CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK: At the beginning of the week, I asked students to ask their mom what her favorite color is and what are a few of her favorite things... I asked them to keep it a secret so that it could be a surprise for Mother's Day... and then this is what happens:
Me: OK! Today we're making that surprise for your mom for Mother's Day!
C: Don't worry, Mrs. Lorenzana. I didn't tell anyone about the surprise. I only told my mom!
Me: Wait! You weren't supposed to tell your mom. It's supposed to be a secret surprise.
C: It's OK. I didn't tell my dad. He'll be super surprised!
The next day:
C: I told my dad.
Me: Why am I not surprised?
A: I blew it Mrs. Lorenzana! I told my mom AND my dad about the surprise!
Kinder-Whale Tales Dear Kinder-Whale Families, I hope you are enjoying your three day weekend so far! This past week was a busy one, as we celebrated two birthdays, worked on our Mother's Day cards, and started our new SEAL unit on Pushes and Pulls. Featured above in this week's news is one of the cards that the students made to express their love, thanks, and appreciation for all of the wonderful things that mothers do to take care of their children. Here's to all of you -- thank you for all that you do! SEAL Unit: Pushes and Pulls To begin our SEAL unit on Pushes and Pulls, we started with an inquiry chart. The students were asked, What do we know about pushes and pulls? and What do we wonder about pushes and pulls? The students shared that they can pull a rope, they can pull a backpack, they can pull hair, and they can pull a rubber band. The students also shared that they can push a rock and they can push something small because it has less weight. One of the students shared that a push is when you put weight on something and it moves. I was quite impressed with what the students came up with! They honestly never cease to amaze me :). Pushes and Pulls: Draw and Label To introduce students to new academic vocabulary, we did a Draw and Label on Pushes and Pulls. The students learned that a push is to move away or farther from you, while a pull is to move closer towards you. After learning the definitions of push and pull, the students were shown different pictures, and they had to categorize them under push or pull. For instance, there was a person with a lawnmower; the students categorized this under push, because you push a lawnmower. When students were shown a picture of boys tugging a rope, they categorized i under pull. When pushing or pulling objects, there are a few factors that affect your ability to push or pull something. One of these factors is weight, or how heavy or light something is. The heavier an item (watermelon in the shopping cart), the harder it is to push or pull it, because it has more weight. The lighter an item, the easier it is to push or pull it, because it has less weight (banana in the wagon). Another factor is friction: Friction is a force that slows down moving things. Students revisited why it was so important for us to learn about shapes and why we need shapes with straight sides as well as shapes with curved sides. Students were asked what would happen if we cars had cubed wheels. Which car would move faster: a car with cubed wheels or a car with curved wheels? And the answer was obvious: the car with curved wheels! To understand friction, we discussed how adding wheels to something makes it easier to move or put it in motion: In other words, it decreases the friction. We then discussed whether it would be easier to push or pull something on a smooth surface (smooth floor) versus pushing or pulling something on grass. The students turned and talked with a partner in a collaborative conversation about which one would be easier and which one hard more/less friction. As a class, we agreed that it would be easier to push or pull something on a smooth surface because it has less friction (or fewer things to slow the cart/wagon down). It would be harder to push or pull something on grass because it has more friction (it is bumpy, textured, and uneven, which slows things down). Another factor related to pushing or pulling is the different directions that you can push or pull something, including forwards, backwards, sideways, left, right, up, and down. We concluded our Draw and Label with: A force is a push (away) or pull (closer) causing motion. The Push and Pull Song The Kinder-Whales learned a new song about pushes and pulls. We will be learning more songs next week! In the song below, there were different examples of things that we can push and pull in different directions, including a cart, a sled, a boat, and a flag. BrainPopJr. on Pushes and Pulls To help us better understand force and the factors that affect pushes and pulls, we watched a BrainPop Jr. video, and listened to Annie and Moby's explanation/description on pushes and pulls. The Kinder-Whales learned that forces and motion are all around us and can help us learn how things work in the world. In addition to the factors mentioned above, the students learned about additional factors such as speed and position. Speed tells us how fast something moves. Fast objects can go father distances in a small amount of time. We need more force to move heavier objects. Friction is a force that acts in the opposite direction of motion to slow down moving things. Students learned why an icy road is slippery and why it is harder to skate on grass than on concrete. Over the next few weeks in May, students will explore forces, pushes and pulls, and how they can change the way something moves. They will also learn about position, and how motion is a change of position. Pushes and Pulls in Real Life The Kinder-Whales watched examples of pushes and pulls in real life. Tug of War: Elephant vs. 25 People In the first example, students were asked to think about who would win in a tug of war between an elephant vs. 25 people. Students engaged in collaborative conversations to share and predict what would happen. Then, we watched as the elephant pulled all 25 people easily. To put things into perspective, the video compared an elephant's strength to that of 25 Dwayne Johnsons (otherwise known as the Rock). The students roared in laughter when they saw the Rock. Then the students were asked to come up with ways for how we could win or give ourselves an advantage to beat an elephant in a tug of war, but we could not change the number of people (25 people) against one elephant. One student said that we could add some ice below the elephant to make it slippery for him, and make it harder for him to pull the people. Another student said that we could put the elephant in a wagon. Both responses were brilliant! Next, the students were very excited when the video confirmed some of the students predictions, and showed the elephant on a slippery patch of ice, as well as the elephant wearing roller skates. We also discussed how in the tug of war, we see that both sides are pulling in opposite directions. However, in the tug of war, both sides are also pushing against the floor to prevent themselves from being pulled in the opposite direction. Challenge: Can You Use Force to Make a Watermelon Explode? In the second example, the students were asked if they could make a watermelon explode using force to push on it. The students watched as the person tried to step on the watermelon to make it explode. Then the students watched as the person stepped on a water balloon and made it explode. What do a watermelon and a water balloon have in common? They both have an outer layer that adds extra resistance to force. When enough force is applied onto the water balloon, it explodes. A watermelon's outer layer is called the rind. However, it takes a lot more force to break a watermelon because of its thick outer layer. The students were asked how they could use rubber bands to make a watermelon explode. Would one rubber band be enough? After making their predictions, the students watched a sped up video of two guys placing rubber bands around the watermelon's center. Listen to their priceless reactions below! One rubber band around a watermelon is not enough force. However, a bunch of rubber bands together provides enough force to push a watermelon and make it explode! We will be conducting some experiments and doing activities in the month of May to see forces in action! Math: Number Facts The students have been doing an amazing job applying the addition strategies that we have learned so far. They are able to make numbers up to 5 and make numbers up to 10. First, students were given a certain number, and then asked how many more do they need to make numbers from 5 to 10. Next week, we will be learning more strategies to help students with their addition skills, and to help them be able to explain and show their thinking (Common Core Math). | Reminders & Updates Next Week:
RECAP: May Calendar With a new month also comes a new May calendar! After months of doing calendar, the students have had lots of practice with each of the skills on individual pages, including showing numbers using tally marks, ten frames, and on dominoes/dice. The students have also practiced recording time to the hour and recording daily temperature on thermometers. Now that the students have been practicing each of the skills on a different page each month since October, all of those skills have been placed onto one page (please see below). I modeled how to go through the page, and the students did a wonderful job! Pretty soon, they will be able to complete all parts of the page on their own. M-A-Y Spells May The Kinder-Whales learned a new May song. Check it out below! Lots of Love from the Kinder-Whales! The Kinder-Whales posed for a Mother's Day picture, with their choice of forming a heart using their hands or arms. These pictures were then used to add the finishing touches to their Mother's Day cards, featured above in this week's news! Mother's Day Butterflies! The Kinder-Whales were very excited to paint their hands to form a butterfly for their second Mother's Day card. As the students get older, mothers will always have this card to help them remember how little your child once was! Some of the students shared how excited they are to see how much they will grow in a year. They shared that they will place their hands on the butterfly to see how much they've grown, and how much bigger their hands are compared to their Kindergarten times! Cinco de Mayo On Friday, the students watched a BrainPop Jr. video to learn about Cinco de Mayo and why some people celebrate it. Cinco de Mayo is remembered because it was the day when Mexico won a battle against the French. It is not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which occurred on September 15th. People who celebrate Cinco de Mayo usually play lively music, using maracas, guitars, drums, etc. They also celebrate by having pinatas. Unfortunately, because we ran out of time, we did not have time to make pinatas in class. We will have to see if we have time next week. The students completed some coloring pages for Cinco de Mayo. Happy Birthday, U'ilani! U'ilani turned six on May 1st! The Kinder-Whales sang Happy Birthday to U'ilani and each student made a page for her birthday book. We hope U'ilani had a wonderful time celebrating her 6th birthday! Happy Birthday, Boa! On Wednesday, May 4th, we celebrated Boa's birthday as she turned six years old! Each student created a page about Boa and why she is special, to wish her a very Happy Birthday! Thank you Boa and the Jeon family for sending in treats to celebrate Boa's birthday with the class! Farewell and Good Luck, Namit! Thursday, May 4th, was Namit's last day of school with us. He and his family are relocating to India and will be flying out this coming Monday. Each student wrote a letter to Namit, sharing fond memories that they've had with him as well as what they will miss about Namit. Students also wrote well wishes for Namit. We will all miss you dearly, Namit, but we wish you and your family safe travels and plenty of happiness and new friends in India! A Project in Progress The Kinder-Whales had so much fun painting using their hands to create the following masterpieces! This page will be used for a future project. Please stay tuned! Thank You! Thank you SO MUCH for all of your kind words, cards, letters, gifts, smiles, and hugs, and for being the reasons why I do what I do! I teach because of our amazing children and because of our wonderful families of our Spangler community! I cannot thank you enough for all of the overwhelming appreciation that I have received this week as well as on an ongoing basis--so thank you, thank you, thank you! Words are not enough to express my tremendous gratitude and how much I appreciate you all and each and every one of our dear Kinder-Whales for teaching me a lot about myself and for making me a better teacher and person! I sincerely appreciate all of your thoughtfulness and generosity! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful and endless support throughout the year, and especially during this busy time of year! Thank you for everything! Please leave a quick comment about something that you can push and/or pull at home! :) I hope you are all having a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! With A Heart Full of Gratitude, Mrs. Lorenzana |