Library Day

Ahhhh....sorry! I forgot to send home a reminder that tomorrow is Library Day!
My apologies for the late notice!

Labeling

This photo is of a brace map that shows a penguin broken down into smaller pieces as a visual reminder for students. How happy was I when a number of students took on the challenge of labeling the penguin parts for me (the labeling is to the right and is hard to see here). By referring to our large group activity completed on the whiteboard the children transferred the words to paper and we stapled it all up immediately!

We have also labeled our own penguin by cutting and pasting the labels that were provided. Being aware of the environment around them students recognized that using the brace map or our large group labeling would assist in the completion of this activity.

But how do they know what word goes where? Students were directed to look very carefully at the beginning of the word and think about what letter they saw, how many letters were in the word, the sound that it makes, sound the word out with their letter sound knowledge, and if it would make sense to place it in a certain box. They all did an awesome job and the best part....they did it all independently!

Measuring an Emperor Penguin

We were fortunate to have an older student create this life sized version of an Emperor Penguin. At one point some children were using it for dramatic play (and it was pretty funny), but its original purpose was to show the children just how large this type of penguin is. Eventually students were able to compare themselves to the height of an Emperor and then place their name under the appropriate heading: shorter than, same as, or taller than.

We also measured the penguin using various items from around the room. We used such items as blocks, cubes, link-its, shoes.... After painting their own penguin the children were required to measure and record their data using cubes. This independent measurement activity lead us to a whole group activity of arranging penguins from shortest to tallest!

Blubber!

Not only do we talk about the layer of blubber that penguins have, but we sure try to figure out what it is and how it works! Below is a picture of the blubber mitts that we used in an icy cold bucket of water.  Brrrr!

Here is a sample of what some of the children have to say:
"It's warm! You don't even feel the coldness."
"This hand is cold. This hand is warmer."
"The hand without the blubber mitt is cold. The hand with the blubber mitt doesn't make my hand cold."
"The blubber mitt makes that water not so freezing!"
"The blubber mitt is warmer. Blubber keeps the penguins warm."



Seems to me like they are getting the idea! Want to explore it at home? Place a ziploc bag inside of another one and add lard or shortening in between the two. Seal closed by using duct or masking tape at the top and you're ready to go. 

Jammies and Lost & Found

Let's get into the March Break frame of mind by wearing our favourite jammies to school on Friday! We'll lounge and work at the same time!

On another note.....we have quite the pile of lost and found! Below are some photos of unlabeled items; if you recognize something please send me a note (here or in the Note Tote) and I will send it back home to you!

Have a great March Break!

Penguin Lifecycle

Daily we are learning so much about penguins from read alouds, shared poems and songs, and visual representations. In this case the students are learning about the lifecycle of a penguin. They understand that a penguin is oviparous as it hatches from an egg. The egg is kept warm in order for it to continue to develop and then after only a few months it hatches and finally a penguin is born.

After cutting the pieces out the children assembled them onto the wheel following the lifecycle. It is a wonderful way to present the information visually and, at the same time, encourages children to be able to retell the cycle in their own words.

What's Black, White, and A Little Bit of Orange?

Cute little penguins of course! Who would guess that pieces of coloured construction paper would transform into penguins with their own unique personalities!

Students used tracers and their scissor skills to follow the steps to create these adorable little birds. Basic shapes (including oval, triangle, square, circle, and rectangle) were reviewed along the way.

Using scissors is still proving to be difficult for some. Not only is the scissor grip difficult but so is the method in which we cut; continued practice at home will help to support this particular skill.