Beginning a new year is a time of excitement and reflection. Given this month's testimony of equality and the celebration of  Dr. Martin Luther King, we have been examining the Civil Rights Movement. To begin a discussion of equality and fairness, teachers presented a puppet show, "All Aboard," about a group of birds who were forbidden from joining their mammal friends at a pool, on a bus ride and at a restaurant. The Green Cubbies were excited about watching a teacher-presented puppet show. They quickly became concerned that the birds were judged and segregated from their friends simply because they had feathers and beaks. "It's not fair!" they exclaimed, and “It doesn't matter that they are different, they are all friends."

Reading aloud "If a Bus Could Talk, The Life of Rosa Parks", by Faith Ringgold, the reality of the Civil Rights Movement came to life in our classroom. The children were introduced to the concepts of segregation and boycotting. Following the read aloud, the class engaged in a modified version of musical chairs. The students experienced what it was like to be unfairly separated from their friends on a musical bus. When asked what they would do about the unfair situation, many of the students suggested "get(ting) off the bus to walk with their friends," or  "Find another bus that would let everyone be together." Our study of the Civil Rights Movement, and reflections on equality, will continue throughout the month. The curriculum will include additional read alouds, further discussions, dramatic play and written responses to literature. The culminating activity will bring together all three classes to create a giant mural depicting a diverse Freedom Bus. If you have any interest in sharing your own experiences and/or knowledge about the Civil Rights Movement, please feel free to contact teachers.

We have been having the students create mini-books of their own, in preparation for their introduction to their “just right” books.  The students have been cutting out and organizing the pages of their pre-printed books, coloring them and then reading them to one another.  The Purple cubbies are so excited to be reading and eager to learn new reading strategies.  “Just right” books (which will be introduced later this month) are books that students can read independently with 95% accuracy.  At the start of “Reading Workshop” the students will have a mini-lesson, during which, they will be presented with a reading strategy that they will practice that day.  At the conclusion of our mini-llesson the students will go to their reading spots with their bin of “just right” books and practice the strategy introduced during the mini-lesson.  The teachers will be circulating throughout the classroom and holding individual conferences with students to clarify and reinforce reading strategies.  At the close of the independent reading time, students will pair up with a partner and have a few minutes to discuss the book they were reading, for example, something that was hard for them, something easy for them, their favorite page, how they used the new strategy etc.  The following is a list of some of the reading strategies we will be introducing through the use of “just right” books.

• Use the pictures to make predictions
• Look for sight words
• Point to the words with your finger
• Get your mouth ready to make the first sound
• Look for sentence patterns
• Re-read for meaning

Beginning in December, we have been visiting at least one country per week in our classroom.  For each country we find its location both on our world map rug, as well as marking it on our wall map.  We sing the continent song and review the countries we have learned so far, pointing to each one as we go.  The children have really enjoyed learning the national animal, traditional dress and making the flags for each new land.  Using the Smartboard, we travel in our rocket ship via Google Earth to see the land forms, geography and buildings of the county.  We love to explore the different environments, climates and life styles each location has to offer.  Hearing the traditional music and seeing dancing has been a particular highlight throughout this experience!  The first minute we watch a video of the dance, and then we give it a try ourselves!

 Language has also been introduced, by learning how to say “hello” in each of the countries most popular language.  Games or activities are a part of our experience, ranging from Blind Man’s Bluff, played in China, to the Dreidel game from Israel.  These have become part of our afternoon centers.   Literature has been introduced from each country and we have all enjoyed hearing wonderful tales from around the world!

 This past week we traveled to Mexico and really enjoyed creating Papel Picados, ie. paper piercings.  They are similar to paper snowflakes made in the United States, and are used as hanging decorations.  We made them by folding square pieces of paper and then cutting small shapes around the edges, making beautiful patterns when unfolded.  We used glitter to decorate ours and hung them around the room!  This project is just one example of ways we are integrating curricular elements every day.  Handy Learning, Spanish, and Social Studies all merged together for this entertaining project!

 The children are so invested in the Social Studies curriculum and can’t wait to travel to a new country and continent!  Be sure to ask your child about where they have been, they love to show off their knowledge!