BILINGUAL PLAY

Last Wednesday was the showing of “The Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs” to all the grades. Our cast of wonderful actors was made up students from the sixth grade classes who volunteered to do the play in English. We made the set and costumes (almost) from scratch and Ruben, the music teacher, complemented the actions with creative sounds effects. A big thanks does out to all the people who participated in the making of these two plays!

UNIT - DAILY LIFE

In this unit students learned to recognize the characteristics of their families, the roles of family members and friends in their daily lives, as well as the features of their daily lives (with an emphasis of the sequence of the days and their school schedules). We worked with “What have you got (on)…” and “I have got…” sentence structures.
We began the unit with the story “Goldilocks and the three bears” and reviewed the members of the family: granddad, granny, mum, dad, sister, and brother. Students then made their own family trees using family pictures which they pasted in the appropriate boxes.

Students then classified activities such as sleeping, learning, eating, showering, playing, reading, cleaning, washing the dishes, watering the plants etc depending on if they are done at school or at home. At school, students have a variety of subjects. After seeing the difference between weekends and school days in a month, students learned about the subjects they have at school: language, maths, religion, English, computers, science, P.E., music and art. They decided which subjects they liked and disliked, and which ones were their favorite.
For the end of the unit activity, the students wrote an imaginary letter describing what classes they have every day, their age and where they live.

Here is a link to online activities and printable projects and recipes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/menu.shtml

UNIT - PHYSICAL PROCESSES

In this unit students learned about physical forces. We started the unit presenting the forces of push and pull with toys and other objects. Students learned to respond to daily directions such as "pull the door open, push the door closed, pull the blinds up etc".

We also sang the song "wind the bobbin up". You can find a good version of it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXo_8BvoZhU

The students liked it so much they ask to sing it almost every day!

In physical education, we used the forces of push and pull: we played tug-of-war and had the students pull each other on gym mats.

In the classroom, students made their own "push-pull" ice-cream cones. Yum!

While push and pull are physical forces used to move objects, electricity and human energy are forces that allow us to do work. In this part of the unit, students learned the difference between human and electrical energies. We presented the concept experimenting with an egg: students beat one egg with a fork and one with a blender. They learned to differentiate objects that need electricity to function.

Students then learned that light can be both natural and electrical. They saw that the sun, fire, the moon and candles are forms of natural light, while lamps, televisions, computer screens, and flashlights are forms of artificial light. We experimented with these different kinds of lights in the classroom, and had students decide which ones (sunlight and overhead lights) were better for working.

Here is a neat link to an online activity where students identify sources of light:

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/light/eng/Introduction/pop.htm

While a good working environment is one with sufficient light, it is also one with few noises. Students saw that excessive noise (using various musical instruments) can be detrimental to a healthy classroom or working environment.

BOOK DAY

On Friday, April 23rd 2010 we celebrated our first ever bilingual Book Day! We had a great time reading books in Spanish and English. Each student had brought in their favorite book out of which they read a few lines. The English teacher and auxiliary then each read a book in English. Students also got to make their own bilingual bookmarks, each with a spanish/english quote related to reading. Check out the pictures!

UNIT - MATERIALS

Welcome back!

For our return from spring break, we started the materials unit.

In this unit we introduced different types of materials: stone, metal, glass, plastic, wood, cotton, leather, and wool. We used flashcards and random objects found in the classroom as visual aides and had students use (both in written and spoken form) the sentence structure " it´s made of ..." to describe what these objects. They also described them, using the vocabulary from the five senses unit: rough, smooth, hard, soft and the new vocabulary: bend, stretch, twist.

Here is a fun online experiment / quiz. It tests various materials to see if they are bendy and/or waterproof:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/5_6/sorting_using_mate.shtml

Later, students learned that some materials such as wool, cotton, and leather are found naturally and can come from plants or animals. We further explored these natural materials. Students learned that wool, cotton, and leather are best for clothing, while glass, stone, wood, and metal are best for other objects such as houses. In the case of clothing, students learned that warm (and waterproof materials such as plastic) are more suited for cold weather, whereas cool materials are more suited for hot weather.

We finished the unit teaching students that some materials can be recycled. We placed different colored boxes (coordinated with the ones they might find on the street) for plastic/aluminium/glass, paper, and trash and had students recycle their snack and work materials.
This is an online recycling game that tests students on what can be recycled:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/barnabybear/games/recycle.shtml

"HAPPY EASTER!" PENCIL HOLDER

Before the students went on their "Semana Santa" break, they made "Happy Easter!" pencil holders to take home. This is a fun hands on project that is practical and very easy to make.

Materials are:

- a toilet paper roll

- colored pencils or markers

- scissors

- foam paper (for the "feet")

- cotton balls (for the "tail")

Father´s Day

For father´s day students made an english/spanish book for their fathers. Students used colour, food, animal, toy and season vocabulary they learned in class and chose one of each that best represented their fathers. They wrote out the word and drew it out on the page. They finished the book with a poem (see picture).

Daddy I love you

For all that you do

I´ll kiss you and hug you

Because you love me, too

UNIT - WATER and LANDSCAPES

In this unit students learned about the different states of water. As part of our experiment, we grew sugar and salt crystals (see picture). Students learned about the three states of water, and that water evaporates with sunlight. Each group of students mixed their own salt and a sugar solutions. We let the solutions sit by the window until the water evaporated and only the crystals were left. Later, we showed students how water changes from a solid to a liquid using ice cubes. We went over both results as a class. Following the experiment, students learned that liquid water exists in the form of lakes, seas, and rivers and that we have different uses for it such as washing our hands, watering our plants, drinking, and washing the dishes.

Landscapes are part of our world, and in this unit students learned about the differences between rural and urban landscapes. We introduced this part of the unit with a video of "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse". The students really enjoyed the story and got to make their own country mouse paper puppet. They learned that urban landscapes have cars, streets, buildings, shops, highways, and bridges and that in contrast rural landscapes have farms, rivers, mountains, and forests. They distinguished various rural landscapes such as the forest, the jungle, the seaside, the savannah, the desert and the country by their principal characteristics (such as the desert is hot, the seaside has water) and which animals live in them.

Here are some neat links to online games and activities:

http://pbskids.org/rogers/buildANeighborhood.html This is a fun activity about elements of country and city landscapes. Students choose how many of each elements (such as streets, houses, trees etc) they put in their landscape.

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ey/science/animal_h/index.htm (This activity deals with animal habitats. Students either drag and drop animals in their proper habitats or choose which animals live in each habitat).

UNIT - My Body

In this unit students learned the various parts of their bodies and faces. We used the songs "if you´re happy and you know it..." and " head, shoulder, knees and toes". For their final project, students received a sheet of a blank body with each of their faces already printed on it. They then cut and pasted labels of the appropriate body parts on the sheet.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION - ANIMALS

This game had students imitate various animals that they learned in science class.
We used different colored jerseys or handkerchiefs.
The students used two jerseys and imitated fish, birds, and a lion. They used their handkerchief or jersey to imitate the movement of each animal. To finish the activity, students played a game of ¨tail tag¨. They imitated a lion and had to catch other students´ tails. At the end each student counted how many tails he/she had caught.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION - WARM UP

We decided to incorporate vocabulary that the students study in science in P.E. games. We begin the warm-up by sitting in a circle and then having the students follow a simple set of directions. This is either in the form of a song or a physical activity. Some of the songs we use are:

“if you´re happy and you know it”. This song adapts well to any set of vocabulary (we have used the parts of the body, the five senses, and animal parts unit)


“head, shoulders, knees and toes”. We review key parts of the body and also practice going fast and slow. At times we will pick a student who knows it well to start the song.

For physical activities we have students perform simple exercises such as walking, running, skipping, jogging, walking backwards, jumping, and doing jumping jacks.

UNIT - PLANTS

This unit builds on the living/non-living things unit and focuses on plants. Students learned about what plants need, how to grow them, how to differentiate their parts, and how they change with the seasons. They conducted their own experiment to determine whether or not plants can live without one of their basic needs (water, air, sunlight, soil).

Students reviewed the “A plant needs…” and “A plant/tree has got…” sentence structures. For the corner games vocabulary we made a “plants need” crossword puzzle and a “plants/trees have got…” dice (students roll the dice and draw and/or write part of the plant. The first student to complete his/her plant wins). We played both games as a class beforehand and made a set of simple written directions for reference.

For corner games sentences and whiteboard the students had loose words that they used to make sentences as well as whole sentences that they copied on their whiteboards.

UNIT - PLANT EXPERIMENT

Before starting the experiment, we reviewed what plants need to survive. We also introduced the vocabulary for what we need to grow a plant. We divided the class into four groups each of which received five ¨pots¨ (clear plastic cups). We removed one basic need from four of the plants (plant 1 had no water, plant 2 had no sunlight, plant 3 had no air, and plant 4 had no soil) and left the last plant with all of them. The students recorded their findings as the plants grew (or not) on the first, fourth, and seventh days. They were very excited about growing their own plants and although some of the plants grew without a basic need, they were able to see how a plant grows.

UNIT - MEALS

In this unit students learned about the different kinds of foods and when they eat them during the day. They learned to differentiate meals of the day and which foods are appropriate for each. They used the sentence structure " I have... (food) for... (meal)".

As part of the their final project, students wrote at least four sentences using the structure describing what foods they eat for which meal. In a picture of a blank plate previously printed on the paper, students drew the foods they described.

UNIT – LIVING and NON-LIVING THINGS LANDSCAPE

For the final project, we made an air, land, and water landscape with non-living (the sun, rocks, a cloud) and living things (mammals, fish, and birds). Each student then wrote a small description using the structures “This is…”, “It can…”, and “It has got”. When they were finished they posted their animals in the appropriate place on the landscape.

UNIT – LIVING and NON-LIVING THINGS ANIMAL PUZZLES

We used animal puzzles to introduce different parts of animals. They were very popular with the students so we converted them into a corner game. Each puzzle piece contained one part of the animal. After making a puzzle as a class, students received images of different animals of the same group and worked in small groups to label their parts.

UNIT – LIVING and NON-LIVING THINGS

In this unit we distinguished between living and non-living things. Aside from learning new vocabulary, the students learned how to differentiate living from non-living things using the structure “Can it…?” and “It can…” (move, reproduce, eat, and grow). After this simple classification, we focused on mammals, fish and birds. Students learned to recognize different parts of animals using the structure “It has got…” (legs, wings, a tail, feathers, scales etc)

UNIT - THE FIVE SENSES PROJECT

For the final project, each student made his/her own book of senses. We made the book in advance and stapled it together so that each page had one sense on it. Students wrote sentences using the structure ¨I can ... with my...¨ for every sense. Here is a list of the things we put into the book.

Sight: students colored a butterfly in a frame.

Touch: students pasted a small rock, fuzzy paper, cotton, and rough paper and wrote sentences using the structure ¨it´s rough/smooth/hard/soft¨

Taste: students colored two pictures of food. Then they wrote sentences using the structure ¨it tastes sweet/salty¨

Smell: students glued a perfumed cotton ball. Then they colored a picture of a garbage can and wrote sentences using the structure ¨it smells good/bad¨

Hear: students colored a picture of a sound and wrote sentences using the structure ¨It is loud/quiet¨

UNIT - THE FIVE SENSES EXPERIMENTS

Students learned about the five senses and their characteristics. They experimented with each sense to understand how they work and used the structure “I can … with my …” to express what part of the body is used for each sense.

The touch box
After introducing the vocabulary (rough, smooth, soft, hard), we separated the class into two groups. Each group received one box with a small opening at the top and each student an experiment sheet. One at a time, we placed an object (a pine cone, a rock, ball of yarn, a pencil, and a rubber) in the box and had students touch it without looking. We recorded our findings on the experiment sheet.

Scents
We used four Actimel bottles (long, plastic bottles) and put coffee, vinegar, orange peels, and perfume in each one. First, students smelled the contents of each bottle and tried to guess what each substance was. Then, they learned to distinguish between things that smell good or bad.

Listening to music
We had students sit in silence and asked them if they could hear anything. We then turned on the radio that we had previously hidden behind the teacher´s desk so that students could hear music without seeing where it was coming from. We increased the volume and taught students to differentiate between loud and quiet.


I-spy and I can see
We played a game of I spy using flashcards of different colored objects: a plane, a butterfly, a sun, a bird. Students used the structure ¨I can see with my eye something...¨ The teacher then placed one of the flashcards on the blackboard and had students draw what they saw in a frame (a half sheet of paper with a frame on it).


Taste
We used salt and sugar to determine what was salty and sweet. We started the experiment by asking students what they thought each substance was. As they couldn´t see the difference, each student tasted a pinch of both and as a class we determined which was what. As an extension, students used the previous’ unit food flashcards and distinguished between sweet and salty foods.

Corner Games

We started the corner games for early finishers and rainy days in P.E. We made four boxes (for the number of student groups in each class) and rotate groups each week. Each corner game has activities and games that change along with the units.

The morning routine

Every morning we review the date, the weather, and the number of children. A designated student (the assistant for the day) picks the correct date, month, and weather card from the display on the blackboard. Sometimes we sing the days of the week song as a refresher. He/she will also count the number of girls and boys in the classroom and write the number on the board . As a class we then add the total number of students. Some of the students have started writing the date on the blackboard.