January in Review

Belonging and Contributing
This month we have been using a new framework of French Vocabulary to communicate called “Je vois” (I see) “Je pense” (I think) and “Je me demande” (I wonder).  This has allowed us to begin to communicate our observations, thoughts and wonderings in French and has allowed us to hear the ideas of others, to respect them, and to add or discuss them as we see fit.  Several students have also continued to learn through dramatic play, at the block centre, at the science centre, at the house centre and more.  

Self-Regulation and Well Being
We have been learning how to take responsibility for our learning.  Before we go to play, we often discuss what we are interested in doing and how it will help us in our learning.  For example, some students have chosen to play with the puzzles because they like solving problems, while other students chose to see how many letters they could make using paper strips that they had found in the art centre.  We often discuss that everyone is a learner and that it is our job to make sure we are learning every day so that our brains can grow!

Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours 
In math we have been learning how to talk about our thinking.  We have shown our teachers how to represent different quantities by finding the corresponding number of objects in the room or by drawing pictures to represent that quantity.  Several students also chose to start writing number books that included pictures, numbers and words.  Other students also showed an interest in writing books.  Some students made books full of pictures, while others included symbols or best guess spelling words to represent their ideas.  As teachers we are very excited to see such an interest in writing!

Problem Solving and Innovating
Students often show an interest in problem solving in a variety of contexts.  Whether they are building at the block centre, creating at the art centre, or writing a story at the writing centre, they are always navigating their way through problems that arise.  Students are learning that they can solve problems with the help of an adult, with a peer or on their own and we applaud their efforts in every area.  This past month, several students incorporated literacy and problem solving while creating structures.  They used a piece of paper to plan their structure, drawing a picture and writing what they were making and what materials they would need.  Then they used their problem solving skills to build their structures, using different pieces, adding and taking away as needed until their structures resembled that of their picture.  This took a lot of persistence!