Literacy Fun Fair

This morning LEADS had our Literacy Fun Fair.
We started the morning by listening to Mrs. Heins' Kindergarteners performing Inside a House That Is Haunted.

We split up into LEADS buddies to share our book character costumes and the books that we brought to go with our costumes.

Next, we created spider cookies.  We got materials to make them, but the only rules were that they had to have a head, an abdomen, eight legs, and eight eyes.

After our class was reunited in Room 408 we enjoyed Halloween stations.  Here is a video of our afternoon, and our Literacy Fun Fair costumes.

Since we finished our read aloud book Charlotte's Web, we started watching the original movie.  We are thinking how the movie is the same as and different from the book.

We had a great day at our LEADS Literacy Fun Fair!

The Three Little Pigs

We have read several versions of the Three Little Pigs and have been comparing them.

We also have been singing The Three Little Pig Blues by Greg & Steve.

Some of the kids in Room 408 found a play in the back of one of the versions we found in our "Just Right" book baskets.  They spent a few days in Choice Time putting it together to perform for the class!

Next we'll read this version of the Three Little Pigs and see who's version of the story they believe:  the pigs or the wolf's?

Nonstandard Measurement

One of our goals in Room 408 this year is to express measure, using an object end-to-end, making sure we don't leave gaps or overlap.

We worked with a partner to measure the length of objects in the classroom, using popsicle sticks.  First we estimated, and then we measured everything from bookshelves to ourselves!

We had a great time!

Ask an Expert!

We have still been wondering about more reasons why apples are red.  We got to ask an expert about our Wonder of the Week!  Sawyer's mom was able to come in and help us with our wonder.  She is an Agriculture Agent for UW-Extension in Shawano County.

She brought in lots of different kinds of seeds with her for us to observe.

We loved looking closely at all the different kinds of seeds.

Room 408 also drew diagrams to help us observe and remember what we noticed about the different seeds.

We discussed what we noticed about the seeds and how the properties they have show the different ways that seeds can travel in order to make more plants.

Seeds can travel by wind. 

Seeds can travel by sticking to animal fur.

Seeds can be eaten or buried by animals.

Seeds can also have explosions.

We saw a seed pod explode.  Cool!

We thought deeply about animals, red apples, seeds, and how they spread to make more plants.

Finally she shared with us some information about the chemicals in plants that help make them specific colors.

Plants that are red and blue have the chemical anthocyanin in them.  Chlorophyll is in plants that are green.  Carotenoids are in plants that are orange and yellow.

So we learned more about why apples are red:
Apple seeds can be spread by apples that fall on the ground and rot, and also by animals that can easily see the brightly colored red apples in green trees or in the green grass and then eat them.  The apple seeds pass through the animal's body and are left somewhere to grow into more red apples.
Red apples also have the chemical Anthocyanin in them.

What a great morning full of learning.  Thank you for helping us with our wonder, Ms. Jamie!