On Valentine's Day, we celebrated by reading Little Mouse's Big Valentine and then answering a writing prompt about three things we love. The kiddos used the sentence model "I love my..." and filled in the sentence however they wanted! Most of the bees said their family <3
For art centers, we made HUGE Valentines for the kiddos' families and decorated them with words and sentences we knew, pink, red, and white doilies, pom poms, and a heart made of their sweet hands. I then took their pictures holding an I Love You Because... sign and printed them in black and white (yes, took them all in two days, printed them, and added them to their valentines). Finally, we added a sentence about why they loved their families; most of which were because they love me (too much!), feed me, take me places, and give me what I need. Such poets.... But they came out so cute!
so heart melting Jesus...
Our science experiment, the ever famous candy heart experiment, was such a success even in my sometimes tricky-to-control integrated classroom! We used this sheet from The Kindergarten Smorgasboard to guide our observations and predictions:
I drew my own version of the sheet on my easel so that the kiddos could follow along and successfully fill in the record sheet. I included a simple phrase or word to describe my predictions and observations for them to copy if they pleased. We started in the top left and made predictions about whether the candy hearts would sink or float and then moved to each box as we did the experiments.
I had the children participate as much as possible (using my name sticks for participants) and began by asking one of the kiddos to place five candy hearts in each bin. I wanted the kiddos to see the constant of an experiment so they could become comfortable with the scientific process. We then did each bin as it appeared on the record sheet. After adding the ingredient to the bin, I walked around the circle showing the children the results (to avoid messes and fights to get to an observation table). It worked well, although it took much time. Do this experiment in the morning so that you can check the results in a few hours again- this is when you see the most change. Vinegar dissolves the hearts eventually and immediately dissolves the words, water turns the color of the hearts, and the baking soda (I added a lot) makes bubbles that eventually push up the hearts!
they're floating!
here's the vinegar
lastly our water bin
Here's a peek at our math centers!
Due to our shorter week, the kiddos only had two centers to complete (so that each child would have a turn with both of the centers). The first center was a measuring center which is a skill we don't get the opportunity to practice much. They had so much fun with this center and I found that the kids were very independent and self-directed here. All of my learners were able to complete the task and enjoyed it- no complaining here!
The other math center revolved around practicing our addition sentences and matching them to their respective sums. This center was differentiated with a self-correcting tool (the pattern) for the children to place their pieces on. Also on the table were number lines and counting tools to aid the children in finding their sums.
Here's the self-correcting pattern sheet
Here are the recording sheets I created to keep the bees on task! I added a heart icon at the end of every complete addition sentence so that they could "complete and color." They were challenged to see how many hearts they could color before center time was over!
Here's a peek at our Valentine literacy center!
I decided to try a scavenger hunt for valentines pictures this year and see how successful the kiddos were with following the rules (no running, screaming, cheating etc) and completing the task in a timely and beneficial manner. I remembered to remind the students to use their indoor feet and voices, keep their findings to themselves, and sound out the words, BUT I didn't realize that they would take the hidden picture with them! When some of the bees found a hidden picture they picked it up and carried it with them! This made for a difficult time for the others... Next year I will teach what a scavenger hunt is more completely BEFORE we begin!
Here they are trying to steal the hidden picture...
Found it!
Hard to tell by this picture but the sheets were differentiated to meet the bees' needs. Some of the sheets had all the sounds written in dashed font but the first or the last, some had dashed middle sounds to trace and some were made of empty boxes where the students had to fill in all of the sounds they heard. This worked well!
Check back soon to see what we have planned for our Patriotism and All About the United States Unit!
