What a week! We are back from spring break and it feels like we never left! The Super Kid classroom has turned into a rainforest. This week has been about generating excitement and enthusiasm about the rainforest. We learned what a rainforest is and where they are in the world. It is a natural connection to our study before the break on the water cycle. Our grade 3/4 buddies joined us and helped us create rainforest animals for our ceiling and bulletin board. We made jaguars, tree frogs, monkeys, sloths, butterflies and macaws. The room looks like a jungle!
We read “The Great Kaypok Tree” by Lynne Cherry and decided to make a reader’s theatre to perform on Earth Day. If you haven’t read the book, check it out at your local library or you can go to YouTube and watch a reading of the book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw0arFtHeVw
A man walks into the rainforest to cut down a kapok tree that is home to many animals. He gets tired and falls asleep at the foot of it. Once asleep, many animals come down from the tree to whisper in his ear many reasons why he should not cut it down. The class is very excited to share the play with other classrooms and our grandparents on grandparent’s day at the end of the month. We have been busy practicing our parts and acting out the scenes. Thanks to those families that have donated snake stuffed animals, butterfly wings, and even made anteater noses! Below is a picture of our student teacher and a Super Kid making a sloth mask.
To become biologists and research a rainforest animal, we have been learning about non fiction writing and how to find information. Students were partnered and given the same rainforest information book. Today we looked at what a table of contents is and how to use it. Next week we will use the same book to learn about headings, bolded words, and the glossary.
Continuing on our rainforest theme, today we had an art day! To be honest, this is my favourite kind of day. We went with flow of the day, listened to calming music and created works of art. We looked at pictures of snakes and noticed that snakes like to coil themselves around trees in the rainforest. We looked at how we could draw this by sketching together. Then we coloured and painted. Below are some pictures of the art process.
As the year goes on, its nice to see those students who were hesitant to create art, expand and view themselves as artists.
I hope you have a great weekend with your family.
