Letter V week was Very, Very, Very exciting! The students returned from Spring Vacation and were more than ready to get right back into the swing of things! Adding to the excitement of the anticipation of returning to school was this week’s theme – Volcanoes! Read on below to see all the fun that was had! Be sure to check out the vehicle constructed in the block area and the new animal-shaped rubber bands that Miss Elizabeth found!
On Monday and Tuesday, the students began the morning with a lot of hugs for both teachers and friends alike. The students could hardly wait to tell the details of their time off from school. Once morning meeting ended, and shares and stories had been told, the students moved onto their morning work stations. The students did a wonderful job of deciphering the Letter V words on their morning work- Letter V identification/writing activity sheets. One word that proved quite tricky was Van. Thinking it was a car, many students were puzzled as to what it could be. Fortunately, Barbie has many cars – one of which is a van, which a student brought in as a share. The student’s share surely helped solve any confusion there was!
On Monday afternoon, the students created their letter V list and went hunting for letter V’s around the classroom. The V hunt was Very successful and was followed up by not one but TWO birthday celebrations! Needless to say, the students LOVED Monday!
On Tuesday afternoon, the students worked with some grey clay to sculpt their Very own Volcano! Using a stick to create a hole, the students manipulated the clay in the perfect cone shape. The volcanoes were set aside to dry as the students headed home for the day.
Wednesday morning began with a super silly craft! The teachers turned regular old party hats into brown party hats. After cutting off the top, the teachers called the students over and asked what the hats looked like. At first, many of the students said, “Party Hats!” They looked puzzled when the teachers shook their heads and said, “Guess again”. Remembering the theme of the week, the students responded a Volcano and began getting to work. First, the students glued some white fuzz inside the top of the party hat volcano. Next, the teachers squiggled some pencil lines down the side of the hat and handed the students a red paintbrush. Using the brush, the students traced over the teacher-drawn lines to create the lava spilling out of the side of the volcano. The students loved creating the volcano but it was clear that the most fun part was trying it on!
On Wednesday afternoon, the students wrapped up La Ropa (Clothing) Unit in Spanish class. It was so great to see them playing “Simon Dice” or “Simon Says” to practice the vocabulary with such ease. Be sure to look back at previous posts to review La Ropa vocabulary and try playing “Simon Dice touch your Camisa!”
Thursday was such an exciting day because the students were surprised to see a HUGE clay volcano upon entering the classroom! During afterschool on Wednesday, the teachers sculpted Mt. Parkprep-Vesuvius – the most active volcano in all of Hudson County! The students were bursting with excitement when the teachers informed them that Mt. Parkprep-Vesuvius was showing signs of volcanic activity in the morning!
Mother Nature must have been reading the PPA Blog over the weekend and saw that it was Letter V is for Volcano week! On Wednesday and into Thursday, a volcano in Iceland erupted! How topical! While it was particularly exciting and relevant for Park Prep, the eruption produced a large ash cloud that grounded all flights in Northern Europe causing quite a headache for air travelers.
For their morning work on Thursday, the students found their grey clay volcano from Tuesday and painted it a more volcano-appropriate brown color.
In the afternoon, the students observed a teacher-constructed technology presentation about volcanoes. Using some of the following video clips to help, the teachers explained what volcanoes are, where they are found, and why they erupt. There was one familiar video clip with a groovy and informative volcano song while the others showed a more realistic portrayal of volcanoes. Here are two of the highlights.
After seeing the lava pour out of the volcano, the students were very relieved to find out that there are no volcanoes in New Jersey!
Just as the teachers were finishing up Thursday’s afternoon computer/technology volcano lesson, Miss Justine rushed over to alert the students that she heard some strange gurgling noises coming from Mt. Parkprep-Vesuvius! The students rushed over to check on the volcano. Eager with anticipation, the students awaited the volcanic activity.
f.y.i. Thursday students went home with the following instructions for making their own volcanic eruption.
Hello Parents!
On Tuesday, the students sculpted a volcano out of clay! By today, the dry clay volcano was ready for decorating! The students viewed a particularly LARGE eruption of the Teacher Volcano in school. Now it’s your turn to make an eruption at home! Here is what you will need.
• Some Water
• Some Baking Soda
• Red Food Coloring
• Some Vinegar
1. Place the volcano in a tray (to avoid lava overflow)
2. Mix together some water, some baking soda, and some red food coloring.
3. Pour mixture into the volcano.
4. Pour in the vinegar.
5. LOOK OUT! YOUR VOLCANO IS ERUPTING!!!
Friday morning, the students raced in and had one thing on their minds- Volcanoes! The students who were in school on Thursday informed the Friday students about the volcanic eruption that had taken place the day before! Naturally, the teachers decided that it would be best to have another eruption take place. After a rather informative lesson on why volcanoes erupt, the students once again headed to the water table.
Needless to say, the Friday students were equally excited to watch Mt. Parkprep-Vesuvius erupt!
Friday afternoon was spent creating a whole class Volcano adventure story! Taking a note from the Mad-Libs Series, the teachers wrote an amazing tale about a class trip to a volcano while leaving a lot of blanks for the students to fill in! Click below to view the completed version of the story about our class’s trip to the volcano! It’s pretty clear which parts were added by students! Enjoy!
Well, that’s all for Letter V Week. As always, thanks for reading and see you next week!
-PPA