Parker School 2-3s

2010-03-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

Being a "Fly on the Wall"

The 2/3's day is full of challenging learning opportunities. As teachers, we often focus on these as the important parts of a child's school day. But when we take the time to be a "fly on the wall", watching and listening during the "down" times of a day, we gain a tremendous amount of insight into children and their needs. All sorts of fun things occur, all child initiated and directed. Sometimes a group is involved in sketching a plan for an airport and aircraft, then building and redesigning both. On other days, we can be treated to an impromptu concert. There are always a multitude of block structures and play scenarios begun, changed and rearranged. Plastic colored discs become treasured money, counting bears are given the power of human speech, and sometimes, not so human speech. Free flowing social groups evolve giving children the opportunity to be with classmates they might not normally choose. The list goes on and on. What's happening here? What are the children telling me as a teacher? That play matters and is still an important, vital and needed part of their lives. It is easy to see that imaginations are engaged and stretched, social exchanges are explored and amazing engineering and mathematical feats are accomplished. All serve to help a child grow in important ways that can be easily pushed aside during a jam packed day. Is play important? Is "down" time of value? Can I learn by watching and listening?
Every day!

2009-12-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

Children as Teachers

When do children have the opportunity to be the classroom teachers? During their show of work.

From their first trip to the Hudson River back in October, the 2/3's have been immersed in their study of this mighty river. They have looked at the Hudson with the eyes of scientists (chlorophyll, turbidity and ph testing) professional journal authors(essays explaining test results), artists (observational drawings, mural), map makers ( drawing the Hudson's route), poets (The River Is poems), and researchers ( organisms that comprise the river's food chain).

They have read firsthand accounts of the river, learned about the power of water and the causes of erosion and experienced the Hudson from the middle of the river on their Dutch Apple Cruise. With support from each other as they critiqued friends work

and help from buddies during poem and research times, the children have a new,deep base of knowledge and understanding that they shared with us as we learned during their show of work.

Empowerment, responsibility, knowledge-learning that is meaningful and lasting.

2009-10-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

October 13. 2009

The 2/3's and the Hudson River- Real Learning in the Truest Sense
We are so lucky to live along a river- there is no better way to learn about the Hudson River than by experiencing the river itself.

Our first adventure- a trip on the Dutch Apple boat and a cruise up and down the Hudson.

Oh, the joy of feeling the breeze in your face, smelling the air and seeing the river from a very different perspective.

The children had the opportunity to steer the boat while the captain explained the Hudson's currents and tides, what direction we were sailing in and how boat speed is measured in knots, not miles. The children sketched a variety of scenes along the river-the landscape, houses, Port of Albany and the city of Albany itself. All definitely look different from the middle of the river.

Our 2/3 scientists next took part in the annual Snapshot of the Hudson Day-a day when schools up and down the Hudson conduct tests on water and soil samples from the river, catch and count fish and macroinvertebrates, and make observations about the river at their particular site.

The children worked with the 6/7s,

teachers,
parents and professionals
from the New York State Department of Conservation gathering water and soil samples and performing tests on these, observing and sketching the river, recording data.

Both excursions to the river provided great experiences that set the stage for more discoveries about the Hudson. The children learned as scientists do as they gathered valuable information about the river; they learned about the Hudson from a sailor and experienced the river from a different perspective while on the Dutch Apple. Already they can not wait until our next trip to the Hudson!
The 2/3's making learning come alive! Lynne

2009-06-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

Where has the year gone?

Whoever coined the phrase “time flies when you’re having fun” must have been a 2/3 teacher at Parker School.

In September, Lynn and I welcomed a class of second and third graders to our rooms. The children entering on that first day were happy to see one another but at the same time somewhat tentative, even a bit anxious, perhaps wondering what second and third grade was all about and what their role in the class would be.

In the blink of an eye, it was June 10 and we were saying tearful goodbyes to these wonderful children. I cannot help but be struck by how much they have changed in such a short amount of time. Each child has added much to the collective whole; sharing ideas, demonstrating strength in new found skills, showing gains in the social/emotional area and marking milestones with shows of work, participation in the Peace Assembly, Pi Day, Read Across America Day, Shakespeare, and other class and school events. The amount of growth in each child has been tremendous, and it has been a gift to be a part of it.

Below are some pictures of some of the year's happenings-enjoy.

Wishing you a wonderful summer filled with special family times-Lynne

Becoming a Mohican

2009-05-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

May 15, 2009

How do you transform a group of 2/3's into Mohican Indians? How do you help them to think, live and breathe as a Mohican? By immersing the children in first hand accounts of the culture and exposing the class to real life experiences.

When Lynn and I began thinking about the unit on the Mohicans and the Dutch, we both felt strongly that it should be an "experiential" adventure as opposed to a research intensive theme. Information about the migration of people and the topography of our area was read and discussed as we began to learn why people settled in the Albany area. We read journal records written by Dutch settlers describing the Mohican culture they encountered. With prompts, the children have created a Mohican persona, and used their imagination and the information learned to write journal entries as their fictional character. We asked the class their impressions of journal writing. Here are the thoughts of some of the children:"When I'm writing, I feel like I'm actually there"-Hunter, "It was interesting back in those times"-Veda, "I feel like I'm in the action, actually doing what the Mohicans did"-Justin, "I feel like I am living in the times"-Zian. When Lynn and I read the entries, we feel the same. The children have done an incredible job of writing in the voices of their characters-we actually have a very hard time waiting for the next entry!

The children have been interested in the types of clothing both the Mohicans and the Dutch wore. As part of their study, each class member had his/her body traced by a buddy. Some in the class will turn their tracings into Mohicans and others will become Dutch settlers. We can not wait to learn who picks what to be.

In science, the children have touched on the type of tools the Mohicans used when gardening and learned about the foods the tribe grew. They have planted seeds indoors for a Three Sisters Garden and are anxiously awaiting the warmer temperatures so the seedlings can be planted outdoors.

Our trip to Mabee Farms gave us the opportunity to learn about Mohican and Dutch life along the Mohawk River 400 years ago. This first hand experience launched a long list of learned information and new ideas on how to present this knowledge for our June 5th show of work.

The children went to Susie with their ideas about Mohican artifacts they wanted to create. There is everything from a bow to a stuffed deer head. A multitude of projects!

And after much “bark” painting, bending and binding of “saplings”, and cooperating with each other as we attached the bark to the frame, our wigwam is complete. Many thought putting the structure together was challenging, and we had modern tools.

They definitly gained insight and an appreciation for the Mohican way of life. e

The wigwam has now become the favorite reading spot!

The exctiement about learning continues, the ideas keep exploding to the surface-what a wonderful group!!! We have begun moving into the Dutch phase of our study and Lynn will fill you in on that in a few weeks. Lynne

March 11, 2009

2009-03-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2009

Who Are These Children???
Read Across America Day was a huge success!! The day began with the Ivy Vine Puppet Show-a real favorite. The 2/3's next met local author and illustrator Daniel J. Mahoney. He spoke about the process for creating a book and we learned that it takes many edits and rewrites before a book is completed. Mr. Mahoney elicited story ideas from the children which he illustrated. A tree with sawed off legs, a rabbit with laser vision-just some of their thoughts!

After being inspired by Mr. Mahoney, the children set out to create their own individual stories.

Story teller Kent Bushman entertained us after lunch with his great tales. He was followed by the climax of the day-the whole school parade to salute Dr. Seuss. It was such fun to see the children dressed as their favorite storybook characters!

Some of the third graders have been working on a class newspaper and they were so excited by the success of their first newspaper (subscriptions went from zero to over twenty)that they are now working on their second edition. The topic of this one is global warming. It is a joy to see the metamorphosis of this completely child driven activity-the research done, jokes written, word searches produced, comic strips drawn, layout agreed upon. The children hope to have this edition published in the next few days. They are already planning their third edition and the topic is Italy. I hope they have some travel tips included. Missing from the group photo are Veda and Anya.

Hands on learning and science-what could be better. The class visited the science lab where they moved pieces of Styrofoam( the earth's crust) through red, slippery goop (magma). Volcanoes erupted, faults collided, and continents were formed.

The children have also been learning about magnetism, searching the school for objects magnets are attracted to. They compiled a list and looked for similarities. They also observed the changes with iron filings as they moved magnets underneath the shavings. "Cool, look at this, they look like hair"-a few of their comments.

It has been a busy few weeks. The time spent with your children definitely flies by!! Lynne

2009-01-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2009

Dynamic Dinos!!

Adasaurus, Maisaurus, T-Rex, the Triassic Period, the Jurassic Period, omnivore, herbivore, carnivore -these are just a few of the words that became a part of the 2/3's language during the past few months.

What better topic for second and third graders to study than dinosaurs? From learning about ferns and other plants from long ago(and ferns still exist today), moving to the time line of the earth's development and how this coincided with the rise of the dinosaurs(most dinosaurs lived not that long ago), making fossils and paper mache dinosaurs (they loved doing this-very messy and so very much fun), creating a restaurant menu for their dinosaur (Is yours an omnivore, herbivore or carnivore?), and ending with the study of individual dinosaurs and as part of their study, marking the lengths of the dinos in the hall(Isa's was the longest). The children's interest and enthusiasm was almost enough to bring the dinosaurs back to life.

When Lynn and I had the opportunity to just step back and watch the class at work, our observations were the same-that the children were and are a remarkably cohesive, self-directed supportive group of individuals. They all worked hard to produce their "best work." With a minimum of adult input, the children ran critique sessions for each other where suggestions on the progress of projects were given. These meetings were incredible-the children offered such thoughtful reviews of each others' efforts and offered positive suggestions for making improvements. They really helped to bring out the best in each others work! The 2/3's show of work was a wonderful example of the knowledge the children gained during their dinosaur study as well as their sense of pride in their accomplishments.

At today's morning meeting (Monday), we asked the children what they liked about their Show of Work. Here are some of their responses:
"I liked the positive feedback from others in the school."
"I liked being busy and the compliments I received."
"Everyone was interested."
"I liked sharing with my family."
"I liked speaking about my poster rather than reading it."

Your children are great-Lynne

2008-12-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

December in Pictures

Here are a few of the happenings in the 2/3 class:

Creating a dinosaur time line and dinosaur teeth:

Math, writing and reading circles:

Enjoying each other's company:

The power of "silence" at the Peace Assembly:

Lynn and I continue to be amazed, amused, excited by and proud of the children. They have come so far in such a short amount of time.

Wishing you a wonderful two weeks. Lynne

2008-11-06T18:01:00.001-08:00

The 2/3's October

Spider Web greeting at morning meeting.

It is hard to believe October has ended and November has arrived. The children's energy and excitement remain high, friendships have solidified, new skills learned. Here is a synopsis of some of our October activities.

Planting the fern garden:

Hammering wood, placing the garden frame in the correct area, preparing the ground for planting the ferns, digging up ferns in the woods to replant. It was a very collaborative process filled with learning. The garden is outside Lynn's room, facing the playgound.

The class is working on a large mural depicting what they have learned about ferns.

How much does a pumpkin weigh? What is the circumference? How many seeds in each half? Teams tried to answer these and other questions. The children also made fossils-very messy but lots of fun learning-as part of the dinosaur study they are beginning.

Morning Work: a new routine Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Election Day voting at Parker School:
long lines, serious thought. Words like important, powerful and great were used by children to describe the experience. Thanks to the middle schoolers for organizing this.

Enjoying recess with friends.

It has been a wonderful month!!

2008-09-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

Our First Month-Friends, Activities, and Fun

The 2-3's are GREAT-full of energy and excited to be together and learning.

Science: A Search for Ferns
We took advantage of the beautiful weather we had been having by doing some extra outdoor activities. The class hiked some of the Parker trails in search of ferns and found a surprising number of them. The children also sketched and described ferns using "juicy" words. We discussed our plan to have a shade fern garden outside Lynn's room and the children took a first step in that process by measuring, with people and a tape measure, the garden's dimensions. The conclusion- it needs to be 16 feet long, 10 people on each side and one at each end. The garden should be planted in a week or so.

Outdoor Fun
We had our own Chingcacook experience at school having fun playing cooperative games. We tried different types of tag and three legged walks, and almost succeeded in making a cooperative sitting circle. One of the most requested games was the hoola hoop pass. With Darci as our leader, we got together with the K/1 class to play more cooperative games. Great fun!

Language Arts
We completed our first class book -"The Book-an Interview Book by the 2/3 Friends," and each group presented their interviews to the class.

We all learned some fun and interesting facts about each other. There may even be a buddy interview book in the future....

We continue to discuss and review reading and word attack strategies and D.E.A.R. has become a favorite time of the day. It is wonderful having students so excited about reading that they request extra D.E.A.R. time.

Buddies are GREAT partners to read with too!

The children are also working on a piece about their summer vacations-writing, editing,and rhyming memories from a few short weeks ago.

The year has had a wonderful beginning, and we have had fun getting to know each other. The class routines and expectations have been established, material reviewed, and we are all ready to move forward into an exciting year.

P. S. For those of you who were unable to be at Meet the Teachers Night, we let families know then that the best way to reach Lynn and I is through our school emails. Retrieving phone messages during the day is more difficult. Of course if you need to reach one of us quickly, the best way is to that is through Natalie at the front desk. Thanks.