For science we are in the midst of a unit on structure, function, and design.  We began this unit by talking about objects designed by people and the idea that most man made objects have a specific structure, which is directly related to their function. We closely looked at a students' bike helmet and talked about its shape and the materials used to make it, and how these were connected to the intended function of protecting someone's head.  We noticed the helmet was hard plastic on the outside, with foam on the inside.  It was round so it could closely and comfortably fit on a person's head (we briefly imagined what it would be like to have a cube shaped helmet!) and it had a convenient clip strap to help keep it on, especially helpfully when in motion. We talked about the structure and function of several other objects before engaging in our first design challenge.

After reading the book "Jack and the Beanstalk," we talked about the function of the beanstalk for Jack and looked at its structure, noticing the characteristics that made it particularly useful for climbing.  Students were given the challenge to use 10 pipe cleaners (and nothing else) to build the tallest beanstalk they could. Students were given a chance to ask questions and brainstorm answers about aspects of the challenge that might be difficult, including "What? We can't use tape?" and "How are we supposed to make it stand up?"  Before building we also talked about the notion of perserverence and how important it would be to not give up, be willing to work through challenges, and try new ideas if the first design didn't work.

Once they began building children quickly realized a strong base was critical for getting the beanstalk to stand up, which meant less height overall.  Balance was also essential, especially if they took the challenge of having the beanstalk hold a golden egg when it was complete! 

I especially love this activity because, while it almost always pushes some children to the limits of their frustration, this gives other children an opportunity to offer encouragement and share their great ideas. 

This week in kindergarten we spent time talking about and setting goals.  We began by discussing what a goal is, and differentiating between the goals we are setting and the goals we score in soccer!  Someone gave a great explanation, "A goal is something that you want to be able to do but can't do yet, so you practice until you learn to do it."  Beautifully stated!  

We read the book "The Magical Yet,"  by Angela DiTerlizzi, which reinforces the idea that there are many, many things that we can't do YET, but with practice and time will eventually be able to do.  To ground ourselves in the notion of accomplishment over time, each child identified several things that they are really good at doing right now.  Some of these included swimming, riding a bike, skiing, writing numbers, writing their names, writing their sister's name, doing the monkey bars, walking, running fast, being a kind friend, doing a cartwheel, counting to ten, and talking!  We then reflected on all of the hard work and practice that went in to learning how to do each of these things.

Finally, we thought about something we can't do yet, but hope to learn how to do this year in school.  Many students said they would like to learn how to read, others want to learn to write, and a few said they would like to learn to count higher.  We have talked about general strategies for meeting a goal including asking for help, practicing, practicing, practicing, and not giving up, even when it gets frustrating.  Soon we will talk about strategies that are more specific to each child's goal.

I didn't get photos of the actual goal setting, but some children were very eager to demonstrate some of the things they can already do on the playground!

 Perhaps you've heard from your child about sharing, which is a favorite part of each day.  Sharing provides children with a great opportunity to practice speaking to an audience with a loud, clear voice (especially important with masks!) and using details to describe what they are sharing.  At the same time, the rest of the class has a chance to practice actively listening by sitting quietly, looking at the speaker, thinking about what the speaker is saying and trying to think of thoughtful comments or questions about the share.   Children do not have specific share days at this point, but they may share one time each week.  Children are welcome to share anything as long as it is a reasonable size and can be put away in their backpacks for the day. Children have shared a wide array of things including stuffies, toy trucks, hats,  bracelets, fresh snow, and even a live bug! We have also had lots of fantsastic telling shares, which are my favorite because they require particularly acute listening without a visual representation.  

Most days after lunch we have writing, when children become authors and have an opportunity to share their stories.  Children have been writing about any topic they choose, but if they feel stuck for ideas I encourage them to write about what they know, which most often is a personal experience. At this point they begin with a picture to convey their story and then an attempt to add letters or words.  This might be labeling pictures or writing sentences.  Often this means just making strings of letters and I need lots of help interpreting what they say, but my experience is the more children try on their own, the faster they will grow as writers, even if it just seems to be random letters (if you are scribing for your child at home that is fine). As they grow as writers, children will naturally be in many different places and grow at different rates.  We talk a lot about just trying, even if it's not perfect, and the critical role practice plays in getting better at anything. At this point it is most important that children recognize that they have stories to tell and writing is a fantastic way to share them.  

As we learn more and more letters and sounds, they will make their way into students' writing.  I encourage them to say words slowly and write any sounds they think they hear in a word.  We are also working on leaving spaces between words.  When children start writing beginning sounds of words, very often with a quick look at their picture I can read what they wrote without any help - this is very exciting when it happens!

We have been working on writing multiple pages about one topic, trying to add more detail and establishing the notion that authors often work on a piece of writing over multiple sessions.  When a child has at least 3 pages with pictures and words about a connected topic they can put a colorful cover on them and make a book.  This is very inspiring for some children.  

We always take time to share at the end of writing, which is a wonderful way to inspire each other and spread ideas and strategies.

 During math, we are practicing counting orally to 20 and beyond, but our main focus is recognizing, naming, writing, building, and comparing numbers to 10. This includes counting sets up to ten, as well as recognizing and building numbers on a ten frame and with fingers.  Because our number system is base 10, developing fluency and deep familiarity with numbers to 10 establishes a strong foundation for all future math learning.

When we are counting we have talked about the importance of saying just one number for each object (as one student aptly put it, making sure our mouths don't go faster or slower than our fingers).  With larger sets we have worked on keeping track of what has been counted in some way.  With movable objects it works well to move them as we count.  We have also worked on counting slowly and double checking just to be sure. 

On the ten frame and with our fingers we talk about the composition of numbers and what they look like in relation to 10.  For example 6 on a ten frame might look like 5 on top and 1 on the bottom or 3 on top and 3 on the bottom, but there are always 4 empty spaces.  9 always has one empty space or one finger down, because it is 1 less than 10.  

We have worked on these skills in a variety of ways, which promotes flexibility and also presents good opportunities to develop the muscles that are so critical for a pinch grip (using tweezers or tongs, rolling play dough, playing with legos, and practicing monkey bars are other great ways to strengthen these muscles!)

While we will continue to focus heavily on numbers to 10, in the coming weeks we will begin to explore teen numbers as well.