newsletter 15

Banyan Newsletter APRIL 2010

ISSUE FIFTEEN

Banyan poets gather ideas for poetry on the grassy circle.

Reading and Writing Workshop Poetry! Poetry! Poetry!

In reading and writing, Banyan students continued their study of poetry.

We looked at some poetry features and techniques: white space, line breaks and repetition.

White space helps readers respect the sound of silence in poetry.

It tells us when to pause and breathe between words and phrases.

We experimented with line breaks by cutting up a poem and moved it around until it

sounded just right to us.

Re p e t i t i o n e m p h a s i ze s m e a n i n g, g l u e s a p o e m t o g e t h e r a n d g i ve s i t rhythm or a musical tone.

Maya Angelou uses repetition in her poem Life Does Not Frighten Me. Some upper school poets read us their own versions. Now, Banyan poets are using these techniques in their own writing.

The students are writing from the ideas in their tiny topics notebooks and from

observing our poetry museum items. We also went outside to gather ideas from nature.

First Grade Library May 3-7 8:30-9:50 LRC

Please drop in to read with your child!

They created maps of their hearts and they are writing about the people and things that are close to their hearts.

First Grade Library: Banyan students are getting geared up for the library opening. We are discussing our commons, the library being one of them, and what makes them healthy or unhealthy. May 3-7. 8:30-9:50 Monday-Friday. First Floor of the LRC.

Social Smarts

Birds! Birds! Birds!

We reviewed many of the unthinkables that we have learned about so far.

The students are working on skits in small groups. Each skit has some unthinkables in them.

The audience watches and then guesses which unthinkables were taking over in the skits and how they could use Superflex to solve the issues.

Math Banyan mathematicians worked on solving problems with twos, fours and fives. We thought about what comes in pairs and solved some word problems thinking about hands, eyes, feet and elbows.

We also looked at counting by fours and fives through word problems and on the hundreds and 200 board.

Word Work We finished putting all our words on the word wall for the year!

We will now begin reviewing them for reading and spelling. We also began sorting words into groups and looking at their structures and patterns.

We went bird watching at the Shorebird Marsh. We all looked through Sharon’s spotting scope. We could really see the birds up close!

Science Banyan birders explored bird centers.

They examined and sketched feathers and nests. They learned how to use binoculars. They browsed bird books and learned many interesting facts. They also learned to use the field guides by identifying some of the birds that we have seen on our walks and trips.

What makes a bird a bird? We read a poem and watched a clip about birds.

We learned that feathers are what makes a bird a bird.