Hello Families,
We hope you enjoyed a windy and safe weekend. Our hearts go out to everyone experiencing fire and power-related emergencies. California, we love you.
Several important reminders for the week ahead:
Send your child with a medium (they can carry it on their own) pumpkin for Tuesday scooping. If this is a challenge, email us by tomorrow afternoon and we will arrange pumpkins as needed. On Wednesday we will carve faces. Thursday is filled with the school parade (8:45-9:15) and we spend the rest of the day in class doing Halloween activities.
Friday, November 1st, is our first big field trip! We will take BART to downtown Oakland for a performance at the Paramount Theater called Luna Mexicana. We aim to leave campus promptly at 8:40! Several parents have volunteered to join us for the performance, thank you! Please plan to have your student to school on time, or early (we love early!). We will return to school for lunch. Teachers will be carrying morning snacks in our backpacks. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns! If you want to join us for the BART ride to and fro, send us a message.
This week in Math:
We spent time reviewing methods for showing your thinking effectively using number lines. We began a multiplication introduction activity called ‘The Pet Shop.’ Small groups played ‘ ‘Frog Jump Multiplication,’ worked on multiplication tables and played a Jeopardy-style math game vs. the teacher. Math continues to be a highlight of the week for our cohort.
Writing included Rocket Write #5, our Thankfulness Expository brainstorming and also Identity work. The kids in our class are so excited to share their writing and we made sure to add peer sharing into our schedule this week. It gives students a chance to learn how to project their voice, gain confidence in their incredible ideas and receive supportive feedback from peers.
During Science, students were given several choices as to how they wanted to represent their knowledge and understanding of the process of photosynthesis. Some used a printed out worksheet (not pictured), and others drew and wrote their understanding in an artistic manner. Giving choices for demonstrations of “show what you know” allows individuals to find the representation that suits them best.
We all worked hard on spelling this week. We spent time learning how to sort, record and practice our (differentiated) spelling words in various ways. Students ‘doodled words’, listed words in ‘colorful columns’, did ‘spell and cover’ practice and finally completed ‘spell checks’ with peers. We witnessed progress throughout the week. As we continue spelling through the year, students will learn many different ways to practice their words and find the practice methods that work best for them!
Family and Friends reading is the BEST! It is so nice to connect as a community and to witness the excitement with which Temescal students share work and books with their visitors.
On Friday, we played a new game called “Scenes.” Small groups were instructed to work as a unit to compose a scene that represented the teacher’s prompt. Scenes of outer space, playground and garden emerged. As usual, with interactive and pretend play, students thrived, embraced and enjoyed the challenge. More drama games to come!
As usual, we ended Friday with a super fun Choice Time. Lots of building, creating, negotiating and friendly connection!
In community,
Emily and Jackie
