Hello all,
Mother Nature must have known it was letter N week at Park Prep when she stirred up some Not Nice weather this past week! Despite the WELL BELOW freezing temperatures, “Letter N is for Nocturnal Week” sure was Neat! Read on below for the complete weekly recap!
At the beginning of the week, the students worked on their letter N tracing and identification activity sheets. Some of the N words included: numbers, noodles, nests, nurses, noses, and more! Much to the surprise of the teachers, the students had quite an extensive vocabulary for noodles! Spaghetti, pasta, macaroni, and ziti were just a few of the words students used to describe the pictures of noodles. After a little reminder as to what the letter of the week was, the students quickly shifted their answer to the umbrella term, noodle! In the afternoons, the students used their noggins to create the following Letter N Word List. Naturally, the students had No problems filling the sharebox with nifty letter N shares! Take a look below!
Do you see aNy N shares?
Necklaces, Nuts, Newspaper, Nectarine and a Noodle Book!
Also on Monday and Tuesday, the students participated in music class where they learned a new song all about a nocturnal animal – Bats!
Bats Are Sleeping
Sung to the tune of “I Am Special” or “Frere Jacques”
Bats Are Sleeping, Bats Are Sleeping
Upside down, Upside down.
Sleeping in the morning sun,
Waiting for the night to come.
Then they’ll fly all around.
Then they’ll fly all around.
By Wednesday, the art exploration of the theme of the week – Nocturnal – began! The teachers explained that the word NOCTURNAL describes any animal that is active (awake) at night and sleeping during the daytime. During the day, the students enjoyed a reading of the Marcus Pfister story, The Sleepy Owl, to explain more about this interesting sleep pattern. After the story ended, the teachers asked the students if they were nocturnal like the owl. They all agreed that they were NOT nocturnal although sometimes (at nap time) they do sleep during the day. The room quickly filled with laughter. The students also enjoyed listening to a classic tale of a father and daughter going owling (i.e. looking at owls) in Jane Yolen’s, Owl Moon. They were so excited to learn that they would have a chance to go “owling” in the PPA classroom as they would be making their very own owl art projects. Take a look to see the students in action!
On Thursday, the students created another nocturnal animal art project – a porcupine! Did you know that porcupines eat a diet of plants during the night because they are herbivores? Contrary to popular thinking, porcupines cannot eject their quills at predators trying to harm them. Instead the quills come out very easily when a porcupine is attacked! Should you ever see a porcupine, be sure NOT to touch! Here is the art project they created!
During the afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday, the students continued their exploration of – La Comida (Food) – vocabulary in Spanish class. Here is some of the vocabulary they have been learning over the past few weeks. Perhaps try working this vocab into conversation during meal time at home! 🙂
Desayuno – Breakfast
Heuvos – Eggs
Panqueques – Pancakes
Cereal – Ceral
Jugo de Naranja – Orange Juice
Almuerzo – Lunch
Pollo – Chicken
Hamburguesa – Hamburger
Uvas – Grapes
Manzana – Apple
Jugo – Juice
Cena – Dinner
Tallarines – Pasta
Carne – Steak
Arroz – Rice
Pan – Bread
Leche – Milk
On Friday morning, the students created a third nocturnal animal inspired art project – a raccoon mask! Here is an interesting fact about raccoons – Although they are primarily nocturnal creatures, healthy (not only sick) raccoons may frequently be seen during the daytime as some of them have learned that more food is easily available!
Later in the afternoon, the students participated in a technology presentation all about the letter N and what it means to be Nocturnal as opposed to Diurnal. Click below for a catchy tune to help you remember what the word Nocturnal means!
Well, that is all for “Letter N is for Nocturnal Week”. We hope you enjoyed the blog entry this week. As always, thanks for reading and we will see you next week!
-PPA
REMINDERS:
Re-Enrollment Paperwork and deposit to reserve your child’s placement in Park Prep Academy for the 2019-2020 School Year is due by Wednesday, February 13th.
Next School Closing: Monday and Tuesday, February 18th and 19th – President’s Day Recess
THEME FOR NEXT WEEK:
