Unit+of+Inquiry

* Units of Inquiry *

__Unit #4__: Our fourth Unit of Inguiry is "How the World Works" and in this unit we will be focusing on change. We will start the unit discussing the seasons and weather. These are things the students should have some background knowledge about and that they are able to see everyday. After we have discussed these and the students are starting to understand what change means and some ways that it relates to their life we will discuss the phases of water and materials (solid, liquid, and gas). We will boil water, make ice cubes, and melt ice cubes. We will then start doing experiments. In one of the experiments we will see how the temperature of water affects things. We will try to cook pasta in cold, warm, and boiling water. Once we see that boiling water has the biggest affect on the pasta we will try cooking other materials in our classroom in boiling water (blocks, bread, gummy bears, paper, etc.). We will make playdough and popcorn to see some more kinds of change, the students will create their own pancake recipe after we read some pancake stories and we will try to make their pancake recipe. This unit is very science based and during it I will introduce various elements of the scientific process in a Kindergarten appropriate way.

__This you can do at home with the unit__:
 * Discuss the seasons and weather with your child
 * As the weather warms up show your child how the trees, plants, etc. are changing due to the weather
 * As you see examples of solids, liquids, and gases ask your child what they are
 * Let your child help you cook and explain how the different ingredients change the final product
 * Ask your child what experiments they have been doing in school and what surprised them

__Learner profile words we are focusing on__:
 * Inquirer
 * Knowledgeable
 * Reflective

__Unit #3__: Our third Unit of Inquiry is "How We Express Ourselves". In this unit we will be reading different fairy tales. We will read two versions of each fairy tale, then we will compare the two versions looking for the similarities and differences. Once we have done this the students will choose who is their favorite character in the story and they will create a puppet of that character. We will make popsicle stick puppets, paper bag puppets, sock puppets, real gingerbread men/women, and more. At the end of the unit the students will create their own play using one of the stories for inspiration or completely from their own ideas. They will create the background for their play, masks, determine characters, create a story board, and then put on the play for the school and parents. This is a literacy based unit and in it the students will work on many important literacy skills. They will be identifying the characters in the story, recalling the facts of the story, retelling the story, thinking about characters likes and dislikes, and writing their own stories. It is a very fun unit and I think the students will love it! I'm excited to see what they come up with!

__Things you can do at home with the unit__:
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Discuss who are the characters in the story when you and your child read together
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Talk about which character in the story is your and their favorite and why
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Help your child create their own stories at home with them or you writing
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Act out different stories you have read with your child using puppets or stuffed animals
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Let your child put on plays for you :)
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Come and watch the final performance!!

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Learner profile words we are focusing on__:
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Communicator
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Risk-taker

<span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Unit #2__: <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Our second unit will be "How We Organize Ourselves". For this unit will will be looking at transportation and how it affects our lives, Wroclaw, and the cities we came from. The students will be learning to identify different kinds of transportation, they will learn about how to act and go on the different kinds of transportation, and they will think about why we have things where we do. For example why is the airport not in the middle of the city and where should roads be, etc. We will go on a fun field trip in Wroclaw where we get to ride on many of the different kinds of transportation available here and see some others. The students will also create a city and different modes of transportation out of recycable materials. This is a fun interative unit and I'm excited to see how the students can relate the importance of transportation to their lives.

<span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Things you can do at home with the unit__:
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Take your child on the city buses and/or tram
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Let your child stamp their ticket and explain to them why they must stamp it
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Explain the route you take on the way to school as you are doing it
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Ask your child to count the number of buses or trams or trucks they see as you are driving
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Talk to your child about the different kinds of transportation in your home country/city
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Ask your child about the field trip after we go on it

<span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Learner profile words we are focusing on__:
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Knowledgeable
 * <span style="color: #000dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Reflective

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;">Pictures from this unit (including the field trip):

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<span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Unit #1__: <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Our first Unit of Inquiry will be "Who We Are". In this unit the students will be thinking about who they are and then focusing on friendship. This is a great unit to start the school year off with because it gets students thinking about who they are individually, what their likes and dislikes are, and introduces basic skills. It also helps to build the classroom community by having them think about what makes a good friend and how to be a friend. Music, Art, P.E., and Polish will all be incorporating some of their lessons into this unit. I think it will be a fun one and that the students will enjoy it!

<span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Things you can do at home with the unit__:
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Ask your child who their friends are at school
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Discuss the importance of having friends
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Discuss with your child how to be a good friend
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Talk about how to make friends
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Remind your child that friends don't always like the same things as them

<span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Learner profile words we are focusing on__:
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Caring
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Communicator
 * <span style="color: #ff0097; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Open-Minded

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;">Pictures from this unit: media type="custom" key="12356252" align="center"