April 2013 Kindergarten Volume 14, Issue 3 Plan Your Work to Project Work One of the major components of the Integrated Day program is student choice. Throughout the day, students are given many opportu- nities to make choices. Students can make choices about what to write about and where and who to sit with during snack. They can choose books to read and what to share at assembly. In kindergarten, choice is most evident during Plan Your Work time. Plan Your Work is a student work time where children choose from a variety of areas in the classroom to work and play. Some of the areas include blocks, writing, art, puppets, musical instruments, dra- matic play, math manipulatives, building toys and sand table. These ar- eas give students an opportunity to choose and focus on an area of in- terest for an extended period of time while building concepts and so- cial skills. Plan Your Work develops in students the skills needed for indi- vidual project work. In the spring, kindergarteners are introduced to project work. They are asked to choose an animal of interest to re- search over a number of weeks. They read, (or are read to) they re- member facts, and write about what they have learned. Students look at photos and diagrams of animals to observe details about how the animal looks. Students will begin their inquiry-based research projects using a graphic organizer focusing on the animal’s body, habitat, food, life cy- cle, and a FUN FACT! They will write key words that they learn through their research. This year, students will have an opportunity to access PebbleGo, a web site that makes informational text accessible to emergent readers. Children can learn about animals, earth and space, biographies and social studies. The site allows children to listen to narrated text as the words are highlighted. There are videos and games for each topic area to reinforce the information learned. This spring, all kindergarten students will visit the computer lab to use Peb- bleGo to gather the information about their chosen animal. The entire process is modeled for students with the teacher leading a group pro- ject to break down the steps for children before they use it on their own. The finished projects will be displayed at the Integrated Day Share Fair in May. If you would like to see our projects as they pro- gress, stop by one of the kindergarten classrooms this spring. TheThe Integrated Integrated Update Update TheThe Integrated Integrated Update Update “Creative” Writing from Mrs. Hadlock’s Room Chris Van Allsburg By Amelia Treat Our class did an author study on Chris Van Allsburg. In case you do not know who Chris Van Allsburg is, he is an author and an illustrator. We finished reading 15 of his books and liked every one of them very much. Some of his pictures are black and white. But others are in color. Did you know that Chris Van Allsburg was the one who wrote The Polar Express ? Here are everyone’s favorites: The Garden of Abdul Gazasi 1 Two Bad Ants 2 The Wreck of the Zephyr 1 Jumanji 1 The Widow’s Broom 1 The Sweetest Fig 9 Probuditi 3 My favorite book was Probuditi because it was about girl who got hypnotized or pretended to be hypnotized by her brother and acted like a dog. They were all really good and left you off with either a cliffhanger ending or wondering what really happened. Some kids in our class were inspired by Chris Van Allsburg’s book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick . In this book there are pic- tures with captions only. Some kids used the pictures and captions as story starters and are publishing them! THE MYSTERIOUS HOUSE By Maura Zettergren Twelve-year-old Kyle was exhausted. He just had the longest day at the library. He read a book about a house that went up in space but he didn’t finish. Kyle just slid into bed not noticing any- thing. Just that second Kyle shook, bounced, and leaped. His whole house and room crashed. Nothing was in its place, not even the house. It was a perfect lift off. Kyle was so worried. He was thinking about what his mom and dad had said when they left. “We will be back at 12:00. Don’t get into any trouble,” his mom had told Kyle before she left. There’s no way that there’s time to get the house back down, he thought. Kyle took a deep breath. By now the house was 20 feet in the air. But when the house was at 30 feet in the air something happened. (Now reader I would think it was a good thing but actually the house went faster up in the air.) continued on page 3 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 3 Page 2 “Creative” Writing from Mrs. Hadlock’s Room (continued) continued from page 2 Kyle was amazed and frightened at the same time. He pulled up his covers as fast as a cheetah could go. After a while the sky became dark. Kyle opened his eyes and went downstairs curiously. He went to the porch jumping over broken pots and dishes. When he got to the porch, Kyle noticed stars all around him. It was the coolest thing he saw. He actually touched one. It was as cold as an ice cube. Kyle was in space! When he looked around he spotted a star sitting on the bench next to the door. He fainted in amazement. “Kyle, Kyle, Kyle.” Kyle opened his eyes to his mom and dad. Without saying a word, he sprinted downstairs finding nothing around for evidence to show his parents. He was scared. He wanted to show them what had happened. If he didn’t, it might happen again. Right then Kyle remembered the book in the library that he had not finished. He bolted out- side, but that second when he touched the ground, the house blasted off in space. It was another per- fect lift off. All he could do was watch! THE MIST MAN The man saw where the rug was and it By Drew Morris was indescribably pinned against the wall. The man swore he saw the gold Papers flew everywhere. The house itself doorknob turn back …forth …back … forth. shook. The man dashed outside to see The old dial radio mysteriously started go- who or what was doing this but all he saw ing round and round until it all stopped. But was a man, a single man. This man-thing not for long - all the cans on the shelf pointed directly at the old man. started rattling and moving at will. The Then with a flash, he disappeared, ragged figure skates started spinning faster and just like THAT the mist also immedi- and faster and faster and the mayhem fi- ately disappeared. The old man was nally stopped. The terrorized man hid be- dumbfounded. hind his rug in a corner. Nobody appeared. “It just wasn’t done,” he told him- Two days passed and the man stayed. It self. “It-it’s impossible,” he stuttered. He was as if the world stopped spinning. Nei- slowly walked to the beat up car and ther the man nor the neighbors went out- barely thought about driving he was doing. side because of all the ruckus. He stopped and limped out of his car and The man finally got the courage to went right to the records at Town Hall. He stand and cautiously walk to the old, stained searched every single file and even door. His hand shivered as he rotated the checked nicknames including… “the mist knob and slowly opened the door. But all that man.” was in sight was mist - dark, gloomy, mys- Over time everyone left the old terious mist. You could almost see the horror “haunted” village, except one, just one. bulging out of the man’s eyes. Fear over- The old man appeared from the whelmed him and pushed him back to his shadows speaking three revengeful corner. words. “Come Mist Man.” But something was wrong. Where Then another figure emerged from was the rug? Then it all started over again. the depths of the now peaceful village. VOLUME 14, ISSUE 3 Page 3 From the JLS Garden Committee Mark your calendars: SPRING GARDEN CLEAN UP Friday, April 26 11:00 a.m. –1:45 p.m. Parent Volunteers: We need your help! Even if you can participate for some of the time, we would love to have your help. It’s time to get the gardens ready for spring. First and second graders will be signing up in their classrooms to help during recess. Parents who are planning to help are asked to bring clippers, gloves, a wheelbarrow and a tarp or old sheet, if possible. Members of the Garden Committee will coordinate the tasks. We look forward to seeing you there! VOLUME 14, ISSUE 3 Page 4 April 22, 2013 Dear Community Members and School Staff, The Governor’s proposed budget eliminated transportation funding that amounted to a loss of $282,000 for Regional School District 13. The Appro- priations Committee also proposed the elimination of transportation funding. Student transportation is fundamental to the educational process and is man- dated to be made available to all students. Transportation accounts for 5% of the total school budget and the elimination of the grant is a significant finan- cial loss to the district. It is imperative that you contact your legislators (listed below) and let them know that you want the transportation grant re- stored.