We are Hatching Chicks!
I am sure that by now you have heard the big news
of yesterday! Children arrived to discover an incubator filled with 19 eggs!
They are very excited to be hatching chicks in our class! Over the next
20 days, we will be learning about eggs and the development of chickens through
guided inquiry. The children will be participating in a number of egg and
chick related activities including:
- The Life cycle of the Egg and
Chicken
- Egg Candling
- Recording their Observations
- Parts of the Egg and Chicken
- Egg Experiments
- Fictional Story Writing
- Non fiction Writing
(explanatory texts)
- Fiction and Non-fiction
Reading
- Developing their research and inquiry skills
This is a picture of the 18 eggs in our incubator.
We will be using the children's questions and
wonderings to guide our inquiry. The chicks will be hatching during Education
Week, giving the children the opportunity to share their experiences with their
families.
Today, we began our first candling of
the eggs. We held each egg over a light to check inside for the presence
of an air pocket and a dark spot to mark the embryo. This image was taken
in our classroom today. Students were fascinated to watch this procedure egg by
egg. They were excited to discover these signs of the beginning of new life
inside the eggs!
Math:
We
have been working on 3D shapes in geometry.
Students have engaged in hands-on activities to help them to identify
and classify the different solids by their attributes and properties. We have
looked at 3D shapes in our school and in structures on the smart board. We were
even able to find numerous examples in our lunch bags. Next, we will be looking at money. Students will practice adding and subtracting
money amounts to 10 cents and beyond using coin manipulatives and
drawings. We will also revisit addition
and subtraction through problem solving.
Our math activities usually take place in small groups or with partners
which helps to make students more accountable for their input and thinking and to
be receptive to the math thinking of others.
Religion & Family Life
We have been participating in the Lenten liturgies and
putting our good deeds into action as we watch our Lenten Good Deeds Jar fill
up with beans. In Family Life, we have
had discussions on God’s plan for new life within a family. Next, we will be focusing on appreciating and
developing the talents and gifts that God his given each of us.
Language
Our
focus in writing for April will be on procedural writing. We will work together to write simple
instructions to teach others how to make or do something. We always begin with
a modeled and sharing writing activity leading into a guided and then
independent piece. Students are already
showing enthusiasm for this unit as they will get to be experts themselves
instructing us on how to do something.
In reading, we have focused on the comprehension of asking questions
before, during, and after reading to enhance our understanding of text. We
continue to use the word wall to help us spell and our sounding out strategies
to read and spell new words. It is
exciting to see students desire to express their ideas in writing.
