IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

We have been introducing many new activities in Word Study over the past few weeks.  After fall break, word study will move to a workshop structure where the students will complete these different activities independently and I will be able to work with small groups and individualize the instruction! Today the students rolled two cubes and made words with a partner.  For example n + ame = name.  Then they sorted the words into “real words” and “not real words.”  This activity continues to work on word families as well as blending and chunking words.  The students were engaged with their partners and some students even asked to do the activity later during free choice!

Today during our free choice/project work time, our Butler friends presented a fun experience for our friends. They put things in tissue boxes that reminded them of rain (soggy leaves, water, cotton balls), and then asked our friends to put their hands in the boxes to guess what was inside of them. While watching the children put their hands in the boxes, their eyes widened!! It was fun to see them feel it and guess what it was and then actually see what it was!

REMINDERS-
Tomorrow is Garden Day so please make sure your child is in clothes that you are okay to see get dirty. Also, one of the local meteorologists will be here in the afternoon to share her knowledge about meteorology! What a fun-filled day!

As our teeth project begins to evolve, students have become increasingly interested in other ways they will grow and change throughout our school year together. They started to talk about the ways they hope their mouth will be different, including more missing teeth and braces! I began to encourage them to think about other ways we may be different in June when we part ways for the summer and they had some interesting ideas:

-You will be smarter because the older you get, the more you know! Hikari
-Our voices will get deeper. Nathan
-Our hands and feet will be bigger. Journey
-Our hair will get longer and may change colors. Abigail

We are preparing for our expert dentist to visit on Friday, but are also investigating where we may go when we know all we can about out teeth!

This morning, Regan and Messi came in and began looking at the light table area together. At this area, we have a provocation that says, “Where does food come from?” and various seeds, bones, dried herbs, and books about food preparation. Its a neat place that the kids are naturally drawn to throughout the day. Unique to their exploration this morning, Messi and Regan came up with an idea- “Lets write a story here- together!” Messi and Regan each grabbed books and writing materials and began crafting a story together. They negotiated what would happen in their story and took turns acting it out on the light table with the materials. They worked in complete harmony. We used their example as a teaching point today during story workshop. Messi and Regan shared their process of working together and friends were encouraged to work with a friend to tell their stories. We had some really great partnerships and some really fun stories come out of this collaborative experience. It is my goal that eventually,  the children begin to collaborate during Reader’s Workshop and Math Workshop as well.

Tags: collaboration, story telling, story workshop

Tomorrow night at 6 p.m. there will be a meeting for anyone who can volunteer to help with the Carnival! Hope to see many of you there!