Junior Kindergarten – Rocks and Mineral Inquiry
We noticed most students collecting, sharing, and playing with rocks in the school yard and along our nature walks. We decided this would be a good provocation for inquiry. We began by introducing a number of non-fictional books to the carpet. We asked the students to look through the books and point out pictures they wondered something about. This unit of inquiry took on more meaning for more students when we were able to watch the demolition of a home across the street from the school. This had us looking at what homes are made of and what rocks can be used for in our everyday life.
Students looked through books about rocks and minerals and came up with questions.
Andy Goldsworthy provocation
We used our journals to draw what we saw when the house was torn down and we made predictions about what would happen with the property. Many of the students re-created the demolition and made their predictions through play with introduced materials.
Kindergarten – Math Stations
I have begun to develop math stations around ‘number sense’ which can be student-led and allow the teachers to circulate, assist, observe, and assess students. Each table group spends about 7 minutes at each station and then rotates. The level of engagement from the students has been high! New activities will be added into the rotation dependent on areas which need support and for the exploration of new concepts.
Station #1 – Memory – Using 10 Frame cards (one set blue, one set red) the students play the card game ‘Memory’ to identify and compare number.
Station #2 – Printing Numbers – Students are provoked to copy and practice their numbers with number lines and number cards. I changed to small chalk boards the second time to encourage students to print number one at a time and take their time.
Station #3 – Representing Numbers – The students were provoked to show a number as many ways as they could. They were given dice, number tiles, pebbles, and Popsicle sticks for tally marks.
Station #4 – Making Numbers – The students were provided with loose materials (pebbles, buttons, and rocks) and number sheets with 10 Frames. The students traced the numbers using the materials.
Station #5 – iPads – Students used the cameras to explore the classroom on a ‘Number Hunt.’ They then used an app which demonstrated the proper way to print numbers and traces these.
Explorations of Fall
The students collected materials during a nature walk in the forest. They used these loose materials with teacher provided materials to create designs. The students were asked to share what they did in their artwork or share facts they had learned about fall. Many students had created elaborate stories to accompany their fall collage.
Alma Thomas Inspired Art – Using watercolours and oil pastels the students explored the colours of fall.
