November's Bear Inquiry

In November, students in Room 7 explored bears, including their sources of food, habitat and their hibernation habits. Below are some photos of our exploration. 

Students explored using several art techniques and mediums in order to create bear art projects. 

For the project below, students used oral communication or gestures to indicate two paint colours of their choice. They then used forks to spread the paint, creating a textured effect. We completed these bears by cutting out eyes, noses and ears, each student practicing their individual cutting skills. 

This multi-step project began with students using 4 different water colours to paint a large sheet of paper. We then used our cutting skills to cut out a head, body, arms and legs. Using scrap pieces of black paper, we completed our bears by adding ears, feet, claws, eyes and noses. 

In addition to our art projects, students explored a variety of literature, both fiction and non-fiction to learn about bears. 

We also practiced our expressive language skills using the amazing books by Bill Martin and Eric Carle. Students were given the opportunity to explore these books during group story time, partner reading and individual book exploration. 

Students explored texture with a wide variety of materials in order to create our large classroom bear. Some of the materials available were: sandpaper, felt, fur, rubber backing, yarn, twine, tissue paper and bark. 

 Our completed project wall. 

Letter L

Last week students had the opportunity to explore the letter L. Tasks that reinforced letter and sound recognition of the letter L were woven into our daily learning activities. Below is an example of some of those activities. 

We began our exploration of the Letter L with a craft. Students were required to follow along as an adult demonstrated each step of our craft.

 Here, students are using materials from "Handwriting Without Tears" to build the letter L. 

After building the letter L, students used their finger and then a crayon to trace the letter. This tracing was paired with language that reinforced the correct formation of the letter L (ex. start at the top).

 Students were then given the opportunity to practice printing the letter on their own paired with colouring an image of something that starts with the letter L. 

In addition to daily desk work, exploration of the letter L, including learning the corresponding sound and discovering the variety of things that start with the letter L were explored during our daily circle and music times. 

After much practice, students were asked to trace and print the letter L independently in their Literacy journals. They were then tasked with picking a picture of something that begins with the letter L and finding that matching word in order to label their picture. 

We loved learning about the letter L. 

Weekly Reminders:

Tuesday November 19th: Swimming at Emily Follensbee

Friday November 22nd: No School-Professional Development Day

New Task Boxes for November-Part 2

Like last week's post highlighting our numeracy-focused task boxes, students also have the opportunity to explore literacy-focused task boxes each day. Below are some examples of our literacy task boxes for November.

For this task box, students are required to match uppercase letters in order to complete a simple bear puzzle. Oral language skills are practiced and reinforced with letter and sound recognition and discussion of colour. 

This task box requires students to use their receptive language skills. An adult will read the descriptor card and students must match the visual picture. Oral language skills are also reinforced as students name the animal card. 

This task box can be scaffolded depending on individual student skill. For some students, they use their visual discrimination skills in order to match the colour of the animal to the corresponding colour on the mat. Other students are tasked with using their receptive language skills as an adult will request a certain animal and students must match based on that oral request. 

This activity introduces early reading skills as students practice reading the sentence on each card. Numeracy skills are woven into the task as students must use one-to-one correspondence in order to complete each card. 

Students must use visual discrimination skills in order to find the shapes to complete each picture. Numeracy skills are woven into this task as some students are asked to count each distinct shape and print the corresponding written numeral. 

For this task box, students must use their visual discrimination skills in order to sort bears. Adults practice oral language skills by asking students to identify the colour of each category and the size of each bear. Counting skills are also woven into this task as students are asked to count how many bears are in each colour category. 

Reminders:

Tuesday November 12th: Swimming

Tuesday November 19th: Swimming

Tuesday November 26th: Swimming

Tuesday December 3rd: Swimming (This will be our last swimming session). 

New Task Boxes for November

Similar to last year, students in CSSI have the opportunity to explore task boxes daily. Task boxes provide an interactive, hands-on way for students to learn basic skills and concepts. Literacy and Numeracy concepts are woven into each task, and problem solving, oral language, visual discrimination and fine motor skills are also reinforced. Students have the opportunity to explore more numeracy-focused task boxes in the morning, and more literacy-focused task boxes in the afternoon. Task boxes are personalized for students, and are developed based on the skill level of students. 

Students were very excited today to see the new task boxes for November. 

Below, you will find examples from our morning Numeracy Task Boxes:

This task box reinforces colour discrimination, number recognition and counting with one-to-one correspondence. 

This task box requires number recognition, counting with one-to-one correspondence, and fine motor skills are reinforced with the action of students rolling play-dough body parts for each worm. 

This task box requires number recognition and visual discrimination skills.

The following task box requires students to recognize numbers to 15, use one-to-one correspondence, but also introduces the ten frame as a new number recognition/counting strategy. 

 This task box requires students to recognize numbers to 10, use one-to-one correspondence for counting, reinforces number printing skills, and helps to strengthen fine motor skills as students must roll and shape leaves out of play-dough to match the number. 

Task boxes are a highlight of the day for our students, and they work so hard at the skills required to complete each box. 

Weekly Reminders:

Tuesday November 5th: Swimming

Monday November 11th: No School-Remembrance Day

*** Please remember that we participate in outside Recess everyday. Please ensure your student comes to school with the appropriate outerwear in order to play outside. 

Name Placemats

To compliment our weekly letter work, students worked on name placemats this week. Each student's placemat contains images of objects that start with the same letter as their name. 

In addition to strengthening fine motor skills by colouring each image, students were encouraged to use their oral communication skills to identify the pictures on their individual placemats. 

For some of the students, we used the images on each placemat to provoke expansion of speech. 

For example: We may ask the question "what do you see?". Students would typically answer with single word answers "robot". We encouraged students to expand their responses to "I see a robot" or "This is a robot".

We can't wait to start using our individualized placemats for snack and lunch time. 

Upcoming Reminders:

Monday October 21st- Picture Day

Tuesday October 22nd- Swimming

Letter P

Every week, we explore a letter. We learn how to print the letter, how to make the letter's sound, and explore words that start with that letter. 

This week, we explored the letter P. 

We began by learning about the letter P during our morning circle routine. Using songs by Sesame Street, ABC Mouse, and Super Simple Songs, we learned all about the letter P. 

We then learned how to print uppercase P on the large whiteboard. Each student then had the opportunity to practice tracing and printing the letter P and identifying and colouring pictures of objects that start with P.  

 

 We then were asked the next day to practice tracing and printing the letter P and identifying objects that begin with P, building upon our knowledge learned the previous day. 

We used our knowledge of the letter P to create a class poster for our alphabet wall. 

Finally, we created a new character for our alphabet scrapbook. "P is for Pig"

Upcoming Reminders:

-Our first therapy swim session will be Tuesday October 8th. Please remember to send your child prepared with their swim gear on Tuesday. 

-Friday October 11th: No School-Professional Development Day

-Monday October 14th: No School-Thanksgiving Holidy