Our return to school this week following our Spring Break had all students ready to learn! The minds of our students have been under construction all year and our students continued to build upon their prior knowledge this week. The building was filled with learners quickly adjusting back to their school routines and engaging with their teachers and classmates!
*Reading in a small group provides students with opportunities to improve upon their literacy skills! As students receive individualized feedback and support, they are able to apply what they've learned independently. Ms. Risi's second graders read in a small group and then chose books for their book baggies!*
*Have you ever met first grade paleontologists? If not, then you need to take a visit to Ms. Baltzer's class in Room 23! Students created fossil imprints with Play-Doh and then engaged in dramatic play to go on a dinosaur dig! Ms. Baltzer's first graders made observations with magnifying glasses and dug out "dinosaur bones" with a toothpick.*
*Bringing vocabulary to life by bringing the object in for students to see, hold, and touch is an enriching learning opportunity. After reading about pinwheels, Ms. Risi's second grade students each received their own pinwheel and were able to experiment. Students observed how wind is the primary factor that enables a pinwheel to spin when outside. And if there's no wind, then what? The second graders in Ms. Risi's class determined that they could still make their pinwheel spin by using the force of their breath!*
*Math and movement naturally go together. Ms. Nelson planned an interdisciplinary lesson where students demonstrated their physical education and math skills. Students joined at cones to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Students had to display a number with their finger and solve the addition or multiplication equation that they created with their partner. After students answered correctly, they had to run to the next cone to continue playing with a new partner!*
*Ms. Avellaneda's third grade students from Ms. Pagnotta's class practiced playing Hot Cross Buns on their recorders! The third grade concert is quickly approaching and our students have been working hard in music class!*
*Ms. Gibbons' second graders built 3D shapes using toothpicks and marshmallows. Students applied their critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving skills to understand depth!*