animal stories; and let me tell you, your kids are great writers!  The above videos show small group editing instruction.  What struck me most about this lesson was how invested they were in their stories and how curious and helpful they were with each other.  This is such a great unit of study, as it has the children learning about and discerning the differences between fiction and non-fiction text AND making connections between the types of books they're reading and the stories they're writing.  BEAUTIFUL!

And finally, last Friday...

Rats!  The videos aren't uploading and taking forever to NOT upload.  Peter? Peter? Peter?  I've got some great footage of Dave Keller, Johnny Rawls, and the entire school doing the twist!

O.K.  Lastly,  content and quotables.  We've started our Farm Unit.  It's quite comprehensive and the kids are excited about it.  Like the Penguin Unit, it's integrated across the curriculum and you're children are not only going to be purchasing property, farming equipment, and large animals; but they'll be learning a lot about farming, money, measurement, estimation, grouping, and algebraic concepts.  We'll also be finishing up our animal writing and starting another writing unit based on a book called Boxes for Katje.

We'll also be wrapping up our Nature Adventure studies (now called ECO) on force in motion and changes in matter.  

Please note the upcoming dates in the sidebar.  Oh, and be thinking about an end of year get together.  We've much to celebrate.

The Quotables:

Forgive me, as I don't have my notes with me.  Here are just a few I can recall from memory.

Me: Oh Alexander, is that a liverwurst and cheese sandwich you have for snack?  I haven't had one of those in years!  They were my favorite when I was little.

Alexander:  Oh, would you like some Mrs. F?

Me: No thank you, Alexander.  Eat up your snack.

...THE NEXT DAY AT SNACK TIME

Alexander: (in a sing song voice)  Oh Mrs. F!  I have a surprise for you!  (He's holding his hands behind his back)

Me:  You didn't!

Alexander:  (Dancing on his tippy toes and excitedly batting his eyelashes).  Yes, I did!  Well, actually my grandma did.  They're favorites at our house and we like to eat them with pickles! (At this point he presents me with a wrapped sandwich and an individually wrapped thinly sliced pickle).  

Me: (salivating) Oh, Alexander!  How nice of you and your family.  I can't wait to try it- WITH the pickle.

Alexander:  (Still dancing about on his tippies) Would you like me to fix it for you?  You have to know that these are not dill pickles.  They are SWEET PICKLES!

Me:  Just like you...

Just one more dialogue...

During a discussion about mammals, during morning meeting, Sophie asked why males don't nurse their young.  I told them to think back to all of the Smithsonian books we've read and try to remember what the males were doing while the mothers were in the nests/burrows nursing their young.  They immediately recalled that the males were out hunting for food.  Good connection, thought I.  Moving right along... Until I was asked, "Do males have breasts?"  I then go on to explain in the most clinical of terms how males and females have pectoral muscles, but females have milk glands that produce milk, blah, blah, blah.  Suddenly, a hand shoots up!  "Mrs. F.  I think my grandpa has milk glands and can nurse because he has breasts like a female."  Oh boy! Fair enough.  I went on to explain how time, age, and gravity ravage our bodies (kidding).  But we did have an informative discussion about musculature and gravity.  I'd like to think that they made connections to prior learning.  One can only hope...

A Late Winter Picture Story

Hi All-

I hope that you're all well rested and reconnected after the break.  By the looks and sounds of things, your babes seem to have grown taller (Tre grew half an inch!), lost lots of teeth (they dropping out of their heads!), and there was lots of swimming and skiing done.

I did a whole lotta nothing and loooved every torpid moment.  Read a number of books, slept late, spent a few days at Stowe Mountain Resort with my man, and Topnotch with my girlfriends.  Also discovered the wonders of cooking with duck fat.  There is NOTHING more delicious!

What I didn't do was update my blog.  My apologies.  What I'm going to do right now is upload photos from read aloud parent visits, our publishing party, Penguin Day, and Reading to End Racism, and today's puppet show.  Truly a wonderful production.

I'll   update Dates to Remember, learnings, and notable quotables over the weekend.  

Enjoy-

Paulette

Penguin Day!

Maxine is a Rockhopper

Idy is too (note the feathers in her hair)

Can you guess what Em is?

Seth brought a friend

EB rocks a chinstrap

On our iceberg

Alexander's costume finally dries!

We had a visitor come to read to us and do an activity during Reading to End Racism Day

Ms. Clements, our Math Coach, teaches a mini lesson in our classroom

Em Keller volunteered for our "Matilda" read aloud

EB reads his story

Em wrote a great piece

Tre wrote about super heroes.  He looks like a serious writer.

Sienna integrated teeth, God, and adolescence in her story.

Seth shares his piece.  The look like serious readers, don't they?

Alahna used lots of dialogue in her story

Z got very descriptive.  Looks like a poetry slam!

The "Handsome and Gretel" puppet show.
Dan warms up the audience.

Look at the joy on their faces!

Dan and Barb lead us in a rousing rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
Can you say,"Oweembawep?"

Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures during the puppet show.  However, I've seen a number of these productions and this was the best by far.  The puppets were fantastic, complete with lots of special effects.  We even got to join Dan and Barb for a question and answer session after the show.  Ask your little about it!

Again, have a nice weekend.  More to come on "Matilda" , NAP, our animal study, new special, art with sAmTk, vocabulary, math, literacy, etc.