Today we worked in groups and made poster highlighting the features of nonfiction writing. The features we are studying are: title, table of contents, facts, photographs, headings, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, text boxes, zoon-ins, glossary and index. The children gathered examples of three of these features from Time For Kids magazine. [nggallery id=15]
Here are a bunch of pictures from all of our visitors over the past two weeks. Thank you for making our children's lives richer by the experiences you gave them!
We feel so fortunate Sister Jude, from Thorpe Village, took the time to visit our classroom to read “The Giving Tree”. She told the children the colorful suncatchers they painted and thoughtful cards they wrote, would bring smiles to the faces of the “Grandpa’s and Grandma’s who live there. Sister Jude reminded the children that the most important gifts in life are those you don’t have to wrap. Like the “Giving Tree”, saying kind words and doing good deeds for others will make us happy inside. She shared stories about one of the greatest “unwrapable gifts” we can give…….which is listening to each other!
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THANK YOU FAMILIES FOR YOUR GENEROSITY MAKING 27 COVERED CUPBOARDS TO DONATE TO MEALS ON WHEELS!
Mr. Burton and Mrs. Martini from Meals on Wheels were so thankful WOS families care about senior citizens who need food during the winter months. They told us our donations will be delivered to seniors in our communities on January 4. Mr. Evers, a recipient of Meals on Wheels, told us how grateful he is to receive the hot meals everyday. Ask your child to tell you about the little critters that try to get his meals before he does! He said he was very thankful for the food in the Covered Cupboard for those stormy days when the van can’t deliver his hot meal, but he was equally appreciative of the festive illustrations on the wrapping paper.
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Thanks to the "Snowflake Man" we know that every snowflake is unique. Wilson Bentley was the first person ever to photograph microscopic images of snowflakes. Watch the news report about his life.
In 1925 Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley stated "Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty." Watch the video below of the images he photographed under his microscope.
Listen to the picture book written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.
Take this quiz to see how well you listened – Quia's Snowflake Bentley
Challenges:
1. Design as many different snowflakes on sheet paper. Here is an example:
Lisa Alves was kind enough to visit one day and read us a Hanukkah story. Afterwards, the children drew the symbols on dreidels that they got to bring home. Rebecca and Javier Rosenzwaig also came in to share their family tradition. They read a great story and shared their menorah with us. The visit ended with jelly donuts as a treat and everyone went home with a dreidel. Thank you to both families for taking the time to spend time with us. We all learned about Hanukkah and had fun too!
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Generosity is the word of the month. This time of year we give gifts to show our appreciation and love for others. It is not always necessary to buy a gift. It is just as important to share ourselves with others. There are many ways to be charitable and unselfish. Read and listen to the books below to discover ways you can be generous without buying a present.
Listen to the story of a beautiful fish that learns to make friends by sharing his most prized possessions—his shimmering scales. For a printed version – click here. What is your most prized possession? Would you be willing to share it?
Read and listen to the Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. What were all the different ways the tree gave to the boy throughout his life? Even though the tree receives nothing in return, how does giving make the tree happy, ?
Thank you so much for coming to our Thanksgiving party. The children had so much fun playing 'long ago' games with all of you. Today we continued the fun with our pajama party! The children had a chance to play the games they missed the day before. The best part was that they learned that even though games can be a challenge, they can also be fun.
Have fun singing this with your children! We will be singing it every day this week.
http://youtu.be/ljPKoNJH1Jg
We enjoyed a nice walk on the nature trail a few weeks ago. We studied the nature around us and even stumbled across a chimney from a house that must have once stood there. We found a few artifacts that led us to believe that there must have been a house here "long ago". The excitement was contagious! We couldn't believe our discoveries.
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