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“All children have preparedness, potential, curiosity and interest in constructing their learning, in engaging in social interaction and in negotiating with everything the environment brings to them.”
-Lella Gandini
Greetings Gardeners!Please be sure to read about How To Teach Math (Parent Teacher section) and our Community Reminders.
A Froggy search blossomed at Park Day this week : we were at the lake…looking for frogs…we saw dragon flies and ducks. We asked Mr. Duck about frogs. We pondered science and life cycles: a horse, tadpoles. We pondered natural and man made habitats: drainage pipes, walkways and soil. Park day is a wonderful opportunity for developing independence. Please encoruage students to carry their own packs and/or pack light enough that they can carry their own packs.
Our Reading is evolving: we continue to enjoy our book boxes. Many of our sprouts take much pride in their selections and care of their boxes. Imagine:
During reading time, some friends gathered on the corner couches of the classroom library.
Student A: “Hey guys, do you know I can read? I mean seriously, not pretend, I can really read?”
Student B: “Cool. Can you read us a book?”
Student C: “yeah!”
Student A: “Sure. I have lots of books that are just right for me.”
Pulls a book from her reading box, sits next to friend and begins reading.
Student C: “Hey, I have books like that. I can read them too!”
Goes and grabs a book, and begins reading out loud to himself.The librarian job has become very popular. In the coming week we will focus on independent and partner reading where students use their fingers to track words and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. Our librarians will continue to organize our books.
Sometimes we have strong words when we don’t like something. We realize these feelings come up and we are practicing ways to accept and process our feelings. We are also thinking up ways to protect one another. We are working through feelings of leadership and rules: who makes them? are they fair? do I have a voice?
We are Writers! Michelle gives us prompts and often, we explore. As long as we are using our fine motor skills, we are practicing writing: cutting, drawing, taping, sewing… In the coming weeks, students will immerse themselves int the writing process through:
- brainstorming
- drafting
- editing
- publishing
…in groups to write a proposal to the Torrance farmers market. We have two proposals to discuss: lemonade and bookmarks. (We know that Farmers Market “rules” discourage us from selling items that would create competition for vendors but we encourage our sprouts to challenge the status quo).
Speaking of a Fundraiser Project…there is much to learn: We will be doing research (science), gathering recipes and supplies (science), considering the cost of goods (math), make signs (art and marketing), and more. If you happen to be grocery shopping with your sprout this weekend have, them jot down the prices of items they have come up with so far. If you have recipes or grocery store ads with pricing clip them out or offer to send them to school.
Math & Counting: Counting may sound simple but our sprouts make it anything but…we intended to count the chairs yet, chairs are more than just chairs. They have backs, seats, legs and feet – if you really look at the chair – it is more than just one/1/wun. Don’t just sit in the chair, there is much to learn! This week counting collections will be very special. We will be working together to count the seeds inside our pumpkin, after we estimate of course. This will be used as a transition into place value and addition.
Science and Social Studies: This is our last week at SCBG (Oct park). Students will explore new areas to add to our map as well as document their findings to put in their brochure. Some of us are finding letters here and there so keep your eyes peeled for letters in everyday objects.
Deep Learning: Kittens and their city has been the ongoing activity. One half of the room is in New Mexico and the other have is in China, so one light is on and the other is off. We have sunrises and sunsets happening on our projector. We have houses with gardens and shops. We speak our own language and find ways to incorporate everyone in our play. This week a game store, an art making store, and an electronic store are where you can find our teachers.
P.E. this week brought us a chinese jump rope, a classic jump rope and a tossing game. Please come join us for some fun!
Thank you for a fun field trip, as usual. We bursted with questions, comments and learning – as all great fieldtrips inspire. There are even more photos on our Flickr stream. HOW much did we all weigh?!
ASK YOUR SPROUTS
What kind of ducks did you see today? (mon)
What is in your Book Box this week?
What does leadership mean?
What is your idea for the fundraiser?
Do you have a favorite letter?
PROJECT IDEAS:
Write out words that challenge your sprout.
Brainstorm out loud and on paper.
Visit a Farmers Market and price compare
Jump rope.
Plant pumpkin seeds
Your feedback and questions are encouraged:
CLASSROOM/CURRICULUM/PARK DAY – Michelle Goldbach-Johnson
CLASSROOM – Yvette Fenton
CURRICULUM – Lena Garcia Kaufman
PARENT TEACHERS – MJ Garcia
SCHOOL BUSINESS – Trish Valdez |
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Tending the Garden
Picture Day
We will have our Fall picture day on Tuesday, Oct 30th. Stay tuned for information on how to place your order.
Halloween
We are not planning a dress-up day on Wednesday. Please contact Michelle with any questions.
Supplies
We need painter’s tape, wood scraps and white construction paper. Thank you!
October Park
Our last October park day is at the South Coast Botanic Garden at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard in Palos Verdes Peninsula 90274. Map available here. Please pack $1 per sprout for admission costs and don’t forget to sunscreen! See you Monday!
Our Flickr Stream features even more photos from this week!
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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
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Parent/Teacher Corner
THIS WEEK…
Monday – NL & TV
Tuesday – RD
Thursday – ME
Friday – MG
Focus for the coming week – Teaching Math: Avoid lining up numbers vertically. A concrete model (click link for a description) is best, but if students are writing down numbers have them do it horizontally.
In support of You: “Heroics are often about putting our life on the line. Courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. If we want to live and love with our whole hearts and engage in the world from a place of worthiness, our first step is practicing the courage it takes to own our stories and tell the truth about who we are.” READ MORE HERE… |
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| “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Buddha |
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The Seeds (Core Standards)
We are creating intention around these standards:
MATH STANDARDS
K.CC- Know number names and the count sequence.
1. Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
2. Count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).
7. Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals.
1NBT Extend the counting sequence.
1. Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120. In this range, read and write numerals and represent a number of objects with a written numeral.
6.6 Attend to Precision. Communicate precisely to others. Give carefully formulated explanations to each other. Tachers focus on clarity and accuracy of process and outcome in problem solving.
WRITING STANDARDS
1: 1. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.)
K. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
1.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges
5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
SCIENCE STANDARDS
Life Cycles
Environments/Habitats
(grade 2) Tools and machines are used to apply pushes and pulls (forces) to make things move.
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3a Demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary or most frequent sound for each consonant.\
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).
RF.1.1a (first grade) Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., fi rst word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
2.7. (second grade) Use information gained from the illustrations and words in print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
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Have you signed up for our FARM FRESH TO YOU delivery? Knowing Garden receives a donation from FFTY for every sign up. Click here to sign up (use PROMOTIONAL CODE #6272)!
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From the TKG Office:
- Tuition is DUE on November 1st. If you will be mailing, note our P.O. address: 4733 Torrance Blvd, #324; Torrance 90503
- Classroom Tours – We are very busy with classroom tours, booked through the Thanksgiving holiday. If you know anyone who is interested in enrolling, please encourage them to visit our site and email us for a tour.
- Daylight Savings! November 4th is change your clock day.
- FUNdraiser Opportunity We will have another BOOK SALE on Saturday, November 10th beginning at 8:30am (Our Oct date has been postponed). We will need table loading assistance, morning of loading/unloading and works shifts. Please contact Seth Kaufman to volunteer. All proceeds will be shared by all participating families.
Thank you Families! Admin Questions, please email t.valdez@knowinggarden.org.
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Please shop our Amazon store for dress up plans, school supplies and Holiday Gift Lists! Access here…
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Resource Of The WeekHealthier Halloween
from Mothering Magazine Online
Halloween is truly a kid’s holiday—good friends, creative costumes, event-filled parties, all with a cool spooky theme—who could ask for more? Oh yes, one more thing, the treats…
Halloween treats do not have to be edible. An alternative to avoiding the junk food challenges is to hand out a non-food treat. Here are few ideas:
Homemade non food items
Cool stickers or temporary tattoos
Halloween balloons, you can even rent a helium tanks and fill them on the spot
Pencils, colored chalk or fun-shaped erasers
Whistles or noise makers
Rubber spiders, worms, or other equally creepy figures
Spider, skull, or pumpkin plastic rings
Crayons (buy a large box and give a few to each child)
Kids paint (one small bottle each)
READ MORE… |
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