79/180 Wreaths, Menorahs, and Brown Bears

 

Today was holiday craft day!

It's not truly art because it's directed

but the elements of art are included

and of course fine motor skills and following directions.

Even though it was directed,

each finished product is unique to it's creator.

I'm still in love with the way N creates.

She has the materials everyone else does,

I know because I have personally made each delivery, 

but creates her own interpretation 

and I love that!

We incorporated counting and measurement in our menorah's.

We lit each candle as we counted on this 8th night of Chanukah.

A 

"A teachable moment is an unplanned opportunity that arises in the classroom where a teacher has a chance to offer insight to his or her students. A teachable moment is not something that you can plan for; rather, it is a fleeting opportunity that must be sensed and seized by the teacher." - Beth Lewis

Today we had a teachable moment.

Thanks to donors, I gave each student three ECE books: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and There's a Bird on Your Head (a favorite of mine). I had included them in their holiday bags yesterday. During class, I noticed a few of them reading Brown Bear during break. J's eyes lit up when I mentioned maybe we could all read it together in class. I wasn't going to use the books until the new year, but there are times when you just go with it because it's the right moment.

We all took out our book.

The kids followed the read along.

D let me know that he recognized the word see and that he could read the book using the words and the pictures to help him. So I challenged all my students to read the book using the words they know and the pictures to help them. 

The foundations of early literacy... (I love my job!)