Week of Sept. 10th

Non-Fiction Bear Research

After learning about our classroom pets, I posed the question of how we could study an animal that lives in the wild?  Certainly we couldn't bring something like a bear in our room to observe, sketch, and take care of.  The children suggested that we go in the woods with our clipboards and cameras, look in books, or go on the computer, Ipad or on television!  We first listed what we know about bears and then wrote down things we still wonder about bears.  We began our research by learning to "read" pictures in a non-fiction book.  We discovered that we could learn a lot from the pictures even if we couldn't read the words.

Validating Facts and Answering "I Wonder" Questions

We found pictures in our books to prove our facts were accurate and to answer some of our questions.  We used our research clothespins to mark pages so that we could share our findings with a friend and the group.  We were surprised by some of our findings...that bears usually run away from other animals and that bears are not hatched from eggs - they are born alive while the mother bear is hibernating in winter!  (I confess, I did not know the hibernating part either - it is so much fun to learn along with the children!)  We then wrote a fact we know or learned using our JK writing.

Bear Habitat Under Construction

We wanted to show what we knew about bears and decided to build a bear cave and woods to open our big block area.  We first learned about safe building using big blocks and how to construct a roof with fabric so that blocks would not fall on us.  The children added found objects, recycled materials, and painted a mural to complete the woods cooperatively.  

Pretending to be Bears

We loved our first round of play in the new bear habitat and will continue so that everyone gets a turn next week.  We will wrap up our bear study next week and move on to fictional bear stories to contrast with our non-fiction research.

Birthdays in JK

Friday, we celebrated Liam's birthday in JK!  For the group, it was a fun experience to learn all the special things you get to do when it is your birthday and what special activities and traditions we have in our room - birthday flag, playdough cakes, puzzles, pointer, and of course a yummy treat accompanied by the Birthday Song (cha-chas or no cha-chas your choice).  We can't wait to all have a JK Birthday Celebration, and many of us won't have to wait long because we have 3 more birthdays next week!   See you then, Mrs. Jeffers