Alpha

K/1st: Week of Aug 21

What’s Up with Alphas! Welcome to our NEWSLETTER! Alphas hit the ground running! We started getting to know each other through games and activities where we had to collaborate, come to consensus, and share resources. We had thoughtful conversations regarding building the best class ever by agreeing to: We ALSO started learning about our bodies, starting with our BRAINS! We learned where it lives, what it is made of, and how heavy it is. We also talked about the part of our brain that keeps us alive and protects us by giving us reflexes: the medulla oblongata! AND, on top […]

K/1st: Week of Aug 21 Read More »

K/1st: Week of May 8th

Thank you ALL for such a special Teacher Appreciation Week! BEST BOUQUETS EVER!!!! We LOVE our new totes (and all that was in them) and LUNCH was not only delicious, but soooo relaxing; what a wonderful treat! THANK YOU!!! What’s Above Us this week… This week the Alphas learned more about our star. Because of you awesome parents out there – they already knew A LOT! Alphas were shocked to learn that the sun contains 99% of the matter in our solar system. This led to a discussion on matter (we reviewed the 3 states of matter from our study

K/1st: Week of May 8th Read More »

This Week in K/1st

This Week in Our Big Backyard We traveled west! Along the way we stopped at the Llano Uplift and visited Enchanted Rock. We learned about the ancient geology of this place and how it’s part of what makes Texas special.  Next, we continued on into the Chihuahuan desert and found so many mountain ranges! Among the mountains we explored basins and canyons. We updated our state map as we went, using symbols for mountains and including the area’s major rivers, Pecos and Rio Grande. We began constructing our tiny West Texas world by laying down sandy, and at times rocky,

This Week in K/1st Read More »

Group of kids at part time school display drawings of foxes.

This Week in K/1st

This Week in Our Big Backyard We always start a new quarter off with our traditional round of Barnyard Babble, where Alphas discover who is on their new table team! This quarter we’re extending our study to the entire state of Texas, so we began by orienting ourselves by making a compass rose and learning about cardinal directions. Once we were familiar and resolved to Never Eat Soggy Waffles, we introduced the directions to our beloved peeps. They’ll be joining us on this tour of Texas! We started with Austin, and our hometown backyard – the Blackland Prairie. Next we

This Week in K/1st Read More »

Handmade owl project on display in basket at micro school.

This Week in K/1st

A note about next week: We’ve got lots going on! Our first field trip (to a neighborhood fire house) after lunch on Wednesday and a picnic at Shipe Park on Thursday! Please wear walking shoes and be sure to pack your water bottle… In Our Big Backyard… We learned about another landform: plateaus! We built some using teamwork. Next, we looked at the Edwards Plateau specifically. We learned that it was uplifted by tectonic plates ~100 million years ago – when the area was covered by an ocean. It’s composed largely of limestone, which forms in shallow water when water

This Week in K/1st Read More »

girl learning about nature