Gracyn compared two 3-digit numbers presented in word problem form to determine which number represented more or fewer. She used place value to compare the numbers starting first with the hundreds place then moving to the tens and ones place. She used the greater than, less than, and equal to signs to show the comparison. These concepts finished the unit and we will take the unit assessment tomorrow.
Using shaving cream and food coloring, Gracyn made her own marbled paper. She filled a shallow sheet pan full of shaving cream. Then, she mixed food coloring and water together in small paper cups. Gracyn used an eye dropper to drip the food coloring onto the shaving cream and a toothpick to swirl the two together. Gently, she placed pieces of cardstock paper onto the mixture to transfer the swirled paint. We let the papers set a few minutes before scraping the excess shaving cream off to let the papers dry. Gracyn is using the stationery to write a letter to her cousin Olivia.
Gracyn and I read the next chapter in 'The Little Princess', stopping frequently to make predictions and share our thinking. She read "Is There a Bird On My Head?' for her independent reading, excellent job! We completed her narrative in sloppy copy form and she began writing her final draft, to be continued in Tampa.
Today Gracyn and I made Vanilla ice cream in the play and freeze ball. The ball has two openings one on the top and the other on the bottom. On one side, we filled the ball with ice all the way to the top and added ½ cup of rock salt and closed the lid tightly. Then on the other side, we filled the ball with 2 cups of cream, 1 & ½ teaspoons of vanilla, 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar and ½ cup of chocolate chips. We then started playing with the ball. We talked about why we added salt to the ice. We learned that it causes a temperature drop that slows the melting rate and increases the freezing rate. After 15 minutes of playing with the ball Gracyn turned the delicious vanilla ice cream into Root Beer floats.
Gracyn worked really hard today and it was so good to see her in person! We spent a lot of time on back walkovers and back handsprings. She has made a lot of progress in both. She is now able to do a back bend and kick over, something she has been working on for months, I'm very proud of her! She continues to work hard on her cartwheels and her flexibility. I encouraged her to keep up the good work when she gets to NY!
Gracyn used place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract. This place value knowledge was used to determine counting patterns. She looked at the digits in the numbers to determine which number was changing and which numbers were next in the counting pattern. The next two numbers in numerous patterns were found. Then, Gracyn solved place value word problems to determine quantities up to 1,000.
Gracyn observed the caterpillars and butterfly chrysalis today with the hand lens. The chrysalis has turned completely transparent and the wings can be seen through it. The butterfly should be emerging any day now. She observed the chrysalis up close to see if she noticed any movement or tears in the chrysalis where the butterfly might be trying to come out. We did a little research and discovered they usually emerge mid morning so we decided it will probably be tomorrow. She also did a hands on chemistry activity with glue, salt, and food coloring. She drew designs in glue and put salt on top of the glue. She added food coloring and watched the colors absorb in the salt. She tried it on the glue without the salt and noticed the colors did not spread. We discussed that the color spreads in the salt because the salt is an ionic compound and absorbs the water.
Gracyn and I read the next chapter of 'The Little Princess' and she revised her thinking about the new neighbor being Sarah's father. She use clues from the story to support her thinking. She read 'The Blue Mittens', a level /i/ book, and I took a running reading record of her reading. She demonstrated independence at this level so we will continue with the next level tomorrow. We worked on compound words and practiced beginning blends.
Today, Gracyn listened to Chopin's "Prelude in E minor" and learned about the composer. She also played several pieces in the Bastien method primer, practiced "It's a Small World," and played improvisationally.
Gracyn's enrichment incorporated subtraction strategies from our math lessons to finish a St. Patrick's Day color by code. She solved subtraction facts with addends up to 20. Then, she matched the difference to the answer key and colored the square to reveal the hidden picture.
