November 2025 at GAP School

Yellow Superstars with Emily

In the month of November, the Yellow Superstars have been gearing up for our next big idea, Journeys big and small. This flock of learners are motivated, passionate and enthusiastic as they dive into learning. 

The Yellow Superstars have decided to set a goal as a class, to earn a day of roasting marshmallows! Together, we collectively decided what goals we aspired to as a flock in order to reach this overall achievement. It came down to five main actions: 

1) Following directions by active listening and participating

2) Cleaning up our class space & participating in stewardship 

3) Making each other smile by having fun

4) Helping each other whenever we can

5) Trying our best when learning and trying something new

These incredible learners track their goals throughout the day with reflection through group conversations. As we give verbal examples of our achievements, we earn a star for each goal completed. At the end of the day, when all five stars are earned, we log our data on a separate board. This board is labeled: Our Journey to 100 Stars! Once we earn 100 stars as a class, we get to have a marshmallow party! On this board, we display our daily data by practicing using tally marks. We count by 5's to count the total number earned! 

In math, we wrapped up our lessons on greater than, less than, and equal to. We are now learning to count by 5's through gross motor and fine motor movement. And, as mentioned before, we have learned how to count using tally marks. While nature journaling, learners have been learning how to use a ruler to measure items we journal.

In ELA, Learners are working on reading fluency as they practice reading CVC words using all vowels! As we continue to introduce sight words, we practice reading and writing simple sentences independently. While we read stories as a class, the Superstars are practicing summarizing and identifying themes. Learner nature journals have evolved as they use sight words and spell phonetically to complete sentence starters. They also love to label cool findings!

In science, we wrapped up our lessons on the states of matter. Here we used gamification to distinguish the difference between the three different states! We saw this concept come to life as we participated in an experiment together, watching an ice cube melt and evaporate over the fire. 

Red Rubies with Virginia and Sapna

In math and science, your astronauts have been preparing to travel to space! Using imagination and creativity, each learner has designed their own space suit that allows them to communicate and breathe. We have learned about how rockets work. We discovered that when the fuel inside the boosters is depleted, they fall off and can contribute to space junk. We wanted to problem-solve in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The learners thought was to use a material that decomposes or can be reused. We have also talked about using biofuel as a cleaner alternative.

We use different units in math to measure our journeys, both big and small. To measure distance, we have identified how many inches are in a foot, how many feet are in a yard, and how many feet and yards are in a mile. Learners have practised measuring things in nature with a ruler. We broke records and a sweat when we ran a mile, which was 20 laps, or as we astronauts like to say, 20 orbits. They gave it their all and were incredibly encouraging of one another. We have broken time down into seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, seasons, and years. We converted our speed from minutes to hours and will calculate how long it will take to reach different planets in our solar system. 

Silver Sparrows with Furn and Elijah

As the splendors of fall subside and sharpen into winter’s austere charms, the Silver Sparrows have likewise sharpened their minds for learning in brisk weather. The temperatures have dropped significantly, but our drive to learn only heats up! This month in ELA, we’ve spent time learning about the genre of biography and polishing our word study skills.

How do we write about famous people? How do we communicate an important journey? What is a legacy? These are the questions we strive to answer when we investigate the genre of biography. The Silver Sparrows took time to dissect the parts and features of a biography, encounter examples, and explore journeys though the objects in our lives. For example, learners brought in objects and souvenirs that represented journeys in their lives. In front of their peers, they shared a few key details and then opened up the floor to questions. The silvers then used one of our question routines, the Question Pencil, to ask questions and draw out the hidden stories and journey connected to the object. To deepen our sense of biographic writing, we’ve also explored small biographies of famous people in book and short-video formats.

For Word Study Wednesday, the Silver Sparrows have leveled-up their vocabulary skills by applying active reading strategies to their work. For each word list that the Sparrows encounter, they read an extended reading passage with short response questions. By combining their active reading strategies with their word study activities, the Sparrows are engaging with each word, word definitions, and connecting questions more deeply. As they get faster and more accurate at their word study, they also take time to complete Frayer Model activities that invite them to think of images, their definitions, synonyms, antonyms, examples, and non-examples of words that strike them. What a fun way to grow our skills by contextualizing the new words we learn!

Additionally, we completed a variety of warm-up activities before ELA lessons. These warm-ups included applying active reading strategies (as discussed in the last post) to short reading passages, “hamburger paragraph” prompt responses, and proofreading “correct my sentence” activities. The Silvers have shown excellent engagement and progress with their ability to complete timed writing tasks, engage actively with their reading, and spot mistakes in written work!

This month has been so productive for the Silver Sparrows in math! We introduced division with excitement. First we worked with a bunch of manipulatives and discussed what division ACTUALLY is. More than just some problems on paper… why does division work, what does it mean, and how is it used in real life? How is division related to multiplication? We discussed fact families and learned how we can use our knowledge of multiplication facts to quickly learn the corresponding division facts. After practicing division facts and solidifying our conceptual understanding of division, we began working with remainders and dividing larger numbers. We also began working in word problems to strengthen our reading comprehension and our ability to translate a word problem into an equation. December will be about strengthening and building on these multiplication and division skills!

In science, we are exploring energy transfer and the way the sun’s energy powers the earth. From nuclear fusion in the sun to ancient fossil fuels, Silvers are studying energy’s transformation as it is passed around the earth. Silvers have also been putting a lot of work into designing our energy museum for Community Day! Silvers planned each feature of the museum, interviewed to lead the project they want, and are now deep into creating their final feature! We are so impressed at their determination and independence this month.

Emerald Eagles with Lauren

The Emerald Eagles have been focused on simplifying and "needs" as we look at journeys both big and small. One of the journeys we’ve explored includes a hypothetical journey taken into the wilderness and what we would need to survive. Later, we peeked into the migration journeys of other species. Research skills are being applied in the learners’ migration work as part of ELA. It’s been incredible to learn about the feats of these species as they avoid predation and find ideal breeding and feeding grounds! 

Simplifying has been the theme in mathematics. We have been looking at ways to simplify fractions and patterns. The learners have all been introduced to algebraic concepts through our work with patterns, and we extended that study into weaving projects.

SEL with Janelle

This month, as the cooler days blew in, Yellow Superstars and Red Rubies blew us away with lessons on caring, compassion, and how to grow active listening skills through mindfulness challenges and community support. Their favorite ways to help out included gathering fire wood to contribute to the campfires that keep them and others warm and organizing it in our spaces. We also leaned into the importance of movement for our mind and body health, and wove in extended games of Red Light Green Light, Emotion Tag (a learner created game), and running laps. Their eagerness to move and their increased focus after completing running was inspirational.  

Silver Sparrows locked into creating comics that demonstrate ways to be kind and considerate at school. They also shared their creativity through a variety of scenarios that showed compassion and care towards others. Their love for learning and applying these important qualities shines through each activity they complete.  

The Emerald Eagles have been working hard on making SEL their own and giving back to GAP School. Learners have been brainstorming ways that they can turn their favorite games into SEL games that include the topics of emotions, kindness, and community. Learners have devised a plan that outlines what they need to create these games and begin leading others through them over the coming weeks. Many of these games will live on at GAP School and help us all remember that learning through play, as Albert Einstein once said, is “the highest form of research.” 

As always please reach out if you’re interested in ways to apply these concepts at home, or have any questions or reflections to share.  

Projects with Max

Our new big idea “Journeys Big and Small” has provided an excellent opportunity for Learners to explore natural resources and the origins of materials as we practice crafting skills. Learners are producing a variety of crafts in anticipation of the holiday craft market at our next Community Day. 

At the craft fair you can expect whittled butter knives, beeswax votive candles, salves, felted wool magnets and ornaments, bead key chains, deer antler jewelry, and gift tags from repurposed stationary. 

During this time, we delved into understanding renewable versus non renewable resources and tracking the journey of a resource into goods used by people. Your Learners have mapped out the journey of wool to become a scarf, the path of beeswax, and watched how glass is made. 

Parallel to crafting and discussing resources we asked questions around what it means to give and receive gifts and the value of something made by hand and gifted to friends and loved ones.  It is our hope that you can find some hand crafts at Community Day to give to your loved ones this Winter season.