January 2017 Academic Enrichment Overview | Tallmadge Campus

Our Academic Enrichment time is daily from 12:00-1:00pm. This time is specifically designed for our Kindergarten students to join as a group to work and progress through the advanced materials and lessons in the Montessori primary curriculum with Ms. Courtney. During this time Ms. Courtney also gives additional handwriting and journaling lessons. Throughout the school day in their classroom they are still working individually with their classroom teachers on these and other materials at their level. Please read through what we will be covering during this time together below.

Reading Group Overview | Ms. Faith
Junior Great Books is a foundational reading program that introduces students to a variety of literary genres, while teaching critical thinking and comprehension skills. Our Kindergarten students meet twice a week as a small reading group. During this time, they listen to a story being read to them and take turns reading the story aloud. Students pause during readings to think critically about the story, identify the different parts of the story, such as the characters and main ideas, make predictions about what might happen next, and learn new vocabulary words, using the context to understand the meaning. Each week I will email information about the current story and any assignment information for at home work.

Kindergarten Reading Group

In January, the kindergartners will be reading a Native American folktale called, Coyote Rides the Sun. After listening to the story, they will learn new vocabulary such as, deeds, falcon, haunches, and singed. They will complete two art activities in response to the folktale. The kindergartners will also write a question based off of the story to ask their fellow group members for a class discussion. There will also be a creative writing activity where the students work together to create a song about a time when they want to get up early in the morning to do something special. To end the activities, there will be a dramatization where the kindergartners will act like one of the animals from the story.

We will be ending the series at the end of the month, and will be reading a series of poems called Seasons. Each poem is about a different season. In response to the poems, the kindergartners will be drawing what they like about certain seasons. They will be lead in textual analysis with questions to make them think why the author wrote what he or she did, or what their favorite part is.

 

1/02:    Introduction to 9 Tray/ 45 layout/composing numbers

  • Learning what is and says ( 1, 10, 100, 1000)
  • Reinforce by placement and identification of numbers within each decimal place
  • Reinforce number placement with creation of numbers

 

1/09:    Introduction to addition

  • Working with 9 tray / 45 layout
  • Using single units, 10 bars, 100 square and 1000 cubes

 

1/16:    Introduction to exchanging

  • Introduction of exchanging 1s, 10s, 100s and 1000s
  • Using single units, 10 bars, 100 squares and 1000 cubes

 

1/23:    Introduction to multiplication

  • Working with 9 tray / 45 layout
  • Using single units, 10 bars, 100 square and 1000 cubes

 

1/30:    Introduction to multiplication continued

  • Working with 9 tray / 45 layout
  • Using single units, 10 bars, 100 square and 1000 cubes
  • Working with stamp game
  • Working with dot board

 

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

1/02: are

1/09: and

1/16: up

1/23: see

1/30: am

 

Synonym Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

1/02: LOUD, noisy, piercing, deafening, booming, crashing, boisterous, raucous

1/09: QUIET, peaceful, mute, calm, silent

1/16: SKINNY, thin, lean, emaciated, scrawny, slender

1/23: FAT, overweight big, bulky, heavy, plump

1/30: APPROPRIATE, suitable, fitting, apropos, correct, proper

 

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
  • Practice using the different synonyms of the week in a sentence together.
  • You can view this link to give you more information on how the math materials are used in the Montessori classroom http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Math
  • You may also google the name of the work to find more videos and information on the purpose of that material.

 

I will be sending homework home to reinforce these lessons. Please turn homework into Ms. Courtney. Please email me if you have any questions:  cowens@thesmarterkids.com


Ms. Courtney’s January 2017 Monthly Overview

What I will learn this Month in Ms. Courtney’s  class: 

Themes of the week | Classroom group lesson time (in addition to individual Montessori Work time)

1/02:    Polar Animals

  • The children will do a blubber science experiment.
  • The children will experience what it is like to be a penguin.
  • The children will learn about all of the different polar animals.
  • School resumes 1/04

        Afternoon Group Time:

  • Sort polar animals and animals from other parts of the world.
  • Discuss different arctic animals and move across the room like they do.
  • Learn about different types of penguins and use scooters to swim through the water like penguins
  • hunting for fish.
  • Watch Visual Phonics to learn letters and letter sounds with Sign Language.
  • Make an “l” craft.

 

1/9:      Ocean Animals

  • The children will compare their length to a blue whales length.
  • The children will create waves in a bottle.
  • The children will learn about the ocean habitat.
  • Teacher Workshop/ no school 1/13

        Afternoon Group Time:

  • Create a Venn Diagram discussing the similarities and differences between whales and sharks.
  • Discuss the different zones of the ocean and the animals that live in each.
  • Sort animals that live in the ocean from animals that live on land.
  • Sing Five Little Fishes song to the tune of Five Little Monkeys.
  • Play the game Sharks and Minnows.
  • Watch Visual Phonics to learn letters and letter sounds with Sign Language.
  • Make an “m” craft.

 

1/16:    M L King

  • The children will learn what a hero is.
  • The children will create a classroom “I Have A Dream Book”.
  • The children will learn that even though everyone is different on the outside, we are all the same on the inside, through an egg experiment.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day/ no school 1/16

        Afternoon Group Time:

  • Discuss Martin Luther King Jr. and create a friendship heart to hang on our door.
  • Discuss how MLK wanted everyone to live in peace, and make a “Peace Dove” as a classroom art project, because a dove is a symbol of peace.
  • Watch Visual Phonics to learn letters and letter sounds with Sign Language.
  • Make an “n” craft.

 

1/23:    Zoo Animals

  • On Friday 1/27 each child is invited to bring their favorite stuffed animal. The animal should be one commonly found in a zoo. They can have snack or lunch picnic style with their stuffed animal.
  • The children will create zoo cookies.

        Afternoon Group Time:

  • Read Mr. Poppers Penguins.
  • Play Build a Penguin game to learn counting, visual matching, taking turns, and the parts of a penguin.
  • Visual Phonics to learn letters and letter sounds with Sign Language.
  • Make a “p” craft.
  • We will learn about peacocks and then create one out of construction paper and a coffee filter.
  • Match adult animals to their babies.
  • Read Dr. Seuss’ If I Ran the Zoo and then discuss and draw what creatures would be in our zoo if we ran the zoo.

 

1/30:    Farm Animals

  • The children will learn about different farm animals.
  • The children will discover all of the products that come from farm animals.
  • The children will understand all of the responsibilities of a farmer.
  • The children will practice milking a cow.

        Afternoon Group Time:

  • Read Click Clack Moo.
  • Make a cow puppet.
  • Watch Visual Phonics to learn letters and letter sounds in Sign Language.
  • Make a letter P craft.
  • Learn about different farm animals and create a diagram explaining what each animal is used for.
  • Discuss the different farm animals and place them in their homes on the farm.
  • Discuss the different types of farmers and what jobs they do on the farm. 

 

Letters of the Week: Try to find objects that begin with each letter wherever you go with your child.

1/02: Mm

1/09: Nn

1/16: Oo

1/23: Pp

1/30: Qq

 

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

1/02: are

1/09: and

1/16: up

1/23: see

1/30: am

 

Synonym Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.

1/02: LOUD, noisy, piercing, deafening, booming, crashing, boisterous, raucous

1/09: QUIET, peaceful, mute, calm, silent

1/16: SKINNY, thin, lean, emaciated, scrawny, slender

1/23: FAT, overweight big, bulky, heavy, plump

1/30: APPROPRIATE, suitable, fitting, apropos, correct, proper

 

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Go to the pet store.
  • Try and spot all the different animals outside during winter.
  • Have a birthday party for M L King.
  • Talk to your child about what his/her dream is and share yours.
  • Take a trip to a local farm

Ms. Courtney’s November 2016 Newsletter

Classroom

During the first week of November we talked about food groups. The students learned about the five main food groups; fruits, vegetables, dairy, proteins, and grains.  As a group the children created a food group pyramid and listed a variety of foods in each group. The students also enjoyed sampling a variety of foods.

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The second week of November was all about Pilgrims and Indians.  The class found out the Pilgrims came from England to our country for religious freedom.  We read many books about what the Pilgrims experienced during their journey on the Mayflower and once they landed at Plymouth Rock. They even created their own Mayflower out of their hand prints.

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The third week of November was a continuation of Thanksgiving and being thankful.  The children shared what their families do for Thanksgiving to learn that we all have our own traditions.  We focused more on why the Pilgrims and Indians ate a meal together. Each child shared what they were thankful for to create a classroom thankful turkey.  We received responses from mom and dad, to pets, to sandwiches and chickens. We even had someone talk about their pet rat that lived in a metal rat cage. The Harvest Party was a great experience for the students, teachers and families to help understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving and share a meal together.  A big thank you goes out to all the parents who brought supplies in and came in to lend a helping hand!

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The last week of November we turned our focus to practicing our songs for the Christmas program.  The students have been working very hard to memorize the lyrics and motions down right!  We are having an exciting time together preparing a wonderful Christmas Program for our families and we can’t wait to show you!

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Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
The first week of November the kindergartners finished up learning how to tell time down to the minute.  I would love it if they continued to wear their watches throughout the rest of the school year! We then learned all about coins and their amounts like pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and half dollars. We even learned a little song to help remember their names and values.  The kindergartners also learned about dollar bills and their amounts.  It was fun to watch them compare the dollar bills and coins and figure out different ways to make the same amount of money.  The last week of November they learned how to label all the puzzles using the control charts in the classroom.  The kids have been working so hard on their handwriting and journaling each day.

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Reading Group | Kindergarten
with Ms. Faith 

During this last month, we read a Haitian folk tale called, Bouki Cuts Wood. In the story, the main character Bouki, meets a man who he believes is a diviner who can tell the future. Some of the activities the students worked on where drawing pictures based on the story, such as what they thought was the funniest part of the story, or what they would have done to Bouki to make him see that he was alive. The students came up with some great discussion questions for our group time, and we they discussed more in depth questions, like “What should have told Bouki that he was alive?”, and “How did the man know Bouki was going to fall out of the tree?”  The kindergartners enjoyed this story, and really got a laugh out of how silly Bouki was. On our last reading of the story, I read the story aloud and the kindergartner would act out the events while I read. They got into character and had a blast bringing the story to life.

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Science
For our first science experiment in the month of November we watched a zip-lock bag explode by putting vinegar and water in the bag, then throwing a tissue ball full of baking soda inside and sealing the bag shut. When the vinegar and baking soda mixed we created an ACID-BASE reaction and the two chemicals worked together to create carbon dioxide. The gas needed a lot of room so it started to fill the bag, and kept filling the bag until the bag could no longer hold it anymore and, POP!

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We also defied the laws of gravity by turning a full glass of water upside down with a piece of cardboard covering the rim.  The kids were excited to discover that there were more air molecules pushing up against the bottom of the cardboard, creating a higher pressure area compared to the lower pressure area inside the glass. They learned the force from the atmospheric pressure holds the cardboard up and the low pressure zone in the glass prevents the water’s weight from pushing the cardboard down.

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The last week of November we made our very own lava lamp by combining oil, water and food coloring, then dropping Alka Seltzer in it. When I put the oil in the water the students noticed how the oil stayed above the water because the oil was lighter than the water or, more specifically, less dense than water. When we added the Alka Seltzer tablet pieces they sank to the bottom and started dissolving and creating a gas. The gas bubbles then rose and took some of the colored water with them. When the blob of water reached the top, the gas escaped and down went the water.

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Art
By: Faith Weihe

This month your students had the privilege of learning many art concepts.

Ms. Michele taught the students an art concept called resist. She had the class use oil pastels to draw an under water scene. Then, the students used watercolors to paint over their drawings. Because of the oil in the pastels, the watercolor doesn’t stick so the drawings still show up. The second week the students learned about observational art, which is when you look at an object and draw it. The students all had hand held mirrors, and looked at themselves to draw a self-portrait. The budding artists used pencil to draw their faces and features, and then used crayons to color. Ms. Michele talked with them about looking at the shapes of their features and had them feel their noses to get a sense of how to draw their face. It’s always fun seeing how the self-portraits turn out. For the last project, students drew each other for figure drawing. Each student gets to stand and pose while the rest of the class draws them. They learn how to draw features and how the students are standing in their pose. This is one of my favorite art projects because the students get so creative with their poses, and love having others draws them. After the students drew their pictures, they got to color their drawings in with markers. We will be looking forward to what Ms. Michele brings for art in December! Science experiments can be harmful. That is why we employ Personal Injury Lawyer Brisbane office so secure our rights on the students. In addition, visit personal injury attorney san francisco ca for more info.

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Music
By: Faith Weihe

In November, Ms. Lisa continued singing songs with the students about being kind and having a choice for behavior. She played games where students roll a ball to each other in a circle while singing a song about sharing. Ms. Lisa also taught the students a couple of partner dances! They were paired up with a friend and then skipped or galloped in a circle to the song. The students danced to Skip to My Lou, and an old frontier song called Ride Sally Ride. We also got to play a listening game that wen to the tune of London Bridge. The students skipped in a circle while playing bells. The song would tell them to do something like jump up and down, dance, or freeze. These types of games are great for listening skills and controlling body movements. Some of the instruments the young musicians practiced playing were tambourines, and bells. Ms. Lisa always brings a puppet friend along with her to sing hello to the students at the beginning of each music class. The students get to practice singing in high and low voices, or loud and soft voices. At then end of the class, the puppet comes out again to sing good-bye to the students. Using the puppets brings a fun, whimsical touch to the class, and makes the students feel comfortable to sing in front of their friends. The students always love their time with Ms. Lisa, and look forward to seeing her each week.

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Academic Enrichment December 2016 Monthly Overview | Tallmadge Campus

Our Academic Enrichment time is daily from 12:00-1:00pm. This time is specifically designed for our Kindergarten students to join together as a group to work and progress through the advanced materials and lessons in the Montessori primary curriculum. Throughout the school day in their classroom they are still working individually with Ms. Courtney on these and other materials at their level.

Junior Great Books Reading Group
Junior Great Books is a foundational reading program that introduces students to a variety of literary genres, while teaching critical thinking and comprehension skills. Our Kindergarten students meet twice a week as a small reading group. During this time, they listen to a story being read to them and take turns reading the story aloud. Students pause during readings to think critically about the story, identify the different parts of the story, such as the characters and main ideas, make predictions about what might happen next, and learn new vocabulary words, using the context to understand the meaning. Each week your child’s reading group teacher will email information about the current story.

12/5: Continue Parts of Animals

  • Parts of the mammal, reptile, amphibian,
  • Parts of the bird and fish
  • Working with the animal puzzle and control chart

12/12: Use of a Ruler

  • Inches and Centimeters
  • Measuring with a ruler– practice with many different objects
  • Recording measurements

12/19: Christmas/Winter Crafts and Baking

  • The children will be enjoying the holiday spirit by doing a lot of fun crafts and baking.
  • The children will be making holiday rice krispie treats together.
  • The children will be making a snow globe.
  • The children will be making sock snowman.
  • The children will be making reindeer out of their hands and feet.
  • The children will be making Christmas trees out of popsicle sticks.

Synonyms of the week

12/5: NO, negative, never, nay, nope, nix

12/12: HAPPY, glad, cheerful, content, jolly, pleased, joyful, ecstatic

12/19:

Sight Words

12/5: about

12/12: more

12/19:

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Bake holiday treats together.
  • Make homemade ornaments and festive decorations together.
  • Watch classic winter and Christmas movies together.
  • Go caroling as a family.
  • Volunteer at a homeless shelter as a family.
  • Play outside as a family and enjoy the winter weather.

Ms. Courtney’s December 2016 Classroom Overview

What I will learn and do in Ms. Courtney’s Class this month in addition to Individual Work Time:

12/5: Christmas Program

  • We will dedicate our group time together this week, in addition to our individual lessons and work time with each child to prepare and practice for our Christmas Show.
  • Communication went home about our Snowman theme and Christmas Show attire.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

12/12: Christmas Program

  • We will dedicate our group time together this week, in addition to our individual lessons and work time with each child to prepare and practice for our Christmas Show.
  • Communication went home about our Snowman theme and Christmas Show attire.  Please let us know if you have any questions.
  • Christmas Show Rehearsal December 14 @ 6pm
  • Christmas Show December 16 @ 6:30 pm

12/19: Christmas/Winter Crafts and Baking

  • The children will be enjoying the holiday spirit by doing a lot of fun crafts and baking.
  • The children will be making holiday rice krispie treats together.
  • The children will be making a snow globe.
  • The children will be making sock snowman.
  • The children will be making reindeer out of their hands and feet.
  • The children will be making Christmas trees out of popsicle sticks.
  • Pajama and Show-N-Tell Day December 21st

Letters of the week

12/5:

12/12:

12/19:

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Bake holiday treats together.
  • Make homemade ornaments and festive decorations together.
  • Watch classic winter and Christmas movies together.
  • Go caroling as a family.
  • Volunteer at a homeless shelter as a family.
  • Play outside as a family and enjoy the winter weather.

Ms. Courtney’s October 2016 Newsletter

Primary Room

During the month of October the class learned about all the changes that happen during the beautiful Fall season.  For the first week we discussed leaves, how and why they change, and different types of leaves.  The kids also enjoyed collecting their own leaves for leaf rubbing.

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The second week of October the students learned about apples.  They got to taste test several different types of apples and vote on what was their favorite kind.  We discovered what the inside of an apple looks like and how they grow.  Some of the students even brought home beautiful paintings using apples as stamps.

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Next, the class learned all about pumpkins.  We were able to explore the inside of what pumpkins look like by digging out the insides to separate the seeds from the pulp. The next day, the class was able to bake a pumpkin pie and try it. The students even made a Venn diagram comparing pumpkins and apples.

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The fourth week of October we turned our attention to bats.  We learned about different types of bats and even found out that there is a bat that is as small as a bumblebee! The class discovered how and where bats sleep and that they find their food through echolocation. Make your next corporate event one to remember!

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During the last week the class learned about different body parts. The students even learned about the lungs and heart and made their own models. We introduced our anatomy apron and the children enjoyed learning about the organs and where they belong by attaching the fabric organs to the apron!

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I wanted to thank all the parents who helped out with the Halloween party.  It was definitely a success, and the kids enjoyed all of the crafts, games, and delicious food. We could not have had a more successful party!

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If you haven’t already please sign up for parent/teacher conferences, they will be held  on November 14th.

 

Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
We went over telling time to the hour, half past, quarter after and quarter till. The kindergartners have been working hard and doing a great job on their journals. We will begin telling time to the minute the week of November 7th. Please review our updated overview.

 

Reading Group | Kindergarten
with Ms. Faith

Our kindergartners are gaining such great comprehension skills by participating in the Junior Great Book series. In October, we read The Frog Went A Travelin, Night Into Dawn, and The Tale of Two bad Mice. Within these stories, your kindergartners are learning higher-level comprehension, by having discussions to analyze the stories. Some of the activities the students get to complete are drawing parts of the stories, writing responses, writing poems, and even acting out parts of the stories. When they complete a picture, or writing response, the kindergartners are able to share with the group. I enjoy hearing their responses to the discussion questions, and seeing their detailed drawings. I am excited to see how their reading comprehension will improve by the end of the year. Thank you parents for reading with them over the weekends, and helping the kindergartners write their questions to share with the group.

 

Science
Over the past month, the students have been learning about the science behind the changes we see during fall.  We found out that the leaves change color because they are not receiving enough chlorophyll to keep their color green.  The students also learned the life cycle of apples, pumpkins, and bats.

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We also enjoyed some science experiments we turned milk and vinegar into plastic by mixing milk and vinegar together, then straining out the clumps to mold. The lumps left behind by the strained milk are called casein. Casein is a material that is produced when the protein in the milk reacts to the acid in the vinegar. The casein separates away from the acid and forms the lumps. It is plastic-like, but true plastics are made from polymers and not milk and vinegar.

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We dissolved sugar cubes in both hot and cold water and discovered that the cold water wasn’t able to dissolve as much sugar as the hot water. The hot water dissolved more because it has faster moving molecules which are spread further apart than the molecules in the cold water. Since the hot water had bigger gaps between the molecules, more sugar molecules were able to fit in between.

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We also transferred water using ‘capillary action. We took two paper towel ropes (or wicks) and put one end into two side glasses with water and the other side into an empty glass in the middle. The wicks started getting wet after a few minutes and after about an hour we noticed that the empty glass was starting to fill with water, and it kept filling until there was an even amount of water in each glass.

Lastly we made a hovercraft with a balloon, bottle cap and CD. As the air flowed downward out of the balloon and through the bottle cap, it built up air pressure under the CD. That air pressure lifted the whole hovercraft off the flat surface as air began to escape evenly all around the edge of the CD. Making the CD float on the cushion of air.

 

Music
This month Ms. Lisa focused on songs with manners and character building. We sang a song about having a choice about being kind and how to act when they are mad or upset. The students also played a game of rolling a ball to each other while singing a song about sharing. The class got to practice their listening skills by listening to different animal sounds, and then guessing what animal they were hearing. Throughout the course of October, your children got to use some different instruments, such as bells, tambourines, and egg shakers. They learned the rules of playing like a band. They had to wait until everyone had an instrument, and when Ms. Lisa told them to, they could pick up their instrument and play with her. This teaches the students self-control, and how to be patient. The young musicians have improved their ability to follow Ms. Lisa’s lead, and wait so patiently. Along with learning important musical terms and skills, we got to sing some old favorites like Skinamarinky Dinky Dink, and Skip to My Lou.

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Art
In the month of October we Ms. Michele taught us about some great artists, and techniques. The first week we got inspiration from an artist named Charlie Harper, who in known for his artwork with birds and animals. Ms. Michele had the students pick an animal to create out of construction paper shapes. They glued the shapes to a piece of construction paper to create their animal. We had lions, flamingoes, lizards, and much more. The next project was dealing with mood in art. Ms. Michele based the lesson off of Edward Munch’s painting The Scream. They saw happy paintings, sad paintings, and mad paintings. They then used oil pastels on black construction paper to draw themselves screaming and what was making them scream. The last week, the students got to make their very own playground. Ms. Michele showed the class pictures of different playgrounds from around the world. Before starting, Ms. Michele reviewed her rule of using liquid glue, which is, “Just a dot does a lot!” Each child was given a piece of green construction paper and the twisted, crimped, or made shapes to glue together and make their crazy playground.

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Ms. Courtney’s November 2016 Monthly Overview

Our thematic lessons in addition to Individual Montessori Work Time.

11/7: Food Groups/Nutrition

  • The children will become aware of five food groups (dairy, protein, vegetables, fruits, and grains).
  • The children are made aware of different foods from each food group.
  • The children are informed that eating different foods from each food group will help them grow, think, and have energy to play.
  • The children will learn how to recognize different foods from each group.
  • The children will sample a variety of healthy foods.
  • Progress reports November 11th

11/14: Indians/Pilgrims

  • The children will learn about the items Pilgrims used long ago.
  • The children will learn very that life was difficult for the Pilgrims in America and that everyone, including the children, had to work hard.
  • The children will learn where the Pilgrims left and where they were headed in America.
  • The children will be reading and learning about the very first Thanksgiving.
  • PT conferences November 14th (no school for students)

11/21: What I am thankful for

  • The children will learn the meaning of Thanksgiving is to be thankful for families, friends and special things in times we share.
  • The children will learn doing things for others is important, and makes us feel good inside.
  • The children will learn that we can show thankfulness all the time, not only during holidays.
  • The children will learn there are many ways to share.
  • Harvest Festival November 22nd

11/28: Christmas Program

  • The children will be practicing for the Christmas show throughout the day.

Letters of the week

11/7: Jj

11/14: Kk

11/21: Ll

11/28:

Sight word of the week

11/7: for

11/14: have

11/21: play

11/28: look

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Perform a simple cleanup task for a needy neighbor. It might be as simple as raking leaves from a yard or driveway, or tidying a porch or garage.
  • Make Thanksgiving dinner together.
  • Make a weekly menu together to place on the refrigerator that is balanced according to the food pyramid.
  • Read labels of food together.
  • Let your child pack their lunch.

Academic Enrichment November 2016 Monthly Overview | Tallmadge Campus

Our Academic Enrichment time is daily from 12:00-1:00pm. This time is specifically designed for our Kindergarten students to join together as a group to work and progress through the advanced materials and lessons in the Montessori primary curriculum. Throughout the school day in their classroom they are still working individually with Ms. Courtney on these and other materials at their level.

Junior Great Books Reading Group

Junior Great Books is a foundational reading program that introduces students to a variety of literary genres, while teaching critical thinking and comprehension skills. Our Kindergarten students meet twice a week as a small reading group. During this time, they listen to a story being read to them and take turns reading the story aloud. Students pause during readings to think critically about the story, identify the different parts of the story, such as the characters and main ideas, make predictions about what might happen next, and learn new vocabulary words, using the context to understand the meaning. Each week your child’s reading group teacher will email information about the current story.

 

11/7: Telling Time to the minute

  • Review previous lessons on telling time
  • Introduction to the minute
  • Flashcards, Clock & Worksheets

11/14: Currency/ Coins

  • Introduction to coins (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters)
  • Identifying coins and amounts
  • Working with coins and worksheets
  • Introduction to dollar bills
  • Identifying dollar bills
  • Working with money and worksheets

11/21: Parts of Animals

  • Parts of the mammal, reptile, amphibian,
  • Parts of the bird and fish
  • Working with the animal puzzle and control chart

11/28: Continue Parts of Animals

  • Parts of the mammal, reptile, amphibian,
  • Parts of the bird and fish
  • Working with the animal puzzle and control chart

Synonyms of the week

11/7: OLD, ancient, elderly, used, seasoned, mature

11/14: BIG, vast, gigantic, huge, large, enormous, colossal

11/21: SMALL, tiny, miniature, minute, little, petite

11/28: NO, negative, never, nay, nope, nix

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Look for our words of the week when reading a story, cut out pictures beginning with the letters of the week.
  • Play “I Spy” with items beginning with the letter of the week, or find things around your home that begin with the letter of the week.
  • Practice telling time on the clock at home. When you sit down to dinner, ask them to tell you what time it is, when they go to bed, have them check the clock. Have fun with Time!
  • Practice exchanging money with your child. When you go to the store, have them help you pay!

Ms. Courtney’s September 2106 Newsletter

We started off our school year focusing on grace and courtesy to teach and fulfill our student’s innate need for order. Every student has a need to know and to absorb the social structures in order to be more at ease in their environment. Grace and courtesy lessons give the student the vocabulary, actions, and steps required for them to build their awareness and responsiveness of those around them. We worked on walking in the classroom, using our inside voices while in the school building, using kind words to one another, using safe hands, how to clean up our area when we are done working and how to use our words to express our feelings.

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The third week of school we talked and learned about community helpers. We had many parents, family members and friends volunteer to come in and talk to the children. They briefly described their occupation, they talked about where they work, what they wear, tools they use, and tasks they perform. I would like to thank all of the volunteers that came into the classroom! It was a wonderful learning experience for both the students and teachers!

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The fourth week of school we discussed families, each student had a chance to share their family tree with their friends. Their family trees included their name, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. The children enjoyed learning more about their friends and where they come from. It was great to see the students discover the differences and similarities in all of the families and accept every family for who they are.

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The fifth week of September we talked about feelings and emotions. The students brainstormed things they could do when they were angry, happy, sad, frustrated, and excited. Then they discussed with one another whether the reaction they came up with was a good choice or a bad choice. The students did a great job learning how to manage their emotions. We role played how to process, identify and appropriately express their emotions as much as possible. After a few days of talking about feelings and emotions it was great to hear the students tell their friends what they were feeling and why on their own.

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The last week of September we explored the five senses of touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing. During this week the students got a chance to identify the different senses. Compare and classify items using their sense.

Kindergarten

We kicked off Kindergarten with a lot Geography. The students learned about the seven continents, fun facts about the continents, and a few countries in each continent. The students became very familiar with the cardinal directions, the equator, the prime meridian, and the hemispheres. We took a look at our home state of Ohio and the surrounding states (their abbreviation and nickname). Make sure you ask your child all about Ohio! They will be able to tell you that the cardinal is the official bird, scarlet carnation the official flower, lady bug is the official insect, and tomato juice is the official drink. They learned how we are the buckeye state and that the official rock and roll song is Hang on Sloopy. The kindergartners also learned about landforms. Ask them what the definition of a lake, island, bay, peninsula, gulf, harbor, cape, isthmus, straight, chain of lakes, and archipelago.

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Art 

By: Ms. Faith

The first month of school has definitely flown by! We had many wonderful lessons with our art teacher, Ms. Michele this month. Each week Ms. Michele focuses on an art concept and teaches the students about a famous artist who used the concept, and does a project focusing on certain skills with the concept. The first week, the students learned terms like warm and cool colors, primary colors, tints, and monochromatic. Then they learned the rules about markers and drew shapes with monochromatic colors (one color). It was really entertaining hearing the students say monochromatic!

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The second week, Ms. Michele focused on primary colors, which are red, blue, and yellow. She focused on an artist named Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter who liked to use geometric shapes and primary colors. The students used red, blue, and yellow construction paper to create a house and then outlined the shapes in black strips of construction paper to resemble some of Mondrian’s works.

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The third week we reviewed what primary colors are and then learned about secondary colors, which are the colors created when primary colors are mixed together. The students used watercolors and mixed them on their papers, to paint a magical garden. They drew flowers, animals, insects, and whatever else that would be in their garden before painting. The next lesson focused on complimentary colors, which are colors that are opposite of each other on the color wheel. Ms. Michele had the students draw silly monsters with pencils and then using complimentary colors, they colored in their monsters with oil pastels. For our last art lesson the students reviewed what warm and cool colors are. They picked either warm or cool colors and made a beautiful leaf mosaic.

We are all excited to see what we learn in art class next month!

Music

By: Ms. Faith

Throughout the last month, the students have learned so much in music class. Our new students got to meet Ms. Lisa, our wonderful music teacher, and our returning students were able to show the new students how music class works. We learned the rules for music class such as, not picking up the instruments until Ms. Lisa says it’s OK, raising our hands to answer a question, and to be respectful to Ms. Lisa’s instruments. Already, the class has improved with being patient and following directions! Some of the instruments the students were able to use were, egg shakers, castanets, rhythm sticks, bells, and tambourines. The students were also introduced to many musical terms like, forte (which means loud), piano (which means quiet), the names of notes, staccato (short, quick notes), and legato (long, smooth notes). Along with all the great instruments, and terms, we sang some really fun songs! We got to sing John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, La Raspa (A Spanish hat dance song), The Ants Go Marching, a silly song about a skunk, and much more. During music class the children are gaining wonderful music skills as well as coordination with movement. We always look forward to music time with Ms. Lisa!

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Science

For our first science experiment we used skittles to learn about density. Density is the measurement of how much of something (in this case sugar from the skittles) can be packed into the same space (in this case it’s the water). So less sugar equals less dense solution; more sugar equals more dense solution. Basically a less dense solution is lighter and will float on a more dense solution because of this we were about to make a skittle rainbow.

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We did an experiment using static electricity to move a soda can. When we rubbed a balloon through our hair it created invisible electrons (with a negative charge) on the surface of the balloon. This is called static electricity, which means “non-moving electricity.” The electrons had the power to pull the soda can (with a positive charge) toward them.

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We used hydrogen peroxide, dry yeast, dish soap and food coloring to make elephant toothpaste. The foam we made was special because each tiny foam bubble was filled with oxygen. The yeast acted as a catalyst (a helper) to remove the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. Since it did this very fast, it created lots and lots of bubbles, which is why the bottle got warm.

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Water is a great substance for soaking up heat that is why we were able to make a water-proof balloon. We filled a balloon with water and held a lit candle under it, to our surprise it didn’t pop. The thin latex balloon allowed the heat to pass through very quickly and warm the water. As the water closest to the flame heated up, it begins to rise and cooler water replaced it at the bottom of the balloon. This cooler water then soaked up more heat and the process kept repeating itself. The students wanted to know what would happen if I turned the balloon so that the candle flame was close to the side of the water balloon, the balloon popped because the water was not conducting the heat away from the surface of the balloon. The students noticed there was soot on the bottom of the balloon, but it was actually carbon. The carbon was deposited on the balloon by the flame, and the balloon itself remained undamaged.

We put apple slices in jars and covered the apples with salt water, vinegar and lemon juice. The students made predictions about what would happen during the apple science experiment. The next morning we checked on them and saw some changes. The apples in the lemon juice looked great, but the ones in the vinegar and salt water had started to turn brown. A lot of the students had hypothesized that all of the apples would stay fresh or rot. We started to realize our predictions were not going to come true. Over the next week all of the apples were even browner except the one in lemon juice! We concluded that acids in general don’t stop apples from browning, that something else in the lemon juice must be helping them stay fresher.


Ms. Courtney’s October 2016 Monthly Overview

What I will learn this month in Ms. Courtney’s Class

(In addition to Montessori Work Time)

10/3: Leaves

  • The students will observe the differences in leaf shape.
  • The students will observe the different fall colors and the fun we can have with leaves.
  • The students sort a variety of Fall objects.
  • The students learn different textures and identify them.

10/10: Apples

  • The students will describe an apple using all of their sense.
  • The students will discuss the shapes apples come in.
  • The students will taste test red, green, and yellow apples.
  • The students will explore the inside of an apple.

10/17: Pumpkins

  • The students will identify feeling words such as happy, sad, scared, etc.
  • The students will guess and count how many seeds are in a pumpkin.
  • The students will practice measuring to make a treat.
  • The students will practice team work.

10/24: Bats

  • The students will learn about the life cycle of a bat.
  • The students will research facts about bats.
  • Halloween party (October 28th)

10/31: Body Parts

  • The children will be able to identify specific body parts (Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes).
  • The children will start to develop body awareness.

Letters of the week

10/3: Ee
10/10: Ff
10/17: Gg
10/24: Hh
10/31: Ii

Sight word of the week

10/3: But
10/10: Can
10/17: Me
10/24: I
10/31: Go

Things to do at home this month to reinforce our themes:

  • Go on a family walk to see how many different kinds of leaves you can find together.
  • Take a trip to an apple orchard.
  • Make homemade applesauce from your child’s favorite apple.
  • Bake pumpkin seeds.
  • Take a trip to a pumpkin patch.
  • Research other nocturnal animals.