ZAP IT!

Today we spent time playing a game called Zap It!  It is a simple game made with popsicle sticks and SNAP words that have been practiced over the past nine weeks.  A SNAP word is written on each popsicle stick and 5 sticks have the words "ZAP IT!" written on them.  All are placed into a bag to be used by a group of students.

The object of the game is to pull out a stick and read the SNAP word.  If the student reads the word correctly, he or she keeps the popsicle stick.  If he or she guesses the word incorrectly, the stick goes back into the bag.  Students take turns reading the words.  The tricky part begins when a student draws a "ZAP IT!" stick and he or she must place all of his or her sticks back into the bag.

 L. had collected 4 SNAP words and then pulled out a "ZAP IT!" stick.  Even though she had to return all of her sticks back into the bag, she quickly began to collect more words as the game progressed.

There are so many fun ways to practice these high frequency words!

Challenge:  Make this game at home to add a new way to practice SNAP words. :)

Eric Carle Day and Celebration

Wearing our handmade shirts and enjoying a silly moment!

 Eric Carle Day!  We have been busy reading many, if not most of Eric Carle's books, for several weeks.  We have discovered many things about his books such as he likes to use insects and animals in his stories, he likes to share stories with children to help them with concepts like friendship as well as counting and learning colors, new vocabulary and days of the week.  Eric Carle uses his art of painting with tissue paper to add beautiful illustrations.  As we studied his books, we began to express our opinions and thoughts about the author and his stories during our Writer's Workshop.  We looked at several books to find similarities and differences and even thought of questions we would like to ask Eric Carle when reading his books.  We began to look at his books through the lens as writers as well as readers.

Our day started with playing Eric Carle bingo and ended with watching an Eric Carle movie while snacking on pancakes, making caterpillar necklaces and creating a beautiful tissue colored mosaic of a sea horse.  And we can't forget the enjoyment of a caterpillar cupcake at the end of the day.

Dental Health Presentation

We had a delightful visit from a Chets Creek parent who is a dental hygienist.  She came to show us how important it is to take care of our teeth, what sugar does to our teeth, what foods help our teeth, and how to floss our teeth.  Our students were enthralled with her information and as seen above, M. modeled her hands to represent teeth as the class watched how to floss between each tooth.  What a wonderful way to close out Dental Health Month and to encourage us to take care of our teeth even at our young ages!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

It's that time of year when our class discovers the joy of Eric Carle's stories.  We read stories, retell them in different ways, write responses and persuasive pieces, and discuss thoughts about his books.  We often ask ourselves, "What would I like to ask Eric Carle about this book?"  and "I wonder why Eric Carle wrote this book?"  Through rereading and charting our noticings, observations and questions, we not only discover the richness of these books  but also begin to look at books with a different lens- authors ourselves.  We look at words that are repeated, great beginnings, characters, setting and strong endings.  We will compare and contrast different books to stretch our thinking even more.

A. and his classmates help tell the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar using a puppet and props.  It was absolutely delightful to watch these friends act out the story with great pride and confidence!