Here is this week’s newsletter. Don’t forget to check out the other posts I wrote this week. They tell a lot more about how our week has progressed.

Newsletter March 9, 2012

Through one of the posts I get in my RSS feed each morning, I found out that today is World Science Day. There are actually a few throughout the year with a slightly different twist on each one.

Since we are embarking on the big science learning adventure that lasts until the end of the year, I thought it appropriate to join in the festivities and write about our learning as we go, which takes us to our garden study.

As many of you know, we will be creating our own small part of the new school garden. In an earlier newsletter, I wrote about our plans and the challenge of finding a support system for our pole beans.

Grade 6 students around the country explore bridge building as part of their math and science work. Our own Norris grade 6 is doing that right now and we took advantage of it by paying a visit to their classroom for some interactions with the unit and to see how it relates to our own study.

We were warmly welcomed by Mrs. Lisa Rice who is leading the unit with 4 different grade 6 classes throughout the day. Then we walked around, visiting the architects as they drafted plans and built them out of toothpicks and wood glue. My class was fascinated! There were many comments from them as they toured the room.

Next, we assembled on the carpet in front of the IWB and 2 of the grade 6 students shared an interactive, Shapes Lab, with us. It’s from the site Building Big. This was an adventure for us as we don’t have that tech in our room yet. Everyone wanted their own turn to make the load of elephants go up,  crushing the different geometric shapes.

At the same time, it brought home the learning that triangles are the strongest of the shapes for weight bearing and we can use them in our garden support system. How cool it that! And we are just launching our geometry study as well!

This cross grade collaboration will fuel many of our future discussions and learning as the children reflect back on our visit today. Our learning will continue on with more thinking on creating the all-important structure that will support our plants. I need to remember that a child’s brain is like an iceberg in that I will only see a small part of their thinking and learning. Most of the heavy lifting will be done through their private reflections and processing.

What are the seeds we are planting in their minds?

Where will it lead them in their own observations and discovery?

Did anyone read to you today? I sure hope so. It was World Read Aloud Day. In kindergarten, we have lots of read alouds and today was no different. Well in a way it was different because one of Mrs. Poulin’s favorite author – illustrators came right into our class via Skype to read her latest creation, The Bear Went Over the Mountain. This is a wonderful and musical story of a bear using his senses throughout all the seasons of the year.

Iza Trapani shared a delightful interactive read aloud of this story right after we settled into school for the day. The class was already excited before the call and Iza warmed them even more with her warm smile and welcome. We sang and listened as the wonderful story unfolded. I can’t wait to add this book to my collection when it becomes available  in April 2012.

Here’s a peek at the cover.

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Be sure to drop by her website so you can check out all the neat books she has created.

And tell me, how did you celebrate World Read Aloud Day in your classroom?

Here is this week’s newsletter.

Newsletter March 2, 2012

Here is a wonderful 14 minute Oscar winning Animated Short Film shared by a Facebook friend from Australia, Amanda Marrinan. It’s a feast for the eyes and the heart.