THE CHILDREN S SCHOOL! MARCH/APRIL 2012 KINDERNEWS

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1 KINDERNEWS Ancient Egypt Reminders We have two themes for May: Chicks and Games. Conference Days: April 20th and 27th Please remember to send sunscreen and a permission form with your child. The permission form (pdf format) is available on the website. May 18th: Kindergarten Graduation/ Whole School Picnic Pharaohs Maryella and Mark welcome you to Ancient Egypt!! As spring started to bloom, Ancient Egypt was the perfect place for kindergartners to explore during our new unit. We began by charting what we knew about Egypt and what we were eager to learn. Our conversations helped excite the students by building anticipation through questions, I wonders, as well as making personal connections. Our adventure began with daily food tastings from an Egyptian s diet, the creation of decorative traditional jewelry, recreating life in Ancient Egypt, making papyrus, mummifying our life-size drawn bodies, Crocodile subtraction and much more. From the first day, it was obvious that this would be a very exciting Delia, Jacob and Caroline playing with Harrison s Ancient Egypt Playmobil set. Harrison writes a message Sebastian and Nina C. using Egyptian explore the land of Egypt in Hieroglyphics. the sand table.! PAGE 1 journey!

2 TRAVELING BACK IN TIME Delia, Caroline and Nina C. protect the Pharaoh s sarcophagus.! Located in the northeast corner of Africa, Ancient Egypt was the home of large pyramids, pharaohs and sarcophaguses. The pyramids were built to protect the bodies of these Pharaohs, placed in an elaborate sarcophagus, and buried deep inside them. Through dramatic play, students were able to become Egyptians themselves. They dressed in Servants fan Pharaoh Michael on his throne. Mrs. Perovich helps Peter make paper. Sydney uses a sponge to absorb water from the paper. traditional garb of light, loose clothes made of linen. Clothing was often adorned with gold jewelry, ornate headdresses and scarab beetle amulets. Students delved into the world of Ancient Egypt by creating beaded scarab beetle bracelets, tinfoil snake headdresses and gold cuffs. Recreations of mummification ceremonies with Pharaohs quickly followed. MAKING PAPYRUS! Papyrus reeds grew along the side of the Nile River and were mainly used by Ancient Egyptians for making paper. The word paper comes from the Egyptian word papyrus which means that which belongs to the house. The process of making paper was an expensive and lengthy task. Due to the process, Egyptian Scribes, those who were trained to read and write in hieroglyphics, often only used papyrus for important documents of the Pharaoh.! In class, students created their own papyrus using torn white paper, colored tissue paper scraps and colorful glitter. First the students tore paper and blended it with water into a smooth, fine pulp. Next, they poured their mixture onto screens. Using a sponge, students pressed down on the mixture, removing all excess water. After all the water was removed, the screen was then flipped over, thus creating a flat sheet of paper that, once dry, could be written upon. Ryan and Mark prepare the mummy for afterlife. Sophia tears paper and tissue paper before making papyrus.! PAGE 2

3 SARCOPHAGUS, MUMMIES AND PHARAOHS...OH MY! The Pharaohs sarcophaguses on display! CROCODILE AND HIPPO SUBTRACTION! In Ancient Egypt, Pharaohs (kings) were believed to be the most important and powerful person in the kingdom. Egyptians considered the Pharaohs to be half-man, half-god. They controlled all of Egypt and were respected not only during life, but in their afterlife as well. Pharaohs began planning and constructing their pyramids, a monument to their throne, during the beginning of their reign. Once they died, Pharaohs were prepared for mummification, having their organs removed, body dehydrated and wrapped in linens. Then they were placed in Peter and Nikou draw royal faces.! Throughout the month, we explored the math concept of subtraction, the process of taking one number away from another. Discussing this concept helps continue our exploration with Michael counts how many Goldfish crackers Kabir practices subtraction using raisins. decorative, jeweled coffins known as Sarcophaguses and buried with treasures for their afterlife. Students created their own sarcophaguses using metallic paints and oil pastels. They also mummified their life-size drawn bodies in preparation Maryella and Elias decorate their sarcophagus using hieroglyphics. Jacob mummifies his body in preparation for the sarcophagus. number sense and builds upon the concept of addition. The children explored this concept while playing Crocodile Subtraction, an activity where the friends selected two numbered cards from two baskets. One basket was labeled with a crocodile (the number you subtract), the other labeled with a goldfish (the number you begin with). Students recorded the number on the goldfish card, then selected that many goldfish from a pile. Next, they recorded and took away that number of goldfish from the crocodile card. The amount of goldfish remaining was recorded as their answer (the difference). Another activity with which the friends experimented was Hippo Subtraction. This game focuses on the same concept, except using different manipulatives, raisins (grapes) and hippopotamuses.! PAGE 3

4 Morning work is a daily morning activity that students are required to complete in once they arrive in the classroom. Each day s task is set on a table, allowing four students to work independently at the same time. This approach permits students an individual experience to practice and review familiar mathematical and language arts Alphabet Race During morning work, students practice how to quickly identify different letters of the alphabet. Letters included both upper and lower case, with nine letters listed randomly at a time.! The task required students to roll a six sided die, count and identify the number, and select the correlating row of letters based on the number rolled and reads the letters. Oscar reads a line of the alphabet aloud. ONGOING SCIENCE EXPERIMENT! With the help of Mrs. Perovich, students had the chance to experience the Ancient Egyptian process of mummification. Students were introduced to Mr. Smiley, a fish whose name was soon changed to Mr. Smelly. Students used baking soda to begin the process and are eagerly awaiting the results, preparing to wrap him in linens next week! KINDERGARTEN MORNING WORK Making Zero Making Zero offers students the chance to practice their subtraction skills. Students begin by selecting a handful of cubes and recording the number. They then roll a die, subtracting that many cubes from the pile. This activity continues until students have zero cubes remaining, thus Making Zero. Ryan creates a subtraction problem. Caroline makes zero! A mummified Mr. Smelly Clear the Board Kasim places his color cubes on different numbers. This activity reviews the concept of probability and requires students to place 15 unifix cubes on numbered squares, 1-10, based on their predictions of which numbers they will roll the most frequently. As students roll a 10 sided die, they remove a cube from the number rolled until they Clear the Board. So if they initially place 3 cubes on the number 6, they would roll three 6 s to clear that number. They would clear all 10 numbers to clear the board. Friends watch as Mrs. Perovich weighs Mr. Smelly.! PAGE 4

5 AN EGYPTIAN S DELICIOUS DIET Nina H. adds honey to bread.! The Nile River and its fertile banks offered Ancinet Egyptians a plentiful bounty of fruit, vegetables, wheat and fish. Without Egypt s annual rainfall and easy access to water, its almost completely dry desert land (90 % of land) would not Maryella, Ryan and have been able to sustain its Harrison taste people. An typical diet for an Pomegranate juice. Egyptian consisted of pomegranates, okra, peaches, figs, dates, barley, bread, honey, grapes, fish, beef, chickpeas, goat and edamame. During our daily work time, students were able to sample different foods that were often new and interesting. After students had the chance to taste these foods, they were given the opportnity to graph whether or not they enjoyed what they had tasted. The students enjoyed sharing their opinions and counting the differences among classmates. Students seemed to enjoy pomegranate juice, edamame and honey the most! EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES Michael draws the Egyptian God Thoth. Charlie, Elias and Peter decide if they like okra and barley.! An intricate role with Ancient Egypt's society focused on the worship and celebration of over 2,000 Gods and Goddesses. Egyptians believed that they owed their good fortune to the Gods, so they built temples to honor them. The majority of gods were represented with human bodies and the head of a bird or animal. Students explored the different gods and drew their own representations using colored permanent markers.! Several of the most prevalent Gods and Goddesses in Ancient Egypt included Bastet, Anubis and Thoth. Bastet was known as the goddess of protection of joy, love and motherhood. She was often shown as a cat with the body of a human. Anubis Elias, Charlie and Delia draw their Egyptian Gods. (shown with the head of a jackal) was the god of mummification and guided the dead into the afterlife. He was frequently portrayed in drawings on sarcophaguses and tombs. Thoth (depicted with the head of a river bird) was considered the God of writing, knowledge and time. It was believed that he invented hieroglyphics, creating them to have magical powers and the ability to come alive.! PAGE 5

6 ANIMALS OF THE NILE! Throughout our exploration of Ancient Egypt, much of our focus centered around the animals of the Nile River. The Nile River is the world s longest river, measuring over 4,000 miles long. It starts at the Mediterranean Sea and travels thru five countries. Animals that make their home in the river include crocodiles, hippopotamuses, fish and snakes. Land animals also played an important role in an Egyptian s life. Cats were worshiped animals, considered to have magical powers that could protect one s home and family. Harrison, Nina C., Trey and Ryan create animals from Egypt. Sebastian paints a hippo. FIELD TRIP TO THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY The friends find an Egyptian statue on their scavenger hunt. exhibits within the museum. The Arctic and Native American exhibits offered great reflection on previous units from the first half of the school year. Students recognized the animals from the Arctic and the meticulous beaded weavings created by Native Americans. To culminate our Ancient Egypt unit we explored a wonderful treasure just around the corner: the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The Egypt exhibit displayed artifacts ranging from daily life to those used in traditional Egyptian celebrations. The students were able to enjoy a scavenger hunt throughout the exhibit that helped them locate central relics related to our unit. A canopic jar lid, a scarab beetle, a sarcophagus and skeletal remains of an Egyptian include just some of the interesting artifacts we discovered. Students also had the opportunity to explore other The friends in a Pharaoh s tomb.! PAGE 6