This week we measured our heights for the very last time in K1. We noticed that once again, we had all grown taller! We reflected individually and as a whole class on the changes that had happened. We also made comparisons between each other's heights using math vocabulary, like taller and shorter.
Here is Zoe's explanation of how and why she grew. During our class discussion, she said: "I grew taller because I love broccoli and eat it always."
Last week, Zoe brought one of her Dutch books to school. This was not the only thing she brought though! She also had sticky notes and a pen, which she told us were for writing down her questions when she wondered about something as she read the book! This is an activity we practice during shared reading sessions in K1AC. By bringing in her own book, sticky notes, and pen, Zoe showed that she is an active reader, inquirer and thinker. She shared her proposed activity with her friends during free playtime later in the day, where they took turns recording ideas and questions on the sticky notes. Well done Zoe!
As a class we read a story about the number 7. We learned how rainbows are symbols for 7 because they are have 7 different coloured arcs. Zoe loved this story and wanted her follow-up work to be included in her portfolio because: "I love to do rainbows and there are 7 different colours in a rainbow."
Zoe has been working on identifying the numbers before and after a given number and forming numbers correctly in writing. Today she worked independently to fill in the missing numbers in sequences. This is an example of Zoe's best work because she concentrated well, challenged herself to explore numbers up to 20, and used the number line to support her thinking. She took her time to form numbers correctly and double checked her work by saying the numbers to herself through a whisper phone.
Every week we work on sorting different words in our word study journals. One of Zoe's favourite activities was when we explored the number of syllables (or word chunks) in words from We All Go Traveling By by Sheena Roberts. Zoe clapped the syllables she heard in the words on the picture cards and sorted them into one, two, or three syllable groups:
Zoe created this story using the iPad app 'Sock Puppets'. She thinks this is an example of her best work because: "The story I did was so funny. It made me feel silly." Ms. Alison agrees that this is an example of Zoe's best work because she took a risk to create her own story using her imagination and a new iPad app. When she explained her work, she showed that she understands how stories can have an influence on us by making us feel different ways.
Student-led conferences are a chance for students to take the lead and show their families some of their best work, favourite activities, and how much progress they've made over the year.
In other words . . . a celebration of learning!
Here is Zoe's reflection on her Student-led Conference:
"I felt happy because my mummy listened to whatever I said."
Recently we have been doing a lot of playing with shapes. We have been studying their form and observing how they appear in different ways in the world around us. Zoe's favourite work with shapes was the observations she made of differently shaped road signs on our field trip to Orchard Boulevard and Paterson Road. She represented her findings in her math journal when we returned to school. Zoe chose this piece for her portfolio because: "I like to copy things in drawings. We saw them on the street. It's a square, a triangle, and a circle."
As our 'How we organize ourselves' unit of inquiry is coming to an end, we are reflecting on all of our experiences and learning and working on "showing what we know". This week, Ms. Alison, Mr. Nathan and Ms. Karla set up a playscape in the playground full of extra equipment and materials to move with. Students participated in free play or movement with the equipment and then sat down with a teacher to explain how and why they move in certain ways.
Here is Zoe's conference using the 'Explain Everything' iPad app: