“Letter X is for… X” Week is next!

Hello all,

Letter W is for WaCkY and WiLd Week was Wonderful, Wondrous, at times Warm, at times Wet, and OF COURSE WaCkY and WiLd! Read on below to learn about the fun that was had and learning that took place!

As was to be expected, the students entered school ready to share some amazing letter W shares. The share box might need to be changed to a share bucket or basket since it is seems to always overflow! Some W shares this week included Watches, Wallets, Wings (on a bird), Warrior Weapons, Wonder Woman, Woody from Toy Story, Whistles, Worms (fake ones!), and even a piece of rather large piece of Wood was sent in! For their morning work, the students spent Monday and Tuesday completing their letter W tracing/writing identification coloring activities. The W fun continued as they worked in their morning stations around the classroom. Here is the list that they created during the afternoon on Monday.

Seeing that it was Letter W Week, the teachers decided that Wednesday Was Way too important of a day to just be an ordinary day- hence, WaCkY WeDnEsDaY! The students were encouraged to arrive to school in the WaCkIeSt outfit they could find! Everything from caped superheroes and winged fairies to mismatched shoes and even an underwear hat came to school on Wednesday. It Was Way WaCkIeR than anyone could have imagined! Here are some of the highlights from WaCkY WeDnEsDaY but be sure to click the link below to see the entire album.

The students spent the entire arrival time scoping out all the WaCkY WaRdRoBe choices their classmates had made. For their morning work on Wednesday, the students created a WaCkY wHaLe art project using watercolor paints! They sure were beautiful!

During the afternoon, the students had Spanish class where they reviewed La Comida (Food) vocabulary. Speaking of Thursday, the teachers decided that the Wednesday students should not be the only ones to have a fun dress-up day! For this reason, Thursday was named WiLd ThUrsDaY and the students were encouraged to dress up as WiLd as possible! Whether they interpreted WiLd to mean WiLd animal, Wild West, or WiLd as in WaCkY, they all came in looking great!

Thursday morning began with musical introduction to a very famous whale known as Baby Beluga! Look below to see how the students made their own Baby Beluga Whale during morning work!

Friday morning was such an exciting day as not one, but TWO PPA Mommies visited the students! The first Mommy (seen below) started the morning by reading a story called, Abigale the Whale, to the students. The students loved the change in the schedule and were so appreciative! A special PPA Thank You to this Mommy for spending the morning with us!

After the story, the students were asked what whales look like. Hands flew up in the air and the description began. When asked what colors whales were, most of the students agreed that whales were black and white. Judging from the characteristics that the students listed, it was clear that Orca Whales were what the students were describing. Sensing this, the teachers prepared the materials for a special Orca Whale craft! Here is how they were created!

On Friday afternoon, the students participated in a whale-themed technology presentation – with a strong emphasis on Orca Whales! The students learned several fun facts about Orca Whales. 1. They are extremely social or friendly! 2. They travel in groups known as pods. 3. They are VERY BIG! By far, the most interesting fact the students learned about the Orca Whale is not only a toothed whale – it is also a dolphin! According to National Geographic – Orcas belong to the Dolphin (or Delphinidae) family which is a sub-category within the larger Whale family. This makes all dolphins whales, but it is necessary to note that not all whales are dolphins. The Orca, or Killer Whale as it was errantly named, is in fact, a dolphin. It is the largest of the dolphins. Perhaps this explains why Orcas are so playful! The students particularly loved seeing this cute clip!

The students were also AMAZED to learn about the Blue Whale, the biggest animal EVER on Earth! Click below to hear and see just how big blue whales are!

Of course, in the spirit of Letter W Week, the students Went Whale Watching! Click below so you can too!

Friday afternoon came to a close with a read aloud by another PPA Mommy! The Mommy photographed below read the story, The Whale and the Snail, to the students and also led the class in a rousing rendition of “The WHALES On The Bus”.