Ask me about wednesday, august 30, 2023

We started our day by practicing our Picture Talk routine.  Each day we will have a photograph, painting, short video or quote that we study.  The children first study the picture, then turn knee-to-knee with a partner, and finally we do a whole group share.  The children are learning how to turn to the row beside them and talk to the person across from them or moving to a rectangle on the carpet that has a person to talk to.  We studied this picture and I modeled how to talk about what I noticed and what I wondered.  The children were very quiet at first with their partners but began to talk after I modeled.  This will become a routine they will follow easily soon!  Ask me about what I noticed and wondered.  (To clarify, when I say "Ask me about..." I mean to ask your child.
We read a book called The Straight Line Wonder, by Mem Fox.  This story was about three friends, all straight lines, and what happens when the first straight line decides to start jumping in humps, twirling in whirls, and in other ways that are not straight.  We talked about how the straight line was doing something different and had a discussion about whether it was okay for him to do something different from his friends.  We also talked about the other meaning for the word wonder.  We had talked about the wonder as being curious about something, but this time the word wonder was used to describe something as amazing or wonderful.  Then we practiced making only straight lines.  We used "bumpy board," which is just plastic canvas with tiny squares.  The children put their paper on top of the bumpy board and were to draw only straight lines side to side, up and down or slanted down like a sliding board.  They can feel the bumps from the lines they drew on the paper.  We will use the bumpy boards for writing letters and words throughout the year.
We read a beautiful counting book that had photographs of animals.  Then we practiced counting on our fingers The Math Way.  This is important for the children to learn because it is used throughout Eureka even into the upper grades.  The important part is that the children start with their pinky finger on their left hand for one and count on from there.  They go from left to right as if they are reading.  I have included a video below so you can see the finger counting and some activities you can do with your child to learn to make the numbers with their fingers quickly.  This video shares a few things that are beyond where we are right now, but it is really the best explanation of why we count on fingers The Math Way.  

We are working on becoming Strong Listeners.  We practiced by passing The Talking Carrot and telling our friends our name and favorite snack.  I am reminding the children to look at the talker to not only understand what they are saying better, but to learn their name.   

The children did a good job unpacking today.  They are remembering what they need to do so they can do it on their own.  They also are packing up well.  We added a new step today and that is to put their papers in their yellow folder to take home and to remember to put their folder in their backpack.  We are working on the routine of leaving their folder at their seat, going in the "in" entrance to the cubbies, walking through to get their backpack, lunchbox and anything else in their cubby, then bringing that to their seat to pack up.  Getting those papers in the folder is a little tricky, but the children really stuck to it!

We read three books today; The Straight Line Wonder, Counting Lions, and There's a Bear on My Chair.  Ask me to tell you which book I liked best!

Have a nice evening!
Miss Wolfe