We are so excited about our new inquiry study, Zoo Animals! We started our inquiry with the different ways we can move our bodies like the animals at the zoo. "Let's go to the Zoo"
https://youtu.be/OwRmivbNgQk has quickly become a class favourite, it has us up and stomping like elephants, swinging like monkeys, jumping like kangaroos and more.
Our focus story this week is
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. This repeating pattern story was so much fun to read and act out. The story is about a child writing to the zoo to send them a pet. The zoo sends a variety of different animals that are all sent back for different reasons. For each page of the story, the students got to open the box to find out what animal was inside, then they had to put the animal back into the box and send it back. Like other stories we have read this year, this one has also been adapted for all our students. We paired the story with a visual coreboard and our classroom AAC device. On the last page, the child was sent the perfect pet. All students predicated what the perfect pet would be.
Our art and our free choice play this week also incorporated our Zoo theme. During our supported play, students explored using different materials to build enclosures for animals, some engaged in imaginary play creating a zoo and feeding the animals, while others further developed their fine motor skills to try and rescue animals that were taped down. Our week ended with creating a piece of artwork. Students used our Dear Zoo communication coreboard to chose an animal to use in their artwork. We then taped the animal to a canvas and painted all around the figure. When the paint dried we pulled off the silhouette to reveal a marvellous piece of negative space art.
Today students will have come home with their Individualized Program Plan (IPP) for the 2022-2023 school year. The IPP is a collaborative process engaging students and families in the learning process. Updating and reviewing this working document will occur three times this year. Progress will be formally discussed at each Parent Teacher Conference. The first conference is November 19th and 20th.
Please take the time to review this document, after reviewing the IPP, please sign one copy and return to the school by Friday October 21, 2022. An extra copy has also been sent home for your records.
Some of our students would have also received an orange Acknowledgement of Risk form in the envelope that went home today. This is for our school-wide in-line skating experience, a part of our physical education program, with Alien In-line. This is an optional experience, if you would like your child to try in-line skating, please sign and return the form for Monday October 17, 2022.
Upcoming Dates:
October 13-14 and October 17-21 - Inline Skating
October 14 - Individual Program Plans (IPP's) go home
October 27 - Halloween Dance
October 28 - Non-Instructional Day - no classes for students
