Peregrine Press
December 15-19
Schedule
Tuesday: P.E.
Wednesday: Art
Thursday Out and About to Goodwill
Friday: Holiday Celebration
Last Week:
We had another great week! Our Out and About took us near B Street Farm where the students worked in groups to create "natural sculptures." They recently studied the work of an artist named Andy Goldsworthy that created these natural art forms using only the materials that were in the natural place. Our class created beautiful sculptures using fallen limbs, ivy, morning glory and other plant life. I again was very impressed with the teamwork and cooperation that took place in the different groups.
On Wednesday we spent some time learning about how to write a friendly letter. We then used those skills to write letters to our soldiers and to children in the hospital. We used old cards, fabric and other miscellaneous materials to create cards as well. This fit nicely with our study of consumerism, and the kids were able to see that you can create beautiful work without buying new materials.
The focus for the consumerism unit this week was "How Green is Our Clothing." We talked about different methods for growing cotton, and the impact of pesticides on different species. This sparked a great discussion about the challenges people face with trying to decide what to buy. Many kids feel that organic food is too expensive so their families can't afford it, but then they feel bad that they are hurting the environment.
We continued our work with literacy circles. I have seen some great leadership come out of this experience! We also reflected on our goals (we have been doing that every Friday). A new thing that I am hoping to incorporate every Friday is a weekly summary. As a class we brainstorm all of the things we did during the week and then each student is responsible for writing a summary about one or two of the topics. I feel that summarizing is a skill that students need some more practice with. I also have noticed that many students are mixing up plurals and contractions. During morning meeting we reviewed the differences between them, as well as when to us "a" and when to use "an" when dealing with a singular noun that starts with a vowel or consonant.
This Week:
I have no idea what to expect this week with the weather so we will just have to be flexible and prepared for anything. If we do have some regular days of school we will be working on our reindeer tales, literacy circles (creative writing activity) and consumerism. Our trip to Goodwill will only happen if it is safe to do so. If it is too cold to walk we may try to take the bus, or we might try and reschedule for January.
**I am not sending homework this week, or over Christmas break.
**We are out of erasers so if anyone feels like donating either the eraser tops or the big pink erasers we would really appreciate it. Thanks.
**I will be boxing up the soldier care packages mid-week so any more donations of treats, or money for shipping would be wonderful!
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