Hello all,
“Letter Q is for Question Week” was Quite amazing! Compared to Letter P week, Letter Q’s share box was definitely a bit light. The letter Q share box contained such Q items as quails, Q-Tips, “quicksand”, and even a queen! Speaking of queen, the most famous race car of all – Lightning McQueen – made his way into the share box this week! Well, “Letter Q is for Question Week” has come and gone. Read on below to discover the learning that took place and fun that was had throughout the week!
On Monday and Tuesday morning, the students worked one on one with the teachers to complete their Letter Q identification/fine motor activity sheets. The older students worked diligently while some of the younger students worked quickly. Either way, the students did a great job. In the afternoon, the students created the seventeenth letter list of the year! As a whole group, the students took turns brainstorming and contributing words that begin with the letter Q. They also hunted around the classroom for letter Q items!
How many Q shares do you see?
Answer: Quilt, Queen, Q and Quarters!
Later in the afternoon on both Monday and Tuesday, the students brainstormed a list of Questions that they wanted to “investigate” throughout “Letter Q is for Questions Week”. The Monday students voted and picked one question from their question list to investigate on Wednesday and Friday. The Tuesday students picked one question from their question list, shown below, to investigate on Thursday. Keep reading through the entry to learn which questions they chose!
On Wednesday morning, the question on everyone’s mind was…
Why do some things stick to Magnets?
After morning meeting, the students began thinking about the question as they headed to their morning activity stations only to find magnets in nearly every station! Of particular interest were the brand new – Magna-Bean Sensory Table and the Magna-Sand Sensory Table! Filled with assorted magnetic items including: magna-tiles, magnet wands, magna-balls, magna-shapes, magna-spoons and more, these two sensory tables were by far the most exciting “exploration stations” of the week!
For their morning work on Wednesday, the students worked in small groups to learn all about magnets to help answer their question. First, the students explored what happens when magnets are put near each other. After seeing and feeling how magnetic attraction works, the students could hardly wait to see which items the magnets would attract! Using assorted items from around the classroom, the students began hypothesizing (guessing/predicting) which items would stick to the magnet and which would not. Through their experimenting, the students concluded that items that were soft and squishy such as the pompom did not stick to the magnet. Items that were hard, like plastic or glass, did not stick either. Metal items like paperclips, hairclips, and cookie cutters did stick to the magnet! Things got a bit confusing when one student grabbed a fuzzy pipe cleaner piece. Since the pom-pom did not stick to the magnet, the students decided that the fuzzy pipe cleaner piece would likely not stick either. The students watched as the magnet hovered over the fuzzy pipe cleaner piece and it MAGICALLY jumped right onto the magnet! Amazed, the students wondered how this would have happened. After a closer look, the students noticed a tiny little silver piece underneath the fuzz of the pipe cleaner. The teachers explained that the metal inside the pipe is made up of iron and iron LOVES to stick to magnets! Wow! What an amazing day of magnet-experimenting it was!
On Thursday morning, the question on everyone’s mind was…
Why do Spiders spin webs?
The teachers began the day with reading of Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider. In the story, a spider begins spinning a web on the post of a farmyard fence. Various farmyard animals come over to see what the very busy spider is doing all day long. They all ask the spider to come play but the very busy spider just carries on spinning the web. By the end of the day, the spider has completed her web! When the rooster wakes everyone up in the morning, the spider notices that her hard work was worth it because in the web is a yummy delicious insect breakfast waiting for her!
After the story ended, the teachers asked the students the question again –Why Do Spiders Spin Webs? Is it because they like to go around and around and around again? The students giggled as they raised their hands to answer the question. They explained that spiders spin webs to catch food to eat. The teachers asked why spiders do not just go to the supermarket to get food. Again, the students laughed as they explained that spiders eat insects and do not have Spider Supermarkets like people do. Instead, spiders spin webs of sticky thread to trap insects that happen to fly into the threads! Later, the spider comes along and gobbles the insects up!
For their morning work, the students, just like spiders, spun a sticky web using glue and glitter to catch a big fly! Thankfully, the students had their lunches packed so no real flies were harmed in the making of this art project!
Friday morning began with some more Magnet-exploration! The students had spent all day on Wednesday discovering all about magnets and how they work. Now, it was time to have some Magnet fun! Instead of using a paintbrush to paint a picture, the students used a magnet wand to move paint-covered magnet marbles around on their papers. Watch below to see one student Making Moving Magnet Marble Magic happen right before your very eyes!
Friday afternoon wrapped up with a technology presentation all about the Letter Q and the various questions the students had investigated throughout the week! The teachers made sure to add a few other interesting questions from the students’ lists into the mix as well. Watch below to learn the answer to the question – WHY DO WE HAVE TO WASH OUR HANDS?
The students clearly had a great time exploring and investigating these questions during “Letter Q is for Questions Week”. It may be the end of Letter Q week but that does not mean the questions have to stop! As we get ready for Letter R week, Remember to keep asking questions and keep learning! Enjoy the weekend!
-PPA
REMINDERS:
Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place in March.
Please check your email or the school calendar board for your scheduled conference day and timeslot.
Upcoming School Closing:
Spring Recess – Friday, April 3 – Friday, April 10th
School Resumes Monday, April 13th