One inquiry group has been working on thinking about the characters in the play and sketching them thinking about 2D shapes and writing as they create. There is lots of descriptive language happening as the children think about the character's traits and how they fit into the story. Here are a selection of some of the characters being explored.
The other group took an interest in the stage and set. We went for a "field trip" to explore the stage and the wings of the stage. The children observed and sketched carefully and incorporated various 2D shapes into their work as they designed a set. An interest around the stage lights emerged and we played a game as we raised and dimmed the lights.
Many children were paying careful attention to details in the costumes of the characters they were sketching. We decided to bring in a variety of fabric (lace, broadcloth, satin, organza, etc.) to talk about the various fabrics and make decisions about which ones to use in our costume sketches. Some children even chose to use tinfoil to create knights! There was a great deal of thinking about 2D shapes as they explored.
Recently, our children saw another class borrowing our straws and connectors that were being stored in our closet. They asked to explore them and we were amazed by the construction that began to happen. The children began to develop a very rich sense of what a cube was and it's properties.
Below is a transcribed observation session of some children working on the cubes on a later day. In the classroom, we use photos captured, quotes recorded, and ideas that emerge to move our programming forward and to make our learning visible to guests who visit our room. The math thinking and the rich oral language within the quotes below are incredible:
On the third day of exploring cubes through coloured straws, the group built on their structure.
"JR! Save my cube!" - ET (as he left to hang up his things)
"This is gonna be hamster world, right HSC? My hamster is going right on the edge. And you can't fall into the water, Mister!" - IRB
"HSC- can you make my square?" - ET
"Me and Hailey are the fixers." - JR
"I'm the builder!" - IRB
"I"m the stabilizer!" - JM
"I'm the cube maker!" - ET
"I'm the cube maker, too!" - LW
"ET, can I use this (points to a cube) to stabilize it?"- JR
"The building is shaking!" - JR
"Can someone hand me 4 straws? Is that 4? (Counts) 1, 2, 3,4!" -IRB
"Guys!! We're almost touching the roof!" -JR
"Whoa....!" - Whole group
"Maybe that's the problem that's making it falling." - ET
"What was the problem?" -Miss H
"That the parts at the bottom were broken."-ET
"So you've discovered stability at the bottom is important?"-Miss H
"Ya!" -ET
"Put that cube on top of the green one. That looks like the hamster's garage!" - JM
The tower grows higher and is almost at the ceiling. The children begin to chant:
"One more to go!!"
The children gave instructions and directions to Miss Heffernan as she placed cubes at the top. When the last cube was on, Josh said:
"Look! It's taller than Mr.F!" - JM
"How could we find out?" - Miss H
"Ask Mr. F to come over!" - JM
ET and JM dash across the hallway to invite Mr. Farnworth in. They direct him to stand beside the structure.
"It's taller!" - JM
"How do you know?" - Miss H
"You're not at the very top cube. It's taller than him!"-ET
Mrs. Diljee and I hypothesized that if we were explicit and intentional about teaching the names of 3D shapes in small groups, that we should begin to hear that vocabulary regularly in play. Even though we were pretty certain it would happen, we still continue to be astounded by the math languages and connections children are making. Because the kindergarten curriculum states that learning happen "in various contexts" and "in meaningful ways", we are thrilled that children are connected their play to the curriculum.
Here is a collage of photos from earlier this month. They were so beautiful that we couldn't resist posting them a little late!
As the outdoor environment changes, interests often emerge. There was lots of discussion about ice that was brought into the classroom by a few children. I've posted the quotes we gathered below to support our photos:
Some children brought ice off of the yard and began to explore it's properties.
"We're gonna let it melt all day!" - LO
"We're gonna get a tiny bit of water to add! Get more water! It's starting to melt!"-JR
"We're just touching the ice. It's soft."-AS
"Let's read a book on it!"-TM
"Let's read the book and write it down!"-AS
"The ice is making the water colder."-BR
"I can stick my finger in it!"-MD
"Really coldy!"-IS (She then began to break the ice into pieces and investigate that there was more)
LO excitedly held a small piece of ice.
"It melted!"-LO
"Why?"-Ms. Gingrich
"Because it's not cold inside."-LO
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