Imagine

The senior class started journals. We read a book about memory. We reflected on the past school year and shared some of our memories.  I asked the class to draw a picture or write about a memory  they have about their time at Imagine.  Journal  writing is a great way to teach children so many early literacy skills. It also shows them that it is possible to put your feelings, thoughts and ideas down on paper. Drawing pictures that symbolize our thoughts is the first step in making the connection that words are also symbols that express our thoughts and ideas .

Today we did an "experiment". We wanted to find out which objects would "sink"  and which objects would "float". We made "predictions" and tested them out.  We "observed" our findings. The seniors "documented" their observations. This was an extension activity that followed our exploration of weight. The children really seemed to enjoy making predictions. It was a great way to introduce vocabulary like, experiment, observation and documentation.

This week we learned about weight. I asked the children to make a "prediction". We learned that the word prediction means to make a guess. I asked them to predict which is "heavier" and which is "lighter". We used a "scale" to test our predictions. The kids were amazed to find out just how light a feather really is. They discovered that more of something did not automatically mean it was heavier. I asked the question "does water weigh anything?" They all seemed to think no. There was  a big collective "wow" when we the children realized that water actually does have weight.