Weekly Wrap-Up -> Oct. 15-19

With Halloween just around the corner, it's hard not to begin to get into Halloween spirit!  We had a few centres this week that were spooky but there's more to come next week!

Can you pick up the spiders using tweezers?
I think this was the *most* fun activity this week as nearly all the children wanted a turn and kept revisiting this provocation.  Using the tweezers, students had to pick up the plastic spiders and put them in the bowl.  I found these large spider web bowls at Dollarama last week and just added white yarn around them forming a web.


Halloween Story - Loose Parts
We use loose parts a lot in our class.  They are a great tool for students to express creativity and build language.  Here the students created their own Halloween stories and, if they chose, could draw or write about them.  I also video taped them saying their story.

Leaf Tree
We collected a bunch of leaves, sticks and other materials from outdoors.  Truthfully our students this year are loving the outdoors and we spend much time during the week exploring nature.  They often want to collect items of nature and bring them inside to look more closely.  With all of the goodies accumulated, we decided to draw a large tree on butcher paper and invite our students to glue the leaves and sticks to it, creating a fall scene.  We taped this to our classroom door yesterday (picture to come - check back on Instagram), and will perhaps Halloween art work to it throughout the next two weeks.

Leaf Patterns
This week we spent much time in large and small groups working on patterning.  I set up this provocation for students to show me all that they know about patterns.  These leaves (also from Dollarama) were perfect - students could make different patterns based on colour, size, and shape!

Science and Discovery - Painting Pumpkins and Gourds
We set out large and small pumpkins, various gourds and corn at our Science and Discovery Centre last week for students to observe and wonder.  This week, to add to it, we invited students to look closely and draw what they see.  They learned how to draw with pencil first and then trace over it using a permanent black marker before using water colour paints.

Math - Small Group Patterning
In my small group for math this week, I focused on creating simple patterns (AB, ABC) using manipulatives.  I wanted students to understand that patterns repeat and I wanted them to understand that each pattern has a core, or rule, that it follows.
Lots more on patterning to come!

Math - Small Group *Intervention*
We have some students who are working on basic math skills (i.e. 1:1 correspondence, counting, subitizing, etc.) and in our Math Intervention group Mrs. Petrone (RECE) made these mats and ghosts (made from beans).  Students had to count out the number of beans and place them on the mat.

5 Little Pumpkins Poem
If you haven't heard of this poem, it's truly one of my favourites for this time of year! The students quickly caught on to the words and loved the activities set up around the class.  We had our students act out the poem by placing a pumpkin mask in front of their face while reciting each part.  Another student got to turn off the lights when we clapped "out".

I made these pumpkin felt board pieces a few years back for students to retell the poem.


You can download the poem for free by clicking below.

This poem is from my Rhyme and Chime pack on TpT, where you get over 90 poems to last you the whole year!

Pocket Chart
At our pocket chart centre, I wanted students to focus on the word "little" so we used the predictable text poem "Little Pumpkins".

You can find this activity (and lots more for the whole year!) in my All Year Long Pocket Chart Fun pack on TpT.

We also introduced these fluency cards.  Each Monday, our students learn a new poem for the week.  We revisit this poem several times, and by the end of the week, most of them are very fluent with saying it.  You see, by memorising the poem, students are learning to listen for rhyming words, chanting and listening for syllables, and keeping the rhythm.  I made these cards because we always read the poem in different, funny ways too (i.e. ghost voice, sad voice, robot voice).  I printed and put these cards in a small tin and we had fun choosing a few cards and reading our weekly poem in that voice!



I just uploaded these Fluency Cards for Choral Reading to TpT if you'd like to see more!


Here are my weekly plans!
I had a few e-mails asking if I could post them earlier in the week as opposed to the end of the week/weekend but the truth is, things often change as students interests change and we like to update that on our weekly plans.  I also like to take pictures of the centres and provocations and include them - it's just easier at the end of the week.

You can download the Week-at-a-Glance PDF version{here}.  
If you would like the editable version to modify this for your own class click {here}.  
You will need Power Point to edit.

I used the following fonts if you wish to keep it the same (free to download):

I've also had many questions about what happens during small group learning time.  I'll be sure to write a post soon about that!

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