Thursday, February 24, 2011

Parent Newsletter: Seventh Week of School

Dear Parents,
               Today we explored dental hygienics and the importance of brushing teeth. To begin the lesson I read the children's book, Arthur's Tooth, by Marc Brown. The book explains how Arthur is the only one in his class who still had all of his baby teeth. He waits patiently to lose his teeth. Then as a class we discussed experiences we had about losing teeth. Next I explained to the children the importance of brushing our teeth. I explained how after we eat and drink we have to brush our teeth to avoid cavities. I created an activity to show the children what happens to teeth if the are not taken care of after drinking certain drinks. I had four hard boiled eggs, four jars, and four different drinks. I used Coca-Cola, Orange Juice, Fruit Punch, and water. I then placed the hard boiled eggs in the jars with the different beverages. The eggs were left in the beverages for thirty minutes. We then took the eggs out and observed them.We talked about what would happen if someone drank a lot of these beverages and didn't take care of their teeth. The kids were very interested and really learned a lot about the importance of dental hygiene.
                                                                                          Sincerely,
                                                                                          Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Seventh Week of School

Dear Parents,
     Today our main focus was on learning and building vocabulary. I created an activity to develop vocabulary and focus on building basic sentence structure with Legos. For the past few weeks we have been learning a list of vocabulary words and what each word means. On simple white labels I wrote all of the vocabulary words along with words such as he, she, as, is, has, etc. I created four sets of the Lego vocabulary words. I then split the class into groups and had them compose sentences using the Lego blocks. For example, one group came up with the sentence, the girl makes me giggle. The children enjoyed working in a group and using one of their favorite toys, Legos. It was a lot of fun seeing the children smile while they learned.
                                                                                      Sincerely,
                                                                                       Ms. Gammell

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Parent Newsletter: Sixth Week of School




Dear Parents,
                Today we explored our five senses. First, we gathered around the carpet and discussed how we discover the environment around us. We made a list of the five senses and posted it on the chalkboard. Next, the students were split into five groups, and each group was given one of the five senses. I explained to them the first must draw a picture of the body part you use for this sense. For example, the group with hearing would draw a picture of an ear. Then, they had to make a chart of different words associated for their sense. So for taste, this group could list yummy, salty, sour, etc. After each group created a picture and a chart they presented it to the class. Each group explained what their sense was, the body part associated with it, and words that go along with the sense. When each group was done presenting we hung the projects around the classroom. The students were excited to work together and create a project.
                                                                                                                Sincerely,
                                                                                                                Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Sixth Week of School



Dear Parents,
                Today in math we learned number sequencing using the book, Yertle the Turtle,by Dr. Suess. To begin the activity I read the book, Yertle the Turtle, to the class. Next, I gave each student a piece of paper with ten turtles on it. One turtle was very big, while the other nine were smaller but all the same size. I had the students color the turtles and then number them, with ten being the biggest turtle. The children then cut out the turtles individually. The students then had to glue the turtles in correct numerical order. Starting with one they pasted each turtle vertically on the paper until they made it all the way to ten. Then we discussed the correct order and explained why the numbers were in the order that they were. The children really grasped the concept and enjoyed Yertle being a part of the lesson.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Parent Newsletter: Fifth Week of School




Dear Parents,
            Today in our science lesson we focused on discovering what was inside a seed. In order to prepare for today’s activity I purchased lima beans at the local grocery store. Then overnight I soaked the lima beans in water. I gathered up the materials needed for this activity which included magnifying glasses and an illustration of the inside of a lima bean.  To begin the lesson I asked the students how plants begin and how a seed turns into a plant.  I gave each student a Lima bean, that has been soaked in water. This makes it easier to open. I showed them how to open the seeds carefully. Then I asked students to see if they can find out how a seed turns into a plant. After looking on their own, I had the students help friends find out why. I had them talk about it and share their thoughts with one another. To conclude the activity I explained to the students how a seed turns into a plant using the illustration of the inside of a seed. The students found this activity interesting and many are determined to grow plants from seeds in the spring!
                                                                                     Sincerely,
                                                                                     Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Fifth Week of School





Dear Parents,
Today we did a writing and art lesson based off of the book, The Jacket I Wear in the Snow, by Shirley Neitzel. I want to thank you if you sent in any spare craft supplies such as zippers, pockets, buttons, string, sequins, cottonballs, etc. It was a big help and the children really appreciated it. To begin the lesson I read the book, The Jacket I Wear in the Snow to the entire class. Then I had the students discuss the different dream jackets they might like to have. We created a chart that listed different colors, fabrics, and designs the students would make their jackets with. Next, I had each student will write a paragraph of what their dream jacket would look like and include a rough sketch of it above their description. On a large cut out paper of a jacket students created their jackets using coloring supplies, zippers, pockets, buttons, decals, etc. After all the students’ jackets were completed I added their initials to their jacket with a glitter pen to personalize each one. Finally we gathered around the carpet and each child explained to the class why they chose to decorate their jacket the way they did. I am going to hang all the jackets from the ceiling by a piece of string for the students to admire all winter. Thanks for all your help. The students truly enjoyed this activity and were able to express their creative sides.
                                                                                    Sincerely,
                                                                                    Ms. Gammell

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Parent Newsletter: Fourth Week of School




Dear Parents,
                Today I introduced the topic of weather to the class. We are beginning the weather section in our science class so we first gathered around the carpet and discussed the various types of weather and seasons. I then asked the students what season was their favorite. All most every student said summer because there is no school, they get to go swimming, and they all like to eat a lot of ice cream. After discussing the different seasons we then explained the types of weather associated with each season. For spring the students said there was a lot of rain, for summer there is a lot of sun and its very hot. The students said fall was windy and the leaves change colors. Finally for winter, the students said there is a lot of snow. After talking about the seasons and different types of weather I showed them the weather predictability chart. Each day we will gather around the carpet and describe the weather outside. For example for today we would put up the phrases, it is cold, it is windy, and it is snowy. This activity will allow children to learn the different words associated with weather and soon they will be able to describe the weather each day on their own.
                                                                                                                                Sincerely,
                                                                                                                                Ms. Gammell