The Cooper School Daily

A Week Of Special Treats

entomologistDiwali

On Tuesday, Ms. Mosmi came into our classroom to share a special element of Indian culture with the First Grade. Diwali is a wonderful festival of light and renewal, and the First Grade students were smitten. After a lovely read-aloud explaining the origins of the holiday, we went outside to create detailed rangolis with colored sand. The sand designs are meant to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, into the home. They turned out beautifully!

Science

rangoliWe got a special treat this week when we welcomed an entomology professor from the College of Charleston into our classroom. Professor Brian Scholtens brought some fascinating specimens of South Carolina insect life for us to examine, as well as the gear he uses in the field. Our curious students got to ask him questions, share their own knowledge of local insects, and show him our “Head, Thorax, Abdomen” song (to the tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”). The First Graders were star-struck to meet a real insect scientist.

Social Studies

Our newest unit in Social Studies is all about culture. We began be discussing our families, then expanded to include our neighborhoods and school. Culture can be hard to define, so we talked about helpful vocabulary words like celebrate, custom, and neighbor. Students were eager to make connections to their own lives, from daily customs in their households (french toast sticks for weekday breakfast) to annual customs for special holidays (decorating the house for Halloween).