Magnets

We have finished our science unit on Pushes and Pulls. The kids loved every minute of it! One of their favorite tasks was using magnetic wands to attempt to move a magnet through a material or surface. See their photos below!

We have also started a new unit in writing, How To Books. Below, you'll see the kids learning from each other as they share their very first drafts of this new kind of writing with a partner. We were checking for components that How To books have: steps on each page, steps numbered, and pictures to match each step. Make sure to ask your child about the How To books he/she is writing!

Published Authors!

Meet the newly published authors! Today our class shared their personal narrative books they published with a first grade class. They were both excited and a little nervous to show off their work to first graders, but they were so proud of themselves after they shared. The first graders were impressed by their work and gave each child compliments on things he/she did well as an author and illustrator. Make sure to ask your child about the book he or she published (...you'll also get a chance to see it at your child's conference next week). The photos below show them reading their books to Mrs. Wolk's first grade class.

This week we also spent time in science exploring magnets. Check out some photos of your smart scientists exploring items around our classroom that were attracted to their magnet wands. They also did recording about their new learning in their science notebooks.

We had a great week!

Wrecking Ball Force

We are still busy studying force and motion in science. This week, we explored what would happen if force was applied to a block building using a pendulum. Many kids came to the conclusion that this was just like a wrecking ball! This was a very popular project. Stay tuned next week for some exploration of magnets.

This week we also had a dentist come talk to our classes. They practiced brushing sets of fake teeth (someone asked if they were George Washington's teeth!) and also practiced brushing away sugar and gunk from "monster teeth."