This week we talked about what we are thankful for and Thanksgiving traditions/foods...we read the book What's On My Plate? and had some interesting discussions about WHERE food comes
from. We discovered that all the food we eat comes from either a plant or an
animal-even chocolate and cake! The students were amazed at this discovery and
learned a lot about HOW things grow. These discoveries will help us when we
continue to learn about nutrition next week. Also next week we will focus on the
vowel A. We will talk about both the long and short sound that this letter makes
as well as learn about the word families 'at', 'am', 'ap', and 'an'. Students
will practice making many new words just by adding a letter or two to the
beginning of these word families. During the week we will continue to put our
writer's workshop into place as well as revisit the 4 square method of writing
when we recall facts about alligators. Next week you will be getting an email
about a special snack challenge we will have at school....we hope you all are
inspired to particpate. It will be a great way to expand on your ideas for
healthy snacks at school!
Last night I had the opportunity to sit down with many parents at the PTA Tea Chat. We talked about school, home, and diversity. The conversations were honest, open and very enlightening. I was happy that I was able to attend. One of the things I discussed with a small group was my desire to add more diverse books FOR KIDS in my classroom. My students enjoy looking at pictures of far away places and hearing stories from different cultures. (examples-picture books of India, books about cricket, bilingual story books, etc) Although I do have a few of these books, it is difficult and expensive to get my hands on more. If you have any books you would be willing to donate or if you are traveling and are willing to buy us some I would GREATLY appreciate it. It is so powerful when students are able to share things about their travels and culture.
This is the season that we all tend to reflect and be grateful for the things that we have. I know that I have MANY things to be thankful for including two wonderful children of my own, an amazing husband who never hesitates to help me cut out or sort things for school, :) a supportive family, friends who care about me, my health, and a fantastic kindergarten team that I feel lucky to work with and learn from. I also never leave off my list how grateful I am that I work at May Watts School. May Watts is a unique place that has teachers that work really hard to help each child reach their potential, that has wonderful parents who support their children both in and out of the classroom, and children that are driven by wonder and amazement. This is a place where I am happy to come to everyday and feel lucky to be surrounded by people (and children) who inspire me to be the best I can be. I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the extra days off with your family and friends!
