Aleph Academy

The coat rack crew (Ruby, Joshua and Dovid) were back in action today.  After painting the coat rack, they decided it needed some more work.  First they added tape to straighten the main pole.  Then they discussed how to make the coat rack stand up without falling over.  They were pretty stumped for ideas so I suggested we go outside for inspiration.  Once outdoors, they quickly began to gather  rocks and used them to stabilize the coat rack base.  During this time, they also began to debate the use of large vs. small rocks.  While mediating the discussion, I brought out a scale.  The entire class was soon intrigued with the conversation and joined in to help experiment with the scale.  The students made lots of observations and the conversation was very logical.  They sounded and behaved just like little scientists!  Next week we will revisit and document the concept.

Carey

Scientific Inquiry Standards

21.PK.1a Observe their world.

21.PK.1b Ask questions about their world.

The new and improved coat rack.

The students experiment with weight.

Natasha plays music with glass and water.

Zoe's birthday celebration.

Zoe's mom, Sarah, reads her birthday book.

Ethan makes music.

Anna joins the band.

Marley, Ethan and Anna playing a tune.

The inspiration of music moved outside today when Ethan decided to play the drums on the black metal fence outside.  Anna quickly joined in the fun followed by Marley.  During the past two weeks we’ve been discussing different classroom objects that can make music.  Therefore, it was great to see the students carry the concept outdoors.

Carey

Music and Movement

2.PK.1 Play and identify a variety of musical instruments.

3.PK.1 Improvise simple songs and rhythmic patterns using voice body or instrument.

The Scary Ramp

Story Time

The students exhibited a tremendous amount of team work today when the entire class decided to build a ramp.  Yonatan instigated the project when he set the beginning foundation.  He used three of the large floor blocks to make a mini ramp and began to walk on his creation.  The other students took notice of his actions and lengthened the ramp by adding more blocks.  The class worked extremely well together during the building process.  Natasha and Dovid took on leadership roles by positively encouraging the other students to participate in the project.  I was also particularly impressed with the amount of compliments the students shared with each other.  Each freshly placed block was applauded and praised.  When the building was finished, the dramatic play began.  The students took turns walking on their “scary ramp” while making sure to avoid alligators and other dangerous monsters.

Carey

Social-Emotional Development Standards

4.PK.1b Express common courtesy to others.

4.PK.1c Respect rights and belongings of others.

5.PK.1d Initiate play or enter into play with a group of children already playing.

5.PK.2a Participate in cooperative groups to complete a task.

5.PK.2c Share some of the time.

Marely is intrigued by the Aleph Bet blocks

In the afternoons, we have explored Aleph Bet in so many different ways.

My goal in introducing the Hebrew alphabet was for the students to establish a personal rel

Zoe feels the Vet while blindfolded

ationship with the letters. Each of the children feel connected to their own initial. Ruby is heard saying, “Hey, where is my letter?”  We replaced our own initial on the Aleph Bet chart with our faces. When we sang the song and reached one’s initial, that child pointed to himself/herself.

In additon, we have begun to differentiate between Bet, and Vet. Bet has a dot, and Vet does not. While blindfolded, we felt the letters to discern if it was a Bet or Vet. Today, we gathered into two groups; the Bet (B-like) group and Vet (V-like) group. The Bet group acted like honeybees, and the Vet group got down on the floor to clean up the carpet, they chose to act like vacuumes! We hummed songs using only the B sound or V sound. Overall, I am observing an immense increase in awareness and recognition of the  letters.

Joshua completes Aleph Bet match-ups

It took team effort to complete the Aleph Bet floor puzzle

click here for Aleph Bet Song

Dovid

Ethan

Ruby

We’ve added books on tape to our nap/quiet time ritual.  Those students who are having trouble sleeping after at least a half hour of rest time are allowed to listen to one book on tape.  So far the students seem to really enjoy listening to literature via head phones and I can’t wait to hear their thoughts about the books.

The Daily Five is a popular educational literacy approach used in elementary schools.  In summary, it is a series of literacy tasks (reading to self, reading with someone, writing, word work, and listening to reading) which students complete daily while the teacher meets with small groups or confers with individuals.  Since the beginning of school the students have been listening to reading and reading to themselves on a daily basis.  Writing is also encouraged on a daily basis and students can read with someone whenever they ask.  Although we do not utilize leveled reading books in the classroom, I do incorporate some guided reading practices when reading books with the children.  As for word work, the students are now given the opportunity to do phonics lessons several times a week. In summary, I’m ecstatic to have incorporated The Daily Five into our classroom literacy activities and hope they are fostering a life long love of reading in your children.

Investigating shells and sand in the sensory table.

Ruby, Dovid and Joshua build a coat rack.

Joshua and Dovid move the new coat rack.

The coat rack finds its place in the dramatic play area.

Sheva, Anna and Everti playing in the kitchen.

We had a magnificent morning indoor exploration.  Several students investigated the new objects (sea shells) in the water table.  All of the students immediately noted the strange odor the shells and sand emitted.  When the table is uncovered, our classroom now smells like the ocean!

During the original transformation of the dramatic play area the students decided they wanted a coat rack/hat stand for their home.  Ruby recalled their desire for a coat rack this morning during morning meeting and suggested we create one out of card board tubes (toilet paper and paper towel rolls).  Dovid and Joshua volunteered to help Ruby.  They did a great job of working together to build a base, post and hooks for the coat rack.  I was particularly impressed with their patience and critical thinking skills. When it was finished, all three expressed pride in their work.   Ruby even exclaimed, “I think its the best thing we’ve ever made!”

Carey

Scientific Inquiry Standard

22.PK.3-  Share ideas with others.

Social-Emotional Development Standards

1.PK.2a- Express ideas for activities, initiate and participate in discussions with teachers and peers.

1.PK.2b-Acknowledge actions and accomplishments verbally and non-verbally.

1.PK.3-Re-engage in a task or activity after experiencing disappointment, frustration, or failure.

Music in Motion

Dancing with music shakers.

The light coat of snow made exploring the play yard a bit more exciting.

Yesterday, afternoon the rain/sleet/snow gave us a welcome reason to stay inside.  However, the students were still able to utilize some of their built up energy by dancing and singing.  The class has really begun to embrace music.  Many more voices can be heard during our morning meeting songs and you can often hear at least one or two children randomly singing songs while playing/learning.  I was particularly delighted to see the class join together yesterday afternoon when I put on a sing-a-long cd.  They were drawn to the music and formed a dance train without any provocation.  The students had a wonderfully happy time singing and dancing along to the music.  At one point, Anna picked up a music shaker and the rest of the class followed suit.  The power of music has hit our classroom and is flowing through your child’s hearts.

Music and Movement

10.PK.1a Move in a variety of ways to music.

10.PK.1c Respond to changes in tempo.

Today we began with a great conversation about classroom pets.  We’ve had several animals visit our classroom this year and the student’s have voiced their fondness of animals.  After discussing the pros and cons of having a bunny, chicken, cat, rat, mouse and fish as a classroom pet the students unanimously voted for fish.  I believe a long term pet in the classroom can offer lots of learning opportunities and hope to have some fish in the very near future.  Any and all ideas regarding fish learning activities would be greatly appreciated.

Science Stanadards

8.PK.1 Investigate animals and their offspring.

8.PK.2 Explore and identify a variety of animals and plants.

During the afternoon we concentrate on Judaic studies. This week we have focused largely on the Aleph Bet. We sang the Aleph Bet song multiple times, and even used instruments to keep the beat.  Occasionally, Joshua hums the tune and everyone joins in as we burst into the Alpeh Bet song!

We incorporated lots of materials to create a more tangible experience. Right now, we are paying close attention to our Hebrew initial. Each child was given a paper with their name on it. We  fingered the letters, and located them in the Aleph Bet chart. They we identified our initial among a pile of Aleph Bet tracers. We traced the letter, and Natasha, Ruby, and Dovid went as far as to cut them out.

Tu B’shvat is the upcoming holiday. We discussed how it’s the new year of the trees. Hashem (G-d) takes care of everything in the world and even created a new year especially for trees to ensure they receive the correct amount of water and sun. As we sang Tu B’shvat songs we started at the ground, and grew taller and taller into beautiful, strong trees.

"Natasha Rachel"

Decorating our Alpeh Bet with tissue paper

Ruby cutting out her letter

Coloring the letters