Working once a week with our youngest children, we have studied and learned how to form the capital letters A through E. While this sounds like a simple task, there are many things to consider. First of all where to start the letter? This is hard for some youngsters who are used to forming their Read More >>
Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages,
Inspired by Lucy Calkins’ Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages, the youngest children explored writing poetry. The unit starts with a poetry museum, which asks children to write about objects that have been collected. As each object is observed children are encouraged to see with poet’s eyes, to see the unusual in ordinary objects. As Read More >>
Building Number Sense and Mathematical Thinking
Five of our youngest children took part in a TERC Investigations math unit on Building Number Sense and Mathematical Thinking. An integral part of this unit is having students explain their mathematical strategies that they did by drawing pictures, using numbers, words and manipulatives and counting in their head or on their fingers. Each Read More >>
Ramps
Children in grades Kindergarten through Second Grade have been exploring ramps in science one afternoon a week. We started by discussing what a ramp was and what it might be used for. Our first experiments looked at the different surfaces on our ramps and how that effected the distance our car would go off the Read More >>
Little House and maple syrup
Our youngest eight students have been having a wonderful time exploring the time period of pioneers by using Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book Little House in the Big Woods. We started by reading a biography about Laura and then started reading her first book. As we explored the big woods with Laura and her family, we’ve also Read More >>
Xerox
To assist children learning how to read, we offer small group instruction that focuses on the six syllable types. Using Road to Reading, and Wilson Language, each week children receive instruction that meets them at their instructional level. Typically children meet in small groups with a teacher four times a week for 20 – 30 Read More >>
Settled Vs. Nomadic
Throughout September and the beginning of October, our youngest students (kindergarten and 1st grade) have been working on the concept of Settled vs. Nomadic. We began the topic with talking about all different kinds of homes. The students generated a list of characteristics and we began to classify the pictures. Students classified the homes in Read More >>
Field Trip to see Hen, the Mummy!
The kindergarten, first, and second graders took a trip to Cazenovia Library to see Hen, the Mummy. Before we went, we read about mummies–how they are made and why. We also read the book I Am the Mummy Heb-Nefert, by Eve Bunting, the “autobiography” of a mummy that provides the essence of life in Egypt during Read More >>
B.F.G Read Aloud
Our youngest children (kindergarten and 1st) loved listening to Johnna, our student teacher, reading The B.F.G. by Roald Dahl. This is a fantasy story that explores the B.F.G.’s kidnapping of Sophie. He carries Sophie away to giant country and leads her on an unforgettable journey. The students really enjoyed being about to draw in their Read More >>