Multiage Magic

At the end of math class, my fourth graders were flipping through a first-grade workbook marveling at how easy it all looked. "Hey Tracy, can we use this to teach Rose's class during recess?"

"Sure!"

"Can we make a school?"

"Absolutely! Is there anything else you want? Clipboards? Blackboards and chalk?"

Soon the fourth and third graders were running a school on the playground with lessons in art, science, Spanish, math, literacy, and physical education. The "lunch lady" mixed up some concoctions for lunchtime, and the students went from class to class.

The older kids got some great practice organizing all of this play and trying to figure out the best ways to teach information. The younger kids got some undivided attention and opportunities for imaginative play (and maybe even learning some new information). I was grateful for our multiage setup and the opportunities it provides.

Rose's PK and K Class

• We started an ice cream parlor with pompom ice cream scoops. Students placed their orders with slips of paper that had colored dots representing the flavors they wanted, and other students scooped the orders.

• We practiced the letters A, B, C, D and E this week. We traced letters, colored things that started with the letters, and made letter books for some of them.

• We played a dice game to create bugs with silly body parts. 

• We made up a dance and practiced rhyming with simple words.

Tracy's 1st - 4th Class

We worked a bunch with fractions this week in math: splitting things into groups, measuring to the nearest 1/4 inch, and measuring to the nearest 1/8 inch. The kids were excited by the idea of measuring to the nearest 1/64 until we looked at our rulers and figured out what that would look like.

In our literacy block, we have been reading What to Do When We Worry. For each chapter their are opportunities to draw, write, share, and discuss. We'll be sending our "Worry Books" home by the end of the week. Take a few minutes to talk with your children about their work, and let me know if you have any questions about the tools we have been developing.

Theme Time: Climate, Weather, and Earth Day

This week we looked for signs of spring as we talked about the cycle of seasons in our area. We're also tracking the growth of one of our lilies to see how it changes from week to week. We learned about the water cycle through reading: Pitter and Patter and Let's Investigate with Nate: The Water Cycle. Glenn brought in a great Project Wet activity where the children created a water cycle necklace that told the story of their drop as it moved from the ocean to the clouds to the soil and beyond. The children discovered that evaporating from the ocean and moving away from groundwater was tricky. The older kids helped to guide the younger ones in this experience, helping them to tell the story of their drops' travels.