Ornithologists

This week we kicked off our new learning expedition all about Birds!  

We had a visit from our local Backcountry Educational department to help us think about our guiding question:

What makes a bird a bird?

Students rotated between different stations to closely observe different things about birds.

Our local experts brought feathers, beaks, talons and/or feet plus eggs for our ornithologists to closely observe and touch.

Thanks to our opportunity of inquiry and the guidance of our experts we learned that birds have:

1. feathers

2. wings

3. two feet

4. a beak

We also learned that all birds lay eggs!

After our experts left, students had the opportunity to discovery read all kinds of bird books!  We are so excited to become bird experts and teach you all that we are learning!

You can support this learning by:
~getting outside and noticing birds and nests
~reading bird books
~visiting Backcountry Base camp right here in Highlands Ranch

100 Days

This week we celebrated the 100th day of school!  We are so excited to be 100 days smarter.

 In math, we counted to 100 by 10s and 1s.  

Students reflected on themselves as a mathematician.  They used the sentence starter "I am the kind of mathematician who..."

I am the kind of mathematician who does math during math workshop.

I am the kind of mathematician who moves and counts.

I am the kind of mathematician who can count by 1s to 100.

In reading, we set a goal to read 100 books as a crew.  We read 101!  Way to go!

Students reflected on how they have grown as a reader after 100 days.

Students used the sentence starter, "After 100 days, I am the kind of reader who...."

Answers included:

I am the kind of reader who reads a lot.

I am the kind of reader who can read words.

I am the kind of reader who can read longer books because I have been practicing.

Lastly, students reflected on themselves in writing.

I can reflect on how I have grown after 100 days of kindergarten.

Students wrote....

I am kinder.  I can write 3 sentences.  I have made more friends

I can read more books.  I can count to 100.  I can write lowercase letters.

I am so proud of the growth my kindergarten crew has made after 100 days of school!