Within the past two months of school, a lot has happened within the classroom communities. The students have learned so much already, and normalization within the classrooms has ensued. This week, students were presented with geography, language, and botany lessons. For geography, the students were introduced to the “reading a map” unit. Within this unit, children are provided with a multitude of activities that enhance their mapping skills and ability to read maps and learn to understand different symbols on a map. In addition, children grasp the understanding of the cardinal directions. This unit not only provides students with an enrichment in mapping skills but also immensely helps third-year students with lessons in Imaginary Island.
For language, students were presented with a lesson on syllables. This unit is a part of the word study curriculum and encompasses work that involves children taking word or picture cards and placing each card under the correct syllable label. Some of these words range from having one syllable to five syllables. There are also works on the word study shelf that involves children matching up different words that contain the same amount of syllables. These are commonly called “word trains” or “syllable trains”. This unit not only helps children learn to break apart words but also promotes decoding and reading fluency skills.
Lastly, students have been presented with fresh work on the botany shelf. This riveting work allows for children to learn about the parts of a leaf, including the veins, midrib, apex, margin, etc. Through exploring the shelf, students will also be able to gather knowledge on different types of leaves along with their characteristics ranging from simple, compound, lobed, smooth, toothed, and much more.
