text: Ms. Kaltrina & Ms. Diane's Class : February 2020
  We started this month learning about the five senses: touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell. Through different activities, art projects and science experiments, our students got to use their senses in lots of different ways and had the opportunity to explore the world and make sense of what's around them.
  This month we continued to practice letter/ sound recognition, and initial sounds of a word through object and picture based posters, which help students to understand initial sounds and make connections across different words. In writing, this month we focused on tracing and writing of their first and last name.
  In math, we continue to practice counting up to 10 and writing the numerals 1-10. We also added new materials and activities to our math area in the classroom, like the teen's board.
  In this activity, children were introduced to the teens numerals and matching the golden bead material to the symbol. Also, students were introduced to the "Birds Eye View" of the golden bead decimal system activity. Using golden bead materials students had the opportunity to work with large numbers up to 1000. The students worked on matching the quantity with the symbol and comparing the numbers. We also will continue to work on addition and introduce subtraction as a new concept in February.
  Science, Social Studies and Peace Education:
  In social studies, we learned about Martin Luther King Junior. We read books about his life and we also spoke about our dreams and what is something we can do to make the world a better place. We started working and will continue to work in the upcoming months about the Continent of North America, the culture and tradition, the history of the fifty states, the landmarks, and the symbols of our country.
  This month we learned about and celebrated the Chinese New Year. We thank the classroom parents for taking the time to come to our classroom and share all the information about China and Chinese New Year. Students enjoyed learning about the Lunar Year and making Chinese lanterns too.
  In Peace Education, we added new materials and activities to our Peace Table. We introduced students to the "Peace Rose" and we read the book about the Peace Rose. Student's can use the Peace Rose anytime they need to in order to resolve a conflict and it helps them to be active listeners to each other and take turns talking and expressing their feelings. We did add another new material to the Peace Table, Buddha Board, relaxing water painting. Anytime students feel that they need to go and sit by the peace table to relax and calm their body and mind they can use the Buddha Board to paint with water. This is a great way for the students to explore themselves, express their feelings and master the art of letting go.