Parents,
I cannot believe it is the last week of January. Time is going way too fast. This week we will be doing a close read on the book Under the Ocean by Fiona Patchett. We will begin by reading the entire book and then each day after that we will focus on a different page of the book. The students will be making their own informative books based on what we read each day.
We will also talk about the life cycle of fish and explore buoyancy using tin foil boats. We will end the week by making some string art to go along with Picasso’s line drawings.
Typically as the year progresses the students become more like siblings. They know each other very well and sometimes contention occurs in class. In the book Children who are not yet peaceful, Donna Goertz quotes Daniel Goleman, who has studied emotional literacy in schools. He said “Some. . . infiltrate their (emotional literacy) lessons into the very fabric of school life. The assumption is that such moments (strife among children) are ripe opportunities to teach children skills . . .and that there are better ways to discipline than coercion. . .The immediate lesson is that there are impartial, fair ways to settle . . .disputes, while the deeper teaching is that disputes can be negotiated and children can apply skills such as these throughout life. It has a more positive message than the ubiquitous, authoritarian ‘Stop that’, that too often slips, unbidden, from our mouths”. We try to use any moments of strife as teaching opportunities and encourage you to try the same approach at home. I know it takes more effort and patience (which can be in short supply at the end of a long day) but the outcome is worth the effort.
Have a great week.
Ms. Jen & Ms. Martha