Click to View March 31st Newsletter3/4’s PROJECTIONS: March 31 - April 4 2008
Discovering Springtime through our senses
Now that it is finally spring I thought it would be fun to learn a little more about the season while using our senses. To begin we read a story titled Springtime written by Ann Schweninger. After our story we will discuss some of the things we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, taste with our mouths, smell with our noses and feel with our body during the spring season.
Painting with Kool-aid
To mix things up a bit, I decided to have our class paint with Kool-aid. Kool-aid
offers us a variety of spring colors we can use to make paint by adding water.
After creating the vibrant colors we will paint pictures that remind us of spring and discuss what the smells remind us of.
Click to View the March 10th Newsletter3/4’s Projections: Week of March 10 -14
Ireland: The Land of Mist and Magic
This time of year, it’s nearly impossible to escape the mystical, magical images that are evoked by children’s fascination with those mischievous little leprechauns! In small group this week we will seize some teachable moments and add fact to fantasy by embarking on an imaginative journey to the tiny creatures’ homeland.
The Emerald Isle
What is an island? We will introduce or reinforce some beginning map skills to guide the kiddos in determining whether or not their speculations are accurate.
Why is it descried as and emerald? We are bound to be met by the gleeful discovery—an emerald and Ireland are both green_ What helps all the green grow? We will talk about the climate in Ireland: all the rain that is needed. I’m sure our little smarties will come to the conclusion that water is needed and important to help things grow.
3/4’s Reflection: Mouse Paint
We read the book “Mouse Paint” or as JN calls it: “Dirty Mouses”.
We have some great “readers” in our class that helped recall our story.
“They blended into the paper.” (PH)
“So the cat would know they were there and would not eat them.” (LB)“A mouse couldn’t fit into my puddle.” (AW)
The children told us what their puddle reminded them of: “Look, it is like venom.” (IB)
“We’re making some trains, or the T or a subway.” “The T is in Boston.” (JG)
We had some expert color mixers:
“How did you make green?” (JG)
“Yellow and blue.” (SH)
“How do you make green.” (LJ)
“Blue first, then put yellow on top of it.” (LB)
We discovered how to make even more colors:
“I’m making a rainbow puddle by adding in more color.” (IT)
“I made black by mixing all the colors.” (EM)
3/10/08 Message from Beth
What is Redshirting? 3-10-08
by Beth Mosher
What is redshirting? “Nationwide, studies have shown that 6 to 9 percent of first- and second-graders started kindergarten about a year after they were eligible — a scenario some educators call "academic redshirting." The name refers to the college sports term that describes when coaches keep an athlete on the bench for a year to allow his or her talent to develop. The number of "redshirted" kindergartners has stayed about the same in studies conducted in the last decade. “
St. Louis Post Dispatch, March 9,2008.
A recent article printed in The St. Louis Post Dispatch discussed the red- shirting phenomena across the nation. At The St. Michael School our deadline for entering preprimary and kindergarten is August 1, but we tend to look at the child and place him/her where it is most developmentally appropriate. We have many 4/5’s that are reading and doing math but developmentally they are just four or five years old. It is important to remember that although your child may be able to decode or calculate at a high level many are functioning emotionally at five, six or seven.
I attended a workshop about challenging and supporting children within the same classroom - differentiated instruction. It was quite clear that the most important aspect of children learning was happiness, stability and consistency at home. In this fast paced world it is important to listen to your child and although they may be reading and writing above grade level, check in often on love and happiness.
