Our November at GAP School!

Yellow Mushrooms with Emily and Virginia

It has been a fast and furious November for the Yellow Mushrooms! We have had a lot of fun and learned a lot during these last few weeks. We have been solidifying routines, enjoying reading books (especially nonfiction!), and enjoying the time spent together. As it gets colder, make sure your Learner has lots of available layers, hand warmers, and hot lunches so we can stay warm and focused for the new season!

In ELA, the Yellow Mushrooms have been continuing their book study from the Zoey and Sassafras book series and are super close to finishing Monsters and Mold! Learners have been working hard as they independently read and write CVC words. CVCe words have been introduced as well through the "amazing magic e"! Magic e is magical because it gives its power to the other vowel, so it has the strength to say its name. As we read, we have enjoyed playing "Blah, Blah, Blah" and "Sight Word Bingo." As we write, we reference images, write sentences, labels, metadata in our nature journals, and brew up words in our tell and spell potions. We have continued to practice phonemic awareness and letter sounds, formation and identification. A big focus this month was identifying lowercase b and d. We support ourselves with these tricky letters by using the bed trick with our hands and by looking at images as a class.

In math, the Yellow Mushrooms wrapped up their quarter-long unit of addition and subtraction and then began working on data and graphing. They are now very good at reading bar graphs- who has the most, the least, and how many people voted altogether. The most fun activity that we did was creating our own questions and graphs! We asked many different types of questions to the Silver Flock, such as our favorite cake flavor, our favorite Minecraft mod, or our favorite singer. The Yellows had an excellent time walking around, asking their questions, and taking down their data using tally marks. It was very interesting to see how many people voted for each choice!

In science, we have been exploring the change in seasons and the movement of the Sun. We discovered that the Sun can help us tell time by making our own sundials! We also used a flashlight, pencil, and a foam ball to see how the Earth moves around the Sun and why the days get shorter in the winter and longer in the summer.

Red Hamsters with Lauren 

The Red Hamsters have been learning about how we can locate things or name our position in the world with numbers! We use numbers and codes to navigate our everyday lives. We use house numbers, zip codes, country codes, continent codes, latitude, longitude, and so much more! Firstly, we were looking from a local to a global perspective using numbers and now we are moving into naming the geography that we bumped into along the way. The Red Hamsters have been working to identify continents and countries, cities of interest, oceans, and especially highlight the United States on the continent of North America. The students have been applying their new abbreviation lessons from language lessons when identifying the states and we are noting Virginia’s state bird, tree, flower, etc., among other states’ representative species. The Learners are also better understanding why we have seasons and a Winter Equinox as we continue our preparations for our upcoming Community Day. We have learned about the four hemispheres, the Equator, Prime Meridian, and International Date Line.

In Math, the Learners have been continuing with their operations and are now applying them to fractions! We have worked to identify the parts of a fraction and some of the rules for adding and subtracting fractions. The Red Hamsters are confidently adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators and we are beginning to work more with equivalency. We have been practicing writing numerals in standard form, expanded form, and word form, and noticing how one little word or one extra zero can make a huge difference! Measurement continues to be used in many of our projects and we have continued to incorporate graphing throughout our lessons. 

In Language, the Learners have been continuing to review the parts of speech we’ve learned thus far, and they are starting to work more with using adverbs and pronouns in their writing. Writing has been featured lately in our lessons. The Learners are diligently working to finish writing their books in the alternative duology of Island of the Blue Dolphins. It has taken a lot of group work, compromises, and patience to create their masterpieces. More has come from their projects than we’d imagined! The Learners have learned much about character development and ways to enrich a story to make it more interesting for the reader. 

Silver Serpents with Furn and Elijah

This November, the Silver Serpents have done an excellent job welcoming in the winter season! We have worked hard to lock-in to storytelling, challenge our brains with fractions, and grow our social skills in communication and perspective. How do we tell stories? How do we understand parts of a whole? How do we see situations from another point of view? These are the questions our Silver Serpents have investigated together during work and play.

Our busy month started off with building on our knowledge of magnetism. What are the parts of magnets? What is a magnetic field? What makes a magnet weak or strong? We learned about the huge amount of uses that magnets have in our lives (maglev trains are fascinating!) and thought about how magnets can and do solve problems. Each Learner brainstormed using an "Idea, Benefits, Issues" chart, and then diagramed a magnet invention that could solve a problem here at GAP School. Silvers got creative, thinking of inventions that keep markers on our whiteboards or find needles quickly if dropped under the sewing station. We took a break from our Forces and Interactions unit to get out into the woods and do a “mini worlds” nature journal, in which Learners invented a whole world just within hula hoops that Furn placed on the forest floor. We wrapped up October's and November’s “Forces and Interactions” unit with the beloved review game "BOOM!" 

Our next unit after Forces and Interactions is ENERGY!! We mind mapped what we already know about the word “energy” and read a story all about energy flow. We then traced the energy used in a single movement (Furn pushing a marker) all the way back to its origin- the sun. We learned about the different types of energy through the acronym M.E.L.T.S: Mechanical, Electrical, Light, Thermal, and Sound. After nature journaling where we can see energy transfer in nature, we explored GAP School to find different examples of MELTS energy and then posed for photos for our Community Day photo display. We briefly dove into some energy vocabulary and watched potential and kinetic energy in action through rubber bands, binder clips, a kickball, and some balloons. Now that we feel confident in the types of energy, it’s time to start learning about different energy resources. We played a resource collection game that modeled nonrenewable and renewable energies. We graphed our data in line graphs to practice our graphing skills and start to learn how we can use graphs to spot trends and make predictions. Coming up, Silvers will become experts on various energy resources as we get ready for Community Day!

          In ELA, the Copperheads and Cottonmouths both dove into the art of listening to and reading stories. Gathered around the warm, bright flames of the class fire, we read classic fairy tales and fables like The Little Red Hen, Hansel and Gretel, Strega Nona, Where the Wild Things Are, and Cinderella to understand the shape of a story. Through these, we followed our questions about story elements. We mapped the plots of stories by identifying the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution through silly improv games like riding a roller coaster and climbing a mountain. Like scholars, we discussed how each part of the plot reveals to us more about characters (who), setting (where, when), and conflict (what, why, how). We also spent time studying our favorite characters. What do they look like? What are their personality traits? What evidence in the story reveals this traits? By asking these questions, we learned to understand our favorite characters with explicit textual evidence. To infuse a much-requested element of silliness into the mix, one of our Learners suggested we challenge Akinator, a popular character-guessing genie, to test our character knowledge. This sparked our delight, curiosity, and LOTS of laughter!

This month, your Learners likely introduced you to our new ELA tradition—Sharing Circle! Similar to show-and-tell, Sharing Circle invites one learner per group on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays to bring an object of significance with them to class for a group discussion during the first 10 minutes (or so) of class. Highly requested by our Learners, we decided that it would build class community by giving each other an invitational platform to open up about our lives and interests. By practicing our skills at asking meaningful, investigative, open-ended questions, we stretch our abilities to think critically, speak publicly, and learn playfully. We are truly having a wonderful time together, and we are excited to see where the Silvers take their storytelling skills in the next few months!

In Math, Corrie, Furn, and Elijah have been so impressed with every Learner’s growing dedication and responsibility in their learning. As we learn the tricky skill of describing, adding, and subtracting fractions in pictures, number lines, and more, the Silver Serpents have used tiles, dots, cards, sticks, leaves, stumps, and almost anything we could get our hands on to grow our number sense for parts of wholes. We’ve folded fractions into our daily practice during morning meetings, and the Silvers are showing up as fraction wizards! We are so grateful for Corrie’s creativity and dedication to helping the Silver Serpents practice and sharpen their awesome action with fractions.

Socially, our Serpents are starting to step into other people’s shoes. When faced with a challenging situation, they are learning to pause before reacting. While nobody is perfect, the practice of trying to understand what our classmates might be thinking and feeling is not an easy task—but it’s always a worthy one. Together, let’s continue to encourage our Learners as they try to step outside of their own perspective to enrich their minds and extend their empathy. 

Emerald Elk with Corrie and Luke

November has been a busy and exciting month for the Emerald Elk. From exploring powerful stories of resilience and migration in their novels Inside Out and Back Again and 90 Miles to Havana, to tackling math challenges with fractions and algebraic expressions, the Learners have embraced many new learning opportunities. Learners have started to prepare for their Winter Community Night project, where they will "zoom out" to explore and share the diverse winter holidays celebrated around the world. 

In Math, some Learners have been exploring algebraic thinking while others have been mastering the complexities of fractions. Our fifth grade Elk have been studying fractions using various hands-on approaches. To better understand fractions and their relationships, Learners created their own fraction sticks using found sticks, with 1 meter representing the whole and shorter sticks representing halves (50 cm), quarters (25 cm), and other fractional parts. By physically measuring and comparing these lengths, they gained a deeper understanding of the size and value of different fractions. Additionally, they've been using fraction tiles to explore equivalent fractions, order fractions on a number line, and solve word problems that challenge them to apply their knowledge. To further develop their skills, the Elk have been working on adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators, reinforcing their ability to manipulate fractions both abstractly and concretely. In middle school, the Elk are tackling the foundations of algebraic expressions and familiarizing themselves with key terminology like coefficient, variable, and constant. They are learning how to evaluate these expressions by simplifying, factoring, and expanding, which helps them break down complex problems into manageable steps. As they work through word problems, they're applying these strategies to solve real-world scenarios, such as calculating costs or determining patterns in data. This hands-on approach allows them to see how algebraic thinking can be used to solve everyday problems, while reinforcing their understanding of how different parts of an expression work together.

In ELA, the Emerald Elk began November by discussing fact and opinion, and how distinguishing between the two is important for being informed and thoughtful citizens during election season. We then continued “leveling up” our novel studies of Inside Out and Back Again and 90 Miles to Havana by creating our own narratives based on the events and characters we had been reading about. For these stories, we continued focusing on plot structure and applied new skills, such as formatting dialogue and writing “hooks” to engage our readers. Each Elk has shown such amazing growth in their writing and reading, and all are poised to finish strong in ELA before a well-deserved winter break. 

As we prepare for our Winter Community Night, Learners have been researching winter holidays from around the world, each selecting a country to explore in depth. They're learning about traditions, food and drink, unique expressions, important dates, and geographical locations associated with winter celebrations in their chosen countries. This research not only helps Learners understand more about diverse cultures, but also inspires their creativity for writing projects and models to display on Community Night. 

SEL with Janelle

This November in SEL the Yellow Mushrooms leaned into exploring compassion, respect for school and each other, and putting the understanding of basic emotions into action with giant flash cards, collages, and photo freeze frames. They also investigated worry and created ways to manage worries through the creation of worry pockets and boxes. Some Learners brought these home to continue using, so please reach out if you have questions or would like guidance on continuing to use them. We have also been working on mindfulness through weekly woodsy wanders, mindfulness scavenger hunts, and slowing down for games of yoga and "Ouisi" to help us refine our active listening skills. 

The Red Hamsters have been working on problem solving and social skills through navigating conversations about group norms and expectations. They have been working hard at welcoming a new Learner into their flock and taking on leadership roles in helping to introduce him to the flock's and GAP School's expectations for safety and community connection. They have expanded their knowledge of the basic emotions of sad, mad, happy, calm, anxious, and loved through the creation of collaborative emotion collages. They also worked through individual self evaluations to identify their strengths and areas of growth as Learners. Some areas included were direction following, group cooperation, active listening, and group participation. We will loop back to these topics again to monitor our progress later this year. They also grew their self understanding through reflection on multiple things that support and/or make it harder for them when they are having big feelings.  

The Silver Serpents worked diligently on the concept of self care and caring while incorporating compassion, helpfulness, gratitude, and empathy into their days. Caring is defined as feeling and showing concern for yourself and others. With this information and definition in mind, the Serpents reflected on their intrinsic values and created affirmation stones as a form of self care. They also worked on their leadership and active listening skills with an emphasis on emotional awareness through playing a few inspiring rounds of "Grow-a-Tree." Both "Grow-a-Tree" and additional affirmation stones are fun and interactive ideas to keep growing social emotional thinking at home.

The Emerald Elk continue to work on expanding their knowledge and application of caring, compassion, and empathy. Empathy is the ability to share and understand other people's feelings. We’re discovering that deciphering between empathy and sympathy can been tricky. This topic can be a fun family car or meal time conversation. We created a caring spider web, imagined ourselves in someone else's shoes through a read aloud story, and applied our understanding of others perspectives through exploring famous pieces of art. In pairs, the Elk explored the art through the lenses of their 5 senses and created short stories to share their perspectives. 

Knowledge Seekers and Projects with Ryan and Max

We started November by discussing strength of evidence with an activity around evaluating photographs of cheetahs to prove the statement, "cheetahs are predators of wildebeest." Learners had to base this exercise only on the photos they were given and pretend they had no prior knowledge about cheetahs. The exercise helped launch discussions around strength of evidence, making claims based on evidence and practcing agreeing / disagreeing respectfully in a scientific discussion. This was used as a launch pad to our election day extravaganza the following day.

The middle of November had us diving back into traditional skills including processing acorns into flour and scraping & tanning deer hide. When Learners were not cracking acorns or scraping hides we began crafting lanterns out of milk cartons for our upcoming community day. Our lanterns are a way to recognize the winter solstice. We have also used the coming solstice to shine a light on how Winter Solstice has been celebrated around the world, the science behind why we have the solstice, and the science of light. We are excited for our milk carton lanterns to help light the way during our lantern walk in December.