The Woodpecker class culture has been evolving around fire pits, with refreshments in hand, where we get good ideas from good books, discuss current events, make ambitious plans, and live the constructivist approach to living and learning! The Woodpeckers hone their academic skills with daily doses of math and literacy in the morning, and enjoy ample opportunities to take on meaningful project based work that has impact beyond our classroom. We have a couple irons in the fire - the launching of The Beak Jr. ( an original magazine by kids and for kids, inspired by the Week Jr.), as well as making a Native American style flatbow using nothing but hand tools, determination, and good information. Folks, let me tell you, we are off to a GREAT start. The Magazine is staffed by columnists who are determined to bring this magazine to an international audience - and in a mindblowing display of grit and teamwork, the bowyers stripped a Hickory stave down to the cambium with their bare hands! ( I doubted this was even possible )  - there is no stopping these Woodpeckers! We’re off! Huzzah!

With our name decided we began our first project. We took the theme of “Identity” and made paper handprints that include words and pictures that represent each child’s interests and identities. Students set the standards as to what a finished handprint should look like. They decided they should be: neatly cut out, have bold colors, fill up the white space and words should be spelled correctly and outlined in marker. This process of coming up with their own standards for their work was new to the first year Carriage House friends, and it really helped them all get started on their handprint project with a solid sense of what was expected of them. The quality of their work shows it!

Once they all met their desired standards, we introduced a concept that is familiar to our friends who were in the lower Carriage House last year: Feedback Forms! Our new Carriage House friends were introduced to the concept of giving “glows” (something specific you like about a person’s work and why) and “grows” (something specific the person might be able to work on to make their work even better and why). This can be a challenging concept for kiddos and even adults alike! However, our Hummingbirds accepted the challenge and have shown us that they are going to be GREAT feedback providers and receivers! Students were partnered off and practiced giving a glow and a grow to their buddy.  Once they shared their feedback, they spent some time reflecting on the feedback and making changes to their handprints if they felt their project would benefit from those changes. 

When their handprints were complete we thought about how to display them in a way that represents our class identity as The Hummingbirds. The group was inspired by last year’s giant eagle display and decided they wanted to make a big hummingbird, using their handprints as part of the wing feathers. After making that decision, it was time to gather some materials and resources. Siobhan provided hummingbird and bird books. Nina supplied us with large paper and special colored pencils that are just the right colors to make a Ruby Throated Hummingbird. (We found out it is the only species of hummingbird that is native to our area!) Then it was time to make a plan for tackling the large-scale drawing together. Students decided to work together in small groups to take on drawing the different parts of the hummingbird.  They used observational drawing techniques to draw out our large hummingbird -- lots of looking and a bit of drawing, then more looking. The children are still working on this part of the process. Once completed, we'll put the pieces of the hummingbird together like a puzzle and proudly display it in our indoor classroom. We promise it'll be ready for you all to see when you visit us next month for Curriculum Night! Scroll through the photos below to get a peek at the process.

Finally, we’re so excited that the Hummingbirds have been able to hit the ground running with our math and reading groups! Since all of our students were either in the Carriage House with Jackie last year or in the Neighborhood with Renée, we were quickly able to establish flexible small groupings for these intentional, direct-instruction portions of our day. Children receive thirty minutes of math instruction and thirty minutes of reading instruction daily. We’re continuing to enjoy our Learning Without Tears phonics curriculum. First year Lower Carriage House students are familiar with the routines and approach. What’s new to them is the Tang Math curriculum. They all have a solid foundation of math skills from doing Number Talks in the Neighborhood, and are ready for the added challenges and more complex skills addressed with Tang Math. We look forward to sharing more details about these curricula on Curriculum Night. Until then, know that we’re off to a great start with lots of strong focus and readiness to grow our brains!

Thanks for taking the time to read our update, Hummingbird Grownups! We can hardly wait to see you at Meadowbrook Farm for apple picking next Friday!

Next, we split into three groups to spend time with our B.E.A.M. teachers. Library, Ecology, Art and Music experiences are had by all kiddos throughout the week. 

After Links we eat lunch together, then head to the playground. 

Our first full week of school was full of fun, friends, and figuring things out! We thank you for your patience and your support as we settle into the routines and rhythms of a new school year. The Downstairs students have wowed us this week with their flexibility and engagement, and we are excited for the adventures that await us this year. This week, we are sharing a peek into our daily/weekly rhythm.