We have had another awesome week of Dino investigation here in Kindergarten! This week we worked on recreating the different types of fossils we have learned about in this study. There were a variety of trace fossils such as eggs, imprints of shells, and coprolite (paleontologist talk for "dinosaur poop"--this is a class favorite!). There were even a variety of body fossils such as a Quetzacoatlus (flying reptile) skull, dinosaur leg bones, and Tyrannosaurus teeth! The Kinders were very excited to recreate dinosaur fossils. As with all projects, we sketched out our plans, listened to and gave each other feedback, and chose to work collaboratively or individually on a fossil. It was neat to feel the buzz of creative energy and joyful learning in the classroom! Nathan touches our "Dinosaur Plant." This week we were also introduced to our "Dinosaur Plant." In our classroom, we have an example of a type of plant that lived in the time of the dinosaurs. In fact, many long necks enjoyed this very same plant. We learned that in the time of the dinosaurs, these plants grew up to 120 feet tall. However, unlike the dinosaurs who were not able to adapt to the earth's changes, our "Dinosaur Plant" was able to adapt. It became smaller and learned to survive with very little water. We added water to our "Dinosaur Plant" and within an hour, we watched it spring back to life! Our Kinders were excited to observe and touch a plant that a Brachiosaurus or Apatosaurus might have eaten! As part of our Dinosaur Measurement unit, we learned about the different language used to describe size and its relationship to other objects. We learned that we could use other words instead of the word "big" such as:
To strengthen our concept of how large dinosaurs were, we compared dinosaur sizes to objects in our world today. Next week, we will measure dinosaur feet with non-standard units such as our own feet, counters, paper clips, etc before we begin our work with standard measurement and rulers. Check out our Kinders singing the chorus to our "Dinosaur Song": Lyrics: Oh the dinosaurs!
Big as trees Dinosaurs, brains like peas Jaws and claws and teeth and bones They used to growl and groan and moan. ROAR! We look forward to sharing more of our learning next Thursday at our Spring Exhibition: Festival del Sol on March 21 at 5:00 p.m. To another magical week, Mrs. Rosemarie
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Jasmine's Long Neck makes our cover! We have had an awesome week of writing and publishing! "Dino ROCK: An Informational Book about Dinosaurs and their Fossils" is finally published! The Kinders worked extremely hard to get to this point and are very excited to see and read our published copy. In preparation for our book, we have been writing daily--developing the habits of heart and mind of an author. In addition to using their emerging knowledge of letters and sounds, our Kinders learned to use the many writing resources available to them (Dinosaur charts, alphabet charts, word lists). They then chose a topic of interest (paleontology, fossils, or Interesting Dinosaur facts) to write about. They engaged in at least 2 drafts with the third draft serving as the final copy for our book. To help us with the creation of "beautiful work," our fifth grade buddies visited for a "Critique Session." In our "Critique Sessions," our Kinders shared their drafts and their buddies gave them feedback based on this criteria: Feedback must be 1) Kind (Remember our friend's feelings while giving feedback) 2) Helpful (Feedback is designed to strengthen the piece) 3) Specific (We tell our friend exactly what he/she should do) Each writing piece honors the unique voice and developmental writing stage of each child. Each page is written in the child's own writing and spelling (with accompanying "translations" in conventional spelling). Please make sure to praise your child for his/her efforts as this ongoing support goes a long way! "Dino Rock: An Informational Book about Dinosaurs and their Fossils" can be purchased here: http://www.blurb.com/search/site_search?search=Dino+ROCK We are excited to share our more of our learning at our Spring K-12 Exhibition: Festival del Sol on Thursday, March 21 at 5:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there! Warmest Regards, Mrs. Rosemarie |
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September 2017
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