Ms. Clark

Nurse Whitman Visits

2012-01-30T13:09:00.001-05:00

We were so lucky to have Nurse Whitman come to our classroom to discuss ways that we can stay healthy this winter. With many germs around it is important for us to remember to wash our hands with warm water and soap. We also need to get enough sleep at night. Nurse Whitman advises we get eleven hours of sleep. That means bedtime should be around 7:30 PM or 8PM. 6B friends have done a nice job of coughing into our elbows rather than our hands. We also make sure to get a "squirt alert" (hand sanitizer) after we sneeze, blow our noses, or cough.

Below we were able to listen to our hearts using a stethoscope.

Let's stay healthy 6B!

Thank you Nurse Whitman!

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

6B really enjoyed celebrating the Chinese New Year this week. Check out our latest video which highlights the Chinese Acrobats Assembly, and a few of our fun crafts. 6B especially enjoyed dancing and singing with our dragon puppets!

Snow Music

2012-01-18T18:55:00.002-05:00

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

We discussed the types of prints you can make with your feet in the snow. We demonstrated foot prints as we walked around the classroom, then brainstormed how we could make a straight line rather than foot prints? 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. One of our favorite prints to make when it snows are snow angels! All of the students laid down on the carpet and showed me their very best snow angels before we transitioned to our tables.

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!

Purple Pride

2012-01-16T20:03:00.001-05:00

6B had an exciting day supporting our local Baltimore Ravens, as well as other favorite teams on Friday.

Fun was had by all!

Mathematicians Begin Chapter Seven

2012-01-05T16:02:00.001-05:00

In this chapter students will:

Measure in a hands-on way with different units, such as connecting cubes. These experiences will help develop an intuitive sense of measurement as well as support your child’s understanding that objects have different properties.
Make size comparisons between objects and order them according to size (largest to smallest).
Compare length, height, weight, area, temperature, and capacity to reference objects.
Order objects by length from shortest to longest.
Discuss how height and length are alike and different.
Use measures of time such as days of the week, today, tomorrow, and yesterday.

This week we have focused on length. In addition to our written work we have experienced hands-on activities. Above we measured the length of our shoes with unifix cubes. We tallied our results, and discovered who's shoes were the longest and shortest in our group.

6-B Celebrates The Holidays!

2011-12-19T18:12:00.000-05:00

Thank you for Visiting!

2011-12-19T17:54:00.001-05:00

6-B was so lucky to have class visitors come in and share about Lucia Day in Sweden! We loved learning about a new holiday tradition! We worked on a fun craft and had a sweet treat!

Thank you for sharing with us!

Busy Bee's

2011-12-16T17:34:00.002-05:00

We completed the 1-1 Reader and will begin stories in the 1-2 Reader after the New Year!

Thank you for visiting!

2011-12-14T14:43:00.005-05:00

Happy (almost) Hanukkah!
We loved learning about Hanukkah traditions from Mrs. K-B. Thank you for reading a story, serving a delicious treat, and providing a fun craft activity!
Love,
6B

More with Mittens- Comparing and Contrasting using a Venn Diagram

2011-12-09T17:07:00.008-05:00

After reading "The Mitten" by Alvin Tresselt 6B read another adapted version of "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. Before reading, 6B students were encouraged to think about whether the story would be exactly the same or if there may be some differences? We found that there were quite a few differences! For this discovery lesson we decided to compare the actual mittens in each story using a Venn Diagram.

This lesson was geared towards visual and auditory learners.

A Venn Diagram is a wonderful tool for comparing and contrasting. You can write details that show how the subjects are different in the outer circles. Then, where the circles overlap, you write details that tell how the subjects are alike.

To complete our diagram, we re-read both stories and added details as we encountered them in the text. Our findings are displayed above. Below, you can see them in list form:

Ivan's Mitten (Alvin Treselt)

1. Feathery fur cuff

2. Red wool lining

3. Yellow mitten

4. Burst into pieces.

Nicki's Mitten (Jan Brett)

1. White wool

2. Stretched out but did not burst.

Ivan and Nicki's Mittens (shared attributes)

1. Warm

2. Lost in the woods

3. crowded (with animals)

4. Stretched out

5. Found (by their owner at the end of the story).

The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt

2011-12-09T16:06:00.006-05:00

This week, 6B continued our discovery unit on mittens. We read the an old Ukranian folktale,"The Mitten", by Alvin Tresselt. In the story a little boy named Ivan goes out to gather wood in the forest. On his travels he looses one of his mittens. Nine different animals crawled into Ivan's mitten that cold winter day. Ask your child if they can remember what happened to the mitten when the tiny cricket crawled in?

After reading the story we began our extension lessons. We first made our very own mittens that fit the description of Ivan's lost mitten. We colored the outside yellow, and the inside red. Then, as a fine motor activity, we used yarn to sew the two sides of our mitten together. Once we had made our mittens we colored in and cut out the nine animals that crawled into the mitten during the story.

With all of our materials ready, we revisited the story during our next discovery class. As I read aloud, each student placed the proper animal into their own mitten. This activity was beneficial for all our learning styles. Auditory learners heard me read the story, while visual learners could see the illustrations in the book. Kinesthetic/tactile learners benefited from touching and physically placing the animals into mittens.

It was interesting to see if our mittens would stretch and pull like the mitten in the folktale? We quickly surmised that our mitten would not stretch because our animals were merely flat pieces of paper.

After we finished the story, we shook our animals out of the mittens. Then we were challenged with properly sequencing the animals as the appear in the folktale.

Great work 6B! Our story really came alive with this lesson.

Mittens!

2011-12-03T21:23:00.004-05:00

Our current discovery unit is on mittens. We recently read "The Mitten Tree", by Candice Christiansen. This story is about kindness and generosity. An elderly woman, Sarah, watches children as they play and wait for their school bus to arrive. Sarah notices that one small boy is not playing with the cold snow because he did not have any mittens. She kindly knitts a pair for him, and anonymously places them on the blue spruce tree next to the bus stop. Soon this becomes a game and the children eagerly check the mysterious mitten tree each morning to see if there are any new pairs of mittens?

After reading our story we talked quite a bit about mittens. Why would you need to wear them? What do they look like? How are they different from gloves? We discussed that mittens come in pairs that match. We then had an opportunity to decorate and cut out our very own pair of mittens.

After our mittens were complete, 6B all gathered on the rug and received one mitten each. We faced away from one another and closed our eyes as each friend took a turn to open their eyes and describe the mitten that they were given (a great experience for auditory learners). As we listened to the descriptions, the person who created that mitten had to raise their hand the moment they knew that it was theirs. We each did a wonderful job, and properly identified our own mittens! Once each pair was matched, they went up on our 6B mitten tree.

As an extension to this lesson we all brought in a real pair of mittens (or gloves) from home. This provided an opportunity for a tactile learning experience. 6B students needed to explore and discuss their mittens with a friend using describing words that explained how the mittens looked and felt.

After we compiled a class list of describing words (patterned, colorful, fuzzy, soft etc.) we worked on a portfolio page for the month of December. We had to properly write two describing words and accurately illustrate a picture of our mittens.

Bravo friends!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T09:01:00.000-05:00

6B learned all about Pilgrims and Native Americans to prepare for our Thanksgiving play.

Partnership With Mrs. Kamp's Sixth Grade Advisory

2011-11-20T21:47:00.004-05:00

This past Thursday 6-B partnered with new buddies, Mrs. Kamp's Sixth Grade Advisory group! We were so excited to travel all the way over to the middle school for a Thanksgiving activity. 6-B students were partnered up with the middle school girls to discuss what we are thankful for this year. The older girls wrote down our thoughts on leaves and helped us make "trees of thanks".

We all had the opportunity to enjoy a snack together and chat together after our craft was finished. What a wonderful experience. Thank you Mrs. Kamp! We can't wait to meet with you and your advisory again in January!

Head on over to Mrs. Kamp's blog to see her post on our time together.

Directional Tracking Can be Fun!

2011-11-08T12:44:00.001-05:00

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 to keep their place. Additionally, it encourages the child to notice all of the sounds in each individual word. Tracking was fun because we were able to use witch fingers! As we read aloud everyone was able to follow (whether they were reading aloud, or following along). How much fun!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:06:00.004-04:00

We had such a wonderful time celebrating Halloween together. Thank you to all of the 6-B parents for making our party so special! We had delicious treats, an exciting Halloween story, and a wonderful mummy craft activity.

Discovery Unit: Pumpkins

2011-10-18T16:41:00.005-04:00

We are so lucky to have a student that has an apple orchard and a pumpkin patch at his home. The pictures from his farm helped us learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin.

We know that first a pumpkin sead is placed in the soil. A shoot grows from the pumpkin seed into the ground. Then, a stem grows from the seed. Above, you can see that the pumpkin seed is now a plant. It has many leaves and a flower!

The pumpkin flower is very important because it helps a pumpkin grow. The pollen inside the flower will help to make more pumpkins. Bee's take pollen from the flower and bring the pollen to other flowers. An interesting fact that we learned is that it takes lots of bees to pollinate the pumpkins. The bee must touch the male flower and then fertilize the female flower before the flowers close in the morning from the heat of the sun. Our friends family actually brings in bee hives to assist with this process!

The pumpkin flowers begin to change and the petals become smaller until they are gone. The bottom of the flower becomes larger. Above you can see a small green shape. That is the pumpkin forming!

The pumpkins continue to grow in the patch until they are large enough to pick.

Here is a perfectly ripe pumpkin picked from the patch!

What an incredible journey from seed to pumpkin! Thank you so much for sharing your pumpkin patch with us.

Using Our Five Senses for Apple Tasting- A Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Tactile Learning Experience

2011-10-14T22:36:00.008-04:00

Before tasting apples, 6B read a story that described our five senses. We then discussed how we could use our five senses to explore apples.

***

We used our eyes to identify different types of apples.
Our noses helped us smell the apples.
Our hands helped us feel the apples. We noted the different textures of the apples skin and flesh.
Our mouths tasted the apples.
Our ears helped us hear the crunching sound as we bit into and chewed the apples.

***

Below we created a web to describe the way the apples looked, felt, tasted, smelled, and sounded.

Below, we tally our favorite apple!

Golden delicious was our favorite!

Thank you 6B friends for bringing in apples from home.

Art with Apples

2011-10-14T22:19:00.006-04:00

What a fun tactile experience!

I cut real apples in half and sliced out a handle so that 6B students were able to create apple prints. Friends had to be sure to dip the apples into paint and then apply just the right amount of pressure to successfully create an apple print.

Our work is now on display downstairs on our 6B bulletin board.

Bravo friends!

Illustrating The Life Cycle of an Apple

2011-10-14T22:00:00.005-04:00

After studying the life cycle of an apple 6B students were ready to use their knowledge to illustrate the process (a great experience for our visual and tactile learners). Before we began our illustrations we reviewed our life cycle poem. This activity incorporated auditory and kinesthetic elements. Watch us below as we recite our poem and perform complimentary body movements.

Fine Motor

2011-10-14T21:31:00.004-04:00

One of the letters we worked on forming properly this week was "l". We practiced both uppercase and lowercase letters in our workbooks. We also compiled a list of words that begin with "l". At the end of class we had a chance to dance to the beginning of the song "Lollipop" by the Chordettes.

Discovery Unit: Apples

2011-10-07T16:55:00.004-04:00

One of our friends in 6B has an apple orchard at his house! He was kind enough to share the above photos with us. We heard all about the different types of apples in his orchard. We also learned how close the apple tree's are to his home. We had an opportunity to ask questions, such as "what do the apple tree's look like in the winter?" Ask your 6B student for the answer!

There will be more apple fun to come! Next up, an art project using apples!

Safety City Field Trip

2011-10-04T18:13:00.007-04:00

Safety City, was a small scale replica of Baltimore. Sixth Age students took a guided tour of the city and practiced safely crossing the streets.

Ms. Harrison taught us that we need to look FOUR ways before crossing: left, right, left over our shoulder, and forward. We practiced the appropriate crossing technique as we traveled through Safety City. We also learned that when crossing a street we must always walk in the middle of the crosswalk.

At the end of our walking tour, students were able to ride big wheels through the city. Each friend needed to stop their "vehicle" at a stop sign and look to be sure traffic was clear before taking a right turn. We looked left, right, and then left again.

As we rode the bus back to Calvert school (sitting with our buddies) we looked outside of the windows to spy signs that we recognized as well as crosswalks.

Ms. McCormick Visits 6B

2011-10-04T18:03:00.006-04:00

We are so excited to have our lower school intern, Ms. McCormick, visiting with 6B today and tomorrow! We did a great job greeting her this morning when we arrived.

We are looking forward to having Ms. McCormick help us with our Sharing time tomorrow!

Sight Word Memory

2011-10-04T17:38:00.004-04:00

Sixth Age readers did a phenomenal job reviewing our popcorn words through a game of memory.
Each friend was able to get a match!

Our First Month Together

2011-10-01T18:14:00.006-04:00

We have officially completed our first month of school! We have settled into our routine, and have all had a chance to get to know each other better. What a wonderful group we have here in 6B!

Focus Skill: Sequence of Events

2011-10-01T17:30:00.004-04:00

In reading, students have been focusing on the short "a" vowel sound. This week we have been reading the story, "The Hat" by Holly Keller. Our focus skill in this story is the sequence of events. We have been paying close attention to the order of events in this story. In the activity above, students were given a sheet of paper with the events placed out of order. We worked together to cut out each sentence and put it in the proper order.

Great job readers!

Chapter Two: Number Writing- A Kinesthetic Approach

2011-10-01T16:41:00.005-04:00

In chapter two we will be learning to properly write the numbers zero to five. Our first set of numbers to work with are zero, one, two, and three.

In this activity the mathematicians practice writing numbers in the air and then on a partners back. As we form the number we recite the proper wording for correct number formation:

zero - Around we go, to make a zero

one- straight line down from the sun, that's the way we make a one

two- around and back on a railroad track

three- around a tree around a tree, that's the way we make a three

Next, we write the numbers on a partners back without reciting the verbiage aloud. Then, the person who had the number written on their back need to guess which number was written.

This was a great activity to get as read for pencil-to-paper practice.

Web of Sounds: Short "a"

2011-10-01T16:16:00.007-04:00

To prepare for our first story unit, we have been focusing on the short "a" /a/ sound.

Our task during this game was to create a web of sounds with string. One person starts the web and says a short "a" word then tosses the ball of yarn to another student. Using only words that have the targeted sound we continued taking turns and were able to successfully weave the web! A few of the words we cam up with were: hat, apple, bat, & map.

Chapter One: More and Less

2011-10-01T15:36:00.006-04:00

One of the final topics discussed in Chapter 1 of the math textbook, Compare and Sort Objects, was the concept of more and less. After introduction and completion of our written textbook work we were ready to play a fun game utilizing the cocept of more and less. The mathematicians were given:

a "more" card
a "less" card
a "more/less" spinner
1 set of 10 connecting cubes per person

The concept of the game is to be the first to gain their partner's connecting cubes. To begin, each student breaks apart their set of 10 cubes into different pieces. The pair of students then chooses 1 set of each of their connecting cubes and matches them against one another. Which is more? Which is less? No cubes can be equal in this game. Upon deciding who has more and less, they place their cubes on either the "more" or "less" card. A student then spins the "more/less" spinner. If the spinner lands on "more", the student whose cubes are on the "more" card takes ALL of the cubes. If the spinner lands on "less", the student whose cubes are on the "less" card takes ALL of the cubes. The mathematicians had so much fun playing this game! It was a wonderful extension lesson with a hands-on approach.

Fine Motor Fish

2011-09-29T19:35:00.004-04:00

One of our fine motor activities this week was to create the beautiful fish. We colored the fish in with crayons then dotted each circle with glue. We had to apply just the right amount of pressure to the bottle to apply the desired amount of glue. The last step was to pinch small amounts of glitter with two fingers and then sprinkle onto our glue dots.

Some friends even made a pattern with their color choices.

Bravo 6B!

Great Ways to Practice Sight Words

2011-09-27T07:52:00.001-04:00

Use coins or buttons to form your words
Print your words on someones back using your finger. Have the person guess the word
Use yarn or string to form your words.
Record yourself saying and spelling your words
Use cooked spaghetti to form your words
Play BINGO with your words
Spread peanut butter or jelly on bread then use raisins to form your words
Use colored crayons or pencils to copy your words in as many different color combinations as possible.
Paint your words using water color or finger paint
Read a story. See how many times you can find your words
Write three or more sentences using each word
See how many times you can write your words in 1 minute
Use colored chalk to write your words on the sidewalk
Write your words in shaving cream
Fold a sheet of paper in fourths. Write your words one time in each square and decorate the squares with art supplies, stickers, etc.
Use cookie dough to shape your words and bake them
Write three or more words that rhyme with each of your word
Play Tic-Tac-Toe using your words
Create a game of "Memory" with your sight words
Create flashcards to review your words

Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

A 6B Birthday

2011-09-26T19:36:00.005-04:00

We had our first 6B birthday celebration today. Our birthday boy received a sticker and a happy birthday pencil.

The class enjoyed a special treat of brownies at snack after we sang "Happy Birthday" to our friend.

Thank you for the special treat!

6-B's Family Trees

2011-09-25T14:25:00.002-04:00

We have started our new discovery unit on family. Sharing this week was to bring in a picture of your family. We loved having the opportunity to get to know one another a little better during this time. On Friday, we began our family trees. We painted the trees, then cut out red circles for our apples. Each apple has one family member's name written on the inside, and was glued onto our painting.

One member of our class is expecting a new baby brother or sister soon! So exciting.

Our trees are now on display in the hallway downstairs. We will make a special trip this week to visit them.

Friendship Key Chains

2011-09-25T14:03:00.004-04:00

In homeroom, we have just finished our discovery unit on friendship.

You may have noticed the new key chains on your child's backpack.
Those were made during a closing activity. This experience promoted
fine motor development as children strung beads. The students also
needed to incorporate math skills as they made their very own
pattern. Lastly, we practiced sharing, and being appreciative as we
let another friend in 6B receive the key chain as a gift.

Our Class Book

2011-09-22T18:09:00.005-04:00

6B made our very own class book during our friendship discovery unit. Using predictable text, our book discusses each member of our class. Below, students sit "knees to knees and eyes to eyes" to discuss what their favorite activity is at school. Next, they went to the table to organize the words in our sentence properly. The last step was to illustrate their page with a drawing of themselves at school.

Our book has been laminated and is ready to be sent home to visit with each member of the class. I hope this book helps spark exciting discussions with your child about their time with friends in 6B.

6B Specials

2011-09-18T18:58:00.004-04:00

We have completed our first full week of school! Now we have had the opportunity to visit all of our special subjects.

In Spanish, Señora Duncan has started teaching exciting songs.

Our science teacher, Ms. English, helped us explore our sense of smell during an exciting experiment.

In art, Mrs. Reinhardt has used the story, Mouse Paint, by Ellen Stoll Walsh, to help us learn to mix primary colors to create secondary colors.

After our second library class, Ms. Stone helped us check out interesting books.

Ms. Emala has introduced us to the computers during our Tuesday technology classes.

In music Mrs. Elliot has used drums to help us understand rhythm and beats.

I can't wait for another fun week together!

Ms. Clark

Fine Motor

2011-09-13T15:03:00.010-04:00

6B practiced writing their names properly during our fine motor time. We discussed that there are three lines that help guide us as we write. The top, middle, and bottom lines help us to make sure that our letters are in the proper place. Letters that are either too high or too low are referred to as "floaters" and "sinkers". Also, we discussed the concept of writing from left to right. We always start on the left when writing and reading.

Each child's name was dotted and then inserted into a plastic sleeve. This way, we were able to trace the proper formation of each letter using the dots as a guide. After tracing, the dry-erase marker was easily removed with a tissue and we were able to try again.

Great job 6B. I can't wait to check our sign-in sheet tomorrow. Practice makes perfect, and mistakes are OK! :)

Character Partnership

2011-09-12T07:33:00.001-04:00

Ms.Clark on Vimeo.

We met with 9-1 last Thursday for our first character partnership. The students worked together to identify important traits of good character, which worked perfectly with our current Discovery unit on friendship.

Check out the video above to see our partnership in action.

Thank you to Ms. Gentry and the 9-1 boys. We are looking forward to meeting with you again!

2011-09-09T21:52:00.008-04:00

What a wonderful day. We are so excited for our hometown team to play this weekend. We even did a RAVENS cheer on the playground!

Enjoy your weekend 6B! I can't wait to see everyone on Monday morning.

Parents' Night

2011-09-09T12:59:00.005-04:00

Thank you 6B parents, for a wonderful evening! I hope you found the time in our classroom to be informative. If you would like a copy of last night's PowerPoint please let me know.

The Love Notes were a huge hit this morning! Many of the children smiled and giggled over your messages. Most children chose to save the note and will be taking it home today in their backpack :)

6B Silhouettes

2011-09-07T07:15:00.001-04:00

Above, are the 6B silhouettes. Can you recognize the members of our class?

Celebrating Summer Reading

2011-09-05T15:42:00.006-04:00

We had a wonderful time making connections to our summer reading book "A Birthday for Bear" by Bonny Becker. Before snack, we read and discussed the book as a class. Next we celebrated by eating cupcakes topped with gummy bears!

Later we discussed and then illustrated what we like to do on our own birthdays.

The last surprise of the day was that each student received a red balloon to take home (just like the birthday bear in our story)!

Our First Day Together

2011-09-01T21:49:00.004-04:00

Ms.Clark on Vimeo.

What an incredible first day! The hours flew by while we enjoyed a flurry of activities! Take a look at all of the excitement!

6B Beginnings...

2011-08-29T22:00:00.006-04:00

I can't wait to see everyone at our upcoming party! I've had so much fun preparing the classroom for your arrival! Take a look below for a tour of our classroom!

2011-08-07T15:43:00.005-04:00

Welcome 6B!

2011-07-25T13:47:00.005-04:00

Happy Summer 6B!

I hope that you are having a wonderful time with your friends and family. I wanted to share some pictures of summer with you! Here's a fun challenge. How many things can you spy in these pictures that begin with the letter "b"?

I can't wait to meet you next month!

Ms. Clark

Congratulations Pilot Mathematicians!

2011-06-07T12:08:00.002-04:00

What an exciting year in Pilot Math! Abstract concepts became more concrete using a hands on learning approach. I am so proud of the Pilot mathematicians!

I will miss you so much! Happy summer!

Congratulations Seventh Age Readers!

2011-06-07T12:02:00.006-04:00

Bravo to the Seventh Age readers! I am so proud of all of your hard work throughout the course of the school year.
A special thank you to our Ninth Age reading buddies for a fun filled year-long partnership of learning!
I will miss you so much! Best of luck in Eighth Age!

Congratulations Sixth Age Readers!

2011-06-07T11:42:00.004-04:00

What an incredible year! Bravo to the Sixth Age readers for all of their hard work. On the last day of class they were presented with their "Reading Licensce".
Don't forget to continue to read over the summer months!
I will miss you!

Time & Money

2011-06-03T10:28:00.000-04:00

Pilot mathematicians did a wonderful job with the concepts of time and money!

Long Vowels

2011-06-02T13:45:00.003-04:00

Sixth Age friends have done a wonderful job working with long vowlels. We have just completed our magic e phonics books!

Bravo!

Long "a" Vowel Pairs

2011-05-27T17:04:00.002-04:00

Seventh Age friends have done a phenomenal job working with vowel pairs!

Magic "e"

2011-05-27T16:46:00.004-04:00

Sixth Age friends are hard at work reviewing long vowels. We are focusing on words that have the magic e at the end. The magic e forces the vowel to say its name!
{cape, made, cube, time, pine, home, here}

Basic Fractions

2011-05-27T16:34:00.006-04:00

Pilot mathematicians have enjoyed learning basic fractions. One of our favorite activities was our fractions picnic!

Dot-to-dot on an iPad

2011-05-19T17:30:00.003-04:00

We have really enjoyed the opportunity to explore math concepts using an iPad. Above, students work together on a dot-to-dot.

2011-05-12T13:52:00.001-04:00

Sixth Age students are currently focusing on consonant blends.

Our phonics packet emphasises initial blends with “l”

(bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl- block, clip, flap, glad, plan, slap)

Calvert Lacrosse

2011-05-11T11:25:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Calvert's B team on an undefeated season!!

A Play!

2011-05-11T11:04:00.004-04:00

Sixth Age readers have done a wonderful job with our latest reading selection, a play, "Did You See Chip". Sixth Age friends especially enjoyed taking turns reading as different characters.

BRAVO!

Addition Using Dice

2011-05-11T10:32:00.002-04:00

We had a great time rolling dice and finding the sum of our two numbers. I always tell the children to start with the largest number when adding. We also competed to see who could roll the highest number. Try this game out at home with your mathematician!

Break A Leg

2011-05-11T10:20:00.001-04:00

Best wishes to the Seventh Age readers in today's performance!

Bravo

2011-05-09T14:01:00.003-04:00

Pilot mathematicians are thrilled to have completed their written work in their chapter on addition. Please keep an eye out for the workbooks in your child's backpack.

Up next, measurement and fractions!

Addition

2011-05-04T11:38:00.002-04:00

Pilot mathematicians have been working hard on addition!

Vowel Pairs oa + ow (long "o" sound)

2011-05-04T10:53:00.004-04:00

Seventh Age readers are hard at work with vowel pairs oa and ow. The oa vowel pair usually comes in the middle of a word (boat, toad, road, load, coal). The ow vowel pair usually comes at the end of a word (low, blow, tow, crow).

Bravo!

Teamwork

2011-05-04T10:38:00.001-04:00

Seventh Age readers work together to find their new sight words within a crossword puzzle.

R-controlled vowels ar

2011-05-04T10:19:00.003-04:00

Sixth Age students have done a wonderful job reading ar words and correctly using them in a sentence.

Bravo!

Addition

2011-04-27T14:08:00.004-04:00

Pilot mathematicians are currently learning about addition. Today we talked about the plus and equals signs. Once we were able to recognize the signs and understand their meanings, we took some time to try and create the signs with our bodies. What fun!

Long A Loop Game

2011-04-27T13:45:00.002-04:00

Sixth Age readers did a great job reviewing long "a" during our loop game.

Backwards Alphabet?

2011-04-21T12:43:00.002-04:00

Every day we get our brains ready for reading by completing alphabet warm-up activities. We identify letters, produce their sounds, and often are allowed to sing the alphabet backwards. The Sixth Age readers have had a lot of practice, and now, they do not even need to look at the alphabet to sing!

I am thoroughly impressed by their hard work! Bravo!

Graphing Skittles for "S" Week

2011-04-21T12:19:00.006-04:00

Pilot mathematicians used their sorting and graphing skills to celebrate "S" week in math. After examining our results, we were able to compare our work and see that each friend had the most purple Skittles. Have your child explain their results to you. They will be able to effectively count using one-to-one correspondence. They will also be able to explain their graph using exciting terminology such as "more/most", "less/least", and "equal".

Vowel Pairs: ai + ay

2011-04-21T12:06:00.004-04:00

Seventh Age readers did a phenomenal job today working with the ai and ay vowel pairs. We knew that these combinations create the long "a" /a/ sound. Students read new words, created a sentence with their word (context), then sorted each word by placing it in the appropriate bag.

Bravo.

"We did it!"

2011-04-21T11:16:00.006-04:00

Pilot mathematicians are so excited to have completed their number writing (1-20) workbook. Please look for your child's hard work in their backpack.

Next, we will be working on addition!

2011-04-19T10:03:00.003-04:00

Seventh Age readers are hard at work noting details, exploring the sequence of events, and examining cause and effect in the story "EEK! There's a Mouse in the House".

Magic Number Game

2011-04-13T14:06:00.003-04:00

The magic number game is one of our favorite warm-up activities. In this game we need to count aloud while simultaneously passing the number by slapping the hand of the student next to us. Each round has a specific magic number. When that number comes, you try to either slap the hand of the person next to you, or pull your hand away before it is slapped. Watch us in action below.

Bravo!

2011-04-12T13:22:00.003-04:00

Sixth Age readers have just completed the Harcourt 1-2 reader! The students will be borrowing the book to practice reading the selection of stories at home. In class, we will begin the 1-3 reader.

Long "e" Vowel Pairs (ee and ea)

2011-04-11T15:14:00.004-04:00

Seventh age readers are doing a phenomenal job working with ee and ea vowel pairs. Today we worked on reading words aloud, then we created a sentence using the long "e" word.

March Reading Madness Party!

2011-04-11T14:07:00.004-04:00

Bravo to all of the Sixth Age readers! During the month of March, Sixth Age friends read a total of 2,149 books! Our small group contributed 482 books to that total!

The party was a great success! Thank you to all of the families who helped provide delicious treats!

Fun with Fish

2011-04-06T13:01:00.003-04:00

We are really enjoying our new story "Fun with Fish" by Jane Ward.

This selection of nonfiction is providing interesting new information about different types of fish. We were surprised by the appearance of some of the fish we saw! Later this week we will learn about the photographer, Norbert Wu, who took the beautiful photographs in our story.

Story Comprehension

2011-04-05T12:55:00.002-04:00

Seventh Age students did a wonderful job working together as they discussed and identified the characters, setting, problem, and solution in the story "The Sleeping Pig".

Alphabetical Order

2011-04-04T12:58:00.003-04:00

Seventh Age readers did a phenomenal job today on their folder paper. We have been working on properly organizing words to show the correct ABC order.

Opening Day!

2011-04-04T12:41:00.004-04:00

Pilot mathematicians celebrated Orioles opening day with a number writing activity. After we had labeled each baseball we had time to color the Oriole's bird and say a cheer!

Great job friends. Go O's!

Number Order

2011-04-01T14:08:00.003-04:00

Pilot mathematicians did a great job sorting and sequencing the numbers through twenty. We used a lot of teamwork to get the job done!

2011-03-29T14:22:00.003-04:00

Pilot students are working hard on identifying, writing, and counting numbers eleven through twenty in class.

Bossy "R" Crossword Puzzle

2011-03-29T13:39:00.003-04:00

Sixth Age readers did a wonderful job today on a difficult crossword puzzle.

From Egg to Frog

2011-03-25T12:53:00.005-04:00

Sixth Age friends read the story "Where Do Frogs Come From?" by Alex Vern. This selection of nonfiction was extremely informative. After reading the story we had an opportunity to act out the growth stages of a frog.

Zoom!

2011-03-25T12:32:00.004-04:00

Pilot mathematicians practice their number counting to twenty by playing the game "Zoom".

"Book Heaven"

2011-03-11T14:35:00.003-05:00

Sixth Age readers were thrilled to come into class today and see the reading selections ready to be brought home over spring break! Friends exclaimed that it was just like "book heaven" or "book Christmas"!

I am so excited about the students enthusiasm!

Happy Reading!

March Reading Madness

2011-03-11T14:10:00.003-05:00

Seventh Age readers celebrated March Reading Madness by bringing in their favorite book to share with our Ninth Age reading buddies. Fun was had by all as we munched on delicious treats and shared about our favorite reading selections.

Happy Reading!

Contractions

2011-03-11T13:43:00.005-05:00

Seventh Age readers did a phenomenal job working with contractions. I laid out contraction cards and the students were charged with the task of matching the correct pairs. Once they found a pair, they were able to write it on the sheet provided (seen above). After we had completed our written work we were all given a contraction card. We read the card than placed it on our foreheads. Then we needed to walk around the classroom searching for our match. We had great success, as you can see below.

Short "u" Phoneme Substitution

2011-03-11T13:33:00.006-05:00

Sixth Age readers did a fine job reading and building new words! We focused primarily on short "u" words. As I read the words aloud students needed to listen and discriminate the new sounds. Then, they needed to change certain letters to create a new word.

stuck
tuck
truck
luck
duck
dug
dig
rig
wig

Alphabet Warm-Up

2011-03-11T13:24:00.004-05:00

Sixth Age students begin each class by getting their brains ready for reading! We review the alphabet in random order first identifying each letter and then producing the appropriate letter sound. Watch us above as we take a moment to perform our alphabet warm-up.

Magic E Long A Words

2011-03-03T15:01:00.008-05:00

Seventh Age readers made books with long "a" words. These books display CVC words. When you fold back the paper and add an "e" at the end (creating CVCe) the "e" adds some magic. It forces the vowel to "say its name"!

The short "a" sound is transformed to the long "a" sound!

Word-O

2011-02-28T14:12:00.002-05:00

Today we played BINGO with words (Word-O).

This fun game was used to review words with Digraphs. We had to cut out each word, highlight the digraph (sh, th, ch, wh, tch) within the word, then arrange our Word-O boards. As I read aloud students placed a marker on each word.

We had so much fun during this review activity.

Hard at Work

2011-02-23T13:57:00.002-05:00

Review: Numbers 1-10

2011-02-23T13:01:00.002-05:00

Great for reinforcement at home.

Phonics

2011-02-23T12:25:00.004-05:00

Seventh Age readers are doing a wonderful job working with the phonics in their current unit. We are focusing on words with the long "a" sound. We are also working with words that end with nd, nk, and ng. In our short story, we highlighted all of the words that incorporated the above skills.

Below, you can hear us reading a portion of the selection.

Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Tactile Linkages

2011-02-17T12:52:00.007-05:00

We had so much fun in math today! Pilot mathematicians were certainly hard at work.

In today's activity I said a number aloud. The students needed to listen, and then find that number in their number book. Then, they traced over the formation as they spoke aloud. Next, they needed to use one-to-one correspondence to count out the desired number of manipulatives. Lastly, they were challenged to use their manipulatives to form the numeral.

Below you can hear us practice the formation for the number seven. We also tried to follow the bumpy dots with our eyes closed (taking away the visual input and relying solely on the tactile experience).

Long A Loop Game

2011-02-16T12:31:00.004-05:00

Seventh Age Readers review long a words in the above game. In this round we are reading words from the -ake word family.

Bravo!

Happy One Hundredth Day of School!

2011-02-16T11:35:00.006-05:00

We celebrated the 100th day by making glasses! We used our fine motor skills to cut-out the number as well as the ear pieces. As we cut, we listened to the story "100 Wacky Wishes" by Liza Charlesworth.

Afterwards, the students were asked what they would wish for if they could have 100 of anything at all?

Answers:

K: 100 unicorns!

J: 100 big ponies!

M: 100 x-boxes!

Graphing Hearts for Valentines Day

2011-02-15T19:10:00.002-05:00

Pilot Mathematicians did a wonderful job sorting and graphing candy hearts to celebrate Valentines day. We discussed which color we had the most of and which we had the least. We also examined which colors we had equal amounts of!