Happy Friday everyone! Finally, a little Fall weather and just in time for the first day of Autumn this Sunday:)

Please make sure to check out last week’s blog on the website. I forgot to send out the link and post-my apologies! 

While reading one of our chapters this week somebody asked what temple everyone keeps going to and what it looked like. We began researching different temples from Ancient Greece and of course talked about the most famous of them all, the Parthenon. Every year, I always try to teach about the 4 C’s of 21st century skills which are 1) communication 2) collaboration 3) critical thinking and 4) creativity. At least once a month I will present the class with a challenge where they collaborate together to build these skills. This month, we brought in boxes of many different shapes and sizes and although at first I asked them to agree on one idea together, I decided to ask them if they could make a temple of their own! Influenced by the ancient Greeks, we decided our temple would need columns, “fancy sketches”, color, and someone to dedicate it to. It’s looking awesome so far, but they are definitely putting their 4 c’s to work:) Take a look down below!

We’ve also begun learning how to divide chocolate chips evenly into cookies, multiply pizza slices to make whole pizzas, and how to fraction out one cake for 10 people. Good thing we try to have our math time after lunch because this way of teaching division, multiplication, and fractions making us all hungry! I’ve also included Amazon links down below for two games from Ancient Greece that I’m proud to say some of our friends already figured out! Way to go everyone!

Home Connection:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchSJSJAbc0
• https://multiplicitylab.northwestern.edu/project/ltt_r-008-patterns/
• https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/zeus-the-mighty/topic/podcast
• https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Bottle-Puzzle-True-Genius/dp/B01N1ONPRO
• https://www.amazon.sg/GRECIAN-TANGRAM-True-Genius-disassembly/dp/B07DR6GSTG

Announcements:

• Make sure to check your child’s backpack daily for their folder. Invites were sent home today for Maddie’s birthday party! 
• On October 4th, Plato will be holding their annual Lee Denim Day and Bake Sale. It is also two days before my birthday and I’d love to celebrate with our class:)! I plan on surprising them with a little pizza party lunch if that is OK with all of you. Please let me know if you prefer to opt out. Thanks!
• Book orders are due by Monday.
• Have you tuned in to the podcast that correlates with our book? Just search for “Greeking Out” wherever you listen to podcasts/music. 

That’s all folks! Have a fabulous weekend and Go Bears!

-Ms. Anna–

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”- Albert Einstein

What another fabulous week reading about the battle between Theseus and the minotaur, learning about some very special bear cubs in New Hampshire, and making our very own Icarus wings to fly! One of the things I love most about Greek mythology is how rich it is and how many different subjects it can be incorporated into. From beginning to write our own myths, to building temples and mazes in the engineering room, there is something for everyone! 

Check out the pictures from our field trip! We had a blast and can’t wait for our next one. We also celebrated National Sudoku Day this week and tried as a class to complete a few together, but we found that it definitely looks easier than it is! Your children did bring theirs home on Monday. Can they tell you what their strategy/process was that they used with their partner? Were you able to do it together?

We read chapter 10 in our Greeking Out book today and it was about a witch named Cerse, who used her powers for both evil and good. Every myth holds a valuable lesson and in today’s chapter we learned what the true meaning of love is. This started a discussion to share what everyone believes love is after reading a feel-good article (find the link in “home connection” below). We journaled about this afterwards and I can’t wait for you all to read their heartwarming answers during conferences:)

If you’ve been at Plato, then you most definitely know the book The Dot and can remember that we celebrate International Dot Day every year. Our class partnered this week with Ms. Demetra’s class to read the story altogether and then draw our own dot images out front. If you’re unsure or need a quick reminder about Dot Day, take a look at the link down below! 

Home connection:

• https://storyworks3.scholastic.com/etc/classroom-magazines/reader.html?id=2-090124
• https://multiplicitylab.northwestern.edu/project/ltt_cr-017-more/
• https://www.dailygood.org/story/158/what-does-love-mean-see-how-4-8-year-old-kids-describe-love-ladan-lashkari/
• https://www.internationaldotday.org/

Vocab. alert:

• enclosure
• pacing
• rare
• aggressive
• habitat
• arrogant

Announcements:

• Please make sure to pack a healthy and nutritious snack for our morning break. Cookies and cakey items should be saved for after lunch. 
• Is your child reading with you every night? Beginning next week, I will be sending home books using a “check out” system from class. Your child can choose to either read a book from home or one they’ve brought from school. Please be sure to check backpacks every day and send books back the following day! Also, don’t forget about signing in to Storyworks and reading those articles, too!
• If your child will be absent, please make sure to use the Absent/tardy sheet and fill out prior to 8:40. You can find it at the bottom of every week’s Parent Notes from the office.

That’s all! Have a great weekend and GO BEARS!

-Ms. Anna

We’ve had another spectacular week really getting into Greek mythology. We read about Persophone and her bond with her mother, Demeter, that was broken when Hades and Zeus plotted to kidnap Persophone and force her to live in the underworld as Hades’s wife. Our journal question for this day was to think back on a time where we may not have wanted to participate in something or go somewhere (just like Persophone), but then made the best of it and ended up enjoying ourselves (just like Persophone!). Ask your child to tell you what happened? What is the fruit of the underworld that she ate? What do we call the six months she lives with her mother on earth and the six months she lives in the underworld with Hades? We also read the myth about King Midas which taught us a valuable lesson in not being greedy. Our final myth this week was about the Aloadae, Ares, Apollo and Artemis. Does your child remember what the twin giants’ names mean in Greek? Otus meaning doom and Ephialtes meaning nightmare! I wonder which myth has been your child’s favorite so far…

On Wednesday, we read an article in our Storyworks magazine about the giant Malabar squirrel aka the rainbow squirrel! Where are they native to (India)? What colors are they (blue, purple, and orange)? How big can they get (3 ft)? Please take advantage of this resource! They have an excellent site that is very kid-user friendly and has a plethora of games, reading, and other media. I’ve included the link below in the “home connection” section and the classroom password is Werock123! (exclamation point is included)

I think I see some future actors and actresses in this crew! Our class had a lot of fun acting out our first class play (you can actually see this on the Storyworks site). You may recall last week everyone chose a role and began practicing their lines. For our first play we simply sat in an open semi circle on the floor and took turns standing up to read our lines. These guys seem eager to put on our next show and incorporate more props, costumes, and overall drama! Stay tuned:)

How great did your child’s Pandora jar turn out? Fun fact, in Greek mythology, Pandora was actually given a jar not a box and somewhere down the line the translation changed it. Were you able to guess what your child placed in theirs? Besides being a fun game we could all play together and build our classroom community, this was a great way to practice our listening skills, taking turns talking, build language and reasoning skills, as well as problem solving skills. 

I brought in a new math game this week that is AWESOME! It’s called Zeus On The Loose and I can’t recommend it enough in case anyone is looking for a new game night addition! 

Vocabulary:

• agriculture
• satyr
• chariot
• prophecy
• immortal
• invincible

Home Connection:

• https://multiplicitylab.northwestern.edu/project/ltt_r-002-notice-wonder/
• https://storyworks3.scholastic.com/teacher-home-page-logged-in.html

Announcements:

• Ice cream social is today from 3-4. I hope to see you all there!
• Although we do have a snack around 10:15, I’m seeing the majority of our friends get really hungry before lunch and remain hungry after. Please consider packing some extra food to help hold them over. Nobody likes a hungry belly:)
• Our first field trip is next Tuesday, September 10

That’s all for this week! Have a great weekend and GO BEARS!

-Ms. Anna

—

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”- Albert Einstein