The Explorers have really enjoyed The Little House in the Big Woods. We even had some Explorers who took action by bringing in dresses from the past. One dress was like a dress that they would have worn on the prairie, and the other two dresses were fancy dresses from long ago. Another Explorer showed action by bringing in a doll that children, like Laura, may have played with long ago. The students were also asked to reflect about the past, present, and future. They drew pictures of what they thought they would look like when they are 100 years old, and examine how things have changed from the past, and how they thought those things may look in the future.
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The Explorers were so engaged in our Unit of Inquiry, Where We Are In Place and Time. They researched landforms, took a neighborhood walk, and created toys that children may have played with in the past, and made landforms out of playdough. During our neighborhood walk; many students noted that we have a landform close to our school. Lake Erie. The students also compared maps to satellite images. In Mandarin, the students learned how to say and write mountain, hill, river, North, South, East, and West.
It is so wonderful to see our caring students taking so much action! We have received a map of our school's neighborhood and some artifacts from the past. Students really enjoyed listening from music from a record player, tape player, and an iPod. They noticed how differently the music sounded, and reflected on the changes that have been made in order for us to enjoy music. We also explored a pocket watch, a phone with a cord, and many family pictures. A student even brought in a book that many of our teachers were taught how to read out of, Dick and Jane. Our Mandarin teachers have supported our Unit of Inquiry by teaching cardinal directions. We used these cardinal directions on our walk around the school neighborhood.
The CIS students and Mandarin teachers held an amazing Spring Festival Concert for all to enjoy. It was hard to believe that our two MCs have only had three years on Mandarin instruction. The CSU Confucius Institute donated $1,000 to assist with our Mandarin education.
Our wonderful Mandarin staff is already jumping into our new Unit of Inquiry, Where We Are In Place and Time, by introducing position words. They even created a fun game using direction words. Once they found their square, they had to act out what the card said. We had laughing loudly, dogs barking, and even crying.
The students did an excellent job recording the last UOI in their lap books. They turned out great! It was amazing how well they were able to relive the planner by reflecting on their lap books. Our provocation for our new UOI caused the students to really wonder. They looked closely and a newspaper from the 1940's. They also saw pictures of maps from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County in the 1900's. Then, the students were asked to write down what they thought Cleveland was like in the early 1900's. One student even mentioned that the only ones in first grade that were alive in the 1900's were the teachers. Another Explorer pointed out that Campus International didn't exist in the early 1900's. Reminder: Please plan on attending the CIS PCO meeting on February 18th. The Polar Vortex may have kept the students home, but upon their return, they were ready to learn. We wrapped up How the World Works this week. The students were clearly engaged in this unit, and were able to connect the Central Idea to the various activities. On Friday, we celebrated Chinese New Year. The students made lanterns during Mandarin class. Li Lao Shi even invited two friends from Beijing to tell our class about how they celebrate the new year. It was amazing to see how many connections they made from The Cleveland Museum of Art to our Mandarin class. The students were able to tell our visitors about what they learned about China from the artwork.
This week, all CIS students had the opportunity to see how dumplings were made, and to sample a dumpling. We had many risk-takers. Many students had never had a dumpling before. We would also like to share our appreciation to the CIS Mandarin teachers for putting on such an event.
The first grade Explorers also walked to Playhouse Square to see three plays based on Eric Carle's books. The Explorers connected the key concepts of causation and reflection to the plays. This week has been full of inquiry. The students used everyday objects to perform force and motion missions. They had to record their findings in their Mission Notebook. We also began putting our roller coasters together. They used pipe insulation, and tape to form their track. After the track was formed, they had to make sure their tape was smooth. If not, they would have too much friction, and the marble would not make it through the track. The students also created lap books. They will store their activities from our Unit of Inquiry, How the world works, in this lap book. They also have a pocket where they will add their new vocabulary words.
The Explorers sure did show their enthusiasm at our Winter Concert. Thank you to all the parents who brought their children out on such a snowy night! You helped make the show such a success! We also want to show our appreciation to Mr. Levy and Mrs. Pohl who prepared our Explorers for the concert.
We are almost half way through our Unit of Inquiry, How the World Works. Is your Explorer able to tell you the Central Idea (Forces affect the way objects move)? We have discussed push, pull, gravity, friction, and have even heard the words potential and kinetic energy. Please continue having your child read at least 15 minutes per night, and practicing their math facts. They can either use flash cards or First In Math. It was a sad week at CIS. We said goodbye to Ms. Minnillo, Mrs. Fairman's student teacher, and Ms. Victor, Ms. Lipka's student teacher. We really appreciate all their hard work and dedication.
This week, we introduced our new Unit of Inquiry, How the world works. Mrs. Fairman's tablecloth provocation really caused the students to think about how the plate and bowl stayed on the table when she pulled the tablecloth from under them. The first graders also went on a push or pull scavenger hunt around the building. They were looking for the push or pull force |
AuthorsMrs. Fairman Archives
March 2015
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