FROM UNDER OUR BIG TREE: Week 29

Classroom Day!
Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.
~ Henry Ford

This week at TKG:

Math and Making BRIDGES

Aiel – How about we make a bridge together?
Sydney – Yes!
Aiel- And let’s finish it today.
Sydney – Let’s break it apart after and start over. (Sydney had started making a bridge yesterday)
Ok, let’s start building. Let’s call it the Aiel Sydney Bridge.
Aiel- Or should we call it the Boston Bridge?
Sydney- Yes. (song ensues… The Boston Bridge, The Boston Bridge) Ok. Let’s get building for real.
Aiel- This is hard.
Sydney- I’m adding more (pillars)to give it more safety. LOOK, look what I made!

We are exploring our five senses – more deeply. This week sprouts focused on the sight sense and used descriptive language to depict the world around them. Sprouts also used adjectives as a tool to help them write various riddles. They enjoyed sharing their riddles with one another during lunch time. See if you can figure these out:

I am round, I can see and I have hair. What am I?

I am silver. I have a pointy head. People use me against other people. I am the cousins of a rocket. What am I?

I am sharp. I can often be found in a drawer. I like food. What am I?

For the answers check in next week 🙂

In the Writing Area: a group of sprouts extended their bridge play by recreating a bridge with collage materials. While recreating the bridge sprouts discussed what types of frogs used the bridge and what things could be found in this habitat.

Using the same collage materials, another group began a miniature movie-book called “Super Villain Village.” This group collaborated on a story line and characters. The miniature movie-book is still in the beginning stages and they have plans to make “lots of of chapters” about the Main characters Poison Master, Sky, and the Robber. Stay tuned!

Science and OUR Eyes

When you roll them you can’t see your pupils. -John

You can see with your eyes. -Kai

It’s black in the middle of my eye. -James

I have long eye lashes. I never noticed the bottom lashes are really long. -Sydney

My eyes change color. It depends on the clouds or my clothes. It changes to a rosemary color or darker. -Aiel

Eyes can be the color of the rainbow, like my friend Grace. -Anna

Things to collect for the classroom: Clear containers, clean and label free

Park Day, Over and Under at EL RETIRO and don’t forget to sunscreen up.

Your feedback and questions are encouraged:

CLASSROOM/CURRICULUM/PARK DAY – Michelle Goldbach-Johnson
CLASSROOM – Yvette Fenton
CURRICULUM – Lena Garcia Kaufman
SCHOOL BUSINESS – Trish Valdez

Check Out Flickr!Send your pictures to this email address: 

Upload your videos to TKG’s YouTube Channel.  DOWNLOAD the app for iPhone or Android and start uploading.
TKG Info

Tending the Garden

Classroom Items – Things to collect for Tuesday: Please bring in clear containers, clean and label free

Park Day – See you at EL RETIRO! Don’t  forget your library card.

Last Fridays – Begin this coming Friday April 26th…6:30pm at Tony’s on the Pier, Redondo Beach
The 5 Guiding Principals at TKG
  • CONSTRUCTIVISM, as teachers and parents, we provide the trellis on which students will expand their existing knowledge
  • WHOLE CHILD, cognitive, physical and social/emotional are inseparable
  • BRAIN FUNCTION & DEVELOPMENT, students are sensory learners, we will honor each student’s unique developmental map
  • CAPACITY BUILDING, supporting the development of creative thinkers who are encouraged to solve problems
  • CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING, small groups, low ratios, mixed ages and generations
Parent Teacher Info

Parent/Teacher Corner

Teaching Focus – No More Rules: Instead of starting with expectations for how students should behave, what if a school began the process of community-building by asking how students wanted to feel at school every day?  READ & WATCH…

Teacher Focus – Five Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week,Including the Iconoclastic Urs Fischer at MOCA…GO!

For your Toolbox – Growth Mindset: What are the qualities of the ‘growth mindset’ and some of the strategies and techniques we use as teachers to develop this in students?

  • Embrace challenges
  • Persist in the face of setbacks
  • See effort as the path to mastery
  • Learn from criticism
  • Find lessons and inspiration in the success of others
  • READ MORE
PT SCHEDULE, WEEK OF Apr 22 …
Monday – JS & ME
Tuesday – RD& TS
Wednesday – NL
Thursday – LS & EL
Friday –  BM
Please contact Nicole if you have any concerns about this week’s schedule. * means we are checking on a sub availability

The Seeds (Core Standards)

We are creating intention around these standards:

MATH

Measurement and Data

CCSS.Math.Content.K.MD.A.1 Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.B.5 Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., bridges! ) and drawing shapes.

CCSS.Math.Content.1.MD.A.2 Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.

READING

Phonics and Word Recognition

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3c Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.3b Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.1.1a Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).

WRITING

Production and Distribution of Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.5 With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.5 With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).
FEATURED WORKSHOP
TEDxRedondoBeach
Shift Happens: Exploring Shifting Paradigms
Friday, May 10 6:pm – Redondo Union High School

From the TKG Office:

  • Philosophy Committee is scheduled for Sunday, May 5th.  We will have an early start to maximize energy!  More details to follow…
  • Fundraiser Contributions are due on May 1st. Your balances have been sent in a separate email, please email Trish with questions.
  • Amazon/Scrip Orders: Don’t forget to place your Scrip Orders –  It really adds up!
Thank you Families!  Admin Questions, please email t.valdez@knowinggarden.org.
“Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”
 ~ Albert Einstein

Resource Of The Week

STEM to STEAM: Art in K-12 is Key to Building a Strong Economy 
Edutopia

As the nation embarks on a new school year, education leaders from President Obama on down are facing a renewed commitment to the STEM subjects — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — as a driver of innovation. And what better advertisement of the power of STEM education than the recent landing of the Mars Rover? Like the original Apollo missions to the Moon, they powerfully reveal the magic of science and engineering. Just this summer, the Obama administration announced a laudable new “teacher corps” dedicated to excellence in the STEM subjects, and as far and wide as Estonia, a new policy is spurring debate about the value of teaching programming to elementary school students.

The White House reminds us that “a world-class STEM workforce is essential to virtually every goal we have as a nation — READ MORE…
STEMtoSTEAM

 

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