The Weekly
Sun
A weekly newsletter for the
families of kids in Room 34.
November 3rd, 2014
Day 36 - 41
Building the Longhouse: Creating
Spaces for Learning About “Long
Ago”
The Scarecrow Festival went off without a hitch, and from
all reports, was a fun time for all. It was great to see so
many of our class’s parents enjoying the day with their
kids.
Inside
Cooking with Kids: A
Recipe for Learning
This week, we’ll be baking
pies for our Halloween Party.
Why is this simple practice so
important for first graders?
2
Photo Essay: Scenes
from the Scarecrow
Festival!
Today we returned to the Green Classroom for a lesson
about the Three Sisters...the corn, beans and squash that
the Lenape people planted as companion plants. The
children brought corn stalks, pumpkins and beans back
into the classroom, to examine closely for their science
journals, and to gather seeds for next springs planting. Go
to
52
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The Weekly Sun
November 3rd, 2014
Cooking With Kids:
A Recipe For
Learning
By Rebecca Burdett
There’s probably no other activity in early childhood education that
so naturally integrates all the subject areas as cooking. By reading
recipes, measuring ingredients and watching liquids turn to solids in
the oven, kids are engaged with a steady stream of learning
opportunities. And they get to eat their work!
I think I learned to cook out of selfdefense! Neither my mother nor my
grandmother had much time for home
cooking, and relied quite heavily on the
convenience foods of the 60’s and 70’s
to feed us. Lots of our meals came out
of cans or boxes. We ate a lot of
“Hamburger Helper” for dinner and
frozen waffles for breakfast.
It was okay, but I loved to bake from
“scratch”. I would pretend to be the
“Galloping Gourmet” in the kitchen. I
would spread out all my ingredients in
2
little bowls, and, keeping up a running
commentary, would talk my way through
the recipe, as if instructing my audience of
TV viewers. I loved watching the
transformation of simple ingredients. It
seemed like a kind of magic.
There is a magic to cooking with kids. It’s a
simple way to teach procedural writing
and reading. (Continued on Page 5)
The Weekly Sun
My quick lesson about the Three Sisters,
and the ingenuity of the Native people’s
food preservation techniques only
scratched the surface of what could be said
about the amazing lifeways of the Eastern
Woodland Indians.
As we move into November, your children
will begin a unit in Native American studies
that will deepen our ongoing social studies
unit: How do communities meet their basic
needs? I have found that this study of
Native Americans is a good introduction to
the concept of what life was like “long,
long ago.” We will be using our block area
to help construct knowledge about the life
and culture of the People of the
Longhouse. We will create a large model
of the longhouse using our unit blocks,
with places for every student to play. The
children will create Native American
corncob dolls for use within the block area,
and from this work, will create a Photo
Story. (For an example of this process, you can
go to my webpage on the Duzine Website and
click on the Longhouse Story under Photo
Stories.)
Our science unit for this time focuses on
the plants and animals of the Hudson
Valley that were critical for the survival of
the Native People. If any of you are
hunters, and have access to deer skins,
antlers, or furs
November 3rd, 2014
…of any kind, we’d love to borrow them.
Writing will also be integrated within this
study. In Writers’ Workshop during
November and early December, the children
will be immersed in a genre study of realistic
fiction. This genre, where the stories created
“could be true, but are imagined by the
author”, can be somewhat challenging for
children. I have found that the Native
American study, with its emphasis on learning
how the Eastern Woodland Indians met their
basic needs of food, shelter and clothing, as
well as elaborate character and setting
creation in the block area, helps kids succeed
with this kind of realistic fiction writing.
There are many ways you can help us with
this month long project. In past years,
parents have sent in felt, feathers, leather
scraps, fake fur and other materials suitable
for doll making. Sometimes, parents like to
join us for Choice Time when our dolls are
being made. It’s helpful to have another pair
of adult hands when there are knots to tie
and cloth to cut! I’ll let you know when we’re
ready for your help.
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The Weekly Sun
November 3rd, 2014
The Poem of the Week
Who Has Seen the Wind?
BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
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The Weekly Sun
November 3rd, 2014
Cooking With Kids…. (Continued from Page
2)
Recipes use a specialized form of writing that many kids
are familiar with from creating simple “How-To” books last
year in Kindergarten. As we read, and eventually write
recipes, kids can practice their “First, then, next, finally…”
procedural writing skills.
Math has a natural outlet in cooking as well. Kids learn
math while measuring into cups, teaspoons and
tablespoons. They often have to add or multiply the recipe
to make enough for everyone in our class. The language of
fractions (half, quarter, third…) is an essential part of
cooking, and is easily seen while working with a recipe.
The science of baking is fascinating to children. They are
amazed by the rising of bread, the spreading of cookies on
the cookie sheet, and the solidifying of batter into cake or
pie.
Certainly social studies is at the heart of our cooking. Think
of the history of our own favorite recipes, the culture we
preserve by making our traditional foods on holidays, or
honoring our grandparents by using their favorite recipes
on special occasions. As we make our pumpkin treats this
fall, we’ll be thinking of the role of the pumpkin, and other
Native foods, in the Thanksgiving story.
Are you interested in baking with the class in the weeks
ahead? Let me know!
What are we
studying?
Writers’ Workshop: This
week, we’ll be creating a
Describing Words Alphabox Word
Wall, as a resource for both
Writers’ Choice and Writers’
Workshop. We're beginning
"Word Work" (spelling and
handwriting).
Readers’ Workshop:
Guided reading will continue, as
we begin to fill our “toolbox” with
strategies to help us when we
come to tricky words while
reading unfamiliar text.
Math Workshop: We’re
continuing our work with
part+part=whole relationships,
and building number sense.
Thematic Studies:
Science: What animals and plants
did the Lenape people need to
survive?
Social Studies: What is the
difference between needs and
wants? How do people work
together to meet their needs?
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The Weekly Sun
November 3rd, 2014
Scenes from our trip to
Historic Huguenot Street,
October 30, 2013
Thank you, chaperones!
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Read every day.
W
I
S
D
O
M
!!!
“
Your child will be bringing home small guided
reading books in her home/school folder.
Please take a few minutes to listen to your
child read these books, and then carefully
return them to school the next day. Your
child should be able to read these books with
just a bit of prompting. Celebrate your child's
independence in reading, but continue to read
aloud everyday. Emergent readers need both
kinds of experiences to develop their skills.
The Weekly Sun
November 3rd, 2014
Parent Communication Form
For November 3, 2014
The Weekly
Sun
Issue 8
This is a place for you to share observations about
your child or to ask me questions about our life in
school. Just write on the back of this form, and
send it in your child’s HOME/SCHOOL Folder. I’ll
answer as soon as I can!
If you are getting this newsletter electronically,
you can
email me at [email protected] with
your questions and concerns.
This week’s question: Do you like to cook or bake
with your child? What traditional holiday dishes
have you enjoyed making with your child? Would
you like to come in and share this recipe with the
class?
The Weekly Sun
November 3rd, 2014
Meet Sarah Khan, our new student teacher...
Dear Families,
My name is Sarah Khan and I will be student teaching with Rebecca Burdett until December
17th. I am very excited to learn from her and your children for the next two months!
I am currently enrolled in the Elementary Education program at SUNY New Paltz. I will
graduate in December with a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education and a
concentration in Geology.
SUNY New Paltz’s Elementary Education program has provided me with multiple
opportunities to work with students in different settings. I have worked in the SUNY New
Paltz Children’s Center, the SUNY New Paltz Numeracy Club, and a fourth grade classroom
in the Kingston City School District. I hope to use my knowledge and theories to successfully
work alongside Rebecca and your children.
As part of this introduction, I wanted to share a couple a fun facts about myself. As a
geologist, I try to incorporate nature and science into the learning environment. I have
conducted multiple geological experiments with students and they have always loved
collecting data outside.
It was wonderful to finally meet all of the students. I look forward to working with them!
Thank you,
Sarah Khan
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