That's a Wrap!

/

Our last day was bittersweet as we reminisced about our year together and looked forward to our summer adventures. During morning meeting we shared some of our highlights from the year and discussed things we would like to change for next year. We spent leisurely time on campus playing on the sand volleyball courts, running across expansive fields, and playing with a giant chess set. We used shaving cream to clean our tables, and ended up with more shaving cream on ourselves than on the tables. We also listened to the remaining chapters in our Candymakers audio book. After lunch we rewatched our first play of the year, We Don’t Eat Our Classmates and then a slideshow of photos (see below). As we watched we marveled at how much students had changed over the course of a year. We ended our time together by saying a few words about each child and presenting them with their memory books filled with photos, writing, and art from the school year. Please take time to marvel over your child’s work and reflect on how much they’ve grown. It’s been a joy to spend our days together, learning and growing this year. We hope you have a wonderful summer!

Wizard of Oz Production

/

On Friday our student actors performed their production of The Wizard of Oz. This production was entirely student planned, directed, and prepared. Students used their project time over the last few weeks to write a script, practice their lines, create costumes, and design a set. Students were thrilled to present their play to family and friends in the Taylor Meade auditorium. Thank you, Mr. Mark, for documenting their experience.

Water Play

/

We had such splishy, splashy fun on our water day last Friday! After watching a whimsical student production of Wizard of Oz we spent the afternoon playing outside. Our afternoon of outdoor play included releasing our praying mantises, picnicking outside, running through the sprinklers, blowing bubbles, and celebrating our summer birthdays.

Here a few more photos from last week…

Fernhill Riddle Walk

/

For the past two weeks students have been hard at work on their wetland riddles and artwork. For this project, I intentionally assigned students to specific partnerships. As I assigned students to work with specific partners I kept my learning goals for individual students at the forefront of my mind. For some students the main goal of this project was to demonstrate flexibility in thinking and the ability to collaborate with another child. For other students, improving their penmanship was a main goal. For still others, a main goal was letting go of total control and being able to take others' ideas into account. For still others, I was hoping to provide an opportunity to read challenging scientific texts or to perfect some scientific drawing techniques. A main goal for all students was to demonstrate persistence and learn how to give and receive clear, specific feedback related to their drawings. We watched this video about giving specific artistic feedback. With their partners, students had to decide who would read the science article about their animal aloud, who would take the research notes, who would do the drawing, who would give the specific feedback, and who would paint the background. Together partners came up with clues for the riddle portion. As you can imagine, much learning took place as students negotiated their roles and solved the challenges that arose. This cross-curricular project involved reading, writing, science, and art. Some partners did up to nine drafts of their animal, each time receiving direct feedback from their partner to improve their drawings. I'm immensely proud of all the hard work that went into these projects! Students demonstrated terrific grit and perseverance.

These riddles and art pieces are currently on display at Fernhill. This morning several ELC families gathered to enjoy the beauty of the wetlands and wonderful company as their children led them through our ELC Riddle Walk.

Fernhill Field Trip

/

We had an amazing field trip to Fernhill yesterday! We saw so many different species of wildlife during our explorations including cinnamon teals, a bald eagle, a great blue heron in flight, nutria, a tree swallow feeding babies, ducks and ducklings, geese and goslings, red-winged blackbirds, cedar waxwings, killdeer, and an American kestrel. Otter and Whale students were organized into mixed groups of 6-8 students that rotated to five different wetland stations with their two parent volunteers. Each wetland station was led by a team of 2-3 ELC teachers, ornithologists, and parent volunteers who are passionate about birds. There were 21 adults who made this incredible field trip happen for our students- many thanks to those who were able to attend.

Wetland Stations:

  • Scope 1 and 2- Scientists helped our students use scopes to get an up-close view of different types of birds.

  • Layers of a Wetland Art- Students used oil pastels to create art pieces depicting the layers of a wetland.

  • Snack and Stories- Students read various books about the wetlands as they enjoyed a snack break.

  • Listening Center- Our young ornithologists used their ears and the Merlin Bird Id app to identify a variety of birds based on their sounds.


Celebration of Learning

/

It was great to see so many families at last night’s Celebration of Learning. Students were glowing with pride as they showed their family members around our classroom. Thank you, Mr. Mark, for capturing some of the magic in these photos.

More photos from our week…

Outdoor Adventures and Farewell to Ms. Stephanie

/

Every week our Otter community is filled with joyful explorations and new games, discoveries and creations. This week in our outdoor classroom we spent time watching our mason bees and discovered other interesting insects in the meadow. Some students engaged in dramatic play adventures involving a makeshift stump kitchen while others created an exciting obstacle course. Yet another group of Otters and Sea Lions organized a game of two hand touch football on campus. The game was put on pause when players wanted to pet an adorable Miniature Australian Shepard puppy.

In our indoor classroom this week we started researching our wetland animals. This wetland riddle project involves students working collaboratively with an assigned partner. Partnerships were strategically chosen by Otter teachers based on individual student strengths, challenges, and talents. Partners worked together to read articles and books about their animals. Together they took notes about interesting facts and then used those notes to begin designing their riddle. This morning students worked hard to use their best penmanship and writing conventions as they created the final copies of their riddles. This week during numeracy centers students learned how to play a new game called Match Madness that requires visual spatial skills, reasoning, and persistence.  During project time this week students worked on a variety of art, drama, and building projects. For the last couple of weeks a group of the Otter and Sea Lion students have been working on a production of The Wizard of Oz.  This has been 100% student-led. Students did all the planning, script writing, directing, acting, costumes design, prop creation, etc. They performed it for classmates and teachers on Thursday. We were so impressed with their play that we asked if they would be interested in doing an encore performance for the rest of the school on the big stage in Taylor Meade. Our student actors were thrilled about the prospect and this will likely occur the week of June 10th (if we can reserve the stage). This morning we had an authors’ celebration where several students shared their latest published stories. We applauded as students added their new stories to our classroom library. This afternoon we had a pajama popcorn party as we said goodbye to Ms. Stephanie. Students presented Ms. Stephanie with the farewell letters they wrote for her. We will miss her greatly and wish her best of luck at her graduation tomorrow.

Rice Rock Museum

/

On Wednesday we had an opportunity to take a field trip to the Rice Rock Museum. We got to see some incredible rocks and gems. A huge thank you to our volunteers who helped on this trip and to Mr. Mark for the beautiful photos. Some of the highlights of our trip were:

  • Rainbow gallery- Rocks in the rainbow room contained minerals that emit a rainbow of colors when exposed to ultraviolet light.

  • Petrified wood collection- We examined samples of petrified wood from over 300 million years ago!

  • Fossil gallery- We observed fossils of sea creatures, dinosaur eggs, and a baby psittacosaurus.

  • Rock cycle exhibition- We explored rocks in various stages in the rock cycle: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igenous. There were hands-on activities for students to explore in this room.

  • Northwest gallery- We learned that Oregon’s state rock is the thunderegg and our state gem is the sunstone. We saw a large thunderegg called meatball and examine a map of where different rocks and gems can be found in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

  • Meteorite display- We observed real rocks from space

  • Dig pit- Students had a chance to dig for a rock to take home. There was much deliberation over which rocks to choose.

Here are some student reflections about our field trip to Rice Rock Museum:

More Otter Adventures

/

Geology Centers

/

Last week during our content block our young geologists rotated to different learning centers. Through their work at these centers they gained experience sorting rocks based on various characteristics, identifying specific types of rocks using a field guide, working with clay and kinetic sand materials, examining different sedimentary rocks with a microscope, and creating their own sedimentary "rocks" as we discussed the process of rock formation in nature.  During our class meetings, we’ve been examining sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Students are in the process of creating rock posters that describe how each of the three types of rocks are formed. Last week we also used crayon shavings (sediments) to depict the rock cycle. The shavings were compacted to form sedimentary rocks, then melted into magma (melted rock), and cooled and hardened to form igneous rocks. On Tuesday we got to peek at our rocks in the rock tumbler before we added the third type of grit and more water to the tumbler. Many students were surprised to find the rocks much smoother, with rounded edges instead of jagged points. After tumbling for another seven days we will remove the sand and water and add polish to the rocks in the tumbler for the final step of the process. This week students will have a chance to share their rock posters with the class.

Mother's Day Haikus

/

Last week we learned how to write Japanese haikus. Haikus are often about nature and typically have three lines. The first line contains five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the last line has five syllables. Students worked hard to write haikus for their moms. They also created beautiful watercolor artwork, painted vases, and made artistic flowers to give their moms for Mother’s Day.

Basque, Hindi, and the Rock Cycle

/

This week Ms. Susan's husband, Steven, visited us on Zoom to teach us about the language of Basque. Basque is a language spoken in a region of Spain and France. Very few people speak this language and it's a language isolate, which means that it's unrelated to other languages. Ms. Megha, a graduate student working at the ELC, came in to teach us about Hindi. We learned to say hello in both of these languages. This week during content time we learned about the three different types of rocks: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. We learned about the rock cycle and simulated actually being a rock in the rock cycle. We were surprised how often erosion caused us (as rocks) to be broken down into sediments! Then the sediments repeatedly became compacted and cemented into sedimentary rocks. We experienced melting into magma, cooling to become igneous rocks, and undergoing heat and pressure to become metamorphic rocks. Outside we discovered erosion at work in our sandbox as a team of engineers designed intricate river systems. This week we played many exciting rounds of Clumsy Thief as we practiced our fluency with math facts. In aftercare several students worked on sewing projects for an upcoming fashion show. During writer's workshop we discussed how varying our sentence starters and lengths can make our stories more interesting for readers. This afternoon we watered the flowers in our rainbow garden and observed dozens of geese flying overhead.

Rocks Needed for Next Week- We are looking for specific examples of the following types of rock: metamorphic (marble, slate, lapis lazuli, schist, quartzite, gneiss), igneous (granite, diorite, obsidian, pumice, basalt), and sedimentary rocks (sandstone, limestone, shale, conglomerate) to show the class next week. If you have any examples of these types of rocks please send them to school in a bag labeled with your child's name and the type of rock. We will return the rocks at the end of the week. Thank you!

More Photos

/

Here are a few more photos from Ms. Susan that were taken over the last couple of weeks. We’ve been busy playing outside, examining rocks, engaging in expressive art and movement activities, and building.

Earth Day

/

Today we celebrated Earth Day. We read a story about climate change and ways we can help our planet. Earlier in the week students worked on painting the new planter boxes that are outside our cedar classroom. This afternoon during our ELC Earth Day celebration students and their families brought colorful flowers to add to the boxes. During the celebration families enjoyed planting flowers, creating chalk art, and designing nature mandalas. Families brought snacks to share and had an outdoor picnic in our piazza. During the school day we walked to a campus event that involved decorating the sidewalk outside the UC building with chalk art designs celebrating Earth. We played in the rain, splashed in puddles, and enjoyed fresh baked cookies while sheltering under beautiful trees on campus. We also had an outdoor picnic with the Sea Lions.

Guest Speakers and Cultural Surveys

/

Last week we took a trip to the library to get new books and we learned how to say hello in different languages. This week we continued discussing other languages and cultures during our morning meetings. We examined maps and flags from different places. Penny's mom came in to teach us about Spanish, Portuguese, and Yiddish. Ms. Itza came in to teach us about her experience immigrating to the United States from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. We discussed what it would be like to come to a new country and not know the languages or customs. We also discussed how hurricanes are a type of natural disaster that can quickly change landscapes. Alexander's mom was a guest speaker on Zoom who taught us some Russian words and the Russian alphabet. She talked about her experience growing up in Russia and then moving to the US. This week students partnered up to discuss their cultural surveys then they shared the results with the class. It was so fun learning about students' different heritages and family customs. Earlier this week we prepared for Earth Day by painting planter boxes for the rainbow garden. During our literacy time this week we studied how to read and spell different long a words. Many vowel teams and spelling patterns can make the long a sound. For example, a_e, ai, ay, ey, ei, eigh can all make the long a sound. During math we learned how to play different versions of a game called Clumsy Thief. We also continued playing Qwirkle, Fives Dominoes, Knock Out, and Fudge. We read books and watched a few video clips about changes to the earth's surface. We also did scientific sketches of the rocks that will be going in our rock tumbler. We started our rocks tumbling in the rock tumbler. Outside several students teamed up to problem solve when a ball got stuck high up in a tree. Our mason bees have been busy pollinating flowers and laying eggs. This afternoon we got to celebrate August’s birthday too!

Gardening and Rock Collections

/

This week we've been taking full advantage of the beautiful weather. Mr. Mark came in to teach us more about the six gardens in our outdoor classroom: the meadow, the pollinator garden, the fern garden, the pond, the roof garden, and the bioswale. He taught us about the native plants that are growing in these gardens. Yesterday afternoon students got to help plant more native species in our gardens. In writer's workshop we've been discussing various story elements as students plan their next writer's workshop stories. We've discussed character, setting, conflict/resolution, and main events. We've also been discussing how adjectives and interesting descriptions can enhance our writing. Ms. Stephanie and I have been working with individual students on their geology pre assessments so we have an accurate measure of what students already know and where we should focus our energy during our geology unit. Today students brought in their rock collections to share with the class as we kick off our geology unit. This week students designed challenging parkour courses in our outdoor classroom.

Oregon Tribe Presentations by Sea Lions

/

This week we had a chance to visit the Sea Lion classroom to learn more about Oregon native tribes. We had a chance to hear presentations and examine dioramas created by the Sea Lion students. Our second grade Otters are so excited to be Sea Lions next year! (Photo credits go to Mr. Mark)

Spring Beauty and Sound Explorations

/

Our classroom was simply vibrating with energy as we continued our sound explorations this week. August's mom, Kerry, is a speech language pathologist who came in to teach us about sounds as they relate to speech. We talked about how different letter sounds are produced in different ways and that all sound is caused by movement. We used technology to record ourselves making different sounds and examined line graphs related to those sounds. Many of our reading groups read scientific texts related to sound. We played a variety of musical instruments and learned how each creates sound. This week we wrapped up our persuasive writing unit. Students chose their own topics for their last persuasive pieces and tomorrow they will be invited to share those writing pieces. They worked hard on editing their own writing and peer writing. In math we learned to play a game called Knock Out that involves composing and decomposing numbers to score points. In our outdoor classroom we discovered that our mason bees have emerged from their cocoons and are creating mud walls for their eggs. These bees have been busy pollinating our gardens too! We discovered that campus is bursting with spring flowers and we took time to appreciate the beauty. Our sandbox was a busy place with engineers constructing a variety of channels, tunnels, islands, and ponds. This week we started a funny new chapter book read aloud called Gooney Bird Greene. Today Ms. Aja, Ms. Stephanie, and Carter played a funny April fools prank involving “brownies”.

Pi Day and Leprechaun Playgrounds

/

We packed so much fun into this four day week! On Monday we celebrated pi day with a variety of mathematical explorations and with delicious pie. We learned about Fibonacci's sequence, created math art, went on a math walk, and measured the circumference and diameter of many circles with Ms. Ren. This week we also read a book called One Grain of Rice that explores a doubling sequence that continues over thirty days and culminates with over five million grains of rice. In addition, we constructed leprechaun playgrounds, hotels, and traps. Students were disappointed to not catch any leprechauns yesterday, but were delighted with the chocolate coins they left. We were ecstatic to have the water pump in our sandbox turned back on this week and many engineers spent time constructing sand and waterways in our outdoor classroom. On Thursday we played new board games brought in by community members and wrote secret letters to classmates that will be mailed over spring break. We celebrated Morgan's birthday and welcomed Ms. Stephanie back into our classroom. Ms. Stephanie is a teacher candidate in Pacific's MAT program. She will be joining us full time for the next ten weeks! Have a wonderful spring break and we will see you on March 28th.

Persuasive Writing Pieces

/

This week we started exploring sound. We listened to many different types of sounds and learned that sounds can be high or low, loud or soft. We created sounds with rubber bands, body parts, pots and pans, and more. Some students invented instruments during project time. We learned that sound is caused by movements known as vibrations. These vibrations cause the surrounding air molecules to vibrate. The air molecules "bump" into the air molecules near them, which bump in the air molecules around them, and so on. This chain reaction is known as a sound wave. If the vibrating air molecules reach our eardrums before they run out of energy, then this causes our eardrums to oscillate. This is how we can hear sounds. During class we talked, sang, and hummed as we placed our hands on our necks. Students were excited to be able to feel the vibrations caused by their own voices.


During writing time this week I informed students that we have some book order points that we can spend to get books for our classroom. Students wrote persuasive pieces about which books they thought we should order for the class and why. This morning they shared their persuasive pieces with the class and we voted on which books to order. We also wrote birthday letters to Morgan.


During numeracy centers we learned how to play Fives Dominoes. Through playing this game students are learning about multiples of five, tally marks, strategic thinking, and good sportsmanship. They are also receiving lots of practice adding numbers. We also continued to play a round of Set during our morning meetings. Students are getting quick at noticing patterns and finding Sets. At project time several students chose to play Qwirkle or Catan Jr.