September 10-14, 2018
Shana Tova to all of our Room 8 families! We hope you all had a wonderful weekend filled with family, traditions, warmth, love and sweetness to welcome the new year. Room 8 jumped right back into school on Wednesday! We continued learning about Rosh Hashanah and conducted our first compare and contrast discussion of the year. After introducing apples as a significant piece of this holiday, we asked the children to use “details” to describe this item. Some asked, “What does ‘details’ mean?” The concept of details is an integral piece of our classroom curriculum. We explained that details, otherwise known as “describing words,” are used to explain an item, concept or idea. The children understood that “details” are small facts that we use to distinguish one item from another. For instance, Kate started the conversation by stating that the apple was half light red and half dark red. Christopher added another detail to the conversation when he stated, “The apple is a circle shape.” Cameron added that the apple feels smooth, and Amanda chimed in by saying how the apple feels harder in some places. We were so impressed by your children during our introductory conversation on details that we took this a step further! Instead of ending at details, we introduced the concept of compare and contrast. We encouraged the children to discuss the similarities and differences of details between two items, an apple and shofar. These are the two items that we have spent the most time on. We stated, “Think of something that is the ‘same’ for similarities and something that is ‘different’ for differences.” Blake was the first to volunteer information when he said, “Both are hard! That is the same.” Then, Grayson said, “Some that is different is that we eat apples and you cannot eat Shofars.” Next time you visit Room 8, take a look at the wall to see the other similarities and differences that your children came up with! We cannot wait to continue these conceptual conversations throughout the year as the children strengthen their critical thinking skills and deepen their thought process. All of the Pre-K classes had a special visitor this week, The Bee Lady! As we gathered in Geldin Chapel behind the Temple, the children were mesmerized as The Bee Lady explained the details of bees, honey and how it is made. From learning about the bees habitat, to their nectar and wax, to how you can tell the difference between a queen bee and regular bees, the children enjoyed every moment of this discussion. They passed around a real piece of honeycomb from a beehive and tasted raw honey on a piece of apple. Room 8’s favorite part was viewing real live bees in the portable bee case that our guest speaker brought with her. The children were fascinated by the bees as they watched them buzz around through the plexiglass container. We also want to thank you all for donating to the Bee Lady and hope you enjoy the delicious raw and natural honey! We will continue our discussion on the important symbolism of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot over the next couple weeks. In addition, we are excited to begin strengthening our fine motor skills with new activities next week. Have a wonderful weekend and Shabbat Shalom! Mari and Aaliyah Reminders:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Pre-K Room 8Mari Greifer Archives
March 2020
Categories |