Weekly News (Sept. 7-11)

Time flies when you're having fun in kindergarten! Keep reading to find out what we have been learning this week.

Math

We began our math lessons this week using the Everyday Mathematics program. We explored our pattern blocks and talked about the different attributes of each block including color, size, and shape. We sorted the shapes by the number of sides and took a closer look at all of the shapes with four sides--so many differences! Click here to play a pattern block game online. 

We also explored the concept of measurement by comparing strips of paper cut to different lengths. We used the words shorter, longer, and equal to compare the different strips of paper. We also practiced counting up and down from zero.

Pattern Block Creations

Pattern Block Creations

The children have also been doing a great job with our calendar and weather routine in the morning. Each day our "Hello Helper" gives a weather report and adds the next number to our calendar. Our "Hello Helper" also counts the number of days we have been in school. We use a place value pocket chart like the one below to help us keep track of our days!

Jolly Phonics

We introduced the first Jolly Phonics sound this week! 

/s/ as in "snake"

Learning the Jolly Phonics sounds not only helps form the foundation for reading, it also helps the children as they learn to express their ideas in writing. We will continue to add new sounds to our Jolly Phonics notebook each week. Thank you for your support helping your child learn their letter sounds!

Literacy

It was an exciting week in Kindergarten. The children had their first experience with Writing and Reading Workshop. During Writing Workshop, the children learned that we are all writers who have ideas to share with others. Using Freight Train by Donald Crews as a mentor text, the children learned that they too could share their own ideas about a topic they know a lot about. During our first lesson of the week, the students were introduced to the first four steps in our Writing Workshop routine:

Then later in the week, the children learned a new phrase that good writers use, "When I'm done, I've only just begun!" That's when we introduced the final step to our Writing Workshop routine, which is "rereading" our writing to see where else we could add more detail to our pictures and our words. The children did an AMAZING job with their first go at writing in Kindergarten. They should be very proud!

Adding more details to our pictures and words

1. Think of an idea

2. Draw your idea

3. Label your picture

4. Write your idea at the bottom

5. Add more details

The children also did a great job during our first Reading Workshop lessons of the year. During our first lesson, the children were introduced to all of the mentor texts that we will be using during our Launch Unit. We practiced "turning and talking" with our partners on our rainbow rug, and we learned that good readers notice notice things. For example, we learned that words are made up of letters and there are spaces between words so when know where one word stops and another word begins. We also had a chance to explore books from our classroom library!

Specials
The children were eager to use the computers during computer time in the LMC this week, and they had a blast singing and dancing to the rhythm with Mr. Deptula in music class.

Computer Time in the LMC

Dancing in Music Class

The children loved listening and reading the book Taking a Bath with the Dog when Mrs. Sessler came in for an interactive read aloud.

Honoring Patriot Day

Doing a Good Deed!

Thanks for reading!
Have a great weekend!