Storyline:
This week we have been working on our frieze, autobiographies and characters. The frieze is ALMOST complete! There are still a few details to finish. The children are writing autobiographies from the point of view that they are school children living in Venice. The writing is amazing and they are truly taking on their characters.
Next week is going to be a bit busy (what's new). On Monday, the first grade team will have a professional development day, so we will all be out of school. Patty Neumann is going to be the substitute for me.
Ancestroy Worksheet:
If you did not get it completed, please try to do so by Tuesday. Also, if you can be looking at work completed by your child's famous Italian ancestor over the next few weeks, that would be great as well.
On Thursday we are going make some Italian treats. All the first grade classes will be divided up and will be rotating to three different cooking stations. We will be making pizza, pasta and gelato. After all our hard work the children will be able to enjoy the tastes of Italy! Thank you to all the parents who contacted me about helping. I think this will be a very fun and exciting experience for the children.
We have been working on "Venice" vocabulary: The words we have been working on so far are ~
Canal
Lagoon
Ancestor
There is one or two more, but I can't remember what they are! I will make sure I write them down for next week.
Bend Science Station
On Thursday, April 29 and Friday April 30 we will be going up to the Bend Science Station. We will doing some science experiments on sounds and vibrations. This will be directly related to our storyline which is very exciting! Half of the class will be going up on Thursday and half the class will be going up on Friday. Transportation is being provided by the Bend Science Station (they have a 16 passenger bus and David Bermutez is a certified bus driver and teacher whom I have known for 17 years! HE IS AN AMAZING SCIENCE TEACHER!). If I need parent volunteers, I will send out an email. We will be leaving at 9:20 AM and returning to school around 10:45 AM
Reading, math and writing are all coming along quite well. I am really pleased with what the children are doing in all the subject areas. Today I was in awe watching the children reading on the carpet. They were 100% engaged. All were reading independently or buddy reading. It was wonderful. I think we are getting to the point where they are really beginning to enjoy the process of reading, as it is not so much work. They are beginning to read for content and comprehension. What a joy!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend! What a day today! The sun felt so warm and lovely!
Becky
