December and January Happenings!

Hi Parents and Families!
There has been so much going on in our room that I am just now getting caught up with our updates from December and January!
First of all, a BIG thank you to everyone who brought food or volunteered for our Holiday Party before break! This was a really fun way to wrap up all the things we learned about different holidays.

Also, a HUGE thank you to parents who donated books from the book fair to our classroom! 

Before winter break, we did a super fun unit on creative and inventive thinking. We learned about a character named Isabel the Inventor who wears Brainfocal glasses to help her see things in a new and different way. Even though a big part of school is learning information and skills, we also want to be sure to take time to let our kids exercise their creativity. We talked about how creative thinking is like a muscle that gets stronger the more you use it, and people who are good problem solvers are often able to look at things as they are and see them in a different, creative way. We made our own Brainfocals to help us see things in an interesting way, and did lots of fun writing about turning normal things into something different. 

In Science, we have started our unit on properties of matter! This is such a great time for hands on learning, and while will be learning lots of interesting facts about matter, we will also be doing lots of experiments to see how solids, liquids, and gases change form, and soon we will be observing chemical reactions. 

We have also been spending lots of time with Stella! All students in our class have now had a chance to hold her, and we will continue to let students do this throughout the year. If you didn't see the Newsletter this week, please check for an update about feeding Stella! 

In writing, we are wrapping up our How- To Unit! To practice reading how to steps with clear writing and following directions, we have been making lots of crafts. Whenever you see anything come home, please be sure to ask your student to talk about what they learned or were practicing! 

I was very impressed with how our kids engaged with some tough discussions around Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We read the beautiful book Martin's Big Words together, and then talked about some ways we can work towards making the world more peaceful, continuing in MLK's footsteps. This writing is hanging under our hall heads, please check it out the next time you're upstairs! 

 We mailed our letters all the way to France! Thanks so much to the parents who sent in postcards! Our pen pals will love to see these great representations of our state! Stay tuned to see what they send us back! 

 In math, we are starting to prepare for our unit on Geometry, so we have been spending some time with materials that help us think about surface area, shapes, and symmetry. We are also working hard to memorize math facts up to ten, especially doubles! Ask your child to sing the Doubles Rap to you! 

 Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for updates- it won't be two months before I post again!