Lesson From Martin Luther King, Science Exploration, and Wailele!

Mr. Chance brought photos of Dr. Martin Luther King and the fight for African-American rights to show the children, and guess what!  They could identify almost all of them and explain the issues and concerns they represented. He told them that even his high school students were not as knowledgeable. The children were especially touched by Dr. King's own words about hope and non-violence from the diary he wrote while in jail. Your children clearly understand the sacrifices of Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and so many others, and they can explain the need to stop prejudice and embrace all people. Thank you for sharing with us, Mr. Chance.

If you check out last week's photo gallery, you will see your children engaged in a very exciting science exploration.  Using Learning Logs and keen senses, they recorded their observations at eight centers that included, a live slug, our computerized microscope for viewing bugs, prisms, magnets, the skeletal remains of a shrew, whale bones, a moldy pumpkin, Monarch caterpillars, a carnivorous Hawaiian caterpillar, and giant seed pods.  There was some very intense research going on and lots of exciting learning! 

At the beginning of this new semester, there were approximately 80 words on our "Wonderful Word List." These are words we gathered throughout our inquiries, stories, and discussions. It seemed a pity to just erase them, so I came up with the idea of a Vocabulary Bee. Two teams worked together to come up with a clear definition and example for each word in order to score a point. I made sure the final score was a tie, but they really loved the experience, and I was amazed by how much they remembered about those words and all that those words encompassed!

I've been reading Hawaiian legends to your children, and they always beg for more. On you next visit to the library, consider some legends, myths, and folk tales from around the world to read to or with your child. They are fascinated by these stories because they are so magical and imaginative, much like the stories they enjoy writing and reading. The children have also enjoyed acting out some of the legends, particularly one that talks of Wailele, called "Ka Puhahou." They are currently busy putting finishing touches on the first drafts of their own legends of Wailele. They all shared the beginnings of their stories with the class, and we talked about what grabbed us, what flowed well, and how much better the movie in our head would be with more detail and description. Many of my Morning Meeting lessons are now focused on enriching and clarifying our writing. Today we begin talking about the water cycle, and tomorrow we create a timeline for Wailele. I've overheard some of them talking about needing to start at the beginning of time on earth! Here we go again!!

A special mahalo to Dr. Ichinose, who came in to read to the class and bring a very timely message that was summed up in a very funny book. His message: good communication from the heart is very important for each person and the world. It is important to really listen to others and use our words to effectively communicate our ideas. It is all right to disagree, but there are ways to do it that work and some that don't! I think we can all benefit from these lessons. Dr. Ichinose will be a regular reader in our classroom, and we love having him! Mahalo nui loa!

OOPS! I erased all the photos in my iPhoto library. Mrs. Jacobson is collecting pictures for the MPI yearbook and needs some great shots from the first semester. I have a few, but if any of you have some good ones showing the kids doing an activity with more than one child in a picture, please make me a CD and send it in by next Wednesday. I will then put together some for her to choose from. Thank you, in advance, for this!

Be sure to check out the two latest Photo Gallery albums. That is the best way to really understand what goes on in the Magic Stone Kids classroom!!