Ms. John’s February 2017 Newsletter

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“I like everything I get in the mail for free!”

I love coupons!  You do not understand I am obsessed with coupons for restaurants.   I so look forward to getting the Red Plum coupons every week just to see if there are any coupons to Steak and Shake.  Ya, ya I know the coupons for the meals knock off about 50 cents a meal but it is the thrill of handing the coupons to the cashier when paying for the meal. Although, the BOGO for the milkshakes are where you save the real money.  The McDonald’s and Burger King coupons are … OK, BUT the Arby’s coupons are GOLD!  So if you are about to discard you fast food coupons please send them my way.  My children and I will be so very thankful, I also suggest to get some vouchers to shop online, they era the best.  Enough about me…let me tell you about our classroom!

Classroom News:

In February we learned about George Washington and how he was our first president and how Abraham Lincoln came from a poor family and freed the slaves.  We were introduced to Franklin F. Roosevelt and how he was president during World War II and how John F. Kennedy fought for equal rights.  We then learned that Donald Trump was current president. The children were taught that the president’s wives are called the first lady and that the president lives in the white house in Washington DC, and flies on a jet called Air Force 1.  We discussed what responsibilities the President has.  The children came up with keeping us safe, keeping the world safe and running the country.  Many coloring pages were used as well as coloring pages to help identify which president is on what coin.

         

3 part cards(language) and 100 board(math)           Scenes from my Snack Pack                                         

We went back in time and visited Ancient Egypt.  We know Egypt is located in Africa and the main civilization for Ancient Egypt was on the Nile River.  The pharaohs were the kings of Ancient Egypt and ruled their subjects.  We found that pharaohs has big egos and thought they were hot stuff because they wanted to be buried in big tombs.  So they ordered slaves to build the pyramids.  One pharaoh had the sphinx built with the body of a lion and his head.  Pharaohs wanted to be around forever and the Ancient Egyptians found a way to make the bodies last a long time after death and this was called mummification.

 

   

Knobless Cylinders(Sensorial)                        Pink Tower and Brown Stair Creation(Sensorial)

 

I Spy with my little eye(Language)

We traveled to Ancient Greece where we learned about the several gods and goddesses that live on Mount Olympus.  The king of all gods on Mt. Olympus was Zeus who was very powerful.  Zeus had a wife named Hera who was the goddess of marriage and the queen of Mt. Olympus.  Dare not sail the seas without pleasing Poseidon who was the king of the water.  Although, Aphrodite was the goddess of love but also protected sailors.   The goddess of wisdom was Athena.  You better behave or you will meet Hades the ruler of the underworld and his really mean pet Cerberus who is a dog with three heads.

    

Vowel Tree (Language)                                     More Pink Tower and Brown Stairs (Sensorial)

The month started off by going back in time and studying the Ancient Romans.  The Ancient Romans had similar Gods as the Ancient Greeks.  The king of all Gods in Rome was Jupiter and his wife Juno who was the Goddess of Marriage and childbirth.  Pluto was the God of the Underworld, Neptune was the God of the Seas, and finally we came across the God of War, Mars.  Did you notice that a lot of these Gods had planets named after them?

 

   

Knobless Cylinder Creation (Sensorial)         Cards and Counters (Math) 

Cultural Subjects:

My line time and the kindergarten class count to ten in 28 different languages (English, Sign Language, German, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Tagalog, Polish, Irish, Welsh, Hebrew, Arabic w/the Lebanese dialect, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, Swahili, Korean, Serbo-Croation, Hindi, Flemish/Dutch, Malay, Cebuano, Farsi and Turkish!

 

  

Color Bead Bars (Math)                                    Reading is FUN!

Polygons (geometry)

Academic Enrichment:

The Kindergarten students started the month by dabbling in multiplication.  I explained to them that multiplication was JUST adding multiple(many) times.  For example how many TIMES do we add 3 in the equation 3X4?  Simple, right?  Of course it is!

We then took a look at fractions.  Fractions are simply dividing things into equal parts being 2, 3, 4, 5 parts and up to 12, 100, 1 million parts.  Not only did we divide squares, circle, triangles into fractions but broke down how many boys/girls, who was in John’s, Kate’s, Kristen’s room, eye color, age, and who was a Buckeye fan (100% by the way).

We ended the month with a dose of geometry.  We learned that a triangle has 3 sides and 3 points.  A quadrilateral has 4 sides and 4 points.  Learning to count to ten in Greek came in handy when dealing with polygons ie… penta is 5 and a pentagon has five sides.  I threw in the right angle and what parallel means.

 

    Kindergartners doing the Stamp Game (Math)

Cultural Subjects:

My line time and the kindergarten class count to ten in 28 different languages (English, Sign Language, German, French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Russian, Tagalog, Polish, Irish, Welsh, Hebrew, Arabic w/the Lebanese dialect, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, Swahili, Korean, Serbo-Croation, Hindi, Flemish/Dutch, Malay, Cebuano, Farsi and Turkish!

Field Placement Students:

Our field student from University of Akron Mr. John  in action.

  Mr. John from University of Akron (Field Student)

 

Handwriting Enrichment
-with Ms. Kristen

In handwriting this month, we finished up the cursive alphabet and moved on to writing vowel blends such as “th”, “sh”,”ch”, “00”, etc. The children are also answered journal questions such as ” When is your birthday?” and” If you could go on vacation, where would you go and with whom?” Something to work on and practice with your Kindergarten student this month would be spelling words phonetically. I’m so proud all the Kindergartner’s progress this month! They are becoming amazing writers! 

 

Reading Group | Kindergarten
-with Ms. Kate

For the month of February our reading group focused on poetry. Together we read Knoxville, Tennessee, Picture Books In Winter, and April Rain Song. Each one of these poems were about a different season that the author truly loves. With each of these readings, the children were able to draw their favorite season and explain to their friends the reason they picked that season. They also had fun creating a drawings of their favorite book and what they like most about the rain. During our time together we go over different vocabulary that they see in their readings and discuss what those terms mean. Together as a class the children created a poem about summer in their city. I hope you enjoy this fantastic poem they created together.

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
I always like summer best
You can eat corn on the cob
Hot dogs on the grill
Sweet watermelon
And Ice cream

You can go to
The beach
To the pool
Baseball games
To the park
And take vacations, including camping and even hunting using cool night hunting lights with your parents!!
You can see
Butterflies
Green leaves on the tree
Birds
People playing outside
Lightning bugs at night.


Science Enrichment
-by Ms. Kathleen

This past month all 3 Science experiments were about Buoyancy; a force in a liquid pushing against an object in a liquid.

Floating and Sinking Oranges:  Mr. John peeled one orange and left the other peeled (boy did the room smell good!) the children placed in a tank of water. When dropped in the water, the orange with the peel on floated and the orange without the peel sank. This is because of air trapped by the peel making the orange float. The peeled orange has no air so it sinks.

Using oranges to explain buoyancy 

Play Dough Shapes A Bowl and a Sphere: The children dropped 1 piece of play dough shaped as a sphere in water and one shaped like bowl in water. The sphere shaped dough sank while the bowl shaped dough floated. This is because sphere shaped dough is dense and cannot push enough water out to stay floating. The dough shaped like a bowl is able to push out water equal it’s weight and therefore, floats.

                                                                        Students pushing away water to explain buoyancy

Soda Can Float (Diet Coke v. Regular) We placed both cans of soda in the water. The diet floated and the regular sank. This is because regular soda contains sugar and diet contains artificial sweeteners. These artificial sweeteners may be 100 times sweeter than sugar, which means that less than a few grams of artificial  sweeteners are used in a can of diet soda. The difference in the amount of grams of sweeteners leads to a different density.

Using two cans of “POP” to explain buoyancy

Art Enrichment
-by Ms. Ame

February has flown by so fast! We started the month with painting our personally created clay creatures from January. The students used a variety of colors and spent almost the whole hour carefully decorating them. Once they dried on the drying rack, the students were able to take them home!

If you haven’t grabbed your child’s little creature, please do and take them home! Then Miss Michele began our next unit, weaving! She has started the students off with paper weaving. The students learned the pattern of over-under-over-under of weaving with large strips of paper. They will continue with weaving projects as we head into March. Keep checking the art carts to take home your students creations both from art and line time lessons! We are constantly creating all sorts of art projects each week!

 

Music Enrichment
-by Ms. Sabrina

A synthesizer was talked about.  It is a piano that can sound like a trumpet as well as other instruments.  It was used to play the game Cat and Mouse. It is a game to hone listening skills. Listening for the highest to lowest sounds.  The children had so much fun.  A song about being diligent was played. The children were taught to try and try and try again.  A train whistle was used, so was a triangle as well as maracas.  A dancing they went.

A new song about telling the truth was sung.  Sign Language was used and so were foot movements. The children also learned about echo’s via music.  The musical instrument used was the maraca. What fun the children had making echos. Performing with scarves were thoroughly enjoyed as well. Let the Sun Shine In was the song they danced to.

Ms. Courtney’s February Newsletter

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Classroom

The first week of February the children learned about all the different types of pets and how to care for them, so is useful for the people that had dogs, cats or even fishes. To wrap the week up the children made Valentine’s Day bags and heart wreaths at their Valentine’s Day party. I would like to thank all of the parents who made the party possible! As always it was very organized and successful.

The second week of February the children learned how George Washington was a great man, the father of our country, who led in war and peace. They discovered that Abraham Lincoln was also known as “Honest Abe”. The children organized the presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump and discovered that we have had 45 presidents.

   

The third week of February we discussed how different foods and drinks can affect our dental hygiene. We learned that our teeth get sad and full of tooth decay from sweets and soda and get happy and shiny and bright from brushing and eating healthy foods. The children played a game called pass the cavity, when the cavity landed on them they had to go to the dentist, and there are many dentists you can go, you can even click here to find more information about the best.

 

The last week of February we talked about Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. The children loved coming to school dressed up with their hats, silly socks, and wockets in their pockets! My favorite dress up day was Oh The Places You’ll Go I loved seeing what everyone wanted to be when they grew up.

 

Kindergarten

We started out the month of February by introducing fractions. We learned that we can divide anything as long as it can be divided into equal parts. Even our kindergarten class can be divided! We then learned about different shapes. We knew that a triangle has three sides but we learned that a triangle with three equal sides is called an equilateral triangle, with two equal sides is an isosceles, and with no equal sides it is called a scalene triangle. Any shape with four sides is a quadrilateral.  Some examples include a square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid, and a chevron. We learned all about agons like pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and decagon. The kindergarteners then started their grammar unit by learning their five vowels and what isn’t a vowel is a consonant. We learned a fun song to the tune of BINGO there are five letters that I know and vowel are their name O’s A,E,I,O,U  A,E,I,O,U   A,E,I,O,U  and vowels are their name O’s.

 

Reading Group

By: Ms. Faith

In February, the kindergartners received a new reading series called the Dragon Series. This series is set up just the same as the Sailing Ship series we have been reading since the beginning of the school year. The first story we read was The Princess and the Frog by the Brothers Grimm. In this story, a young beautiful Princess accidentally drops her favorite ball down a well, and becomes very distraught. A frog appears out of the well and starts to talk to her. He tells her that if he brings the ball to her then she must play with him, eat with him, and let him sleep in her bed. The young Princess agrees, but doesn’t believe that the frog would actually leave the well. The frog does in fact leave the well, and shows up at her castle that evening. She refuses to let him in because she is disgusted at the thought of playing with a slimy, cold frog. When her father hears of the situation, he makes her invite the frog in, because she made a promise and promises shouldn’t be broken. She ends up following through with her promise even if it is with an unwilling heart. One morning, the frog jumps out of her bed, and ends up turning into a handsome young Prince. They end up becoming best of friends, and the story even hints that they may get married in the future.

This story has a couple of lessons that the kindergartners learned from the princess. This lesson is that we should never go back on our promises, and if someone treats us with kindness, we should not treat them wrong because of how they look. The students got to participate in art activities where they had to draw what was the hardest part for the Princess, what they think the Princess and Prince enjoy doing together after he becomes the Prince. They also had to answer evaluative questions like, “Why must the Princess be playmates with the frog before the spell over him can be broken?”, and “Why does the Princess think that a talking frog ‘could never be a playmate to a human being’?” The kindergartners favorite part was getting to act out a scene from the story. They took turns being the frog, the Princess, and the King.

Science

Our first science experiment in February was to see if we could balance a ping pong ball using a hair dryer. We discovered the ping pong ball floated gently above the hair dryer without shifting sideways or flying across the other side of the room. This is because the airflow from the hair dryer pushes the ping pong ball upwards until its upward force equals the force of gravity pushing down on it. When it reaches this point it gently bounces around, floating where the upward and downward forces are equal. The child even had the opportunity to see if they could float 2 or even 3 ping pong balls as an extra challenge during work time.

 

The next experiment we did we poked sharp pencils through a Ziploc bag full of water, and discovered no water spilled out the holes because the Ziploc bag was made of a polymer. Polymers have long chains of molecules that are flexible. When we poked the sharp pencils through the bag, the pencil slid in between the chain of molecules that make up the polymer. The molecule chains made a seal around the pencil that wouldn’t let any of the water out.

For the third science experiment we filled glasses with different amounts of water. Each glass had a different tone when hit with the pencil, the glass with the most water had the lowest tone while the glass with the least water had the highest tone. The children learned that small vibrations are made when we hit the glass, this created sound waves which traveled through the water. More water meant slower vibrations so a deeper tone. It is the same as my filtered eye glasses that came from https://shopfelixgray.com/blue-light-filtration that uses blue light filtering technology.

The last week of February we poured the same amount of water into two different clear plastic containers. Then we added the same amount of oil to the containers. We watched as the oil raised to the top of both containers. This occurred because the oil became lighter than the water. We then placed one of the containers in the freezer for a couple of hours. After we took the container out of the freezer we saw that the water moved to the top of the oil, because the water was now a solid and as it expanded it also became less dense than the oil.

Music

By: Ms. Faith

This past month, Ms. Lisa focused on what a piano is. She brought in her piano synthesizer and let the students explore it. We learned that a piano has white keys and black keys. Each student got a turn to play either the black or white keys to make up their own song. Ms. Lisa played the high keys, and the low keys to distinguish the difference between high and low notes. Since her key board is a synthesizer, Ms. Lisa would play different instrument sounds for the group, and the students had to guess what sounds she was playing. Some of the instrument sounds were trumpet, violin, guitar, and drums.

Ms. Lisa also reintroduced a game that is a student favorite here. It is called Cat and Mouse. One student is picked to be that “cat”, and all the rest of the students are the “mice”. Ms. Lisa places cheese in front of the “cat” for the “mice” to go and get. On her piano synthesizer, Ms. Lisa plays a song in high notes for the “mice” to go out of their mouse hole and grab the cheese. Once she plays the song in low notes, the “cat” comes in and tries to catch the “mice” before the get back to their hole. If someone is tagged, he or she becomes a “cat” as well. The students have so much fun tagging their friends, and are practicing listening skills, patience, and control in this game.

Art

By: Ms. Faith

Ms. Michele spent the month of February on a unit of weaving work. At the end of January she introduced paper weaving to get the students started with the idea of the pattern of weaving. Then, she moved in to a little more advanced weavings. She brought in her own personal weaving works to show the students different types of weaving art. Each student was able to use a small loom that Ms. Michele made to create his or her own textile artwork. A textile artwork is a decorative or practical piece that is made from plant, animal, or synthetic fibers. The younger students picked out different types of ribbon to use for their weavings, while the older students used different color yarn. Their weavings turned out beautifully and are hanging up on display on the bulletin board in the entrance. Make sure to check out their handiwork!

 

March 2017 Academic Enrichment Overview | Cuyahoga Falls Campus

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Academic Enrichment Overview | Cuyahoga Falls 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 Mr. John. During this time Ms. Kristen also gives additional handwriting and journaling lessons. Throughout the school day in their classroom they are still working individually with their classroom teacher 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. Kate
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.

2/27: Geometric Shapes and Constructive Boxes

Geometric Cabinet
Hexagon, rectangle and blue rectangle boxes
Creating triangles, rhombus, trapezoid, parallelogram, squares, etc

3/06: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Vowels, consonants and their rules

3/13: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Introduction to nouns and their rules (name of a person, place, or thing)
Introduction to verbs and their rules (action word or something you do)
Vowels, consonants and their rules
Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

3/20: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

Introduction to the article
“the” hooks up with anything
“a” or “an”/ “a” hooks up with only consonants, “an” hooks up with only vowels
Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

Sight Words of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.
2/27: write, them
3/06: then, out
3/13: they, that
3/20: have, this

Synonyms of the Week: Try to find each word in books as you read to your child.
2/27: WET, damp, moist, soggy, drenched, soaked
3/06: HEALTHY, hearty, athletic, sound, strong, fit
3/13: SICK, weak, unhealthy, ailing, infected, frail
3/20: Mean, selfish, unkind, malicious, hurtful

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.

Mr. John will be sending homework home to reinforce these lessons. Please turn homework into the orange box outside of Mr. John’s classroom. Please email him if you have any questions: jkotradi@thesmarterkids.com.

March 2017 Academic Enrichment Overview | Tallmadge Campus

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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.

In March we will be reading a folktale from West Africa called Guinea Fowl and Rabbit Get Justice, and we will start a poetry series called Nature Speaks. The kindergartners will be completing art activities, writing activities, dramatizations, learning unfamiliar vocabulary, and answering analytical questions that go a long with the readings.

3/06: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

  • Introduction to nouns and their rules (name of a person, place, thing or idea)
  • Introduction to verbs and their rules (action word or something you do)
  • Vowels, consonants and their rules
  • Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

3/13: Parts of Speech/ Grammar

  • Introduction to the article (a kind of adjective always used with and gives information about a noun)
  • A definite article is the word “the”
  • An indefinite article is the word “a” or “an”
  • Using worksheets, diagramming sentences and sandpaper letters

3/20:  Articles

  • Rules of the articles
  • Worksheets, grammar symbols, diagramming sentences

3/27: SPRING BREAK

 

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

3/06: go

3/13: we

3/20: in

 

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

3/06: HEALTHY, hearty, athletic, sound, strong, fit

3/13: SICK, weak, unhealthy, ailing, infected, frail

3/20: MEAN, selfish, unkind, malicious, hurtful

 

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.

  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

Explorations of Elementary March 2017 Overview

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Explorations of Elementary March 2017 Overview

Research

  • Our first-year students will begin a study of simple machines. During this study, they will learn different simple machines, how they work, and how we use them in daily life.  These students will each build their own simple machine at the end of our study.
  • Second year students will put together their knowledge of parts of the flower, monocots and dicots, types of stems, parts of the seed, and different leaf blades to study completeness of flowers.
  • Third year students will begin studying internal systems of vertebrates.
  • Students researching the human body will discuss muscles and the circulatory systems.
  • All students will begin research of landmarks formed naturally from rocks for our International Festival.
  • We will be studying the continent of Asia. We will look at objects and photos from Asia and will talk about many of its capital cities.
  • Math and Language lessons are given to children based on individual needs, instead of age level.

Reading Groups

  • One of our groups will begin reading the Frog and Toad series. Another group will continue My Father’s Dragon.  A third group will be reading Bunnicula. Our last group will be reading Hidden Figures and creating a timeline of the events from this true story.
  • For Writer’s Workshop this month we will study and write fairy tales. We will review popular fairy tales, then in our writing we will change roles of characters and change the problem in different stories.  We will also write our own fairy tale at the end of our study.

Spelling Groups

  • Group 1 will be reviewing all different short vowel sounds, long a spellings, long e spellings, and long i spellings. In class, one activity will be a short/long vowel reference chart where they will draw an example of each short/long vowel sound.  Their other activity will be drawing configurations of each word.
  • Group 2 and 3 will be working on -air, -ear, and -are words, /ow/ and /oi/ words, homophones, and silent letters. This group will be writing silly sentences about each word and writing word cousins.  Word cousins are a list of words that hint at the meaning of each word.
  • Group 4 will be working on prefixes, suffixes, doubling of consonants, and contractions. An activity for this group will be to write true and false questions for another member of their group.  The other activity will be to type each word three times on the computer.
  • Group 5 will be working on adding endings to words that end in e, prefixes, and suffixes. The activities this group will be doing are typing their words on the computer and making a chart of different endings, suffixes, and prefixes.
  • The homework for the month of March will be “Waterfall Writing.” This means writing a word beginning with one letter on the first line, then two letters on the second line, and so on.  An example will come home with their homework the first week.

Field Trips and Special Events

  • March 7: Elementary World’s Fair at 6pm.
    • Each child has prepared a research report and display board for a country of their choice. Each child will dress in a costume from their country and explain their findings as you stop by their stand.  Feel welcome to invite family and friends!  Our students have been working so hard!
  • March 13: Our kindergarten students will begin visiting. Some of our students have been paired up to help them and make them feel comfortable in our environment.  This is a great opportunity for even our youngest students to be role models for our visitors!
  • March 14: Cleveland Metro Parks Farmpark Field Trip.
    • Please dress appropriately for the weather. We will be outside almost the entire time we are there.
    • Please pack a disposable lunch in disposable containers.
    • If you have volunteered to drive, you will receive an email soon about which children will be riding in your vehicle, along with directions and the time to arrive, and you need the right maintenance such as an oil change that you could get at sites like http://www.atloceanside.com.
  • March 18: Father/Daughter, Mother/Son School Dance 2-4pm
  • March 24: Pajama Day
  • March 27-31: Spring Break

 

 

Ms. Courtney’s March 2017 Monthly Overview

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 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)

 3/06:    Insects

  • The children will identify animals that belong in the insect category and those that do not.
  • The children will learn there are over five million different kinds of insects in the world.
  • The children will identify the main parts of an insect.
  • The children will learn ways insects can be helpful and ways insects can be harmful.
  • March 8th DINO-LIGHT field trip Playhouse Square
  • March 10th Pre-Kindergarten and Pre-Elementary Conferences at the pre school in west jordan ut.

Afternoon Group Time:

  • Watch Visual Phonics video to learn letters and letter sounds with Sign Language, and complete a letter U craft.
  • Learn about lady bugs and complete a lady bug craft.
  • Diagram of an Insect- We will watch a video clip about insects and create a diagram labeling the parts of an insect.
  • Insects Can, Have, and Are Chart- We will fill in a chart about insects using verbs, nouns, and adjectives.
  • Shape Insects- We will use our imagination and pre-cut shapes to create our own insects.

 

3/13:    Plants and Flowers

  • The children will discuss the four elements needed to grow a plant. Soil, seeds, sun and water.
  • The children will observe and describe similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and flowers.
  • The children will identify major structures of plants (seeds, roots, stems, leaves).
  • The children will understand the life cycle of plants and flowers and what they need to grow.
  • The children will discover that plants provide resources for clothing, food, and oxygen.
  • Saturday, March 18th Mother/Son, Father/Daughter Dance 2-4

Afternoon Group Time:

  • Watch Visual Phonics video to learn letters and letter sounds with Sign Language, and complete a letter V craft.
  • Observe a Venus Fly Trap and learn about where they live, what they eat, and how to take care of one.
  • All About Plants Chart- We will discuss different characteristics of plants and create a chart explaining the characteristics.
  • Jack and the Beanstalk- We will read Jack and the Beanstalk and then grow our own beanstalk in a plastic bag.
  • Diagram of a Flower- We will discuss the parts of a flower and what a flower needs in order to survive then create a diagram explaining the topic.

 

3/20:    Butterflies and Caterpillars

  • The children will discover that butterflies go through stages of growth & changes called life cycles.
  • The children will design a butterfly of their own using shapes and creativity.
  • The children will create a mobile to represent each stage of the Life Cycle of the Butterfly.
  • March 24th Pajama and Show-N-Tell Day

Afternoon Group Time:

  • Watch Visual Phonics video to learn letters and letter sounds with Sign Language, and complete a letter W craft
  • Act out the life cycle of a butterfly and create a butterfly craft.
  • Butterfly Life Cycle- We will learn a song about the life cycle of a butterfly and then create a diagram about it.
  • Symmetry- We will discuss what symmetry is and create a butterfly with symmetrical wings.
  • Puffy Caterpillars- We will create caterpillars out of popsicle sticks and pompoms.

 

3/27-3/31: SPRING BREAK

 

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

3/06: Uu

3/13: Vv

3/20: Ww

 

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

3/06: go

3/13: we

3/20: in

 

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

3/06: HEALTHY, hearty, athletic, sound, strong, fit

3/13: SICK, weak, unhealthy, ailing, infected, frail

3/20: MEAN, selfish, unkind, malicious, hurtful

 

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

  • Take a walk and see how many insects you can spot.
  • Plant a flower or garden.
  • Visit the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.
  • Take a walk and see how many butterflies and caterpillars you can spot
  • Make dinner with foods that start with the letter of the week.

 

 

Mr. John’s March 2017 Monthly Overview

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What I will learn this month in Mr. John’s Class…

 Themes of the Week | Classroom group lesson time: (in addition to Montessori Work time)

 2/27: Ancient Rome

  • Roman culture and traditions
  • Buildings and contributions

3/06: Pollution and Recycling

  • What is pollution? Air, water, noise, littering
  • What is recycling? Ways to recycle
  • Ways to save energy
  • Arbor Day/Earth Day

3/13: Oceans

  • Ocean Life, Whales
  • Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
  • Salt water, fresh water
  • Saturday, March 18th: Mother/Son, Father/Daughter Dance 2-4

3/20: Landmarks of the USA/The state of OH-IO

  • OHIO, surrounding state, state flag, flower, bird, state seal, historical landmarks
  • Landmarks such as Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge, and Grand Canyon

  3/27:        SPRING BREAK

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

2/27: Vv

3/06: Ww

3/13: Xx

3/20: Yy

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

2/27: ben, den, hen, men, pen, ten, yen

3/06: beg, keg, meg, peg, leg

3/13: bell, gel, mel, nel, sell, well

3/20: back, hack, jack, lack, mack, knack, pack

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.
  • What can you recycle at home? How can you conserve excess energy?
  • Take a trip to the Cleveland Aquarium together and explore ocean life!

 

Ms. Kate’s March 2017 Monthly Overview

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

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

2/27:      Dr. Seuss Week

  • Reading The Cat and the Hat; having fun making our own hats.
  • Reading Fox in Sox; creating a silly sock graph
  • Green eggs and Ham; taste test and graph
  • Read Put Me in the Zoo; create one of the characters
  • Graphing our favorite book

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, and Dr. Seuss activities.

3/6:          My Five Senses

  • Sight- play a fun take away game
  • Sound- guess that sound game
  • Taste- taste test
  • Touch- a fun hand-print craft
  • Popcorn game using all of our five senses

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of fun and engaging activity and crafts on the five senses

3/13:       Art Appreciation

  • Monet- oil pastels
  • Van Gough- creating sunflowers
  • Richard Shilling- nature and earth art
  • Creating sculptures with clay
  • Splatter painting with Jackson Pollack
  • Saturday, March 18th: Mother/Son, Father/Daughter Dance 2-4

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be teaching all about the famous artists, and doing a varirty of crafts and activities on this subject.

3/20:       All About Spring

  • All about the four seasons
  • Animal moms and their babies
  • Life cycle of chicks
  • Parts of the flower
  • PJ day and show and tell

Afternoon Group Time:
Ms. Ame will be doing a variety of crafts, books, and lessons on spring

3/27-3/31:    Spring Break


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

2/27: Ss

3/6: Tt

3/13: Uu

3/20: Vv

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

2/27: green

3/6: yum

3/13: art

3/20: tree

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

  • Take a nature walk and collect different things you see. Come home a create a piece of art with all of your nature treasures!
  • Visit a farm and see all of the baby animals. You could also bring a journal and write and draw all of the animals you see.
  • Try to spot any of our rhyming words in Dr. Seuss books
  • Be adventures and try a new meal or snack together.

Explorations of Elementary 2017 January Newsletter

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Explorations of Elementary 2017 January Newsletter

We are already a month into 2017, and the students are right back to working hard!  We have had a wonderful month together with exciting, new lessons and practicing our favorite materials from before break.  The Bohr Diagram, using the microscope, and Writer’s Workshop inspired a lot of great learning this month!

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Our field trip to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History was something the students have been looking forward to for a while.  Our tour guide, an archaeologist, was very knowledgeable, patient, and funny.  We started our trip looking at animal fossils that were found in Ohio.  During this part of our fossil workshop, our guide taught us the difference between mastodons and mammoths.  We were even able to hold the fossilized tooth of a mammoth and feel the ridges in the molars where they ground up grass.

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While moving through the museum, we talked about different plant and animal life throughout different time periods.  Our guide explained to us that paleontologists and archaeologists use fossils to learn what adaptations animals had, what they ate, what their environment was like, and how they perished.  We also learned how fossils are found, how they are named, and how different museums can share, or trade, fossils.  We were able to hold dinosaur coprolite (from the Greek words Kopros Lithos, meaning “dung stone”) and part of a rib from a dinosaur, probably a long-necked herbivore, that was 150 million years old.

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After our fossil tour and workshop, we enjoyed lunch together, then were able to explore other exhibits on our own.  Our first years are studying the planets, so we made sure to check out information about the formation of the universe and see pictures from the surface of Mars.

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Our second years are studying rocks, so we stopped by the layers of the earth, rock formation, and crystal formation exhibits.

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Our final stop was the exhibit about early humans, and how humans have changed over time, to enrich the study that our fourth years are doing.  After the visit to the museum, we made fossils of our own!

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In the classroom, we have focused on memorization of multiplication facts with the first-year students.  Maria Montessori believed this had to be done before age 8 to really be internalized.  We show students a variety of ways to practice their math facts, so it is interesting, instead of a chore.  Some students have used the Multiplication Finger Charts, some work with bead bars, and some with the Stamp Game.  Having a variety of ways to learn a skill ensures that students can learn something essential to further education in the best way for their learning style.  Having a variety, also allows students to not get bored and to feel confident in their abilities with a material that is just right for them.  To quote Maria Montessori, “Free choice is the highest of all mental processes.”

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Older students have been working with decimal fractions in a variety of ways.  Some students have learned how to read decimal numbers, and build them with our materials, while others are multiplying decimal numbers.

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Our students studying the body focused on the digestive system this month.  We did an experiment using soap, a cotton ball, milk, and food dye to show how bile breaks down fat in your stomach.  We talked about the parts of the digestive system and how they work together to deliver us the nutrients we need from our food.  Along with this, our first-year students practiced reading food labels to find out what in their lunch was the healthiest, and what they had that should only be consumed occasionally.

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Vinny and Kernel also had exciting months.  Vinny the Guinea had a “Magic Kingdom” built for him by a student.  He now has his own place to go through tunnels, over ramps, and eat from the treat tube filled with our homemade treats (a student helps prepare the treats below).  Kernel finally interacted with some students.  After months of me handling him, and students observing, he was ready for students to pet him!  Two brave first graders were the first ones to try!  They were nervous at the beginning, but ended up very proud of themselves.  These pets have already taught our students many lessons on care and compassion.

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We look forward to February with you!

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Ms. Kate’s January 2017 Newsletter Article

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Classroom News:

The winter months are flying by and hopefully spring will be upon us soon! This month the children have been enjoying our different themes and working hard on all of the works and our different practical life activities!

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For the first week the children learned all about hibernation. The first day we brainstormed together about what they thought hibernation is. The purpose of brainstorming in young children is such a key ingredient of the creative writing process. Brainstorming also helps your child focus his or her attention on a certain topic, and it also encourages the child to share their ideas with their peers. During this week we read a book called Animals in Winter by Henrietta and Richard Van Gelder. This book had such wonderful illustrations that showed the children which animals hibernated and how they prepare for the months they will be resting. We then had a discussion about Migration, hibernation, and adaptation. Ms. Ame and I created a three part card work that went with our lesson. The children each came up and chose an animal and then had to decide which category they belonged in. Lastly, we sang a wonderful song about hibernation, which you will find in your child’s song folder.

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The second week sparked a lot of interest in the children. We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first activity we did was called “Being Treated Equally.” Now, before I led any type of discussion I passed out a snack to just the boys. I then started reading the book ,Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King. All through the book the girls were wondering why I wasn’t giving them any snack, and a few became upset. I didn’t explain to them why I did what I did until the story was over. I then asked the girls how they felt not receiving a snack. Haidyn said, “I really felt left out.” Another child yelled out, “I felt mad when you didn’t give us anything!” I then talked about how at one point in our country’s past, African Americans were not able to do the same things that white people were able to do and further explained that this is how they felt. I then shared that a man named Martin Luther King changed all of this! I loved this activity because I think it really got the children interested in who he was and how things were back then.

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The second activity was called, “We’re all the same on the inside.” This was a simple exercise on how we can look different on the outside, yet be the same on the inside. I first showed the children a brown egg and then a white egg. I asked them to describe what they see. I then asked what they think each egg will look like on the inside. Almost all of them said the brown egg would be brown in the inside. I then cracked open both and the children were amazed to see that both eggs looked the same. After the activity we talked about how all of us look different but we think and feel the same things on the inside! It was an awesome activity!! The next day we discussed Rosa Parks and the bus boycotts, freedom marches, sit-ins, and the civil rights movement. We also listened to a song called “We Shall Overcome,” a powerful song about what Martin Luther King wanted for himself and others. After the song, we brainstormed some hardships or changes they have overcome or will have to in life. Our class also led a discussion on peace and what that meant to them. We then created a peace sign by using different craft items. I really love how the children came together and really tried hard understanding this topic!

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The third week we discussed the Arctic, and the animals you can find there. The first activity we did was read a book called This Place is Cold by Vicki Cobb. Together we had a discussion about where the Arctic is located, how plants survive in the frigid temperatures, who lives in the Arctic, and some of the animals you will find. The next activity we focused on was all about walruses. We read some fantastic books, then we created a walrus puppet. I love these activities because by coloring, gluing, and cutting the children gain fine motor skills, patience, and step by step instructions. Our class also had fun talking about polar bears and making polar bear badges. And lastly, we read a book called The Bravest Dog Ever The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford. We then talked about the importance of sled dogs and did a fun dog sled craft! We had such a fun January, we even started to look for standard poodles for sale arizona because we actually want to get one of them and we also got them Ideal park solutions for dog waste station!!

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Academic Enrichment Group Time | Kindergarten
-with Mr. John

This month we started our section in Math. We learned about the unit (ones), ten, hundred, and thousand columns. The kindergartners composed numbers, and were introduced to addition with and without carry overs.

Cultural Subjects:
We can count to 10 in twenty four different languages (English, Latin, Sign Language, Spanish, German, French, Greek, Japanese, Arabic w/Lebanese dialect, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Swedish, Tagolog, Hebrew, Korean, Hungarian, Polish, Irish, Kiswahili, and Welsh Dutch/Flemish, Serbo-Croatian, Cebuano, and Malay).

Handwriting Enrichment
-with Ms. Kristen

During the month of January, the Kindergarten students learned the proper formation of I-T. They also began to work on copying sentences in cursive. Some of the journal questions we answered were, “ Who is our new president?” , “ What city do you live in?”, and “ What is your middle name?”. These simple questions gave the children a chance to practice their letter formation that they have been learning since the beginning of the year! I am so proud of the progress our young writers have made!

 

Reading Group | Kindergarten
-with Ms. Kate

For the month of January the children read two stories called Lion At School, and Coyote Rides The sun. After we read both stories we went over any vocabulary the children weren’t certain of or they have never heard of. The children them completed an assigned drawing that allows them to record their early responses to the selection. When the children choose their illustration , they are visualizing the characters and setting of the story. Throughout our readings we lead our at home discussions, and created a song that was based on the story Coyote Rides The Sun. The class brainstormed together about why they might wake up before dawn. Is it because they are going on a trip? Is it a special holiday? Below is the class song they created together. Enjoy!!

Early Morning Song
Awake in the hour before dawn,
Awake in the hour before dawn,
So I can get to school on time,
So I can open presents on Christmas day,
So I can look for Easter eggs,
So I can go downstairs and have some peace and quiet,
So I can watch t.v.
So I can catch a plane to Disney World,
So I can pack up for the beach
Awake in the hour before dawn.

                                                 

Science Enrichment
by Ms. Kathleen

Leak Proof Baggy: What happens when we poke holes with a pencil in a baggy filled with water?
Plastic bags like these are made out of our favorite materials, polymers! Polymers are long chains of individual molecules, called monomers. when you puncture the bag with a sharp pencil, you’re separating polymer chains without breaking them. The long chains of molecules than squeeze in tight around the surface of the pencil, preventing any sort of leak. The Children really enjoyed pencil after pencil being poked through the ziplock plastic bag without any leaks.

Biodegradable Packing Peanuts: What happens when you put them in a pitcher of water?
These packing peanuts are made from Starch, with a lot of air pockets. The Starch peanuts once wet dissolve in water just like sugar does. the children loved saying Abracadabra as Mr. John put the peanuts in water and they disappeared.

Absorption, Wet Paper Towel Verses Wet Diaper which will hold more water?
Mr John poured water all over a paper towel and a baby diaper and hung them both over his head, the wet paper towel dripped all over him and the diaper filled with water did not. This is because inside the baby diaper there are molecules called polymers inside, They are the small crystal like substance inside the diaper. A polymer that hold a large amount of water is called a gel, gel absorbs a solvent or water. This why the paper towel did not hold the water but the diaper did. All the children squealed with delight as Mr. John’s head got all wet from the soggy paper towel.

 

Music Enrichment
by Ms. Sabrina

Peter and The Wolf are back! We are learning the characters of the story, as well as the instruments involved. The children are internalizing the story well. They can tell what characters and what instruments are entering the story. The children have such great listening skills! Another listening game was also played is called Cat and Mouse! The children listened well to directions, and did what was asked skillfully. They loved performing an emotion in the song with the maracas as an instrument! Music is always so much fun with Ms. Lisa!

 

Art Enrichment
by Ms. Ame

January has been cold but Miss Michele’s imagination has been on fire! Miss Michele has started one of her most creative projects of the year! The first week the students learned about mythical creatures and took 3 different animals(one mammal, one reptile and one with wings) and created their own animal on paper! The students first sketched their animal with a pencil and then colored it in! The next week, the students used their drawings and used foil to create a base for a model of the creature! This was a little tricky for some of the younger students but all the students worked hard! After they had made the base, they then covered the foil with a white clay. They added small details like legs, eyes, mouths and wings. Miss Michele is going to bake these creations and then next month the students will decorate them! Thanks Michele for another great start to the year!