Our community unit continued this week and we started our first experiential center. We had so much fun!
On Monday the students "set the stage" for our post office. We built a way to sort the mail, set up a front office to sort and pay for the mail, a measuring center for letters and packages, and of course, a letter writing center.
On Monday the students "set the stage" for our post office. We built a way to sort the mail, set up a front office to sort and pay for the mail, a measuring center for letters and packages, and of course, a letter writing center.
On Tuesday we practiced as a class measuring the letters. The students used unifix cubes to measure their letter, count how many, and then recorded the results. We then continued with our post office center. Through measuring and counting with the unifix cubes, paying for their mail, sorting the types of mail, writing the letters, and building, we are incorporating literacy, math, and science through play!
On Wednesday, Mrs. Jacobs, our reading teacher, led a lesson on sorting our names. We are going to continue with this next week by sorting it in different ways, and collecting our friend's signatures.
We talked about patterning and all the different types (AB, ABC, ABCD, etc.) We did an activity where the students started a pattern, and then we rotated and they had to solve and finish someone else's pattern.
We finished off our day playing our experiential center! We added a packaging center, where the students write a grocery list, package it up, and then ship it off. We also added "blue prints" to the building center, so the students could plan out a way to sort the mail before building. We will continue with our post office next week, tweaking it slightly based on the student's interests.
We talked about patterning and all the different types (AB, ABC, ABCD, etc.) We did an activity where the students started a pattern, and then we rotated and they had to solve and finish someone else's pattern.
We finished off our day playing our experiential center! We added a packaging center, where the students write a grocery list, package it up, and then ship it off. We also added "blue prints" to the building center, so the students could plan out a way to sort the mail before building. We will continue with our post office next week, tweaking it slightly based on the student's interests.
On Thursday we did a STEM challenge with our 3rd grade buddies. The students had to build a tower that was as tall as a yardstick that could support an apple. They had so much fun collaborating and trying different strategies!
Thursday was also Cardboard Challenge Day! We started by watching this video to inspire us:
Thursday was also Cardboard Challenge Day! We started by watching this video to inspire us:
The students were so intrigued and excited to make something of their own out of boxes. We had so much fun working together and being creative.
Friday was extra special. We started off our day video chatting with our Kindergarten buddies in New York! I connected with a Kindergarten teacher in Albany, and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for the students to learn about another community. We asked each other questions and found out what is different about their community in New York (they eat lunch at school, they live near the Statue of Liberty) and what was the same (we both live near big cities, our weather is alike). We can't wait to continue working with our new friends!
Friday we also built our community of Highland Park. The students were able to build their favorite place in Highland Park out of boxes, blocks, etc, and then place it on our map using Google Maps. I loved how their places turned out! They were so creative.
Friday we also built our community of Highland Park. The students were able to build their favorite place in Highland Park out of boxes, blocks, etc, and then place it on our map using Google Maps. I loved how their places turned out! They were so creative.
Next week we will continue our post office, write letters to our buddies, and talk about shapes.