What an incredible year we've had together! We've made new friends, learned a lot, and are now ready for the exciting challenges that lie ahead in Seventh Age!

Way to go 6-B!

I'll miss you so much!

Love,

Ms. Clark

Happy Mothers' Day!

Love,

6B

Addition: A Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Tactile Approach

A fun approach to addition utilizing multiple learning styles.  Students drew their own playgrounds on dry erase boards to start.  Next they listened to number stories that I verbally recited.  As they listened they wrote down the number sentence and placed manipulatives to represent the addends.  The sum was found by either using mental math or physically counting the number of "friends" on the playground.  After we got the hang of it students made up their own number stories.

Example:  There were eight friends on the playground to start.  Two new friends  joined the fun. How many friends were on the playground in all?

Bravo!

Sixth Age Spirit!

6-B showed their spirit during our special dress down day. We wore the colors of our Calvert Banner, enjoyed a special snack, and did our Sixth Age Cheer!

Dental Health Continued: Exploring Food and Oral Health

6-B has learned all about the types of food that are good for teeth.  We know that sticky, sugary foods don't make our teeth strong and healthy- but can actually cause decay and even cavities. It doesn't mean that we can't enjoy these foods, but we know that we should have them sparingly and be sure to brush our teeth!  We completed a portfolio page documenting which types of food make our teeth happy and sad.

Many friends included the following:

Sad: candy, cupcakes, lollipops, cookies,  raisins, cough drops, doughnuts, jelly beans, and soda

Happy: cheese, nuts, chicken, meat, apples, milk, water, carrots, celery, green beans, pears 

Let's Go O's!

6-B enjoyed celebrating Monday's season opener with a spirited Orioles dress down day!

A Sign of Spring Buddy Activity

6-B and Ms. McCormick's Fifth Grade girls met to collaborate on a sign of spring project.  We discussed the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in neighboring DC, as we projected images of the trees on the smart board.  We then worked with our buddies to create our very own cherry blossom branch.

The older girls created the branch structure while the Sixth Age friends created blossoms by dipping the bottom of soda bottles into pink paint. They then strategically placed their bloom prints.

Thank you buddies! We can't wait to meet again!

March Reading Madness

Bravo 6-B for participating in March Reading Madness! 

We turned in 24 passports each holding six books.

I am so proud of you!

Ms. Clark

Brush your teeth!

6-B is enjoying our current discovery unit on Dental health. Above we made our very own toothbrushes which will be sent home with a chart. Stickers will be provided and can be placed on the chart each morning and evening that the friends brush their teeth.  

We spoke about the proper way to brush our teeth and even saw a demonstration with these large props. 

Many friends are looking forward to playing and practicing proper brush strokes with this prop tomorrow.

Above you can see our most recent portfolio page highlighting the different parts of a tooth.

Look forward to more posts soon on our exploration of dental hygiene.

Sight Word Memory

The readers enjoyed practicing their new sight words with a game of memory! Everyone was able to win a pair!

Bravo Friends!

A Visit From The Messenger Fairy

6-E received a note from the Messenger Fairy saying that she would visit Calvert with an important message from the Tooth Fairy.  This was perfect timing as we are just starting our discovery unit on Dental Health.

The Messenger Fairy read us a story about teeth.  She also took a look at all of our bright smiles asking if we brushed and flossed our teeth.  She did a demonstration on how to properly floss and even brought a tooth brush for each Sixth Age Student.

Before she left the Messenger Fairy took a picture with 6-B

What an exciting day! Thanks for inviting us 6-E!

6-B's current discovery unit celebrates Black History Month.  Today we read the story, "The Skin You Live In" written by Michael Tyler and illustrated by David Lee Csicsko.  I love the vibrant, engaging illustrations in the story paired with the positive, cheerful look it takes on diversity.  Below see a small excerpt from the story:

This story allowed us to revisit age appropriate topics regarding diversity.  We discussed human skin and enjoyed a fun kinesthetic experience.  We felt our skin and described it to one another.  Did you know that our skin feels different in different areas? Ask your child to describe how their forearm feels compared to their elbow.  We also felt our skin with our eyes closed.  I asked the class if you could tell the color of someones skin by the way that it feels.  The answer is no! Our skin is actually quite similar in many ways.  Drawing on our prior knowledge from celebrating MLK day we had a wonderful discussion about how everyone should be treated equally. Afterwards I introduced our new poem to the class. It is prominently featured on our white wall written in marker. After practicing, a few 6-B students asked me to place it on the blog so that they can share the poem with you at home. Please feel free to read this poem with your child:

Unity Poem
I have a dream, said Martin Luther King 
We're gonna make that dream come true.
Let freedom ring, said Martin Luther King, 
It's up to me and you.
It's not the color of your hair,
It's not the color of your skin, 
It doesn't matter what you wear, 
It's the character within.

The Months of the Year Macarena!

Watch above as we learn the months of the year by singing and dancing to the tune of the Macarena!  The mathematicians have done a fabulous job learning this skill!

In 1947, Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League baseball.  To prepare for our discussion on Jackie Robinson, we read the story "The Bat Boy & His Violin" by Gavin Curtis.  This allowed us to explore the idea of segregation in an age appropriate manner.

We then moved onto discuss Jackie Robinson playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Not only was Jackie the first African American to play Major League baseball but he was also named Rookie of the Year! Two years later he was honored by being named the National League's Most Valuable Player.  Robinson went on to be the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jackie Robinson was not only a great baseball player, but also an important person in American history.

6-B enjoyed learning about the first African American woman in space today. The video above taught us many interesting facts about Dr. Mae Jemison.  We were inspired to learn that Dr. Jemison followed her dreams and was not only a doctor, but also a dancer, an astronaut and a chemical engineer.
We completed a portfolio page, and loved learning about such an inspiring woman.

Valentines Day Celebrations in 6-B

We had a class card exchange!

A class party!

Even a special Valentine's activity with our fifth grade buddies!

In an effort to support the development of your child's love of reading there are a few things you can try:

-Have your son or daughter preview a book first by looking at the pictures. This will give them clues as to what the story is about. In class I ask the children to take a “picture walk” before we read new material. This is helpful not only with comprehension, but also has a positive effect on students comfort level.
-Have your son or daughter read aloud to younger siblings or a favorite stuffed animal. This creates a low key environment free from judgment. Additionally, it promotes independence and creativity.
-Share the job of reading aloud. If your child becomes overwhelmed by the idea of sitting down to read an entire book alone, you can partner read. Partner reading is when you both read aloud at the same time. This method helps to avoid a pause in the sentence as you read. After a difficult sentence has been completed, you can then review and reread any tricky words. Be sure to have your son or daughter track the words being read with their finger.
-Take turns reading aloud (alternate pages, or even sentences).
-Have your son or daughter explore alternative reading experiences. Any type of reading is great! Perhaps you could cook together. Your child will have the job of reading the ingredients. (Something easy, brownies etc.)
-Help your child become more aware of environmental print. An easy way to do this is when your driving. Read words on signs, billboards, stores etc.
-Allow your child's interests to dictate reading selections. Often a lack of interest in the subject matter can hinder reading. Go online (Amazon, Barnes&Noble) or take a special trip to the library and find books that your child is excited about!
Enjoy, and please keep me posted.

Directional Tracking can be fun!

Tracking the words from left to right as you read is very important. Physically using your finger to follow under the words you are reading helps students keep their place. Additionally, it encourages the child to notice all of the sounds in each individual word. Tracking was fun during our first 1-1 story because we were able to use witch fingers! As we read aloud everyone was able to follow (whether it was their turn to read aloud, or to follow along).  Feel free to model this method as you read aloud to your child each evening at home.

Snow Music!

6B has enjoyed our current discovery unit on winter.  We have experienced visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile learning experiences while exploring the book "Snow Music" by Lynne Rae Perkins.  Students listened as I read the selection aloud. They looked at the pictures and then participated in a class discussion after the story was complete.  

We discussed the way it feels to walk in snow, the sounds you hear beneath your feet, and the types of prints you can make with your feet in the snow.  We demonstrated the difference between how we normally walk and how we have to walk when the ground is covered in snow- there were lots of high knees as we walked around the classroom.  We then brainstormed how we could make a straight line rather than foot prints when traveling accross fresh snow?  Students worked in groups practicing different techniques.  We decided that the two most efficient ideas were to drag your toe or heel in the snow as you walked.  Our favorite print to make when it snows is snow angels! 

At the tables we used q-Tips and paint to create our very own snow globes that captured the essence of winter fun!

Bravo friends!

Making our snow globes!

Using our imaginations to make prints in the snow. Foot prints, straight lines, even snow angels!

I hope it snows soon so we can have some winter fun. We certainly are prepared!

Ms. Clark's Reading

We've enjoyed reviewing our color words witth this quick, fun game. See us in action below.

Ms. Clark's Reading Group

 We are making great strides in reading class! We have mastered correctly identifying letters and their corresponding sounds.  We can recognize syllables in words and are able to clap, stomp, or tap out the appropriate number of beats.  We are comfortable identifying beginning and ending sounds in words, and  are able to segment sounds in  CVC words.  We have a foundation of sight words and can now recognize color words with ease. Currently we are expanding our list to include the following sight words:

the, a, is, in, not

The readers have been working with short a CVC words.

Next up, we will begin to read short a books in class that will be sent home to practice reading aloud!

Way to go readers!

Watch below as we segment sounds in CVC words. We first started as a whole group then advanced to assigning the beginning, middle, and ending sounds to individuals- seen below. We began with instruments to help us with a verbal and kinesthetic approach. We then move to a whole body approach and jump from left to right (just as we read words) as we segment the beginning, middle, and ending sounds. A great learning experience for auditory and kinesthetic/tactile learners. At the end you see a friend reading an -at family slider aloud.