Hopscotch!

The mathematicians are learning about numbers 0-10 in class this month.  In our study of the number 8 the students learned how to play hopscotch!

We began class by learning about how to play hopscotch in different parts of the world:

Although there are many versions of this game, we played the one from the United States.  A hopscotch board was taped on the floor of our classroom:

The class had a blast!  This student completed the entire game with no mistakes and was allowed to tape her initials in any hopscotch square of her choosing!  Nice work!

We concluded class by making a hopscotch board of our own using 8 blue squares.  On Monday we will write the numbers on each square using proper number formation.  Good work, mathematicians!

Sentence Writing

Mrs. Goodman has been teaching the readers about proper sentence etiquette this week.  The two areas she has focused on are:

• beginning a sentence with an uppercase letter
• ending a sentence with a punctuation mark, such as a period.

The students reviewed their understanding of sentences by looking through this week's story titled Ants.  The class noted the uppercase letters and punctuation marks present at the beginning and end of all sentences.  Then, Mrs. Goodman split the students into pairs where they worked together to form sentences from cut words on sentence strips.  The pairs did a lovely job of organizing the sentences properly.

The readers concluded their sentence learning this week by writing and illustrating their own silly sentences about ants.  Kudos!

Hunting for Squirrels and Squirrel Food

Last week Miles' 6C class and the 6D students joined forces for outdoor learning.  The children were on a hunt for squirrels and squirrel food on Calvert's campus!

Students tour Molly's Garden  in search of squirrels and squirrel food.

The lesson began with a brief introduction and a tour of many outdoor spaces.  Students utilized clipboards as writing surfaces and colored in a special graph when they had found a squirrel, seeds, acorns, or nuts.

We spotted a squirrel near Castalia...

...and we bet more live in this "squirrel hole"! 

Students gathered on the grass upon completing the graphing activity for a relaxing rest, led by Mrs. Miles. 

Both classes practiced deep breathing and meditation,

and took a brief nap below the Castalia trees.  

This is the view looking up into the trees.  Can you tell that it was a beautiful day? 

6D Adopts a Tree!

The 6D students adopted a tree on Calvert's campus last week.  It is located on the walkway to the Middle School.  We chose this tree because of it's beautifully-colored leaves.  The students will visit and document the changes in this tree throughout the season.

Shower for Baby Armstrong!

This week my students and parents surprised-showered me with love, hugs, and lots of gifts for Baby Armstrong!  The class decorated bibs with special words and presented me with a diaper cake.  Sweet cupcakes were enjoyed by the students.  My favorite part was listening to Mrs. Davis read the book Where Ever You Are, My Love Will Follow You- the words and illustrations were absolutely beautiful!

Opening gifts for Baby Armstrong!

The Diaper Cake!

Time to Decorate!

Thank you, 6D, for this celebration!

XOXO

Mrs. Armstrong & Baby Armstrong

Sight Words

The readers are learning about sight words!  These words are often not phonetic (which means they can't be sounded out) and thus require memorization.  Simple sight words pop up often in the literature that we read in class.

A simple way to practice weekly sight words (and review ones from weeks prior) is to create a sight word book from index cards and a binder ring.  Each reading student has a sight word book that is added to at the beginning of the week and reviewed multiple times by the week's end.  On Friday Mrs. Goodman and I assess the students' sight word knowledge by listening to each reader thumb through their sight word book.

Ample review of sight words is essential at home because additional class time is devoted to other important reading skills.  Sight word lists can be found on this blog under "6th Age Reading Sight Words".  Good luck and have fun!

Making Letters with Our Bodies

The students completed a large motor skill today in preparation for a written instruction of the letters Ii and Oo later this week.  Working solo and later in pairs they created these letters using their bodies.  Can you guess what letter is below? I'll give you a hint- it's in lowercase...

Music Patterns

The mathematicians are learning about patterns in math, and today the students created sound patterns using musical instruments.  AB, AABB, and ABC are a sampling of some of the patterns that were created. They had a great time! Take a peek at some of the instruments that were used.

Mystery Visitor!

We had our first Mystery Visitor last week!  He sent us clues each day to get us excited- some were true clues and one was false.  We did a drumroll on the rug to welcome him into the room.  Behold Mr. McDonough- our Mystery Visitor!

Mr. McDonough is a florist distributor and he brought in pink roses for each of us to take home- they smelled so beautiful!  He even read us one of his favorite books: Sheep In a Jeep!

Thank you, Mr. McDonough for spending this special time with us!

Portfolio Preparation

The 6D students met with their 5th Grade partners last week and organized their portfolios for the month of September.  This included sorting papers and completing a written report on a paper of their choosing.

Thank you to our 5th Grade friends for their support!  We look forward to adding to our portfolios throughout this year.

Skyping London!

Last week the 6D students Skyped a former Calvert student in London!  Sofia used to live in Baltimore and was a Sixth Age student a few years ago.  Last year she was in the Seventh Age.  Now she attends a new school and is getting used to life abroad.

The students prepared several interview questions for Sofia, asking her what life is like in London, and- has she ever ridden a red double decker bus or taken a ride on "the tube"?

We look forward to speaking with Sofia via Skype several more times this year!

Zero

We have been learning about numbers zero- five in math and the students recently created their own pictures illustrating the number zero- take a peek!

Mrs. Goodman joins 6D!

Mrs. Goodman joined 6D this week!  She will be with me and the students until Friday November 2nd, when she will transition as lead teacher so I can take care of Baby Armstrong.  I will return in mid-February to spend some additional time with Mrs. Goodman before I transition back to my normal position.

It has been fun getting to know Mrs. Goodman- she is a great teacher!

Outdoor Learning

The 6D students will spend much of their time this year learning outside.  Mrs. Miles' 6C class and the 6D students will partner together once per month for a special outdoor activity.

The beginning of this outdoor time takes place in the gazebo.  A teacher dings a triangle to announce the start of the meeting.  Students sit quietly to listen to the day's activity.

Mrs. Miles announces the start of our outdoor meeting.

 Students were partnered off in groups of two or three, where they transitioned to the grass for special breathing called "nature breathing" and reflection, led by Mrs. Miles.

A student closes her eyes for reflection while practicing nature breathing.

Students partner up for nature breathing.

 Mrs. Miles then led the group in two basic yoga poses: downward and upward dog.

Students model downward and upward dog poses.

Upon completion of the yoga poses, students laid on the grass and took a quiet rest.  They made sure their bodies were completely relaxed.

Students walk in a line through Molly's Garden to tour the outdoor boundaries at Calvert.

We then toured the outdoor areas at Calvert, addressing boundaries to the students.  They will soon complete a Calvert map where they will draw in these boundaries with crayon.