IPS/Butler University Laboratory School

After last week when we acted out Little Quack, I thought it would be nice to give the children some opportunities to perform.  This morning I placed a puppet stage in our room.  When the children walked into the classroom, many of the students were asking what it was.  I said, “I don’t know…what do you think it is?”  Some said, “a puppet stage!”  Some said, “a lemonade stand!”  During our Free Choice time, some of the kiddos started making puppets and putting on a puppet show!  Makayla said, “I need some (making motions for a marionette) to make my puppet move!”

Starting the show!

Emily's puppet she made today!

Some of the friends busy making puppets.

The IPS/Butler University Laboratory School was featured yesterday evening on WTHR’s Whats Cool in School. Check out the link to see our school in action.

http://www.wthr.com/story/15354399/ips-butler-join-forces-for-new-laboratory-school

Today was a really good day!  During Writer’s Workshop today so many of the kiddos were adding details to their books which is what our minilessons have been about the last few days.  They were so excited to tell me that they were adding trees, doors, gardens, facial expressions, etc. to their books!

During Reader’s Workshop we had many of the children reading and rereading their books during the independent time, and then we had two friends read their books in front of the class.  Isaac and Malachi both did a wonderful job reading their books, and you could see their excitement and self-confidence rise as readers.  During Math Workshop, we worked in small groups and partners to solve some story problems, and all of the kids were engaged in finding out the answer using their tools they had at the time!

Also during Math Workshop we began an activity that will be a part of the next couple of days.  We are in the midst of a shoe measuring activity where we see how many steps it takes to get to various parts of our room.  Today we did the actual counting of the steps.  Tomorrow we will graph on our own papers how many steps it took, and then on Wednesday we will do a class graph!  Each child was so engaged during this time and were really counting the steps as they completed each measurement!  They were such busy bees!

Jett and Malachi built a structure together. On the left side of the structure Jett is playing Mario Bros. On the right side Malachi is playing Angry Birds. What a clever and useful way for them to use the same structure but for their own engagement. They were interacting the entire time as well. I thought this was such a neat experience to witness.

Some of our friends counting the steps from the tape to the classroom door.

Some of our friends counting the steps from the tape to the bathroom and then recording the number they got.

Today was exciting because during Reader’s Workshop we were talking about one way to learn how to read is by retelling a story that we already know.  We read Little Quack yesterday so today we decided to act it out and retell the story.  I had no idea the impact that this experience would have on the kiddos.  All but two students wanted to act out a part of this story so we ended up reading the story three times so each person who wanted to could act.  The students were saying BRAVO! afterwards, and the actors were bowing and so proud.  It was such a fun experience and definitely a great way to use literacy to enhance our learning.  I think that this will be something that we will revisit again!

We had quite the productive and exciting day today!  We continued to discuss being a bucket filler to each other and those around us today.  Every single child said they were a bucket filler so that is exciting to hear!  I also heard throughout the day many compliments going around which I praised the children for and told them that they were really showing that they were bucket fillers.  DeOnna and Selam said, “We are going to be bucket fillers everyday!”  I gave each person a flower that I made for them on Wednesday, and they are currently sitting in a vase at school.  Tomorrow we are going to finish up our buckets and then aim for each friend having a flower from another friend in their bucket.  Then, they will come home with their flower!  The buckets will stay at school so that we can continue to explore and build on friendship, respect, and kindness.

I opened the watercolor paints today in our classroom for the first time, and boy was that a hit!!  The mini studio table was filled the entire time with the kiddos painting and chatting…it was very fun to see their creative and social sides at work!

Sydney, Shaniyia, and Cha’kyra the last week or so have been building hotels in the block area so I put up some pictures of hotels near their structure (where they put a sign that read “Please do not touch.”), and then some other friends decided to build another hotel next to the previous structure.  There was some good conversation about hotels so this might be an area worth exploring more.

Today, after we did some problem solving in Math Workshop, I pulled out pattern blocks and pattern sheets for them to make pictures with the pattern blocks.  Woah, I was so impressed with how hardworking and excited they were to do these pattern block pictures!  I had so many kiddos asking for more and more pictures!