The students greatly enjoyed our 100th day celebration! They participated in a variety of activities including making 100 day mix with 100 different items, building 100 using unifix cubes, seeing how many times they could jump, run, etc in 100 seconds. We also used the number 100 to make art projects. Some students made playgrounds, others made glasses, and some made race cars. The ideas were limitless. Students also completed a 100 numbers chart, wrote about what they would buy with 100 Riyals, and making a 100 days smarter certificate. The highlight of the day was looking at all of the creative costumes as students dressed up and pretended to be 100 years old. Check out the pictures from our celebration:
Review and New Learning in Week 20!!
This past week, students had the opportunity to continue to explore which addition strategies worked best for them. During several “Round Robin” type activities, students used the strategies they’ve learned about to help them to add. They chose from using hands-on materials, counting in their heads, out loud, or on their fingers, tally marks, number lines, writing a number sentence, and touch points. They had a lot of fun discovering how they learned best and were able to accurately complete their tasks while having fun.
In English this week, students also learned about inferencing this week, taking what they know and see and coming up with new ideas. We used a game called “Inference Charades” to help students initially understand the concept. They also practiced reading their tricky words by recording them on our touch pads, iPads, and microphones. The students enjoyed learning through technology! Great job, Preschool 5!
We, additionally, introduced Unit 4! (can you believe it?) on Cultures and Traditions, allowing the students to explore different artifacts from different places around the world. We discussed what they knew about Cultures and Traditions and what they wanted to know more about, which will help to guide our unit and learning.
Science Experiment Excitement!!!
Our students have really enjoyed conducting science experiments during this unit. In our next unit our focus will not be on science but we would like to encourage students to keep up their enthusiasm and conduct experiments of their choice at home. Below are links to great resources with ideas for simple experiments that the whole family can enjoy. Please try to do at least one experiment with your children. Students can bring in pictures of them completing the experiment for show and tell!
Science Projects for Preschoolers
For our last experiment, students tested the affects of acid pollution on sea shells. We filled one cup with water and the other with vinegar. Next, we chose two similar looking seashells and placed one seashell in each cup. Students then observed the seashells throughout the day and recorded their findings. Here are some pictures of our investigation.
Sports Day!!
We hope that you enjoyed your holiday and Qatar National Sports Day this past week. Here are some photos from the Sports Day event that took place before the vacation. The students showed great team work, good sportsmanship, and had a blast! Thank you to those of you who were able to come and cheer them on.
A Look at Week 17
Students enjoyed their week at school. We were busy working on summarizing and predicting while reading stories in English class. We also completed another science experiment as we inquired into how humans can change habitats and the affects of pollution. Our classes loved trying to clean the oil off of their animals. The Lion class also had their library session and practiced summarizing The Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly. During math, we learned the touch point strategy to add two numbers together. Great job this week Lions and Tigers! We hope you enjoy your holiday!
Week 16 in Review!
Preschool 5 is working a lot on practicing their sentence writing, making sure they use capital letters at the beginning and punctuation marks at the end. Students have been using Bee Bots and various other games and activities throughout the week to practice.
We are also working steadily on addition, using the Smart Board, manipulatives (hands-on materials), and games.
In our Unit Of Inquiry, Marine Life, we are practicing our Research Skills by watching movies about our chosen animals and taking notes while watching. The students are off to a great start!
Great work, Lions and Tigers! Keep it up!
A Look In Our Classrooms
This week we began to discuss the scientific method as we conducted experiments in class. Students really enjoyed working on the experiments as well as our introduction of the unit. We “polluted” our classrooms so that students were able to make a connection with problems of pollution in the ocean. Their reactions were great! Our classes really did not enjoy working in a messy environment and tried to clean it as quickly as possible. We also had the opportunity to practice coding by using our Bee Bots. Students made a quilt of different story settings and programmed the Bee Bots to travel from one setting to another. Our classes really enjoyed the challenge! Students had to practice spacial awareness and thinking skills to figure out which directions to give the robot. In English class students practiced identifying the story’s plot (beginning, middle, and end) as well as the setting and character. During our UOI, students compared and contrasted fresh water and ocean water habitats. Students also began to use the scientific method to conduct experiments. Our classes loved having the opportunity to conduct experiments! For more on the scientific method, please see our post. Below are some pictures documenting our learning.
Scientific Method
Students were thrilled to begin learning about the scientific method and conduct science experiments. Below are screen shots of the posters we use in class to explain the scientific method. Please feel free to use the same language at home when explaining them. We are also attaching photos of the students conducting the experiments. This week we inquired into the differences between fresh water and ocean water.
Story Elements
Hello and welcome back! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday! In ELA this term we will move from phonics to story elements, reading strategies, and writing. This week and next students will be learning about characters, setting, and plot. We have watched Brain Pop jr. about each of these story elements and have completed or will complete a variety of activities for these elements. Below are the anchor charts we use in class to explain the elements.
Hour of Code
Recently our students participated in the Hour of Code challenge. The challenge is aimed to introduce students to computer programming. Mr. Fran came into our classroom and taught the students how to use the “Bee Bot” app. Students had to program the “Bee Bot” by telling it where to go. Our classes really enjoyed the activity. After the holiday, we will introduce the “Bee Bot” robots to our students to continue developing our coding skills. For more information on the Hour of Code, please visit the following link http://www.qatar.blogsek.es/.
