The Three Little Pigs

Last week we began our Fairy Tales and Folktales unit of study. Last Friday we read The Three Little Pigs. On Tuesday we read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! Our class has been discussing how a fairy tale may have different versions. We have been comparing different versions of the fairy tale The Three Little Pigs. We have also been talking about an author's point of view. The Three Little Pigs is written from the pig’s point of view while The True Story of the Three Little Pigs is written from the wolf’s point of view. Today we are going to do a three way comparison using the book The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. We are going to continue to compare fairy tales and folktales over the next few weeks!

Wonder of the Week -- When Is Sugar Too Much of a Good Thing?

Wonder 388

Do you like sugar? Or is that just a silly question? Few, if any, people will say that they don’t like sugar. Maybe the better question would be: How much do you like sugar?

Scientists know that human tongues have special receptors that respond to sweet tastes. In fact, it seems that humans are born to like sugar.

Researchers don’t know exactly why we seem to be born with a sweet tooth, but it’s a common desire that most of us seem to share. 

Questions 

When is sugar too much of a good thing?

Is it easy to avoid sugar? 

Should sugar be completely eliminated from children’s diets?

I think..

I think sugar is too much of a good thing when you eat cookies or cake every single day.  (Kayden)

I think sugar is too much of a good thing when you eat candy every single day. (Leah)

I think sugar is too much of a good thing when you eat too much sugar so then you would be use to eating so much sugar.  (Allison) 

I think sugar is too much of a good thing when it clogs your blood pipes.  (Henry)

I think it isn't easy to avoid sugar because their is a lot of things that have sugar in them.  (Addy)

I think it isn't easy to avoid sugar because if their like food that has a lot of sugar and you really really like it you eat it again and again.  (Madelyn)

I think it is easy to avoid sugar because you can just stopping eating sugar. (Kaylie)

I think it isn't easy to avoid sugar because a lot of foods have sugar in them that you love and want to eat all the time.  (Dakota)

I think we should not completely eliminate sugar from our diet because all this high fructose corn syrup stuff is all chemicals and they try to use it on rats.  (Devin)

I think you should not eliminate all the sugar from your diet because you need sugar, just not a lot of it. (Kayden)

I think you should eliminate sugar from your diet because it is not healthy for you.  (Addison)

I learned...

I learned that you should not eliminate all sugar from your diet. (Julien)

I learned that you should not eliminate all sugar from your diet because some fruits and milk have sugar in them.  (Dakota)

I learned you should stay away from coffee because it has a lot of sugar.  (Allison)

I learned you should stay away from cake because it is high in sugar.  (Mario)

I learned you should stay away from foods that are packaged.  (Maddox)

I learned sugar provides energy.  (Lucas)

I learned that you should have a little bit of sugar (in moderation).  (Addy)

I learned that raspberries have sugar in them. (Leah)

I learned that too much sugar can cause diabetes.  (Dakota)

I learned that you can stay healthy and have a small amount of sugar in your diet. (Kayden)

I learned that if you eat too much sugar you can get health problems. (Maddox)

Sorting Food Items!

This week student's in Ms. LaRose's nutrition class today identified various food items and discussed what food group the item belonged in. Some food items were easier to sort than others. Students had to put on their “thinking caps” when sorting the following food items: tacos, mac ‘n cheese, pizza and lollipops. What food group(s) do you think these food items go in? Below are some pictures from our lesson!

Our Week in Review 10.20 - 10.24

Fairytales and Folktales

This week we began our new literacy unit of study: Fairytales and Folktales.  We have been learning that a folktale is a short story that has been passed down from generation to generation.  Fairytales, fables and myths are all types of folktales.  Folktales can have many different versions of the same story

On this first day I brought in stacks of different folktales and allowed students to explore.  At the end of the time students shared out their observations and we wrote them down (see below).

Yesterday we created an anchor chart by reviewing what we had discussed the day before.  To create the anchor chart we thought of the following questions “What do most fairytales have?”  “How do I know if a book is a fairytale?”  Below is the anchor chart we created. 

Nutrition Unit Letter

October 21, 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

On Monday our classes began our Nutrition Unit! The unit essential question is: What choices can I make to be and stay healthy? Over the course of the unit student will be learning about choices they can make to be and stay healthy. Throughout this unit students will be doing various activities to help them gain a deeper understanding of nutrition.  

The unit will be begin with students learning about myplate in order to develop healthy eating habits. After students have an understanding of the various foods in each food group, they will learn about why these foods are important for their bodies (the nutrients they contain). Students will then explore various nutrition labels, why certain food items are healthier than other food items and serving sizes. In addition, students will learn where their food comes from (how natural resources help produce food). The culminating activity will be for each student to create a healthy myplate, explain why their plate is healthy and what nutrients on their plate help them live a healthy lifestyle.

As a result of this unit:

• Students will be able to identify the five food groups.
• Students will be able to create a healthy plate containing a food from each group.
• Students will be able to name at least two reasons why it is important to eat foods from all five food groups for a healthy diet.
• Students will be able to explain that foods have nutrients that helps us grow and stay healthy.
• Students will be able to identify foods with added sugar and solid fats that should be eaten only occasionally.
• Student will be able to interpret a nutrition label

Please help us at home by helping your child develop healthy eating habits. You can also try new foods with your child to help them make healthy choices. Coming soon will be resources that will assist you in building healthy family meals. We are truly grateful for your assistance in this unit!

Natalie LaRose and Tessa Warren

Wonder of the Week -- What is the Best After-School Snack?

Wonder # 177 

Is there anything quite like an afternoon snack? For hungry children at the end of a school day, snacks provide an important energy boost when homework or a piano lesson or soccer practice looms. In today’s busy world, parents want to offer nutritious after-school snacks that will help tide their children over until dinner time.

For years, parents were urged to discourage children from eating between meals. To keep young bodies and minds performing well over the course of a long day filled with school, homework and extracurricular activities, though, nutritionists eventually saw the need for snacks throughout the day.

As children will gladly tell you, youngsters need a little something in their bellies to tide them over between meals, and older kids often need extra energy for sports practice and other activities. But what should children be eating at snack time? That’s a good question!

I think the best after-school snack is strawberries because they are juicy and really sweet. (Kayden)

I think the best after-school snack is an apple because they are very healthy and they are easy to eat on the go.  (Addy) 

I think the best after-school snack is a healthy snack because it gives you extra energy.  (Allison)

I think the best after-school snack is fruit or vegetables because they are healthy for you.  (Julien)   

I think the best after-school snack is blueberries because they are sweet and healthy.  (Madelyn) 

I think the best after-school snack is vegetables because they have lots of protein.  (Kaylie)  

I think the best after-school snack is fruit because it is healthy.  (Leah) 

I think the best after-school snack is pomegranate because they have over 100 seeds. (Henry) 

I think the best after-school snack is cheese and crackers because they go really good together. (Dakota)

I think the best after-school snack is animal crackers because they are good to eat before dinner.  (Addison) 

I learned.... 

I learned that good after-school snacks will help you do your homework. (Julien)

I learned that good after-school snacks make you run faster. (Mario)

I learned that you can make your own healthy after-school snack by taking an unhealthy thing and using healthy ingredients.  (Fiona)

I learned that a fruit kabob could be a healthy after-school snack.  (Addison)

I learned that fruit are a good after-school snack. (Maddox)

I learned that vegetables are a good after-school snack. (Allison)

I learned that candy and chips are high in sugar and they are NOT a good after-school snack.  (Kayden)

SWR Week 10.13

Wonder of the Week (10.13) -- Where is the Next Frontier?

Oh, what it must have been like to live hundreds of years ago! Most of the world was a question mark. If you had an explorer’s heart, the whole world must have seemed like one big frontier.

Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World. Pilgrims made their way to America. Once settled, the new Americans slowly made their way westward. Pioneers of all sorts made new discoveries every day.

The seas were sailed. New lands were discovered and mapped. Eventually, even the skies and outer space were explored.

But what about today? Is there any place left on Earth for the young explorers of today and tomorrow to explore? Where is the next frontier?

I think the new frontier..... 

I think the new frontier is where dinosaur bones have not been explored. (Maddox) 

I think the new frontier is in the ocean because only 5% of the world's oceans have been explored. (Fiona)

I think the new frontier will be at the core of the earth.  (Julien)

I think the new frontier in a dessert, because no one has survived a desert because they don't have water.  (Leah) 

I think the new frontier is inside an apple tree. (Henry) 

I think the new frontier is near Lake Champlain hiding in the rocks. (Madelyn) 

I think the new frontier is near volcanoes.  (Dakota) 

I think the new frontier is finding Champ and seeing if he is real.  (Addy) 

I learned...

I learned that the new frontier is in Antarctica. (Leah)

I learned that only 2% of the ocean has been explored. (Kayden)

I learned that their is a frozen waterfall in Antarctica. (Allison)

I learned that their is a really big frozen waterfall and it is the 6th biggest lake in the world. (Kayden) 

I learned that their was even lakes in Antarctica. (Maddox)

I learned that beneath the earth are caves that need to be explored. (Julien)

I learned that Antarctica is beautiful.  (Holden)

I learned that the new frontier could be in the Amazon.  (Addy)

I learned that their are a lot of dark avalanche in Antarctica. (Madelyn)

I learned that their is one of the biggest lakes in Antarctica.  (Addison)

Our Week in Review 10.6 - 10.10

ECHO Field Trip

Our class had a wonderful day at ECHO on Friday!  We explored the Coffee the World in Your Cup exhibit where we explored how coffee affects culture economics and environments around the world. We explored engaging photos, maps, text, artifacts and listened to stories behind the coffee people drink. 

Our class also participated in the Wetland Wonders Program.  To view a full description of the program click here.  During the program students discussed the important skills a naturalist needs; used a wetland model to determine where animals and plants live in a wetland; and  explored the regions of a wetland and simulated a wetland at night.

The video of our wetland stimulation is below.

Names for Numbers

During math yesterday we learned that numbers can be named in many different ways.  We reviewed number words, wrote various numbers on our white boards and then wrote as many different names for the number 8 as possible.  After reviewing all the possible names for 8 we created an anchor chart to help us brainstorm all the different names for the number 12.  Below is our anchor chart and some of our great thinking during independent practice time! 

Save Lids to Save Lives

Save Lids to Save Lives

Our classroom is participating in Save Lids to Save Lives.  We would really appreciate your help at home.  We are asking that all families clip pink Save Lives lids off participating products from General Mills.  Once lids are clipped just send them to school with your child! We will be collecting the lids and counting how many lids we have collected and then multiplying that number by 10 cents to figure out how much money we have raised for breast cancer research.  

General Mills Products with lids are:

- Roll-Ups

- Chex Mix

- Bugles

- Gardetto

- Phillsbury

- Betty Crocker

- Cheerios

- Cinnamon Toast Crunch

- Yoplait

- Total

- Fiber One

- Green Giant

- Helper

- Old El Paso

- Nature Valley

- Mott’s

- Ocean Spray

- Gushers

Small actions can make a big difference, and I know our classroom is going to make a big difference!

For more information about Save Lids to Save Lives click here.

Porters Point Family Reminders - 10/1