Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Our Snow Globe Adventures!

It's winter, so where is the snow?! We would like a little to have some fun in, especially since this short week we have been learning about snowflakes, how they are formed, their 6 sides, and their interesting  patterns which make each one unique. We wrote about how snow helps protect plants and animals from wind, acting like a blanket as it covers them, and how melting snow helps fill rivers and streams. Of course everyone shared the fun they've had in the snow - skiing, sledding, snow boarding, making snow forts or snowmen, and having snowball fights. So let it snow!

Writing about how snow helps us

We read lots of texts about snow!

A fun read-aloud!

After reading The Snow Globe Family, we were inspired to write a short description of a snowman inside our paper snow globes. There is something about snow globes with their tiny scenes inside, that sparks imagination!

We also cut out snow flakes and used them as the body of our snowmen decorations for the classroom. I had to put on my Cinderella hat after the project to sweep up millions of tiny paper scraps before the custodians noticed the mess we made. Hearing everyone's exclamations as they unfolded their snowflakes to see the surprise design they had cut, made it worth it though!

Our snowflake creations!

Look at my snowflake!

Our class library area is set up for our next reading theme- the Arctic, and then Antarctica. We have loads of new fiction and non fiction books to explore and exciting habitats and animals to learn about! At some point we will be making model igloos, so any containers the size of cream cheese ones will be helpful to save for this. 

Our Polar display

Topic 7 in math finds us grouping items in tens as we prepare to work with place value. We are using 100 charts to work with numbers 1-100, ten frames to use as a visual for ten plus 1-9, connecting cubes, and rods and cubes to make two digit numbers. Differentiating between groups of ten and the total value is important (5 tens vs. 50 for example).

In phonics we worked with compound words and the kids have become detectives, finding examples everywhere, even on words on their clothes! The rule is that a compound word consists of two words put together as a new one: butter+ fly= butterfly... We will be moving on to silent e words soon.

Have a wonderful weekend, and think snow!
Mrs. Dagley