Since our return from vacation we have been working on opinion writing during our writing block. We began by talking about what an opinion is (what someone thinks, there is no right or wrong answer) and compared opinions to facts. We talked about the importance of making our opinions convincing by supporting them with reasons. Students have really enjoyed playing "Would you rather...", a game that involves moving to a side of the room depending on our opinion. We play this game with a wide range of questions from "Would you rather have ice cream or cake?" to "Would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?" After children move to the corresponding side of the room, several share a reason for their choice. This is a fast paced game that provides practice not only thinking about opinions, but also backing them up with evidence.

After mastering sharing opinions and reasons orally we have moved on to expressing them in writing. Kindergarteners have strong opinions and they love to share what they think! Some of the topics we have written about include favorite toys, recess time versus choice time, and snow versus mud. We have also written opinions in response to several books, including Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant, and the nonfiction book Frog or Toad: How Do You Know? by Melissa Stewart.

 Last Friday we walked to the VG for creemees with our reading buddies as part of our whole school celebration of 1000 We Rock! cards. It was a perfect way to end a hot spring day!

 For the month of April, our calendar has focused on different ways of measuring objects. Each of the calendar markers features a measuring tool and an object being measured: an eraser next to a ruler, grapes on a scale, rice in a measuring cup, a penguin on ice beside a thermometer that shows the temperature is 24 F. The tools and objects illustrate different measurable attributes and provide opportunities for students to make comparisons using words such as longer, shorter, heavier, lighter, etc.

We have also explored some of these attributes during math. Students have enjoyed measuring the length of various objects around the room using cubes. They have also had an opportunity to use pan balances to compare pairs of objects, and to weigh objects by balancing them with sets of counting bears. For example, scissors weigh the same as 6 counting bears. We also compared the capacity of various containers by filling them with cubes and counting the number of cubes each container held. All of this has provided students with a strong introduction to the idea that objects can be measured in different ways and we use different tools depending on the attribute we are measuring.

For the last couple of weeks, as we wait for the forest to dry out a bit, we have eased back into our ECO routines with shortened sessions at school. The first week, while the field was covered with many inches of snow, we focused on great horned owls, perhaps the only birds that nest and lay eggs in late winter. Children worked in pairs to build nests (we imagined they were in trees, but actually made them on the ground) that would keep their eggs  (colored ice cubes) warm and safe. While one partner went out to gather food, the other partner was responsible for watching over the nest so no eggs would be lost to sneaky predators. 

This week, after all of the snow had rapidly melted, we focused on amphibians and their spring move to vernal pools, where they lay their eggs. We talked about some of the dangers they face trying to get to these spring pools, including predators and cars, as their routes often take them across roads. Working in teams, children were challenged to build a bridge for a salamander to safely cross. Students had many creative ideas for constructing thier bridges and did a fantastic job of working in teams  to build some pretty awesome bridges!

In math we have been revisiting shapes. Children have engaged in a variety of activities to help them learn the defining features of specific shapes (circles, rectangles, squares, triangles, and hexagons) and recognize similarities and differences between shapes. One game we have played is called the shape grid game. Partners each have a 3 x 3 grid, hidden from view of the other partner, as well as a basket with 9 identical shapes. One partner gives very specific directions to tell the other partner where to place each shape on the grid, trying to create 2 matching grids without looking. This game provides a great opportunity for children to name shapes and use position words such as above, below, to the right of, etc., while giving the partner a chance to practice careful listening. 

Children have also spent time using smaller shapes to compose a larger shape (e.g., a hexagon can be made with two trapezoids, or 1 trapezoid and 3 triangles.) They have used pattern blocks to fill in the outline of  different pictures, counting and recording how many of each shape they used when the picture is complete. After reading the book Grandfather Tang's Story, by Ann Trompert, we also spent time using tangrams (7 specific shapes that together make a square), to make animals from the story as well as our own creations.

For the last several weeks we have been learning about forces and motion in science. In this unit we have identified different pushes and pulls as well as the effect of different strengths and different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of objects. Children had the opportunity to experiment with motion in different stations, exploring the effect of characteristics such as weight, size, shape, and surface texture on the motion of objects. Our ever changing playground conditions have also helped reinforce some of these concepts: sleds are super fast when the hill is smooth and icy, but don't work so well on the grass! We concluded this unit by reading the book Red Sled by Lita Judge and designing our own sleds for a little animal. While the snow is mostly gone at the moment, it looks like sledding may return soon!