Soccer Stars!

I visited some of my students at a soccer game this past weekend- they were great!  It was so fun seeing them in a different environment.

Thank you for allowing me to spend this time with you!

Nurse Whitman Visits 6D

Yesterday afternoon Nurse Whitman visited 6D.  She talked with the students about germs and the importance of hand washing throughout the day here at school.  She even performed a fun experiment with the class using Vaseline and "glitter" germs.  She began by rubbing the Vaseline and glitter germ concoction on a student's hands.  She told a pretend story of this student exchanging a handshake and high-fives with other classmates- all the while spreading "glitter" germs!   Although you cannot see germs in real-life, the students were able to see how easy it is to spread germs.  The experiment ended with the students washing their hands thoroughly.  Special tricks Nurse Whitman taught the class were to:

• use lots of soap to create a lather
• sing the "Happy Birthday" song while you wash- by the time you are finished singing, you hands should be ready to be rinsed
• turn off the faucet with a papertowel- this will prevent the further spread of germs

Nurse Whitman explains the germ experiment.

A student with lots of glitter germs!

Thank you, Nurse Whitman! We look forward to having you visit us again in the winter.

Fifth Grade Partnership

For the third year running, 6D has joined forces with Mrs. Liotta's Fifth Grade boys' class for a monthly alliance. We will share time together in both the lower and middle school.  On Wednesday afternoon, the 6D students walked excitedly over to the middle school building where we met and spent time with our new "buddies".  The students even received a special tour!  The trip was a huge hit. We can't wait to see the boys again soon!

My Favorite Book

This week's sharing was a favorite book.  Take a look at what we love!

What is "Fine Motor"?

What is "Fine Motor"?  Many may have noticed this special time on our class schedule twice weekly.

Fine Motor refers to movements that require a high degree of control and precision.  This may include drawing shapes, writing, cutting with scissors, and eating using utensils.  During our scheduled fine motor time this year, students will work to strengthen their muscles essential to development in these key areas. 

Should fine motor strengthening be limited to utilizing pencils and paper, scissors, and utensils, however?

Of course not- there is so much more out there!  Click here for some engaging activities to try at home, or on the "Fine Motor Activities" link on the left-hand side of this blog.

Last week students used playdough during our formal fine motor time.  Playdough can be purchased at craft stores, or you can make homemade versions on-the-cheap. 

Each student was given a letter of the alphabet- in both upper and lowercase form, protected with a clear plastic sheet.  After a ball of playdough was distributed to each child, they used their fine motor muscles to break it down into smaller strips (or "snakes", as I like to call them) to form each letter.  This was a quick and fun way to promote awareness of the alphabet, proper letter formation, and build on their growing muscles.

Keep up the great work, 6D!

A Birthday For Bear

We celebrated our summer reading book on Friday!

We read the story together and completed a portfolio page during Reading, 

ate cupcakes at snack

graphed our birthdays in Math (each student wrote their birthdays on individual dry erase boards and graphed them on the colored rug in our classrooms),

and went home with red balloons at the end of the day- what fun!