Hello all,
Letter R is for Relay Races Week was Radiant, Robust, Resounding, and Really, Really Radical! Throughout the week, the classroom was cleared and various Relay Racing activities were set up all “Round” the classroom! What a Riveting week it was! Read on below to discover the learning that took place and fun that was had throughout the week!
The students returned from the weekend and immediately began filling the share box with what seemed like every letter R share under the sun! Race cars, Rocket ships, Recyclable items, Robots, Rescue Vehicles, Rats, Radishes and of course, all things Racing were brought in and shared during morning meeting. Be sure to take a look below at see if you can identify just a few of the amazing R shares that were sent in! After morning meeting had wrapped up on Monday and Tuesday, the students worked one on one with the teachers to complete their Letter R identification/fine motor activity pages. They did a Really great job! In the afternoon, the students created the eighteenth letter list of the year! As a whole group, the students took turns brainstorming and contributing words that begin with the letter R. They also hunted around the classroom for letter R items!
How many R shares do you see?
Answer: Raincoat, Rhino, Recycle Book, Rabbit ears, Racecar, and Rooster!
Wednesday began the exploration of the theme of the week – Races! To help get into the racing spirit, the students enjoyed readings of racing stories such as: The Berenstein Bears and the Big Road Race, Lightning McQueen’s Racing For Good and of course Aesop’s classic fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. Also on Wednesday, the students were visited by a PPA Daddy who came in to discuss a different letter R word – Robot! The son and Daddy duo photographed below introduced the students to the Robot they assembled. The students were fascinated to learn all about how the PPA student and Daddy had programed the Robot’s brain to change positions when something gets in its way! What an amazing afternoon it was. A special PPA Thank You to this PPA Daddy for making Wednesday so Robo-awesome!
The racing excitement began almost immediately as the students arrived at school on Friday morning to find that the PPA classroom had been cleared out! No, the tables, chairs, and toys were all still there – just rolled aside to make a racing course for the students. Before the racing could start, the teachers explained a bit about what a relay race actually was. Unlike regular races where each racer races against all of the other racers, Relay Races are all about teamwork! In a relay race, racers work together to take one turn to finish a part of the race! Once each racer has had a turn, the race is finished!
When asked if they were ready to become Relay Racers themselves, the students shouted with excitement! Throughout the morning on Friday, the students took turns participating in various relay races in and around the classroom! The students participated in Relay Races such as: “Egg on a Spoon Relay Race”, “Ball in the Hoop Relay Race”, and an oldie but a goodie the “Three Legged Relay Race” which naturally led to lots of laughs!
During the afternoon, the students had Spanish class where they continued their investigation of their new (La Ropa) vocabulary. To practice, the students took turns playing “Dress-Up” with assorted articles of clothing including La Camisa (Shirt), Los Pantalones (Pants), La Chaqueta (Jacket), Vestido (Dress) and more! What a fun way to practice and learn a language!
Also in the afternoon on Friday, the students participated in a technology presentation all about the letter R and Relay Races! The students loved observing various professional athletes competing in relay races not just on land – also in a swimming pool! The students could not believe how fast the racers were – whether on foot or in water! Of course, they loved seeing those RiDiCuLoUs StoryBots! What a special week it was! Well, that’s all for Letter R week. As always, we hope you enjoyed Reading this week’s post. See you next week!
-PPA
REMINDERS:
Parent-Teacher Conference will take place this month.
Next School Closing:
Spring Recess
Friday, 4/3- Friday, 4/10 School
Resumes Monday, April 13th
